Asylum Heights

The locale of the story was in Southeastern Mississippi where my grandparents, ie. my grandfather, William Silas, or Pappa Hailes, and grandmother, Ellie, or Mamma Hailes, lived with their youngest son, Glen upon a small farm in Clarke County.

The farm consisted of 166 Acres of forest and cultivated land to support them, but just barely. They scraped by until In 1929 Then a dark and sinister figure entered the stage with a figure like one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but this one was named the “Depression”.

Pappa received notice from their bank that they must pay their note in full, or face foreclosure on their home and farm or whatever property they possessed. Pappa received his notice to come in to the bank for a review and consideration as to what must be done.

On that date, Pappa arrived at the bank steps very early. He waited there for many hours. When the doors opened he was the first in line. Very shortly after he was admitted to the bank president’s office, Mr. Thornton arrived.

The President pulled his file and was very pleased with what he saw. had a good credit record with the bank and Pappa presented a very good plan regarding his loan and how it could be repaid. On that basis the president agreed, and verbally gave Pappa an extension on the loan, but it was late in the day. He had not closed the loan, however.

Pappa made his bed on the river bottom just south of town. He used his saddle as a pillow and slept well through the night. The following morning he awakened and looked into the sky to see about the day’s weather, and observed two little squirrels chasing each other through the trees. He also noticed a tree that had a very large vine that climbed to the overhead tree canopy and divided out into fruit bearing branches of grapes.

His grandfather had been born in Ireland and his father taught him how to make alcoholic spirits. Now, Pappa’s’ father had taught him and so he decided to become a bootlegger!

Pappa also knew that the US Government had enacted new laws, prohibiting the production, and sale of any product containing ethyl alcohol and were named Prohibition. He realized that he would be assuming great risk of apprehension, and prosecution.

He dressed for the trip to the bank., and again the first to arrive at the steps. When it opened, a bank employee placed a black wreath on the door. It announced that Mr. Thornton had died in the night, most likely of a heart attack. It went on to say that the bank would be closed until a new president could be elected.

He returned home with a heavy, somber and fearful heart. He rode home and told Glen of his plan to inventory their forest for grapevines. Five days later he was told that a new president had been elected by the Board of Directors, and the bank would again reopen for business a week later.

Pappa and Glen moved to the forest. Their inventory revealed an ample supply of luscious red and white grapes. They immediately went to work on a small plot of trees that would show a prospective investor that supply.

He returned and met the new man and learned that he had come from Southwest Louisiana and that he was a French Arcadian or Cajun and that his name was Jordan Peltier. Pappa knew that these people enjoyed great food and had an ample supply of their own home made wines, as well. Forthwith, Pappa invited him to come to their home on Sunday, three weeks hence, for an old fashioned Southern dinner.

He arrived on the appointed day and they ate at twelve o’clock noon. Pappa and Glen then showed him the forest and the small prepared area. Jordan immediately grasped the idea and liked the plan. They met the following week and worked out a partnership agreement.

Six weeks later Pappa poured the first batch of wine. They placed it in oaken barrels and allowed it to rest for another six months, then took samples and evaluated each barrel for taste, body and drinkability. It could have tasted better, but was certainly satisfactory.

Mr. Peltier knew a man in New Orleans, Salvatore Palermo, who had ties to the Mafia, an organized Sicilian syndicate in New York and New Jersey with a branch in the south in the Big Easy. He arranged for a meeting between Sal and Glen. He took several samples of the wine that he had brought for Sal to test. Sal tried and liked them very much. He told Glen that he would accept as much as he could provide. Glen came with a steady supply of product for Sal.

Sal showed Glen how much he appreciated and trusted him. He sent one of his top operatives to his room at the Monteleon hotel. Her name was Sybil Mervin. She enjoyed the thrill and excitement of her work, though she was from one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the Crescent City. She was young, very beautiful and smart. Glen was instantly enamored, and she was also of his bucolic charm and good looks.

They became lovers. She knew New Orleans from top to bottom and introduced him to the best that it could offer, in entertainment, restaurants, bistros and bars. She took him for tailored clothes, jewelry and even an automobile, a cream colored Studebaker with fine body stripes, wire wheels and white wall tires.

Glen invited Sybil to come to his home in Hale for New Year’s to meet his parents. She agreed to come up by rail, and Glen would meet her at the train station and take her to the Meridian Hotel on the day before proceeding to Hale. They danced until.11:00 PM, then left the hotel, drove southward and approached a night club named ‘The Owl’s Nest. It was only 30 minutes before midnight, and they stopped to have a toast to the New Year, have drinks and dance the night away. The bouncer ushered them to a table that was brought to the dance floor. They had an altercation in the club which ultimately lead to the separation of Glen and Sybil. It led to Glen’s final destruction. You are invited to explore the book and see how and what all happened.