The Legend Lives: The Monkey House of McAlester

It was either sheer madness or an onset of madness, which came upon those entering this house. Either way the conclusion is the same we must be touched in the head, have taken leave of our senses or else we are just plain crazy. Anyway, we came to far, to turn back now. We, Tim and I, had opened the front door and entered the house. Tim asked, “how much truth do you think there is in the stories about this house?”1

“None,” I replied, while mumbling under my breath, “with my luck probably all of them.”Both of us knew that tales grow bigger with time. We’ve heard that an ounce of truth, mixed with a pound of embellishment, will make a ton of tales. There is an untold number of false tales that have sprouted from a seed of truth.  Sometimes the truth, we’re taught, is as hard to believe as the tales, we hear.2

Tim and I only recently became friends. We met in a neurosurgery rehabilitation center, of a hospital, in the city. Tim, is an Irish Catholic. I’m a mixture of German, English, and Comanche Indian. As you guessed I am  Baptist. We make an unlikely pair but are the best of friends. While recuperating at the hospital we made plans to take some adventurous trips together. This is one of them, to explore an old landmark, known by the locals as the, “Monkey House.”3

This house was built in 1810 for a  German, General Adair Hultger. When forty years old General Hultger retired from the German Military.He was known as the, “Iron Fist” by his troops. He held the title of being the youngest man to make general, in the  history of his countries armed forces. By the age thirty-five, Adair became a two star general. Most said he was eccentric and some even dared to call him mad. Those who knew him best said he was mad. They said he went mad after he lost his family, in Germany. Because of this horrible event, Adair became fixated on death, life and the after-life. It was after this, that Adair began studying anatomy, medicine, genetics, and biology. Those who knew him well said he would have made a superb doctor.4

It  was while he was studying, the "Art Of War" by  Sun Zu, at the5

officer’s club when his life was forever changed.That was when an intruder broke into his home. The police said it was a burglary that went bad. Adair knew better, because of the way his family was brutally murdered.  His wife, Helga,  and twin baby daughters were literally butchered. This horrible event is why Adair  retired, so young. Born in 1770,  he was married at eighteen and retired by 1810. Adair had lived two lifetimes, when comparing his life with most men’s life.6

Many thought him crazy because he built a home in the Mid-Western area of America. People  remarked that it was insane to build a house in, what was then known as, Oklahoma Indian Territory. Oklahoma territory  wouldn’t even become a state until thirty-seven years after Adair’s death. He remained in Germany until his house was built in America. Colonel Karl Kline, who was under Adair’s military command, oversaw construction of the house. General Hultger planned a house that would be unique from all other houses. There would be no house built like this one either before his time, during his life, nor in the future. It is so well built, that it still stands today. 7

Its uniqueness is seen in each room and every detail. Upon entering the house, via the front door, you are standing in a rotunda. Looking straight ahead you see an eight foot wide Oak staircase with a brass banister. Each upright is made in the shape of the German sword. To the left is a large setting room. On your right there is a medium size ballroom. In the ballroom is a large Walnut stage inlaid with gems, gold, and silver in the shape of the Hultger family crest.  Directly in front of you stands the Oak staircase. Under the staircase and to the other side of the hallway (eight feet), is the library, which, at one time, contained five thousand books. Most of the books were either first editions or signed by their author. Behind the library is a modernized kitchen. The kitchen and bathrooms were updated ten years before Holly and Heidi’s death. Between the kitchen and setting room is a large dining room. At one time there was a twenty foot Cherry wood table with brass capped corners and encrusted with chips of diamonds along its edges. The Cherry wood chairs were all captain seats with unique claw feet.  The ball of each claw was a Star Sapphire.  Each chair had the Hultger family crest on the inside of its back. On the other side of the house is the 8

magnificent master bedroom. It is between the kitchen and ballroom. Each room was decorated in solid Cherry  wood furniture and crystal fixtures trimmed in gold with rubies inset. Every room downstairs had a fireplace with its chimney going upstairs to warm each of the six bedrooms.9

Upstairs were six large bedrooms with Oak furniture. All the fixtures were  crystal, trimmed in gold with emeralds inset. There is a full bathroom located between each set of two bedrooms. This meant that three bathrooms were upstairs and two downstairs. Downstairs there is one in the Master  Bedroom, the other is between the Kitchen and Dining Room. 10

By anyone’s standard it is a grand house. A treasure to some, others called it a madman’s extravagance.  Its outside is just as awe inspiring as the inside. The exterior is sided with Redwood lap siding. Each window frame is made of  Brass. For the panes they used stained glass. Each window depicted a period in Germany’s history. A round porch encircles three-fourths of the house.  There are twelve copper covered Redwood columns on the porch. Four turrets adorn the outside structure. Each of the four turrets are three stories tall, with each turret’s roof made in the shape of a German Helmet. On the Northeast fourth of the house, where there is no porch, stands a wire cage. It is a fourth of the house wide, the depth is six feet and its height is two and one-half stories. At the top of the cage is an entrance into the third floor of a turret for the monkeys. The cage was home to four monkeys, two of each gender. 11

