Electra

By Alfred V. Cafiero

Electra is a utopian type city and the envy of every city in the U.S. Its citizens enjoyed the benefits of good government and therefore, lulled into complacency by its many amenities, believing the good life would last forever without their participation in civic affairs and henceforth, neglected their right to vote. Their indifference to the political process left the door ajar for the criminal element to establish a foothold in city government. Gradually, the tentacles of corruption penetrated every office of city government. This once great city, is now degenerated into one of crime and vice, with the establishment of gambling, prostitution, and drugs.

This story centers on two wealthy individuals who decided on restoring the city to its former greatness by combining their resources, influence, and expertise in a resourceful, dangerous, and questionable plan. Alvin Cain came from humble origins; and through his intelligence and fearless nature, he became a wealthy man and the architect of a daring plan to restore Electra to respectability. John Winthrop Hamilton III was born into wealth, a philanthropist and the moral guide of the two men; he had to be convinced that Alvin Cains method was the only viable plan that could succeed. Although daring, dangerous, and unethical, the plan was adopted.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 24, 2014
• ISBN: 9781499031324

Alfred V. Cafiero

The author’s autobiography is written in the third person as Albert Capo, and he is the author of the novel Vengeance. Alfred V. Cafiero was born on June 5, 1926, in New York City and was educated through the New York City public school system. After high school, he was inducted into military service in 1944 and served with the Thirty-Third Infantry Division in the South Pacific Theater of Operation. He helped liberate the island of Luzon in the Philippines and was part of the occupational forces in Japan. He was honorably discharged from military service in October 1946. After discharge from the army, he enrolled at Hunter College in New York City, and graduated in 1951 with a degree in chemistry and mathematics. His last employer was the David Sarnoff Research Center in Princeton, New Jersey, from 1960 to his retirement in 1988. Since his retirement, he has taught chemistry for two years at the Institute for Professional and Technical Advancement (a division of Middlesex Community College) and, from 1990 to 2000, as a substitute teacher for the Old Bridge Township School System. He has coauthored two scientific publications: “Single-Crystal Growth of Mixed Hexaborides for Thermionic Emission,” G. H. Olsen and A. V. Cafiero; Journal of Crystal Growth, 44 (1978) 287-290; and “Inorganic Synthesis,” A. G. Karipides and A. V. Cafiero; Cadmium Digallium (111) Tetrasulfide, Vol.X1, p.5. The author has been physically active all his life, cycling, swimming, and skiing. Part of his leisure activities for the past sixty years was painting pictures in oil. He also enjoys gardening and listening to classical music. He currently resides in Old Bridge Township with his wife of sixty years and has two sons and four grandchildren.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by Alfred V. Cafiero.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2014909981

ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-4990-3131-7

   Softcover   978-1-4990-3130-0

   eBook   978-1-4990-3132-4

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without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 06/18/2014

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Contents

Chapter One: The Meeting

Chapter Two: Alvin’s Roots

Chapter Three: A Romantic Development

Chapter Four: A Character Change

Chapter Five: Big Al the Man

Chapter Six: More About Big Al

Chapter Seven: Violence and Death

Chapter Eight: On the Run

Chapter Nine: A Permanent Companion

Chapter Ten: The Other Half of the Equation

Chapter Eleven: The Second Generation

Chapter Twelve: The Third Generation

Chapter Thirteen: John Winthrop Hamilton III

Chapter Fourteen: Tentacles of Power

Chapter Fifteen: Noticeable Change

Chapter Sixteen: The Machination

Chapter Seventeen: The Last Act

Chapter One

The Meeting

In a downtown hotel suite in the city of Electra sat two young men in their late thirties immersed in conversation, their backgrounds, educations, and characters could not have been more different. They were the antithesis of each other, especially while growing up during their formative years. Their environments and social behaviors were the seminal and key factors in molding their characters, dispositions, and attitudes, yet there they sat united by a common goal—to determine the destiny of their city. Each man realized it would be a daunting and dubious endeavor to accomplish their goals if each acted independently. However, by combining their resources, the possibility of success in achieving their goal might be realized, since they possessed the wealth, knowledge, power, influence, and expertise necessary to accomplish this monumental task.

