THE INN
The old inn looked sad and forlorn standing there beside the once busy, but now seldom used dirt road. At one time this inn was a favorite stopping place for weary travelers making the trip between Richmond and Charleston. It had long since fallen into disrepair as fewer and fewer people followed the old road through the countryside. Where there had been as many as twenty horses in the stables at one time, they were now as deserted as the inn itself. The corrals had literally fallen down and the poles and posts were just rotted reminders of what once had been. The fields behind the inn where grain and vegetables were grown to provide for the needs of the inn were overgrown and abandoned. There was an air of melancholy about the entire place.
Chapter one
On the first Sunday in June Sarah Morgan became the bride of Larry McAuliffe. They were wed in a small ceremony attended by only a few close friends, as neither had any living relatives. Sarah had been orphaned at the age of seventeen; while Larry's mother had died giving birth to him, and his father had died when Larry was eleven. Larry had been raised in an orphanage where he remained until his eighteenth birthday. Upon reaching this age he inherited his father’s considerable fortune but, having been raised in a very frugal manner, was loath to spend more than absolutely necessary. Sarah, on the other hand, had never known want although she had been raised in modest circumstances. Upon the death of her parents she had inherited a modest home and a small bit of money, which amounted to only a few thousand dollars. It was enough to allow her to continue her education in the university, which is where she met Larry. He was a junior, majoring in American History when she began her Freshman classes. It had been her intention to take courses, which would allow her to prepare for a career in teaching. One of the classes she would have to take was American History although at a lower level than the class Larry was taking. It was at the beginning of her second year when she first met Larry. He had signed up as a tutor for American History since it was his favorite and, by far, best class. Sarah, on the other hand was struggling to maintain a "B" average. She liked American History; she just wasn't particularly good at it.
Sarah had asked her professor to recommend someone to tutor her since she was having so much difficulty. His first recommendation had been a Senior but he had been too busy to take on another student. This is when the professor had told her about Larry and had suggested she contact him. He had responded in the affirmative when she asked him if he could tutor her a couple of evenings weekly.
Their first evening was spent in the library where they began by introducing themselves and getting acquainted. They spent a few minutes reviewing where Sarah was having difficulty and, by the time they broke up, he had given her a study plan, which he said would help her. The second time they met was again in the library but it proved not to be a very good place for their purposes. Larry suggested they find someplace quiet yet not prohibitively so to do their work in the future. This proved to be hard to find. It was finally decided to use a booth at the local diner where they could eat dinner and study at the same time. It wasn't long before Larry was asking her to dinner on other evenings as well.
By the time he graduated they were engaged to be married and only waiting for her to finish her education. They had talked over the possibility of getting married when he graduated but had decided it would be better to wait. They neither one wanted to start their marriage with too many things going on in their lives. Larry took a job as assistant to his American History professor although the pay was quite small. It allowed them to see each other frequently during the two years until she graduated.
Graduation Day came for Sarah and Larry was in attendance to watch her receive her degree. With his help she had overcome her lack in American History and had graduated in the top ten per cent of her class. They had decided to wait until after they were permanently settled to marry so there would be no moving immediately after the ceremony. During the last year of her university stay they had used every opportunity to go for drives into the surrounding countryside looking at old homes and other historical buildings. Larry was offered a teaching position at a small college near Richmond, Virginia and, upon learning that the local high school was in need of teachers, they drove down to check things out. It took only a few hours for Sarah to become a member of the faculty at the high school with the understanding that it was a probationary hiring until her grades could be verified. Larry, on the other hand, had already been approved for his job and only had to give them his written acceptance. In less than half a day from their arrival both were employed in their chosen field.
Upon agreeing to become Larry's bride, Sarah had contacted a realtor for the purpose of listing her house for sale. The day after they had been hired she received a call with an offer from the realtor and, after discussing it with Larry, had accepted. It would take several days to close on the house and, meantime, they would have to find a home for themselves. Before that there was the matter of a wedding to be performed. Since they had become engaged while at the university they decided to be wed in the chapel there with a few close friends in attendance.
Immediately after the wedding they left for an extended trip covering a good deal of the eastern shore of the United States. It was while on their honeymoon trip that they had first seen the old inn. They neither one liked to drive on the fast highways and freeways but, rather, enjoyed those meandering country roads and lanes, which cover the countryside.
Larry and Sarah were on the third day of their honeymoon when they found the old inn.