These monkeys were the reason why this house received its name, The Monkey House. Maybe the general was mad, crazy, or insane. It has been said that there is a fine line between being a genius or crazy. If he was a madman then so  are we. After all we had entered the house of a madman. A house that is beset with tales of insanity, murder, and mystery. Adair moved into his house in the Fall of 1810, bringing with him Colonel Kline and an entourage of servants. Many of them maidens, fair skin, blond, blue eyed, and young. Adair birthed several children by these maidens. One maid, Natasha, was his favorite, though she was barren until she was much older.  Natasha was thirty years younger than Adair.  General Hultger lived a long, healthy life and outlived all but two of  his children, by many years. He died in 1880 at one hundred ten years old. The two children living beyond his death were twin girls, Holly and Heidi. They were the only children born of the beautiful Natasha, one year before Adair’s death. Natasha birthed Adair’s second set of twin girls, when she was eighty years old. 12

“Tim, even through the years of desertion, deterioration, and dust this house is still awesome,” I said. He didn’t reply because he was awe struck. A nod of the head is all he could do. We walked into the ballroom and looked at an empty stage. Once a fully manned stage heralding some of the best orchestras,  bands and entertainers of each era. Fred Astaire danced in this room. Jimmy Durante played piano on this stage.  Al Jolson did his routine, Louie Armstrong played his trumpet and the Marx Brothers performed on this stage. The guest list for these gala events read  like a ‘who’s who’ of the  rich and famous. Just a few   of those listed were Cary Grant, Tallulah Bankhead, Clark Gable, President Theodore   Roosevelt, Will Rogers, Lionel   Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Marilyn Monroe, on and on and on it went. Now the silence is deafening as the stage  in  all its beauty and elegance stands empty. Then we entered the master bedroom where there is the broken down remains of a four poster Cherry wood bed. The feather filled mattress was riddled with, rat eaten, holes. They had pulled out feathers to use as bedding for their babies. We were about to take a closer look when Tim said, “shh, do you hear that noise?”  I nodded in agreement. “It sounds like muffled footsteps, upstairs,” I pointed up while whispering. He motioned that we should go upstairs and see what was making the sound. Due to such well-built stairs not creaking, we were able to quietly walk up the half moon shaped Oak staircase.  Stopping at the top of the stairs, we were awestruck by the open, round hall from which every room fanned off like spokes of a wheel. We saw a bedroom, bathroom, bedroom, turret entrance, bedroom, bathroom, bedroom, turret entrance, bedroom, bathroom, bedroom, turret entrance. Looking at Tim, “where is the fourth turret entrance,” I whispered? He shrugged, all the while looking for some sign of those mysterious footsteps. 13

Tim didn’t seem bothered  about the missing turret entrance, but I was. Our first step, off the staircase, was upon the dusty round hall. It is eight feet wide and on its inside circle is  a Brass Banister.  The banister is unique with its uprights shaped as swords. We began a room by room search and found three sets of strange footprints, in the dust, on the floor. They looked part human and part animal, before now we never saw footprints like these in the United States. However, I think I remember seeing them either in a magazine or on television. These footprints, went away from each of the three turret entrances, converging under where the fourth turrets entrance should have been. It was at that spot they disappeared. “Tim, let’s go outside and look at the monkey cage. Maybe we can find answers to our questions about these footprints.” Tim agreed. We leaped down the stairs three at a time, crossed the foyer, and left via the front door.14

Stepping off the porch we walked north along the east side of the 15

house. There it was the infamous monkey cage or at least its shell. “Just as I thought,” I mumbled.  Looking toward Tim, as I heard him shout, “hey, Terry, here are more of those strange footprints,” as he pointed to the ground. “And they’re fresh, too,” he continued. Looking up, above the footprints, was the fourth turret. “Wow, that is quite a drop for man or beast.”  It was then I said, “or quite a leap.” Tim gave me the queerest look and then laughed. He laughed so hard and loud that it echoed off the wall of the house. His laughter echoed and re-echoed until it sounded like a hundred people were laughing. All the while, I was staring at the fourth turret. “Tim, stop laughing before the neighbors think we’re a couple of crazies. When you quit laughing get the wood crates off the front porch.  They are needed as steps to get to the first bar of this cage’s shell.” The lower fourth of the cage had deteriorated or was stolen for fencing. It was about nine foot, from the ground, to the first bar, of the cage, that is the first  bar that looked intact.16