The two men sitting at the table were well known in their community. One of the men, John Winthrop Hamilton III was intermittently sniffing a goblet of French cognac. He was recognized in the community by his physical features that were admired by all who came in contact with him—a tall slender man slightly over six feet in height with wavy sandy brown hair and prominent blue eyes separated by a straight nose. His elegant features taken as a whole projected a handsome individual. He had a fair complexion, always elegantly attired, and on this particular occasion, he wore a beige-colored shirt with a yellow and brown striped necktie, a dark brown suit, and highly polished brown shoes. In the Midwest, he was known as a multimillionaire and philanthropist, the grandson of an oil magnate who acquired great wealth and a sizeable fortune speculating in oil futures. As a youth, John was a studious child, well founded in moral and material values by his grandfather. As he matured into adulthood, his future education came sharply into focus, at a university well founded in his chosen field of study, economics. At the university, he applied himself assiduously to his studies, forgoing the frivolous pursuit of off campus drinking bouts with other male and female students. His preference was to dine at a quiet and cozy restaurant with a woman of his choice and engage in substantive conversation. After graduation, he organized a financial advisory group to manage his family fortune. Sitting at arm’s length from John was Alvin Cain, a native New Yorker and a wealthy man in his own right, acquiring his wealth under quite different circumstances than John Hamilton. Although he had great opulence, it could not compare to that of John W. Hamilton’s fortune. There was a marked contrast in their physical appearance too. Alvin was all of five feet, nine inches tall and of robust physical stature, possessing a broad chest that tapered down to a much smaller waist. His physical appearance when viewed by the general public gave the impression of a massive muscular body beneath his attractive outer garments. His face, added to his physical stature, revealed a strong character and willful determination. His black hair was neatly groomed and parted on the left side. But what caught the attention of the general public were his sparkling brown eyes, which became more attractive when he smiled. He was a fastidious dresser when appearing in public, as he was at this meeting with John Hamilton, wearing an open-collar yellow shirt beneath his navy blue sport’s jacket complemented by a light blue pants. He sat there opposite John Hamilton, twirling a black cigar around in his mouth and occasionally downing a glass of whiskey followed by a beer chaser. At his side lay his pet wolf that he had befriended a few years back while hunting in the wilds of West Virginia. All his friends called him Big Al because of his muscular appearance, while others referred to him as Mr. Cain or the Wolf Man, but never to his face. Big Al came a long way from his urban and humble origins, as he was born on the west side of Manhattan somewhere along Tenth Avenue. His life as a youth was not an easy one, surrounded by corrupting elements, sordid circumstances, and evil encounters. He matured fast at an early age, learning about life with all its hazards and pitfalls, while other boys his age were living normal, happy, and playful lives. He managed to survive to early adulthood when he was forced to abscond to the Midwest with his life in the balance.

Now here in a hotel suite, the two men of strong characters met each other for the first time to discuss and act upon a plan for the survival of their city. To accomplish their goal, they had to unite, for each had resources that the other needed. Operating alone would be a daunting undertaking with no assurance of success; but acting together as an impregnable force, they had the wealth, knowledge, expertise, and organization necessary to accomplish their goal. This would require an imagination almost in excess and beyond the normal limits of human capability, but they were determined to try.

It was a formidable task to restore this once proud city to its former glory, when it was the envy of every city in the United States. That was ten years ago, when its mayor and elected officials were dedicated public servants and when both political parties worked together in a spirit of cooperation to create a well run and efficient government. The judiciary enforced the laws on the books and offenders were prosecuted and punished lex talionis. It was once a clean city with an efficient sanitation department and rarely was there a problem with public works or the utility company. The city’s schools, libraries, and recreational facilities were a source of pride for its citizens and the envy of the rest of the country. The vast recreational facilities at the disposal of its citizens encouraged them to spend endless hours at their favorite pastime. The city maintained several world-class golf courses not far removed from the city limits and multiple tennis courts were meticulously maintained within the city proper. The major source of enjoyment for most of its citizens during the hot and humid days of summer was the large state of the art swimming pool alive with the joyful sounds of children splashing about. The citizens of Electra were happy and content.

