Silent Brand

About the Book

This adventure, is packed with so much rich historical fact, the idea of fiction will be pushed from your mind. For instance, in the first chapter, there is a fire at 159 Hudson Street.In 1844, when our adventure starts, there was, in fact, a fire at 159 Hudson Street, in New York City. At the age of twelve, Brad Jamestown becomes a street kid in the most horrid city of the times, New York City in the eighteen hundreds. That is an unrelenting location to learn how to survive. He develops a street gutter heart. Soon he is taken in by two very tough, but decent men that own a saloon. His ability to fight to extremes is a story in itself. By way of a realistic situation, Brad is taught how to defend himself without weapons. Some of the confrontations were taken from events that happened in my own life. The methods and results are real. In this part of our thriller, you’ll learn horrendous facts about New York City, caused by the tremendous incoming of immigrants. Among many regrettable details, you’ll learn that seventy percent of the deaths were child. Child prostitution was rampant. Brad is given some simple advice from his mentors. ‘If you’re going to fight with every jackass you meet, be prepared to fight every day for the rest of your life.’ Another man tells him, ‘You’re to young to be a lover, be a liker. And, remember there’s enough women in the world that want to fool around, don’t pick on the one’s that don’t. Factual information is added to the story about baseball. It’s injected periodically to add some lightness too my writing. The first recorded baseball game was on June 19, 1847. Brad attends the game. In that game, the first fine was handed out.The pitcher, Davis was fined six cents for swearing at the umpire. Another game that Brad goes to, further into the story, is the first game that started the biggest and longest rivalry in baseball history, between the Giants and the Dodgers. During this time in baseball history, there was only one league, the National. The first pitcher to throw a no-hitter, was Joe Borden on May 23, 1875. Borden and Davis, interesting. When Brad was young, his mother and father were teachers and he was well educated. An event forces, Brad to move on from the saloon and his first job is working for Mr. Cogswell. He is a loveable, middle-aged man who was chosen to make the John Jacob Astor library a reality. Mr. Astor before his death bequeathed his personal library and forty thousand dollars to make his dream come true. Mr. Cogswell does quite a good job in adding knowledge to the young man’s mind. One difference between humanity and animals is, animals don’t have libraries. We learn that Brad is a restless young man. His next job is at the New York Daily Times. He is hired just before the first edition hits the street. The publisher, Mr. Henry Jarvis Raymond, takes him under his wing. The young man learns much about society. I do not take any writer’s license to justify this thought-provoking thriller. I believe a tale that grasps a readers thoughts should be logical. Frank, a reporter at the Times, becomes one of his teachers. He warns him not to be bamboozled into a false interview. He gives him an example of a young man who got the New York Sun to publish an article that immigrants were being brought into America from Europe by balloon. The man who completed the hoax was none other than Edgar Allan Poe. Frank tells Brad he should patronize high class restaurants, every once in awhile. That way he will be able to rub elbows with the rich and prosperous. Brad, although only nineteen now, is a fine figure of a man. He appears much older than he looks. One night, he goes to a fine restaurant. A twist of fate brings love into his life.It so happens,the lady is a very expensive, high class prostitute. Another part of his person is educated. As we start to put the pieces together, Brad is becoming a very well rounded young man. It so happens, the next time he goes to ru

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