As Tim brought the boxes, I stacked them into steps. Each box was eighteen inches wide by three feet long. I stacked them on their side, the first four were level with the ground, then three on top of the four, next two atop the three, and then one. They made a set of steps three foot wide, six foot deep, and six foot high. As I was climbing these steps I saw, through a crack in a board, a unique type of a central air and heating unit. It sets directly beneath the center of the house in the old basement. A mechanical magazine, from the early 1900's, featured an article  about General Adair’s unique “Cool Air -House Conditioner.”  Which was a prototype for today’s modern central air units. Somehow I felt this House Conditioner had something to do with our mystery. Reaching for the lowest bar I swung up and onto it. Then I began a rather slow ascent to the top of the cage. When I reached the top, I could hear Tim, from the ground below me, cheering me on. 17

Five feet higher, on all four sides of each turret, are large windows. I encircled the top bar with my legs and reached up to grab the window stool.  After pulling myself up to see over the window sill, I looked inside the turret. What I saw was ironic. It was the answer to our question but still left some other questions unanswered. I saw a return air vent  in the bottom north east corner of the turret. The cover was off the air duct and was leaning against  the north wall. There was no other way into the room, that much was obvious. I could clearly see the north and west walls.  The window sills were impairing my vision from seeing the south and east walls.          18

As I climbed down I yelled to Tim, “steady the boxes.” He held them as I stepped on them. I then told him all I had seen and what my conclusion was. “Let’s go back  inside,” I said as we were walking to the porch. “I think I know who made our mystery footsteps. They are monkey footprints.” Tim looked at me like a calf looks at a new fence. “Monkeys,” he questioned?  “Yes,” I replied. “They’re probably offspring of General Hultger’s imported monkeys. There have been reports, in the past and present, by the local people that they saw strange animals running, in small groups, at night.” “But, but,” Tim stammered, “wouldn’t they be very old by now.” My reply was short, “no.” 19

By now we were on the second floor of the house. “That’s it,”  I said, mostly to myself. “What did you say,” Tim asked.  I said, “that is it. See in the floor of the turret, there is a return air vent.” “So,” replied Tim, “I don’t understand. What’s the big deal about a return air vent?” It was beginning to get dark outside, making it even darker inside. Facing Tim, “lift me up to the grate. I want to look inside the turret.” I stepped into Tim’s cupped hands and he lifted me   up to the grate. While opening the grate, I told Tim, “tomorrow we will bring an eight foot step ladder.”   The hallway grate is hinged for ease of   opening. Once inside the air duct I could see the inside grate was removed . As I  stuck my head up and into the turret’s room, I looked around the room. “Can  you see anything,” Tim grunted out, “I can’t hold you up much longer.” “Okay, okay,” I responded impatiently, “we’ll come back at first light.” I thought, it’s getting late, anyway. This time of year it doesn’t become dark until nine p.m .Tim and I got in our car to go to the motel room. The motel was only three - fourths of a mile from The Monkey House.20

We were tired, not so much physically but mentally and emotionally. I sat at the table, in our room, and asked Tim, “you want to know what I saw inside the turret?” As I turned around to see why he didn’t answer, I heard him snoring. That is the definite sign of Tim being asleep. With his snoring I knew I wasn’t going to fall asleep anytime soon. I catch myself mumbling a lot more lately, “it’s as good a time as any to write in my journal.” 21

July 15,1999   as I wrote the date, in my journal, I realized that next week was my granddaughter, Jordan’s, second birthday. My entries were going to be brief, due to being exhausted.22

1. Entered the Monkey House around ten a. m. 23

* Downstairs we saw the Library and Master Bedroom24

2. Investigated a suspicious noise - upstairs25

3. Climbed monkey cage to see inside turret26

4. Discovered ac unit on ascent to turret27

5. Found possible entrance into fourth turret.28

6. Saw, what looks like, monkey tracks29

7. Return to house tomorrow to examine turret.30

It was now after midnight and I was very tired. Thinking,  “seven o’clock  will come quick enough,”  I pulled the cotton sheets up to my neck, and went to sleep, the moment my head touched the pillow. Tim got up before the alarm sounded. I hit the snooze button and pulled the sheet over my head. By the time Tim finished his shower, I was fully awake. 31

