The moon hung over the old house hidden behind the angry November storm clouds. It sat up there all by itself as if mocking the entire town. The old house had been empty for years now built by General Cornelius Sedgwick over a hundred years ago just after the reconstruction of the south following the civil war. In fact the General had just about built the entire town, with the wealth he accumulated as a carpetbagger when the civil war had finally ended. He was a highly decorated combat veteran, and a shrewd business man, who used his political contacts to amass a fortune. The General and his Beloved wife, Lillian would sit on the veranda in the cool summer evenings and plan and dream and watch the town grow, down in the valley below. It seemed as if life was perfect for them, and it was. Well at least until that fateful night. That night that tragedy terror and murder visited Sedgwick Manor.
Jason and Billy pulled off the old road leading up the hill to the Sedgwick mansion. Billy cut the engine of the battered pickup truck, and Jason ripped the top off of a can of beer, and passed it to Billy. He opened another can for himself,
chugged half the can then burped loudly. Billy lit a joint and took a deep hit and passed it to his childhood friend. Choking on the smoke deep in his lungs, Jason said, Dude let’s go up there .Billy replied, nobody in there right mind would go up there everybody knows what happened in that house It was a long time ago, but still. They can’t sell it, hell they couldn’t give it away, and that poor bastard they sent up there with his bulldozer. Heart attack my ass, scared to death is more like it I wouldn’t go near that place in broad daylight, let alone on a night like this. They say that, that General dude is haunting the place.
1861-1865
During the first half of 1863, doubts about the Federal army\'s ability to defeat the Confederate forces mounted across the North. And when Confederate general Robert E. Lee led his troops to a spectacular victory at Chancellors Ville, Virginia, the North grew increasingly anxious. In July, antiwar feelings combined with anger over many of the wartime actions of President Abraham Lincoln led to a deadly riot in New York that took the lives of more than one hundred people.
But July 1863 also marked a significant turning point in the Civil War. During the first days of that month, the Union forces won two major battles. In the West, the North\'s successful siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi, enabled it to establish control over the entire length of the Mississippi River. In the East, the Union victory at the famous Battle of Gettysburg forced Lee to abandon his efforts to bring the war onto Northern soil. These victories encouraged Union troops across the country. They also increased public support for the Lincoln administration in the North, although opposition to the president\'s policies remained strong among many Northerners. A few months later, the South rebounded from these defeats with a dramatic triumph at the Battle of Chickamauga in Georgia. As the year drew to a close, however, a decisive Union victory at Chattanooga, Tennessee, provided further evidence that the war might finally be turning in the North\'s favor.
The first major clashes of 1863 took place in the war\'s western theater, in central Tennessee. In the last months of 1862, the two sides had engaged in a number of battles for control of Kentucky and Tennessee. But while an indecisive battle at Perryville, Kentucky, in October 1862 had convinced Confederate general Braxton Bragg to withdraw from that state, he still hoped to take control of middle Tennessee.
The struggle for possession of central Tennessee pitted Bragg\'s thirty eight thousand–man Confederate Army of Tennessee against the Union\'s Army of the Cumberland, a fortyseven thousand–man force led by Major General William S. Rosecrans. The two sides met at Stones River, near the town of Murfreesboro, where Bragg had established a strong defensive position.
The battle between the two armies erupted in December 1862, during the first day of fighting, the rebel troops threatened to overrun many Union positions. Only the leadership of Brigadier General Philip H. Sheridan, and Major General Cornelius Sedgwick prevented a Confederate rout of the North. By the end of the day, General Sedgwick was so certain of victory that his thoughts turned from battle to his beloved sweetheart Lillian and marriage, and how he would become rich after the war concluded, with what he felt would be certain victory for the north.
1895
Earl Higgins and Robert Stanhouse were both condemned men, sentenced to hang for the crimes of rape and murder. And both men were being transported to the state capital, to have their sentences carried out. They were being transported by train, by state Marshall Roy Harding, a fair but hard man with twenty years of civil service under his belt. At forty seven he was at least ten years senior to his prisoners. The train pulled into the station at Stoneville, for water and wood and to let the passengers stretch their legs. General Sedgwick had named the town in memory of his glory days at the battle of Stones River in Tennessee during the war.