It was a beautiful early summer day in the last week of June and they were driving leisurely along a narrow dirt and gravel road not far above the Virginia-North Carolina border when they came upon the structure quite unexpectedly. As they came around a bend in the road, it seemed to suddenly be there where, only moments before, there had been nothing. Sarah had wanted to drive that morning and was behind the wheel at the moment. She slammed on the brakes so suddenly that Larry was thrown forward into the seat belt. "Oh look", she exclaimed, " at that wonderful old building. I wonder what it used to be." Unbuckling her seat belt while speaking, she was out of the car and moving toward the old inn before Larry had even recovered from the sudden stop.
Three hours later they had finally finished exploring the inn which, despite its evident neglect, was in remarkably sound condition. The doors were still hanging in their frames and, except for several broken panes, the windows were in fair condition. Finding the front door ajar, they had carefully ventured inside where they had spent two hours going through the entire structure. Their tour included a thorough inspection of the upper floor as well as the rooms on the main floor. By the time they stepped back outside Sarah had fallen completely in love with the inn and was telling Larry that they should buy it and fix it up. Larry was not quite as enthusiastic as she was but he had a feeling for it too.
"We don't even know if it is for sale", he cautioned. "It may not be available so don't get your hopes up too much."
"I just have this feeling", Sarah replied," that it was meant for us to find it. I just know if we do some asking we can find the owners and they will sell it to us. Oh, Larry darling, I want it so badly. Please, can't we at least check and see if it is available?"
Acquiescing, Larry led the way to the car and got behind the wheel with a smile on his face. Driving back the way they had come they stopped at a farmhouse about half a mile from the old inn. Both of them had gotten out of the car and started toward the house when they saw an elderly man coming from the direction of the barn. Changing course, they walked to meet him as he came through the gate into the yard. Greeting them with a warm smile, the old gentleman asked if he could help them. When they told him of their interest in the property up the road from him he invited them to join him for a glass of iced tea on his front porch. After they were settled in rocking chairs he excused himself and went to fetch the tea. In moments he was back with a tray bearing a pitcher of tea and three glasses of ice.
"Now then, let me see if I understand you correctly", the old gentleman spoke slowly. "You say you are interested in the old inn? Do you mean that you are interested in buying it or did you mean you wanted to hear the story connected with it?"
Larry and Sarah glanced at each other before answering. "Both", Larry spoke, "We are interested in buying it and we most surely would like to hear any story in connection with it."
"Just what do you have in mind to do with it if you should buy it?" the old man asked. "Are you going to tear it down and build yourselves a house there or what?"
This time it was Sarah who did the speaking. "Oh, no we would never want to tear it down", she said, "We want to restore it and bring it back to its original condition as nearly as possible. Somehow, it seems to me we were meant to see the old place today. We are on our honeymoon and were just driving through the countryside. As soon as I saw it there was something about it that drew me to it. It's as though I have some connection to it somehow."
"Well, I'm right glad to hear your plans for the old inn if you get it", the old man answered her. "It happens that I am the one who has control of that piece of property. I wouldn't want to see it torn down to make room for a new house but not many people have any desire to fix up an old relic like it."
Hearing that he had control of the old inn and, understanding by his remarks, that it was for sale their next thought was price. "We would like to know what the asking price is for the property and if there is acreage with the inn", Larry said. "We are definitely interested in restoring it if we are able to acquire it. You see, we are both very interested in American History and this inn seems to be a part of it."
"The old inn sits on forty acres", the old man answered, "And the deed is written in such a way that it can never be broken up into smaller pieces. That is one reason it is still available. Most people that would consider buying it would want to sell off most of the acreage in order to raise money to pay for restoring or demolishing the inn and building there. You realize it will take considerable money to do all that needs to be done to get the old inn in useable condition. Of course you would have to bring it up to meet all the current building codes. There was never any electricity or plumbing installed in it as it has been vacant for almost a hundred years. It belonged to my wife's uncle and aunt and when they died she inherited it. They had closed it to the public a few years before their death. If you will come back tomorrow morning about this same time I will have the deed and abstract here and you can look them over then we can talk some more. I'll tell you a little bit about it then too."
With that, the old man stood as if dismissing them so they thanked him and returned to their car. As they drove back down the lane to the road they could see him standing on the porch looking after them.
Chapter 2
After watching the young couple drive out of sight the old man opened the door and stepped inside. Going over to a small table and picking up a picture he spoke to the woman whose likeness it contained. "I think I've finally found someone who will love the inn as much as you did, Martha", he said. "They seem like such a nice young couple. I think you would approve of me making a gift of the inn to them. When they come back tomorrow I will tell them we have talked it over and if they will sign an agreement to restore the old place and never let it be broken up into smaller parcels they can have it. I'm sure they will agree to those terms. The young woman's eyes lit up like yours used to when she talked about the inn. Sure will be nice to have neighbors again too."