Tim set on his bed and asked, “Terry, do you know any more stories about the house?”  “Did I tell you about Adair’s second set of  twin girls,” I yelled as I went to the shower. “I will tell you, when I finish my shower, okay?” Tim yelled back, “ alright, that’ll be super.”   In a few minutes I  Wrapped a towel around me and I set in a chair to began the story. “This set of twins were born in 1879, to Natasha, one year before Adair died. Those who knew Adair said that was the happiest year in the General’s life. Holly  and Heidi were reared under the training of, their mother,  Natasha for twenty-one years. Their mother had attended the top prep schools of Germany. Adair sent her to a college specializing in etiquette and poise.  Natasha died on January 1, 1900, a century old. Longevity runs in General Hultger’s family.  Adair died at one hundred ten years old, Natasha was one hundred when she died, Colonel Karl Kline, Adair’s nephew,  died in 1890 at one hundred years old, and supposedly the twins died nineteen years ago at one hundred and one years of age. They are all buried , except the twins, in their hometown cemetery in Munich, Germany. No one knows where the bodies of Holly and Heidi are buried. That is an unsolved mystery.”32

“Wow,” was Tim’s reaction, “tell me more.” I continued, “Holly and Heidi were spinsters, that is they never married.  Not that they couldn't marry but they wouldn’t marry. No one knows why they wouldn’t. The twins were more beautiful than Queen Cleopatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Adelaide Sledge Bankhead, Abraham’s wife Sarah, Cindy Crawford and Whitney Houston rolled into one person. Their beauty was legendary and defied all reason. The printed media proclaimed the twins as the most beautiful women in the world since God created Eve. Painters paid them to paint their portraits. Since 1900 until their death in 1980 their pictures appeared on the cover page of every major  publication, in the world. I will tell you the rest at breakfast. Let’s go eat,” as I stood I grabbed my room key. Tim was right behind me. Both of us ordered a country style breakfast.  After eating some of my breakfast I told Tim more of the story.33

“Anyway their beauty was unquestionable. There are stories of young men who proposed marriage to them and were rejected. They committed suicide because they wouldn’t live without such beauty. Some people said that their suitors were bewitched. There were reports since 1810 that Adair and his family were strange and strange things happened in this house. That’s when the rumors of witchcraft began circulating. The tales are totally unbelievable, about the suitors. Most of them are the same story with different names. Look at the time Tim,” I said while pointing at my watch. “It’s almost ten o’clock, we need to return to the Monkey House. I will finish the story tonight.” At those words we drove toward Tower Street,  where the Monkey House is located. We circled a six block area because there were some sightseers in front of the House. When they left, we stopped at the north - west corner, just out of sight. This time we entered through the back door, that opened into  the kitchen. We went through the kitchen then the dining room and the setting  room until we came to the bottom of the stairs. “Darn,” I said, “we forgot the stepladder.”34

“We’ll have to use the boxes again..” So, Tim and I went to the porch and gathered the boxes. “I’ll go into the turret  alone, if it’s okay with you,” is what I said to Tim. “That’s fine,” Tim replied, “I’ll check out some of these upstairs rooms. Just yell, if you need me.” I spoke, as I climbed the steps, “we are the only ones here, right? I will only be in the turret for about forty-five  minutes and then we’ll search the other turrets.” I worked my way through the air vent and found myself inside the turret. First, I looked out the window  and saw the whole town, from that height it was easy.  Then I looked around the room and saw nothing. “It  is a waste of time to stay here for forty-five minutes,” mumbling to myself again. I crawled back through the vent, feet first. As I dropped down into the air shaft I looked back across the floor. The baseboard was raised, on the right side  of the vent. 35

I crawled back into the room. Inside and kneeling on the floor I pried off the baseboard. There were some old newspaper pages, used as insulation, behind the baseboards. I pulled them out. As I reached for more, of the pages, my fingers touched something hard.  I thought, “it’s a book. Maybe it’s from the General’s Library.” I was excited just thinking about finding a first edition or an author signed work. When I pulled it out I discovered it was some kind of   record book.  Turning it over to see its front I saw a word, Journal, imprinted at the top. In faded illegible hand written letters was the persons name who had owned the journal. I knew the book was old so I tucked it in the front of my pants.  While leaving the room I yelled to Tim, “hey, hey, hey, hey, come see what I found.” I shouted louder, “hey, Tim, meet me at the top of the stairs.”  He must have heard me because he was there waiting for me.36

He followed me down the stairs, out the front door, across the porch and yard, and into the car. “Tim, you’re never going to believe this,” gasping  as I spoke. Excitedly he asked, “what Terry, what did you find?”   “I’ll show ya,” I blurted out the words as I pulled the journal from my pants to show it to him. “I believe that it’s Colonel Karl Kline’s Journal. There are references to Kline having a Journal in the 1830 Genealogical reference books. After that it was thought to have been destroyed by Adair, during one of his mad fits. It reportedly contained most of the German military families pedigrees. Also it contained the only recorded history of the Hultger family tree.” Finally, being able to breathe normally, I continued telling Tim about the journal, “do you realize the value of this journal?” Tim replied, “no Terry, is it worth lots of money?” “Probably,” I said. “But that’s not its most important value. It should contain Adair’s children and other answers to questions about him, his family, and the Monkey House.”              37