Marshall Harding waited for the several dozen passengers, to exit the car before removing the leg irons that bound his prisoners to the coach seat. They were also shackled at the waist and wrists. The coach seats were arranged so that two seats faced each other. The two prisoners sat facing the Marshall, across from them. The train conductor came through the car, and informed the Marshall that he had two hours to feed and exercise himself and his prisoners. The Marshall inquired about the local jail, out of earshot of his two condemned prisoners. Then he ordered the two off the train and into the station, he inquired of the station master about the location of the sheriffs office. After receiving instruction he thanked the station master, and marched his two prisoners out of the station and down the wooden platform stairs towards the center of town, where the local sheriffs’ office and jail were located. He planned on locking the prisoners in the jail, then getting something to eat for himself and bringing dinner back for his two charges. The town was small but the jail was across the town square, and the Marshall felt the walk would be more than enough exercise for his prisoners and a good hot supper more than they deserved. The town Sheriff was an old man, too old for the job the Marshall thought to himself, as he secured the condemned men into two separate cells. He instructed the sheriff to stay away from his prisoners, while he was gone. The last big case in town was over five years ago, and it only involved a stray dog, and some dead chickens.
II
The general had spent the last 30 years since the end of the civil war building his dreams, his town, but most importantly his love for his precious wife Lillian. He had turned his business affairs over to his associates. Although he still was the town mayor, town hall meeting were few and far in between. He spent his days of late, tending his flower beds and gardens and roaming around his estate. Lillian loved flowers and the general had built her a grand Greenhouse attached to the back of the house with an entry from the kitchen, and one on the other end to the outdoors. Lilian would work in the greenhouse in the late afternoons, and the general would retire to his study for a brandy and a Cuban cigar before dinner.
The cook was named Maria, and her husband Jose was the gardener.
They had been employed for many years by the general, and had their own apartment on the grounds. The general regarded them as a good decent and hardworking couple. The others the two girls, Lisa and Rosa that worked as maids also had living quarters on the estate. All the other hired help were transient.
Marshall Harding pushed his chair back from the table in the saloon, and told the barkeeper that that was the best steak he had had in a good long while, the barman set a basket with fried chicken and apple cobbler covered with a red and white checked towel on to the table. The Marshall thanked him as he paid his tab and when out of the swinging café doors into the square. He headed back in the direction of the jail.
As soon as he opened the door the hair on his neck and arms was standing tall. The outer office of the sheriff’s station was empty. As soon as he swung the door to the cell block the thick dark goo of gloom started to drip in his mind. The cell block was dimly lit in the late afternoon light. The goo on his conscience mind grew thick and heavy .He just made out the form on the other end of the row of cells, draped up on the wall like some sort of celebratory banner it was the old sheriff. His throat was cut from ear to ear. He wore a hideous smile. Marshall Roy Harding never saw what hit him. The black goo consumed him. The first blow struck from the fire ax with such force to his forehead that it popped his eyes out of the sockets. Earl ran him through with an old, cavalry sword.
Earl and Bobby ate fried chicken and apple cobbler while they decided what the next move would be. They would certainly need to get out of this town and fast.
They were well armed now, and extremely dangerous [not to mention well fed].
They waited until the town went to sleep. Under the cover of darkness, they slipped away into the woods at the edge of the town. They spent a restless night there. It was almost Sun up, and through the trees and morning fog off in the distance on top of the hill. They saw it silhouetted against the horizon of the rising sun “Sedgwick Manor” in all its architectural glory. Bobby and Earl agreed to go in the direction of the big house on the hill. It was much farther away than they had estimated. It was afternoon when they finally reached the outskirts of the estate.