The city administrators ran the government with efficient and judicious authority, and rarely was there a problem that the citizens could complain about, which instilled in the populous an air of complacency, that the good life would last in perpetuity. This mistaken concept began to take root amongst its people and manifest itself by gradually neglecting their civic responsibility to vote.

There was also a dark side to the city. Like all large cities, Electra had its illicit and undesirable element that roamed the streets after dark. All of the vices and corrupting elements found in other large cities were present in Electra, only on a much smaller scale. However, the illicit activities in Electra were not that noticeable, since they were restricted to a small area on the east side of town and would come to life and emerge when the shadow of darkness descended on the city. The good people of Electra were aware of their existence, but chose to ignore them since they were small and insignificant.

This decline in voting turnout by the people continued for many years and soon became alarmingly noticeable when the turnout dwindled down to fifteen percent. This gradual decline in voter participation did not go unnoticed by the criminal element in town, as small as it was. These underworld characters immediately realized that the decline in voter turnout presented an opportunity to expand their illicit operation. Their tentacles of corruption slowly expanded beyond their restricted pocket of existence. This state of affairs attracted nefarious groups from outside the state who were aware of the unique opportunity to take advantage of a somnolent population. During these years of voting negligence, the gradual decline of the city was rapidly reaching its nadir of corruption, vice, and degeneracy. This proud city of Electra once had a population of four million ten years ago when the city was administered with competence and integrity. Since then, the population gradually dwindled down to one and a half million, inversely proportional to the growing corruption within the city. Only after the fall of the Roman Empire did the population of Rome decrease more rapidly than Electra’s population.

This once small and insignificant conclave of social outcasts residing on the east side of town were the epitome of wickedness and sinful behavior in the human race. They now recognized their opportunity to expand their deadly tentacles of vice and corruption throughout the city, and within a short span of ten years, they grew into an uncontrollable monster. The new face of the city displayed brothels and streetwalkers with bookies on every corner. The main sources of income for those of the underworld were the flamboyant saloons and gambling casinos, which were a common sight on every major thoroughfare in the city.

When the good people of Electra finally awoke from their long political slumber, they were shocked to find a city in decline. Their complacency with the city’s political system and their self-imposed neglect to exercise their voting rights were contributing factors responsible for the dramatic decline of a once admired and prestigious city. Their complacency took root in past elections when the voters had a choice between two well-qualified candidates, men of integrity and honesty, dedicated to serving their community. This state of affairs caused a dilemma for the voting public—having to choose between two competent and dedicated public servants. In time, the citizens of Electra became indifferent and complacent and they wallowed in a state of apathy. After a few years of oblivious indifference, they emerged from their political slumber and realized that the political climate had changed considerably. The situation was now quite different than it was before their political hibernation; there were fewer voting locations and they did not have the luxury of choosing between two honorable candidates, but now had to choose between the lesser of two evils.

The welcome sign was out for the infamous and depraved to come to Electra and take advantage of the many opportunities that exist there. The new arrivals in town implemented Machiavellian tactics to infiltrate city government and take control of every aspect of the city’s functions. Their first insidious act was to manipulate the law in such a way as to make it difficult for the citizens of Electra to exercise their voting franchise by eliminating the number of voting places, from twelve scattered throughout the city to only three. This devious tactic had its intended effect of creating extremely long lines to vote, which discouraged the elderly, infirm, and weak to exercise their right to vote by inflicting physical discomfort. Many of its citizens became frustrated and angry, which in turn eventually gave way to a sense of hopelessness and despair.

