Murder on the Open Sea

   Murder on the Open Sea

Suzanne Marsh

The thin blond man pushed open the door of the suite, his pistol pointed at the chest of Rudolph Diesel. “Herr Diesel, we are going to go for a little walk to the upper deck, the Kaiser does not wish you to sell your engine to the British, so you will pay the price for your stubbornness. Now please let’s get this over with.” Diesel with the blond man, the pistol placed between his ribs, walked calmly to his fate. He removed his jacket, folded it, and handed it to the blond man. He stood near the rail for a moment; suddenly; he was -pushed into the water. He disappeared in the wake of the ship, never to be seen again. The blond man threw the pistol overboard and carried the jacket back to Diesel’s suite where he carefully placed it on a steamer trunk. Diesel, he hoped would not be missed for at least a day or two. He then made plans to jump ship in New Orleans and get lost in Texas for at least a while. He knew he could never return to Germany, never see his home again.

Three days later the SS Dresden arrived in New Orleans, he quickly made plans to hide in New Orleans until he could find a place to hide permanently. Industrial espionage was something he had done, and now Germany disavowed any knowledge of him, he had a price on his head, which meant hiding in plain sight for the rest of his life. Those things he would just have to live with. He heard talk about a place called Dallas, Texas, it seemed a good place to hide, there was employment there. Dallas, Texas was his new destination, and he purchased a train ticket the following morning. The train left early in the following morning and would be in Dallas the following morning. He had no idea where he was going to live, what sort of place Dallas was, and no other choice.

The train rumbled on throughout the night, he questioned two men sitting across from him if they had ever been to this place they called Dallas. They told him it was becoming a city, mostly a place where cattle ranches were prosperous. He discovered that Dallas had all sorts of opportunities for a young man with ambition. One of the men told him he could have a job on his ranch, and he accepted quickly. There was a rooming house across from the ranch entrance, he could walk there.

Several months after he arrived in Dallas he met a young woman at his rooming house, she was beautiful with blond hair, gray eyes, and knowledgeable hands. He could learn to like it here in Dallas, everything was wonderful for the present. He took her on buggy rides, and romanced her, he knew she was not an innocent. That proved to be almost correct except she found herself pregnant. She had fully intended to inform him; before she had time, he was gone. She had no idea where or why, she had genuinely liked him. He left the Dallas area after a German agent approached him. They slugged it out, and he knew he had to find somewhere else to hide. Once again he purchased a ticket, this time to New York City, New York, from everything he had heard, he could hide in New York City for years and no one would find him. He had saved several hundred dollars while working on the ranch, which would at least get him to New York City. He once again would have to find a job, a boarding house, and female companionship.

The train rumbled down the tracks, and he saw so much land, some of which could be his, he liked Dallas but the German government wanted him, the agent had made that clear. His problem was he did not speak English very well, his thick German accent would give him away if he was not cautious enough. As the train passed through towns he could not pronounce, he felt this going to New York was a wise decision on his part.

Six days later he disembarked from the train, making his way out unto the street in front of the train station. He was finally here, he hoped he and his secret would be safe here. He needed a fresh start after murdering Diesel and jumping ship; two problems for a young man of nineteen. He found a boarding house, put down money for rent on a room, and then inquired about possible jobs in the area. He informed the owner he was very good with his hands, the owner suggested the Brooklyn Navy Yard, he did not need a lot of training to become a boiler-maker. He thanked the woman and headed for the Navy Yard. He was hired, and things were finally looking up for him.

The owner of the boarding house; had a daughter who worked at the Triangle Shirt-waist tatting. She was another beautiful young woman, one he thought he could settle down with and raise a family. Two years later he married the young woman. They had a daughter first, then a son, two more daughters, and another son. He answered when people came to the door, especially census takers and salespeople. He covered the birth dates of his children by making them all two years older than they actually were. It was his way of keeping them safe from the German authorities.

Time continued on he grew older, and he still worked at the Brooklyn Navy yard. He and his wife bought a brownstone in the Bay Ridge area of Brooklyn, where they resided for over twenty years.

His mind began to play tricks on him, and he disappeared for days, his kept telling himself he had to hide again, if he did not hide, the Germans would find him again. He tried to forget about Diesel, the fact that he had murdered a man in cold blood, made him fearful someone would recognize him or someone would remember him from the SS Dresden. He felt hopeless, tired, and frustrated, he had to think of his family first.

Five years after his death a phone call came asking; “Are you related to so and so I am his son.”

One of his sons took the phone call, but never got a phone number. He had started over twice, which is more than some people manage in their lifetime.