Jose busied himself in the garden just out behind the greenhouse and he sensed
that something was wrong he got a cold chill as he stood up from his work. He slowly turned around and looked Earl squarely in the eyes he saw death staring back at him. Earl swung the old saber, and cut the poor gardeners head clean off. His body stood for a few seconds clasped its hands and fell to the ground.
They put the head in a basket and covered the body with some other baskets and burlap bags. Then they went into the greenhouse.
They crossed the stone floor of the greenhouse without a sound and were well hidden among the multitude of flowers shrubs, and greenery. They found Maria in the kitchen. Earl was going to kill her straight away, but Bobby had had another thought. He opened the trap door to the root cellar and threw her down there. They took turns raping her. On bobby’s third turn during a rush of orgasmic ecstasy amid the bursting stars Bobby choked the life out of Maria. Earl and Bobby then made a meal out of the vegetables and steaks that Maria had been
preparing, for the household. They ate everything raw.
Lillian sat in the sewing room working on one of her pieces. She spotted Rosa in the hall, and commented how lovely “a nice cup of tea might be”. Rosa smiled, and hurried off towards the kitchen, at the back of the house. Rosa Parker was never all that lucky in life. However; she would be lucky in death. In that it would come instantly. Rosa pushed the kitchen door open concealing Earl standing behind it. Rosa stepped into the kitchen calling out for Maria. When the door swung back to close Earl plunged the old sword into her back with tremendous force. It exited her chest with bits of her heart muscle on its tip. She was dead Earl withdrew the blade and she collapsed on to the floor. Bobby stepped out from the pantry and planted the ax in her face while she lay dead on the floor.
He put his boot in her face and pulled the ax out as if she was an old tree stump.
Lisa completed her second floor chores, and decided to go and see if Maria was
In need of any help in the kitchen. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she screamed. She turned and started to run back up the service stairs to the second floor. She was trying to make sense of what she had seen. Two bloody
men dragging a body into the pantry? Earl and Bobby were in hot pursuit.
When Lisa reached the top of the stairs she turned and kicked Earl square in the chest with all the force she could muster. He tumbled backwards on the stairs both he and Bobby tumbled down to the bottom of the stairs. Bobby realized
that Earl was dead. He impaled himself with the old sword while falling. Bobby ran back up the stairs in search of Lisa, and he found her hiding in a bed room.
He raped her as he choked the life from her.
Lillian had heard the scream, but it’s happened before. Lisa screamed every time she saw a house mouse. But then thought it best to go and see about her tea.
She was ten feet in front of the service stairs when she saw him.
The general also heard the scream and commotion coming from the kitchen.
He crushed his Cuban into the crystal ashtray and got up from his leather armchair facing the fire place. He walked over to his desk and removed his
old colt revolver. He checked to make sure it was loaded. He picked up a lit
candelabra and with his pistol at the ready he headed for the entry hall and the main staircase to the second floor. He made his way to the service stairs. And
then he saw Bobby at the bottom of the stairs. Bobby hadn’t seen him.
Bobby stepped off the bottom step tread of the staircase, and took a few steps towards Lillian. She was frozen with fear. The general started creeping down the
stairs when he reached the bottom step it creaked, and Bobby spun around the ax still at the ready. He tried to rush the general, but the general shot him point blank. The bullet hit him in the throat and snapped his spinal cord. Unfortunately
the bullet when right through him, and hit Lillian in the forehead killing her as well.
The general was beside himself with grief. He picked up his beloved and carried her back upstairs to their bed chamber. He arranged her on the bed as neatly as he could. He dressed in his finest dress uniform, and lay beside his beloved wife.
He lived for her without her there was nothing he put his colt in his mouth and blew his brains out.
Present day;
Billy took another hit on the joint and said; then the general guy, killed them and accidentally shot his wife. He was so distraught that he blew his own brains out, dude that’s eight people nine counting the bulldozer guy and some people have said they see candles flicker in the windows late at night, and you want to go up there? Holy shit! Look, look, what the …look at the light in the window!
Dude let’s get the fuck out of here!
General Sedgewick paced the floor, with candelabra & pistol in hand searching through the old house and eternity for his beloved wife Lillian.