We stopped at Sonic to eat supper. Tim ordered a number one with two slices of cheese, tater tots, and large vanilla coke. I asked for a double meat number two, onion rings, and large strawberry shake. We didn’t talk much,as we ate, we were very tired. As soon as we finished eating we went to our motel room. Tim and I began undressing, as soon as we got in our room. It had been a hot day and we were sweaty. “Hey Tim, let’s go swim for awhile, you want to?”  “Sure would,” was his reply. We grabbed our towels and put on some flip flops. I took the Journal, with me, to read while I set beside the pool. For its protection I wrapped it in one of my towels. 38

We swam for an hour or more. Next I set in a deck chair, to read the Journal. It proved interesting and extremely  valuable for genealogy. The historical facts are great, they go back as far as the tenth century. There are facts about every military family commissioned in Germany, written in the Journal. Finally,  I found many pages that recorded the lineage and genealogical notes about General Adair Hultger and his family.  39

Adair’s family was traceable  back to the Hultkerz. Hultkerz were  Germany’s ruling class from the tenth through thirteenth centuries. They ruled for twenty seven decades, from 980 to 1250. Any family that rules for 270 years is amazing. Adair had nobility in his blood which definitely showed in his attitude, character, and demeanor.  The Journal was informative, as well as interesting. Tim was reclining beside me and went to sleep.  I shook him awake. “I’m ready to go to bed, how about you,” I was talking to myself because Tim had gone back to sleep.  Knowing the pool attendant would wake Tim, whenever he closed the pool, I walked to the room. As soon as I sat in a chair,  I nodded off to sleep. After about an hour I jerked awake. Something was wrong, I know it is weird  but I had become accustomed to Tim’s snoring. Realizing he was still sleeping by the pool I thought he needed to get to bed. I looked at the clock and it was an hour before the pool closed. Pulling  my daily journal from the suitcase I decided to write some notes in it about our day. 40

My first entry, of the day,  was the date, July 16, 1999. Only six days until my granddaughter’s birthday. Next, I wrote what we accomplished.41

1. Returned to the Monkey House, later than intended.42

2. Eluded  sightseers at the house.43

3. Entered house through bback door44

4. Inspected turret and discovered hiding place for General Adair45

Hultger’s Journal.46

5. Read the Journal and discovered the following:47

* It’s a diary and journal48

* It has three sections: one for Adair, one by Kline, the last part is in the writing style of the twins, Holly and Heidi.49

Adair’s section overlapped Colonel Kline’s section. The General wrote mostly about the genealogy of military families. Also, he corrected his nephew’s record of the Hultger/Hultkerz family history. Karl kept the records of the General’s immediate family. He listed all of the maidens who bore any children by Adair. General Hultger had ten maiden wives with a total of four children each except Natasha, who had twins. Karl noted, after the General’s death, that he had several children by Adair’s maidens. After the Colonel’s death Holly and Heidi were keepers of the Journal.50

The time for the pool to close came and went with no sign of Tim. I went to look for my friend instead I found the gate, to the pool,  secured and Tim wasn’t beside the pool. Thinking he went for a walk I headed for our room. Sure enough, when I opened the door, Tim had been there. He left a note telling me exactly what I thought. The note said, “be back soon, went for a walk.” Mumbling to myself, “ I’m not setting up waiting for him.” It was ten forty five and we had to get to the house earlier than we did today. I was sound asleep when a knocking at the door awakened me. “Open this door now,” someone shouted from outside. Then I heard Tim’s voice, “Terry, please open the door?” His voice sounded weak. Looking out the peek hole I saw two men with Tim. They stepped inside, when they heard the dead bolt unlock. Throwing Tim on the bed they pulled their guns and pointed them at me. “What’s this about,” I asked?  At the same time they shouted, “sit down and shut up. We want the Journal that you found at the house.” “What Journal,” was my reply? It was then that Tim set up, on his bed. I noticed he had been beaten. “Give them the Journal,” he said. “They said they’d kill us,” he was pleading with me. By then it was to late, they saw the Journal on the table. 51

“Now I  know what it feels like to be dead,” were the thoughts going through my mind. Slowly, I was waking from a state of unconsciousness. The two thieves had knocked Tim and I unconscious with their pistols. “Tim, how do you feel?”52

“I’m a little shaken,” he replied. “Man am I hurting, I took some pretty good punches.” We set, on the edge of our beds, for probably an hour before we said anything more. 53

