The Fallen Preacher

By Rocco Russo Jr.

The Great Depression, a time in history when the country suffers devastation, like the world has never seen before, yet John Cotton's grandparents are lucky enough to escape financial ruin. Unfortunately, this is not the case for the rest of the population, and after losing their jobs, homes, and dignity, they only have one thing left to cling to, and that is faith. As the Reverend John Cotton stands at his pulpit, he shares his story of how sin comes to us all and how even a preacher can fall from grace. His grandmother, whom he lovingly calls Itsy, knows very early on that his calling is to be a man of the cloth, and besides being his benefactor, she is the one he depends on for guidance and emotional support. At first, his ministry is innocent but soon takes on a different direction, one he never thought possible. Blessed with divine intervention, he is able to perform miracles by curing the sick and lame. As his popularity grows, so, too, does his reputation, and before long, he is looked upon as the Miracle Worker, one who is touched by the hand of God. Then Itsy dies and the Reverend finds his life changing dramatically and quickly spiraling out of control. Can he close his eyes to the greed…deception…betrayal…even murder…that surround him? In sheer desperation, he scrambles to redeem himself, but at what cost? His life? His ministry? His soul? After realizing all is lost, there is only one person who can save him, the one who promised to be by his side even in death, his beloved grandmother. With love extending from beyond the grave, will she turn his life around in time? Come and follow the story of Reverend John Cotton as he embarks on a spiritual journey, a man whose faith is put to the ultimate test.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781645446613

Book preview

Chapter I

The Perils of Life

1958, the Reverend John Cotton stands at his pulpit. He looks out over his congregation with a sort of twinkle in his eyes and a warm smile. He closes his Bible ever so gently, like how you would expect one to touch the wings of a butterfly, and says, My dearest brothers and sisters, today the gospel will not be read, but rather a lesson will be bestowed upon you…how sin comes to us all.

He paused, looking up at the ceiling, closing his eyes, as if imagining something. Then a smile crept across his face and disappeared just as quickly as it resurrected. He began again, I can distinctly remember the words of my grandmother, so good in fact that it’s almost as if it was yesterday that she recited them to me. She would tell me, ‘John, everything you do, everything you say, and every sin you commit comes before the eyes of God.’ I feel that this is as good a time as any to tell you my thoughts on this in my own way, like a sort of confession, allowing the burden of truth to be revealed. So with my heart heavy and with my mind full, please allow me to share my story from start to finish of a man who fell from grace and sought redemption.

*****

It all started during the Great Depression when the Stockers, Edward and Angela, made their transition from Wisconsin to Columbus, Ohio, with their daughter Martha, her husband, Thomas Cotton, and their son, John, in search of new beginnings. The Stockers, who were the sole providers for the Cotton family, were, at the time, clever enough to preserve their entire wealth. Fortunately, for the Stocker family, Edward didn’t believe in banks or the stock market. This unconventional decision, of course, was actually a benefit and the reason they managed to live through the crash and maintain the bulk of their wealth from his leather goods factory.

John’s grandfather, Edward, a very private person by nature, never bragged or spoke of his money. He was quite stingy too, a real penny-pincher who kept much to himself with no close friends to speak of. He was five feet, six inches tall, with a sort of short stocky look about him. His face was as round as a full moon, and he had a rather large belly that shook like jelly when he laughed…as rare as it was for that man to laugh. His mannerism was that of a stern, obnoxious man, often insulting and offending those around him, especially those he disliked.

He was aware that his money was the source of his existence. With that said, Edward would go to the ends of the earth to protect it. Being distrustful as he was, Edward hid his money in three strong locked boxes, hidden well in a specially built room that was inconspicuously concealed. This specially built room was small enough to be housed in a much larger room with a fireplace and two bookshelves on opposite sides. For the most part, it looked like a normal library…but as they say, Looks can be deceiving. One side of the library had a tilt down shelf, which unlocked a secret passageway to this concealed room. The room, no more than eight feet square, was adequate enough for its purpose, even though it was not fully furnished except for a small table and a single chair and a freestanding lamp that supplied the much-needed light. On the far right of the room was a small window for ventilation, like one you would see in a jail cell with reinforced bars, one inch thick to discourage any thoughts of entering. It would be a disastrous mistake to enter these premises. To make sure his money was safely protected, he had three Rottweilers that had the run of the place twenty-four seven, forbidding any unwanted intruders. It appeared his tactics were quite lethal, but if you were fortunate enough to get past the three dogs, to ensure his safety a step further, he incorporated booby traps as backup. In an attempt to discourage thefts, he hot legged the bars of the window using a DC current with a voltage high enough to jolt or paralyze a person on contact. Even going one step further, Edward rigged one of his heavy chests with a small explosive charge, knowing that if someone forced it open, they would be killed instantly. Although his methods were deliberately deadly, he felt that any deaths that took place now were justifiably deserved. After all, Edward cared very little about people in general…especially those who looked to rob him. This apparently was due to his upbringing, since even when he was a young man, he believed the world was corrupt and no one could be trusted.