These obstacles manufactured by disingenuous politicians had their intended effect on the general public by discouraging many would-be voters; but many more had the patience and fortitude to stand in line for long hours not to vote against corrupt candidates, and to vote for the propositions on the ballot that they believed would affect their quality of life. Unfortunately, many voters thought they were voting for the passage of a particular proposition, when in reality they were voting against its passage. The authors of these propositions were shrewd enough to deliberately make them confusing and misleading. The oligarchy that now governed the city sought out and employed the best legal minds they could find to rewrite the existing statutes, then present them to a corrupt legislature for their passage into law. All these obstacles and roadblocks guaranteed a low turnout at the polls and assured the continuation of a corrupt and degraded government. Finally, the apathy and indifference of its citizens were the two evils that gave birth to the degeneration of a once proud and prosperous city. The people of Electra now realized how precious and indispensable their right to vote had been and once lost through apathy and neglect it becomes most difficult to reestablish it to its former accessibility. When the good people of Electra awoke to the reality of their situation, it was too late for them to exercise any political muscle, for there was no one to step forward with sufficient imagination and power to lead them out of their dilemma.

That was the state of affairs that united these two self-appointed paladins, John Winthrop Hamilton III and Alvin Cain in an attempt to restore the integrity of a once great and admired city. John Hamilton and Alvin Cain had no illusions as to the magnitude of their undertaking, but they were willing to use their wealth, experience, and intelligence to attempt to bring back an environment of decency and good government to a city they both loved. And to fully appreciate and understand the character, intensity, and dedication of these two men, we would have to peel back the pages of their life histories and discover the circumstances that made them the men they were.

Chapter Two

Alvin’s Roots

The folks who lived on the west side of Manhattan during the early years of the twentieth century were a mixed lot—some were native born Americans, others were recent immigrants from Europe. Alvin’s father, Tomas, was a second-generation American of Scotch-Irish-Indian descent. His paternal grandfather, a Scotch-Irishman, married a Mohawk Indian woman while he was surveying the territory of upper New York State for the state government. Alvin’s maternal grandfather was an Italian immigrant who fell in love and married a native-born woman of Swedish stock.

The inhabitants living on the west side of Manhattan were hard working middle-class folks trying to eke out a living and raise a family under harsh and sometimes difficult economic conditions. The Cain family resided in a four-room cold water flat on the second floor of a three-story tenement building. Although electrical lighting was available in some parts of the city, it had not yet reached their apartment dwellings and therefore gas-burning lamps were still used. A potbelly stove located in the kitchen was used to cook their meals and also provided a degree of warmth for the rest of the apartment. A supply of anthracite coal for their potbelly stove was delivered once a week and the ice man provided them with ice for their ice box every other day. Alvin was eleven years old in 1910 and had a sister two years his senior. It was a loving and caring family with a father who was kind, loving, and considerate; that is, when he was sober.

Alvin’s father was a longshoreman whose employment was dependent on the number of ships that docked for the day. If there were an insufficient number of ships docked for the day to employ everyone, then the union dock boss would select a number of men needed for that day’s work—not always on an equitable basis and the rest of the men would go home or to the nearest saloon. The longshoremen assigned to unload the ship were not above confiscating a few boxes of merchandise that suited their fancy, especially if a cargo of scotch whiskey was aboard. Whenever a cargo of whiskey was aboard, there was a noticeable shortage of men reporting for work the following day.

Thomas Cain was always one of the absentee longshoreman the following day after a whiskey shipment, for he had a liking for alcohol, especially scotch whiskey. Tom’s bibulous nature was the source of a great deal of hardship for the Cain family. No one could predict his actions after becoming inebriated; on occasions, he would be friendly and gregarious, but more often than not, he was belligerent and pugnacious, having the bruises and scars as a result of his irascible nature when drunk. He would sometimes be abusive toward his wife, Emma, when under the influence of alcohol, which inevitably provoked resentment from Alvin and his sister, Jennifer. This unpleasant situation continued for the next few years.

In the meantime, Alvin attended P.S. 26, located a few blocks from his home. All the boys in the neighborhood had nicknames for each other that reflected his physical appearance; Gerald was called Marble Head because of his big head, Isaac, called Banjo Eyes and Morris, Four Eyes, but never in a malicious way. Young boys sometimes were insensitive to the feelings of other boys but Alvin was referred to as just plain Al. After school, they palled out together, but never associated with girls their own age, since they had different interests and no physical attraction that would warrant notice; and those boys who did associate with girls were called sissies. However, their attitude changed in time when the boys reached puberty and the young adolescent girls matured into young ladies. This inevitable physical change made both sexes aware of each other in a less than plutonic and innocent way. By the time Alvin reached high school, he had only one true friend and companion called Alfred. They would always be seen together; if you saw one of them, you saw the other. To distinguish between the two, their friends call Alfred, Al and Alvin, Big Al because of Alvin’s robust and muscular nature.

The neighborhood that Big Al resided in was a decent and respectable one, but everyone knew that the mob had their fingers in the pot, and the top boss in the area was Jim Jones who controlled all illicit activities in lower Manhattan. Jim Jones reported only to the head of the Mafia crime syndicate, Alfio Ricco. The Mafia boss made it a practice to recruit local residents to act on his behalf. Jim Jones was chosen since he already had a notorious and sordid background with a substantial number of underlings, one of whom was Jake (Scum Bag) Fisher, the drug peddler. Scum Bag always looked to attract new clients to purchase his software. Young girls were of particular interest for Scum Bag Fisher, for they could obtain money to buy his dugs much easier than the boys could. The boys resorted to theft or other illegal acts to obtain the necessary funds to support their addiction, while the girls were born with their own business. That was the state of affairs when suddenly at the age of sixteen, Big Al’s life changed dramatically.

At 1:00 AM on a hot summer day in July, Big Al’s father stumbled home blind drunk. As he struggled his way up the second flight of stairs leading to his apartment, he became dizzy and tripped on the top step, falling down the entire flight of stairs and landing on the bottom platform with a broken neck, ending the life of Tom Cain. The sound of Tom’s body crashing down the stairs created a vibrational noise that awoke the neighbors and brought them rushing out to discover the terrible tragedy that occurred. Big Al was the first to approach his father’s body and soon realized that he was gone and there was nothing he could do for him. When Emma looked down and saw her husband’s body lying in a pool of blood, she let out a scream of despair. Big Al then turned his attention to his mother in an attempt to comfort and console her as did the neighbors, while he shielded her and Jennifer from the grotesque scene below. While Big Al comforted his mother and sister, one of the neighbors took charge and called the ambulance to attend to Tom’s body.

The following day, Emma and Jennifer were still emotionally distraught as was Big Al, but he took charge and made arrangements to have the wake held in their apartment and a floral wreath placed at the entrance of their tenement dwelling signifying that a death had occurred within the apartment complex, which was the custom in those days. Friends and neighbors from their community and beyond came to pay their respects and expressed their condolences to the Cain family, including the longshoremen who worked with Tom and those who knew him. The following day, a funeral mass was held at the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel before Tom’s body was interred at the Calvary Cemetery. After Tom’s body was laid to rest, Emma realized that their current lifestyle would have to change due to financial considerations. The following week, the Cain family gathered together to discuss adjustments to

Reviews for Electra

[bookomaniac-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Zeer duidelijke dramatische structuur, psychologisch voldragen, zeer dynamisch verhaal; in tegenstelling tot Aischylos hier voldragen, zelfstandige persoonlijkheden

[jonfaith · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I loved the dialogue, the pacing of this Hamlet and Antigone caper was a bit rushed. The chorus was particularly effective, the atmosphere resonates with revenge. Electra pines but does not waste. Her timid sister cringes in comparison to this inferno of vengeance. Then suddenly she has a cohort and the circumstances of his arrival afford their nemesis interlopers opportunity to even further impugn their deeds—or do they?

Aegisthus, what were you thinking? There is a nobility in the Divine. There’s also Icarian agency. Think Cobain, “Come back as Fire/Burn all the liars/Leave a blanket of ash on the ground. The plot was the only one pursued by three of the Greek masters (Euripides and Aeschylus being the other two) which invites comparisons, though apparently the chronology is regrettably unclear.