“Well, Tim, do you think we’ve had any adventure yet?” “Terry, I think that might be an under statement.” Looking, seriously, at each other,  we began laughing hysterically. Every time we looked at each other we started laughing again. I finally spoke, “we just as well get dressed. It’s about time to get up and we need to go to the house.” 54

We hurriedly ate a breakfast of biscuits and gravy. When we got to Tower Street, we approached the Monkey House, carefully.  “Tim, look at the car, it’s the same one we saw yesterday. I think we’ve discovered our thieves. Let’s come back later, okay?” 55

Tim answered, “we’re out of here.”  As we looked behind us, we sped away. We recognized the two guys, inside the car, as being the ones who robbed us.  They were leaving the house. We stopped a block away and watched them as  they left. Driving back to the house, we decided to stay and return to examining the turret. “I don’t believe they will be gone for long, huh Tim? Lets hurry and see the whole house before we go to the turret.” The  moment we were in the house we saw what those  two guys had been doing, inside the house. They tore out sections of wall plaster, base boards and window sills, looking for something. “I hope they haven’t destroyed the turrets also,” while  speaking to Tim I heaved a big sigh. Both of us set on the stairs.  We  were upset over the wrecking of this unique and historical house. This was the first chance, since we went swimming, to talk. “Tim, with everything that happened last night, I haven’t told you what I found in the Journal. I told him about the three sections, blueprint of the house, genealogical records and other things. Tim, I’ve saved the best for last. There were some things very strange about the Journal. Two things puzzled me, the first  was a noticeable absence of the twins death date. As precise as Adair and Karl were with their records I found it odd that no one recorded the girls deaths. In fact that brings me to the second problem. There were recordings, in the girls handwriting, in  the Journal up to the day before I found it.” These words got Tim’s attention, he said, “you mean the twins are still alive?” I replied, “that’s impossible they would be 120 years old.” At that moment we looked at each, pointed to the second floor and ran upstairs. We heard the same shuffling sound that we had heard two days ago.56

Once we reached the top of the stairs we saw a monkeys feet going into the air vent. Tim and I spoke at the same time, “we were right about the entrance to the fourth turret.” We hurried up our homemade steps and through the vent. Inside the turret I saw something I never noticed before. A sliding panel in the wall. “Tim, look some type of entrance,” I pointed to the panel. We slid the panel open and stepped into a narrow hall built on an incline. Walking up the hall I could smell rotting flesh. Turning toward Tim I said, “I’ll bet those monkeys have brought a dead animal in here. Do you smell that horrible stench?” His answer was the pinching of his nostrils shut.  Halfway up the hall we stopped to inspect some discarded clothes.  “Look at this,” said Tim. It was an old pocket watch, Tim found, inside a German military uniform. “Let me see it Tim,” I was a collector of pocket watches. As Tim handed it to me we heard footsteps ahead of us. We stood very still and   listened. To our relief the footsteps were going away from us. When the shuffling was far away we spoke to each   other again. “This watch is very valuable, Tim” was my response. “It is a solid gold, key-wind watch that was built specifically for military personnel.” I showed Tim the watch’s face, the numbers were written  in military time. “Look, Tim, there is writing on it.” There was written, ‘to General Adair Hultger, May 25, 1810 from the 666 Battalion Munich, Germany.’ “Wow, that’s a piece of history, as well as being priceless, huh Terry.”  “You guessed it,” I said. “Let’s look through the other clothes, too.”We came up with nothing so we proceeded up the hall. The hall was getting steeper and more difficult to walk. 57

Finally, we reached the end of the hallway. Above us was a hinged lid, it looked like an attic access door. To our right was a rope with one end hanging free and the other end went through a hole beside the door. What was real interesting was a window in the wall to our left. It was boarded over from the outside, with siding. The window had a handle that when lifted up, the window would swing open. I lifted the handle and the window popped open a little.  Tim and I then pushed the window about halfway open. Surprised by what we saw we were excited also.  The window had been built into the turret’s roof. What looked like a window boarded over was the precise  placement of roofing material, in order to hide the window. “Cool,” was all Tim said. “Let’s leave the window open so we can have fresh air, okay with you Tim?” “That’s a good idea, Terry.”  Crossing my fingers I asked Tim if he was ready to go on. He nodded that he was ready. “Here goes nothing,” I said as I pulled down on the rope. Our mouths opened as wide as possible at what we saw when the door opened. “What have we stumbled on,” was Tim’s response. 58