This self-made man, motivated by ambition, was born into a poor family. Edward was the youngest of six siblings and was eighteen when his father passed away. His first break in life came when he inherited a small fortune of five hundred dollars from his beloved grandfather, who made his wealth as a young field surgeon during the horrible Civil War by providing treatment to the sick and wounded. Taking his inheritance along with the meager savings he himself had, Edward, at the age of twenty-four, joined up with a partner to purchase a leather goods factory. With his intellect for business and his partner’s knowledge of machinery, they were a team made for the occasion. Quickly, the business expanded from shoes and boots to a wide assortment of leather goods. The team was quite industrious, and together they had much success and good fortune. But after eight years, his partner decided he had enough and wanted out. Having the means to do so, Edward bought out his partner and became the sole proprietor of the business.

It was not long after their split that Edward met a young teacher named Angela. He was instantly attracted to this petite young lady with large brown eyes who stood at just five feet two inches and often kept her long brown hair tied back into a bun. She was well educated, having obtained her elementary teaching degree by completing two years of high school with an additional two years under the supervision of an experienced teacher.

As luck would have it, just after the age of twenty-two, Angela landed her first major teaching job in a rural one-room schoolhouse that was furnished with a woodstove and had two outhouses at the rear of the premises. She was required to teach the basic subjects to her thirty students, who ranged from grades one through eight, placing the youngest toward the front and the older at the rear. Although she was admired and loved by her students, she did demand respect and was not deterred from the fundamentals of how to direct oneself and taught her girls to act like ladies.

Her salary was considered reasonable, starting at four hundred thirty dollars a year and could increase to a cap of four hundred eighty-five dollars after five years with a one-week vacation during each school year. Despite her uneasiness, she had no choice but to tolerate the terms of her contract, even though she felt them to be too strict and demanding. Whether she liked it or not, she was bound by her agreement to remain unmarried for the term of her contract and forbidden to keep company with any man. She was also not allowed to smoke or wear brightly colored dresses, and under no circumstances could she dye her hair or wear a dress shorter than two inches above the ankle. Besides teaching the curriculum to her students, she was required to sweep the classroom floor and wash the blackboards daily. She was also responsible to prepare a fire during the cold months by seven in the morning so that the room would be warm for her students upon their arrival.

It was during her later years as a teacher that she was placed in an awkward situation by one of her students. Marylou, an eighth grader and a mere thirteen years of age, was at the end of the school semester when she took Angela into her confidence by admitting the truth of her pregnancy. Angela felt sorry for the girl, knowing she had made a grave mistake, and was painfully aware that how she handled the situation would weigh heavily on her and could have a dramatic effect on the child’s life by exposing this dreadful news to her superiors. She had no doubt that the committee would make an example to the others by expelling Marylou for having a child out of wedlock. Not wanting to see this happen to the young girl, feeling the wrong would only be punishing her twice, Angela promised to keep the secret between them since her pregnancy was not yet detected under loose clothing. This enabled Marylou to graduate without any suspicion. Forever grateful, the girl never forgot what her beloved teacher, Angela, had done for her and made it a point every year to visit the schoolhouse on the baby’s birthday. There they would spend hours reminiscing and retelling anecdotes of her school days and discussing her marriage and the baby’s progress. She made it a point that her child would be mindful of the goodness Angela had shown them, and her child always referred to Angela as her beloved aunt.

It was after several years of teaching that Angela met Edward, and being captivated by her charm, he offered her a position as a bookkeeper in his company. On the day of her interview, wanting to look her best, she put on her yellow polka dot dress and low-heeled shoes. Modest and plain, she had a natural beauty about herself and did not require makeup to enhance her looks. With a dash of perfume and a quick glance in the mirror, she pushed her hair back behind her ears and pinched her cheeks several times before leaving for her morning’s appointment. Not long into their conversation, it was obvious to Edward that Angela was more than qualified for the position. Offering her a weekly salary almost twice the amount she made as a teacher, and since she was near the end of her contract, she accepted the job just to be rid of those ridiculous terms of her teaching agreement.

This petite lady, who was serious and highly intelligent and whose mathematical skills made her a wiz at solving accounts and balancing the company’s books, quickly became a great asset to Edward’s company. In all practicality, she was the perfect woman for him. Not only was she beautiful but also brilliant, and it wasn’t long before they tied the knot.