He placed the picture back on the table and sat down in a chair, which was near the table. Opening the drawer, he took out the deed and abstract for the property in question and sat for a long time just looking at the papers in his hand. After a while he replaced the papers in the drawer and sighed deeply.
Sarah awoke at daybreak excited about what the day held in store. She could hardly wait to get going back to the farm to meet with the old man about buying the inn. Larry finally got her to slow down enough that he could remind her that they were supposed to be there at around ten o'clock. He suggested they go find a café and get some breakfast then look around to see if there was a lawyer who they could get to look over the deed and abstract before they committed to buy the inn.
Finally, at nine thirty, they started back out toward the farm and inn. Upon arriving at the farm they found the old man waiting on the porch for them. After greeting them warmly he asked if they would care for coffee. When they both accepted he invited them to follow him into the kitchen where he had a pot on the counter. Taking cups and saucers from a sideboard, he poured and set the cups in front of them. Replenishing his own, he sat on the opposite side of the table from them.
"Now, let's talk a bit about the old inn and then we can talk about whether you want it or not", he said. Going on without giving them a chance to answer he began to tell them about the inn's early days.
Chapter 3
The year was eighteen-twenty four and the nation was less than fifty years old. The new nation had already fought the British twice and won both times. One of the heroes of the latest war, called the war of 1812 was Major General Andrew Jackson. He had, with a much smaller force, defeated the British army in a decisive victory at New Orleans in the summer of 1815.
Traveling between his home and the nation's capitol in Washington, General Jackson stopped many times at an inn on the Richmond/Charlotte pike in south central Virginia. This inn had been built in 1810 as a stage stop along the pike which was the primary road connecting the town of Charlotte, North Carolina with Washington City. During the years it had been in operation many famous people had spent nights in its luxurious suites of which there were three along with several smaller rooms for the less affluent traveler. There was also a common room for those who were unable or unwilling to spend the sum required for private quarters. All in all the inn was a comfortable place for one night or several as the case might be.
On this midsummer's eve there were no other famous personages in residence when General Jackson, accompanied by two of his private servants rode up to the inn and dismounted. He had barely gotten off his magnificent white steed when one of his slaves took the reins and began to lead the horses toward the stables several hundred feet to the rear of the inn. The stables would also provide shelter for the two Negroes during the nights that the General remained here. As they started down the land which led to the stables General Jackson reminded them to bring his bag back to the inn and get some food from the kitchen before retiring. After giving these instructions, the General stepped up onto the wide verandah that wrapped the building on two sides. Nodding to a couple of farmers who were taking advantage of the shade offered, he then stepped inside to arrange for accommodations. After seeing to that matter and partaking of the evening meal he returned to the verandah for a final pipe before retiring for the night. Meanwhile, his servants had brought the General's bag and carried it up to his suite.
Morning came and with it a low mist that seemed to hug the ground and obscure all but the closest objects. Determining that it was impractical to travel under such circumstances, General Jackson returned to his suite where, taking pen and paper, he spent the morning writing. During his years in the army he had kept journals and had continued the practice after his retirement from the military. One of the house slaves came to his door and knocked to inform him that the noon meal was being served or he would probably have continued to write well into the afternoon.
The noon meal consisted of baked ham and sweet potatoes with wild greens and two or three other vegetables picked fresh from the large garden behind the inn. After eating, General Jackson again retired to the verandah with his pipe. Today, there was only one other person present and that was a young lady. One could tell by observing her demeanor that she was a lady of good breeding and some wealth. Though she had turned slightly toward him when the general stepped out onto the verandah, she quickly looked back to the small book in her hand. With this she seemed to dismiss General Jackson until he had moved over near her and spoken. "Would the lady object if I were to light my pipe," he inquired? "Not at all" was her reply, and again she returned to her book. Being summarily dismissed, the general moved back up the verandah and took a seat in a wicker rocker near the front door to the inn.
Almost half an hour had passed when a small coach came out of the mist and stopped near the steps at the corner of the verandah. A young man, evidently a gentleman, climbed out of the coach and approached the young lady. Upon his appearance, she had placed the book she had been reading in her reticule and smoothed her hair. Smiling, he said something in a low voice, which did not carry to where the general still sat with the cold pipe in his between his teeth. With a nod, the young lady took the hand of the young gentleman and allowed him to help her to her feet. Upon standing she appeared considerably taller than she had while seated. She was not, though, so tall as to be considered too tall and she seemed to be built in good proportion to her height. In moments the young gentleman had handed her into the carriage and, retrieving her baggage from inside the door, had joined her inside the coach. With a shake of the lines, the Negro coachman had pulled away from the inn, returning in the direction from which they had come.
An hour or so later a large passenger coach with several persons on board came rumbling up. Three men dismounted from inside and one who had been riding atop climbed down to take one of the spaces vacated by them. While all this was going on and luggage was being unloaded a Negro hostler was bringing fresh horses from the stable and exchanging them for the tired ones hooked to the coach. Moments later, with the remaining passengers still on board, the coach returned to the mist and vanished on along the pike.
The passenger coach had barely vanished when a horseman came riding up to the inn. Dismounting quickly, he hurried inside and soon loud voices were heard coming from the dining room where the three men from the stage were having coffee. It seemed the newcomer knew at least one of these men and they were having words about some matter. Their voices, though loud enough to carry to the verandah, were not distinct. The general appeared to be ignoring the argument going on inside, as he continued holding the cold pipe in the corner of his mouth. In fact, he seemed to be almost asleep until the two antagonists brought their argument out onto the verandah near where he was sitting. They paid him scant attention as they were busy casting recriminations back and forth. Suddenly, the newcomer struck the other man across the face with the back of his hand and, spinning on his heel, stepped down from the verandah and remounted his horse. Touching spurs to the horse, he lit out down the road in the direction taken by the stage.
Almost before the rider was out of sight the man he had struck turned to General Jackson and asked, "Did you see that, Sir? The scoundrel struck me then ran off before I had opportunity to challenge him to a duel. I intend to go after him and bring him back and make him stand to the code duel. Would you not agree that I have sufficient cause?"
The general arose from his chair and, bowing slightly, said "Dueling is such a final act gentlemen. It would seem there should be some other way to settle disputes without resorting to violence." With that, he turned and walked inside, leaving the two men standing there.
Next morning the sun was shining brightly and the mist that had blanketed the land burned off by mid morning. While waiting for the mist to leave, General Jackson had prepared to be off to resume his journey. His slaves had curried and saddled their horses and brought them to the inn shortly after sunrise. After breakfast they had packed the general's bag and tied it behind his saddle in preparation for leaving.
The two men who had been left on the porch the evening before made their appearance at the breakfast table. Barely nodding to the general, they made their way to the far end of the long trestle table before choosing seats. It was as if they didn't want any further contact with someone who had different ideas about honor than themselves. At the same time, they watched him closely as if they were quite interested in him.
After eating, the general walked out onto the verandah for his customary pipe. The men followed him and the one who had spoken the evening before now spoke again. "Sir, I think you must be a coward or a fool", he said. "Anyone with the least amount of manhood about themselves would know I can't let that man get away with striking me the way he did. If you weren't an old fool I'd challenge you too."
He was about to walk away when the general turned directly toward him and, impaling him with his cold blue eyes, said, "Young man you are the fool. You have thrown doubt upon my manhood without even knowing one thing about me. Therefore, it is I who must challenge you. What weapon would you prefer?"
With a sneer the young man replied, "pistols if you can see to shoot one." Seeing that this was agreeable he turned to his friend and asked him to be his second. General Jackson stepped inside and up to the desk and spoke to the innkeeper. "Morgan", he asked, "would you do me the honor of being my second in a little matter of a duel with the young man outside? He has insulted my manhood and wants to prove what kind of a fool he is and I'm inclined to oblige him." Receiving an assent, the general went out to his horse and untied his bag from behind the saddle. Bringing it up onto the verandah, and setting it on the floor, he proceeded to open it and retrieve a wooden box from inside. When opened it was seen to contain a pair of matched dueling pistols in exquisite condition.
An hour later they stood side by side as Morgan gave instructions. You will stand back to back and, upon my signal, will take exactly ten paces each and turn and fire. The one who remains standing will be declared the winner. In the event both are down it will be declared a draw. If neither is down the seconds will take the pistols and reload and return them to the combatants. You will turn your backs to each other and I will count to three upon which you will turn and fire again. This will continue until one is down or until you both declare the duel over."
Upon the command "begin" spoken by Morgan, the two men walked the required paces, turned and fired. The young man's ball went wide of its target due to the fact that he fired in a hurry. The general slowly pointed his pistol and fired striking the younger man in the left leg and knocking him to the ground. Upon seeing the young man fall, Morgan announced the duel over with General Jackson declared the winner. While his friend was caring for the wounded man the general retrieved the other pistol and set about cleaning them and returning them to their case. After placing the case back in his bag he once more tied it behind his saddle. Then calling his two slaves to join him he climbed on his horse and turned him toward the road. As soon as his two Negroes had caught up with him he gave his horse his head and touching him with spurs galloped on up the road.
Morgan helped the injured man's friend move him into the gathering room of the inn where they laid him on a pallet Morgan's wife had prepared on the floor near the fireplace. There were a few coals still in the bottom of the firebox from the fire kindled against chill of the early morning. With a pan of hot water and some rags furnished by his wife, Morgan began the task of caring for the wounded man. The first thing was to get the ball out of his leg and then his leg could be dressed. With a sharp knife heated over the coals, Morgan began the task of removing the ball, which had struck the injured man in the calf of his left leg burrowing deeply onto the muscle. It took several minutes to extract the ball during which time the young man cried out with pain on several occasions. The operation was successful, however, and soon Morgan dropped the lead ball into the pan of water and, after washing the wound, poured in a good supply of turpentine before bandaging it thoroughly. During the final moments the young man had fainted due to the extreme pain.
When he had finished his ministrations, Morgan helped carry the young man into one of the downstairs room where he could rest comfortably. It was only after settling the young man into a bed and returning to the gathering room that Morgan spoke to the young man's companion.
"Your friend has maybe learned a valuable lesson today", he said. "It is never wise to risk a duel without knowing who one is dueling with. I've known General Jackson for several years and this is the first time I've known him to purposely aim for other than a clean kill in a duel. Your friend is very fortunate indeed to still be among the living."
Upon hearing the name "General Jackson" the other man turned pale and dropped into a chair near where he had been standing. "Do you mean to tell me that was Old Hickory", he gasped? "Why we had no idea it was him. My friend was angry that he had been struck and just wanted someone to vent his anger against."
"The general is a personal friend of mine so I'd suggest you get your friend out of here as soon as he is able to ride. Make sure he never comes here again as he just might have less good fortune the next time." With these words, Morgan turned and left the room.
Chapter 4
Back at the farm Sarah was hanging onto every word spoken by the old man. Larry, too, was giving his whole attention to the story he was hearing. Only when the old man paused to refill their coffee cups did either of them speak. It was Sarah who found her voice first and asked the question on both their minds.
"Did you say the Inn keeper's name was Morgan", she asked? "I don't suppose his first name could have been Will, could it?
My maiden name was Morgan and I know my great grandfather once owned an inn somewhere. I have not the least idea where, though."
Hearing her words, the old man nearly dropped the coffee pot he was holding. Managing to recover himself in time he sat down without finishing pouring their refills. "Indeed, the man I have been talking about was Will Morgan. He had come over from Ireland in time to fight with General Jackson in the battle of New Orleans against the British. It was while serving with the general that they became fast friends even though Will Morgan was only an enlisted man. Somehow that never seemed important to either of them. My wife was a niece of the wife of the last Morgan to operate the inn. That is how we came to be in control of it. She died a year ago this month and I promised her that I would look after the property. I sometimes take her picture down and talk with her when I need to make a decision. I did that last evening after you left and felt that I should make you an offer today. I might as well get to it for now I can understand the reason I felt so strongly about it. You see, I don't intend to sell the property to you at all." Seeing the startled expression on their faces he hurried on. "I am going to give it to you with a few conditions. That is, if you are willing to accept those conditions. The inn can never be torn down to make room for a new house and the land can never be sold off in bits and pieces. It was my wife's wish that it be maintained as one piece and she hoped someone would want to restore the old inn. When you said yesterday that that was your desire I felt that her wishes just might be going to come true. Now, you know it will take considerable money to restore the old inn and bring the rest of the property up to good condition. I will be willing to help you in any way I can but I haven't the finances to be of any assistance in that way."
Larry spoke then. "Sir, I am fortunate enough to have inherited a considerable fortune when I turned eighteen and I have invested it wisely so have accumulated a fairly large amount of money. My wife also has some money in her own right so that will pose no problem. We are still willing to pay a reasonable sum for the property as well."
"The property has never really been for sale," the old man replied. "That is why I never did put up a for sale sign. I just knew that someday the right person would come along. Now you are here and I am going to go ahead and do what I know my wife would have wanted. We can go into town this afternoon and take care of all the legalities involved and then the place will be yours. That is if you agree to those terms I mentioned."
"Of course we agree", Sarah and Larry spoke at the same time. "We would never consider doing anything other than restoring the property. We hope someday to be able to open it up once again for business."
The paperwork was completed that afternoon and the McAuliffes became the new owners of the "General Jackson Inn". If you are ever traveling in that area they invite you to stop and spend a night or several days.
Copyright 1998
William L. Hyatt