It was an absolutely dazzling sight. Once we climbed inside we sat on a carpeted floor. A most unique carpet, wool, with a very tight weave. Its color was dark lavender with gold threads forming the shape of stars throughout the carpet.  At the tip of each star point was stitched a blood red cross. Each cross was adorned with a white rose with its stem wound around the base of the cross. On top of each cross set a crown of thorns with four Ram horns, attached at equal distance from each other.  The walls were covered in black  velvet material with red one sixteenth inch wide vertical stripes In the middle of each wall was a six foot solid  red star. A gold cross with a black rose on it, was centered in each star. All the wood work was cut from the finest white walnut trees. These trees became extinct in the early nineteenth century. The furnishings were carved Mahogany, ebony in color. Each piece of furniture had clawed feet with a ball of midnight-blue sapphire inside each of the claw feet. The windows were set near the top of the room, they could only be seen from an airplane. One eight foot chandelier hung in the center of the room. Instead of crystal reflectors it had Ruby, Emerald, Spinal Diamonds, Honey Gold Citron, and Sapphire reflectors. “Have you ever seen anything like this, Tim?”  Tim was like me, setting on the floor with eyes opened wide and mouth gaping open, in complete awe at what we were seeing. Finally Tim answered, “not if I lived ten lifetimes.”59

“Terry, I hear something.”  “Tim, so do I,” was my reply. It sounded like footsteps accompanied by shuffling sounds. They were coming from the other side of the far wall. Tim and I slid behind a love seat, to our right, and  quietly hid from whoever was coming. The next thing we saw is unbelievable, unfathomable, even inconceivable. From behind the far wall a   hidden passage way opened into a hallway. Through this opening came an entourage that was, without question, strange. 60

This entourage consisted of two women followed by six large monkeys.  The women were dressed in black evening gowns with black lace veils. Each of them were wearing Jeweled Tiara’s. In each tiara there were dozens of gems. The most impressive jewel was in the front center. It was a diamond of thirty caret weight with a cross etched into it, then it was filled with Ruby chips. On top of the cross was a white rose made from Opals with its stem being made from Emerald chips. The women set at each end of a large Dining Table with three monkeys standing at either side. These monkeys were unusually large, six foot tall with three foot wide shoulders. They didn’t look like Apes, Orangutans, or Gorillas but some type of hybrid monkey. Serving the women was their sole purpose. More monkeys, carrying a meal for the women, came from the passage behind the wall. This group of monkeys were a smaller build than the first ones. They placed the meal on the table. The larger monkeys served it to the women. I looked at Tim,”the women must remove their veils so they can eat. Then we’ll see their face.” Tim’s excitement was showing all over his face. The same could be said of me. We were watching the women closely. We knew they were young because of their low “V” neck evening gown. Their flesh looked like the flesh of a twenty five year old with a perfect ten figure. They began to unclasp their veils. As soon as their veils were off they laid them on the table, next to their plate. We were shocked, bewildered, and amazed at the moment we saw their faces. Mesmerized was a good term, for us. The women faces were of  Holly and Heidi Hultger, the twin daughters of General Adair Hultger. 61

“It’s impossible, since they would be one hundred twenty years old,” I whispered to Tim. “Look, Tim.” The twins were setting up straight and looking at one of the monkeys, who had set on the love seat. As they looked our direction we saw their faces fully. We gasped, they  were beautiful, their beauty was literally breathtaking. It was then they stood and walked toward us.  The six big monkeys followed them. “They heard us gasp,” I told Tim. “Can you run.” Tim answered, “no. I can’t run because I can’t take my eyes off of the women either. Can you?” “Nope, I can’t move or quit looking at them.” By then the monkeys were upon us and began tying us up. All the time they tied the ropes around us they would not block our vision of the twins. We were bewitched, under a spell of some sort, or maybe infatuated by  the beauty of the twins. Our eyes never left their faces. They didn’t look a day older than twenty five. 62

We were carried, by the monkeys, to a holding room. There was a putrid stench in the room. It was the same stench we had smelled in the secret hallway. The holding room was dark. There were shuffling sounds along the wall that was opposite of where they put Tim and me. I told Tim, “we’d better get some rest, if possible. It looks like tomorrow will be a long day” I knew Tim was nodding in agreement, even in the dark. “What do you think the odds are for us to get out of here,”  Tim quizzed? “Don’t hold your breath,” was heard from a faint voice,  across the room. “Who are you,” Tim and I asked together? The voice continued, “my name is Pierre Cartier I’ve been here about three months.” “ Have you tried to escape,” I asked.  “Yes,” he replied. Pierre continued talking, “this room is inescapable. It is also isolated from the rest of the house and well insulated.  Don’t yell for help, save your voice. Pounding on the walls or floor won’t help you either.”63

While Pierre was talking, my eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness. I could see a darkly tinted window in the roof and a full moon above it.  At one point the Moonlight flickered across the opposite wall. For a moment I saw four people in the light then a cloud passed in front of the moon. Pierre stopped talking, so I asked him, “have you tried the window?”64

“To high,” he replied. “There is no way to get up there, it’s at least twenty feet, to that window.”65

“What about your friends,” I asked. Pierre didn’t reply so I asked him again. Nothing was said again, by Pierre. “With the six of us we could form a human ladder, Pierre do you hear me?”66

“Yes, I do but the other three, that are beside me, are dead.”   Pierre’s   voice was getting weaker. “We need to sleep, save your energy, because tomorrow you will need it.”67

Here we are, Tim, myself, Pierre, and three dead people, held captive by one hundred twenty year old twins and giant monkeys. While thinking about the absurdity of such a situation, I fell asleep. Morning came quickly and painfully.  Between the rough handling, by the monkeys, and being tied up all night, we couldn’t help but be in pain.  Stiffness and pain  rushed through mine and Tim’s bodies.  The morning was an eye opening revelation concerning our surroundings and fellow prisoners. 68

Pierre is a well built Frenchman. Approximately six feet tall, one hundred eighty five pounds with a chiseled chin and cheekbones. His chest is a size forty-eight, waist is twenty-eight inches, hips are thirty-two inches around and biceps that measure twenty two inches. He is a perfect male specimen. His three companions were more than dead. Each of them had various body parts removed. All of them had their heart removed from their body. At least this explained the horrible stench. 69

We all heard footsteps coming our way. Just when the door opened,   Pierre said, “look out, the beauty and beast are here.”  In walked Holly and Heidi, as fresh as a Spring Rain and beautiful as always. All of us were enthralled by their beauty. Our eyes followed their every move. “Tim, are you as immersed in their beauty as I am.” Tim replied with a mumbled, “yes.” We heard Pierre reply, “I am also.” This made us chuckle. It was then that the twins looked straight into our eyes. It was a cold, lifeless, intense stare that penetrated to the depths of our soul. The twins motioned for the monkeys to untie us. They handled us very roughly and forced us to our knees. All the time our eyes were fixed on the twins. 70

The monkeys began feeding us while the twins talked. Their voices sounded like Mourning Doves cooing in unison. Their message wasn’t as sweet as their voice. “You belong to us now,” were their first words to us. “You will be well taken care of. Our monkeys will feed and care for you. They will also exercise you, daily.” 71

Tim and I looked at Pierre and he didn’t look very well. “If you are taking such good care of us, then why does Pierre look ill and sound so weak?” We had mustered up enough courage to speak to the twins. 72

“So, you have become acquainted with Pierre, huh? He is coming to the end of his usefulness. That is why he looks badly.” While they were 73

talking, I wondered what they meant, by his usefulness? “You will exercise74

everyday at this time and then eat a healthy meal. Next you will have tests ran  three times each week. Also, you have freedom to go anywhere within our great room, as long as you are accompanied by the monkeys.”75

By now Pierre was brought back to the room. The twins and monkeys left when Pierre returned. All three of us sat down to rest. Pierre looked tired and on his last leg. He was short of  breath and trying to speak. Tim and I had to get closer to Pierre, in order to hear him speak.  It was all we could do to hear what he said. “You have to get out of here, or else. They will kill you just like they are killing me. The twins have found a drink that keeps them young.” He began breathing more and more shallow.76

“Don’t die now,” I said. “Tell us about the drink they developed. What does all of this have to do with us?”77

Pierre barely whispered the answer, “they keep you healthy because your blood is needed for the drink. The drink is made with monkeys blood, a mother’s milk, a special chemical (made by some general), and your blood. They mix the first three ingredients together in equal amounts. Then they warm it to room temperature. Lastly, they inject the mixture in you and allow it to mix with your blood. After one hour they withdraw a pint to drink. When your body can’t handle anymore, they let you die.” We barely heard his last words before he died. It was uncanny how the monkeys knew the moment Pierre died. They entered the room exactly when he took his last breath. Their presence answered another question. With Ginseng butcher knives they removed his heart and one of Pierre’s legs and ate it. When they left, Tim and I began whispering to each other. “First things first. We must plan to get out of here.” Tim agreed with me. “Terry, why are we whispering?” I replied with a question.” “Don’t you remember the monkeys coming in at the exact time of Pierre’s death?” Tim nodded. “I’ll bet you that they have us monitored and I will prove it to you.” Jumping up onto my feet I ran into the wall and began pounding on it. Instantly the monkeys were in the room and tied me up. Tim yelled at the monkeys so they tied him up also. 78

They left the room for the day. Tim and I were left there gagged and bound setting in a corner of the room. It was late afternoon when we heard voices below us. We recognized the voices to be those of the thieves, who stole Adair’s Journal from us. We heard them say, “here is a hidden door and an upward bound hallway. Lets see where it leads, can’t do any harm.” Tim and I looked at each other as the Sun began to set.                                                                      79

Terry L. Sledge80