By this time, World War I broke out, and Edward’s establishment became a great asset for the war effort. He was awarded a major contract with the United States government, which made his business flourish, so much so that he had to hire six extra employees to keep up the demand. He now provided an array of leather goods such as boots, belts, bags, holsters, and even leather jackets and headgear that were worn by fighter pilots who flew the double-winged planes. Apparently, this is where most of his fortune was accumulated; secretly storing away all his profits in strongboxes, rather than banks. Once the war ended, his business greatly declined, and not long after, he decided to sell his factory and relocate elsewhere to live out the remainder of his retirement.

With their financial ability, Grandpa Edward and Grandma Angela wasted not a moment to purchase a new home. Within the first week of their arrival in the city of Columbus, Ohio, they fell in love with a beautiful Victorian house. Consisting of nine rooms and two-and-a-half baths, this house was suitable to accommodate the family with much space and freedom. Included in the sale was a half-acre vacant lot that was adjacent to the house and situated just off the corner of Hopkins and Brown Road. The price was considered a real steal for this property, lock, stock, and barrel, and the Stockers were very pleased to obtain such a great deal. Just a half a mile north from the estate was Greenlawn Cemetery, and within walking distance was the Scioto River, where you could view the docks and the sailboats and relax in the surroundings of a small public park. Even though the economy had greatly declined and people continued to struggle with everyday life, the Stockers, once settled in their new home, were very lucky to escape the worst that life had to offer.

Angela, nicknamed Itsy by her beloved grandson, John, was the epitome of wisdom, and through her guidance, she taught him to become a fruitful person, shaping him into the man that he was today. John, who had grown tall by his sixteenth birthday, had a distinct way about himself that made him well-liked by his peers. With his intellect and common knowledge, John was admired as a good communicator. Itsy, a good judge of character, took notice from the very start of his fine quality and his gentle sensitivity to his fellow man. Being spiritually minded, he loved to quote Bible verses, and Itsy could see that his true calling was to be a man of the cloth. As a Catholic and a firm believer in Saint Jude, she always said, If you believe in Saint Jude, he will work miracles. After all, he’s the patron saint of the impossible, and for John, he had no doubt in what his grandmother had taught him.

Within the passage of time, John’s belief in Saint Jude was just as sound as his grandmother’s, and to Itsy’s everlasting desire, he became a preacher, keeping his word to her. Although Itsy was a Catholic, John was raised as an Episcopalian and soon ordained as an official reverend of that doctrine. For Itsy, this did not pose a problem, for she knew that the Episcopalian preachers were able to marry and have children whereupon the Catholic faith strictly forbid that practice, and she hoped, in her lifetime, she would live long enough to see her great grandchild.

Not long after Grandma and Grandpa purchased their new home, Grandpa sadly passed away. He was a man who liked his wine and drank heavily, unaware that he had a medical condition of high blood pressure. This, of course, caused him to have a massive stroke, and in light of his critical state, the hospital was unable to save him. After a three-day wake, Grandpa was taken to the Greenlawn Cemetery and buried on the south side, surrounded by crabapple trees that overlooked the stone that marked the family’s plot.

*****

At age twenty-two, the whole world stood before Reverend John Cotton, and he was somewhat puzzled as to how he was going to proceed in spreading the word of God. After all, he had no church, no hall, no suitable structure in which to conduct his sermons, and standing on a street corner on top of a wooden crate was out of the question. The Reverend was the kind of person who wore his feelings at the surface, and with just one glance, Itsy knew something was deeply troubling him.

What’s wrong? Life couldn’t be that bad, Itsy questioned, hating to see him upset.

I…I don’t know what to do. I have no church, nowhere to start my ministry. The house isn’t quite what I had in mind, the Reverend pitifully explained.

I see what you mean, but don’t worry, we’ll think of something, Itsy consoled, and for the moment, she remained silent, contemplating his problem, when all of a sudden, she bellowed, Wait a second, there’s the property next door. Why can’t you use that? Money’s not an issue, I can afford it!

You’d do that for me? he said in amazement.

Don’t you know I would do anything for you, John? Itsy said, almost in a whisper, trying to control her emotions. You’re the love of my life.

Yeah, but that’s your money. I would feel bad taking it from you.

Nonsense! The money means nothing to me. If it brings you happiness, I can’t think of a better use for it.

The Reverend looked a little more cheerful now. Itsy continued, We could build a great big tent there, big enough to suit your needs! We could start immediately and solve this minor problem!

With the day saved, there could be no greater reward for Itsy than to see her grandson’s face light up with a smile that spanned from cheek to cheek.

As promised, Itsy spared no expense for what she had in mind: