THE RUDOLPH VALENTINO CRUMPTON STORY Part 2

The young man looked Rudolph over for a minute and then told him to come with him to get something to eat and talk. Rudolph did not know whether he hit it lucky or was just being hustled out of the church because of the way he looked. As they walked, the young man Rudolph had run into introduced himself as Tommy Douglas and continued to lead Rudolph away from the church and to a diner nearly three blocks away. During the walk Tommy questioned Rudolph all the way. He learned Rudolph arrived in town three days before after hopping a coal train from Kentucky. Rudolph’s dad was dead and he dropped out of school somewhere around the ninth grade. Tommy learned Rudolph was behind in his class and was looking for work. Douglas was easy to talk to even for Rudolph. Rudolph had not spoken more than a few words to anyone since he left his uncle’s house but he caught up with his talking on this Mr. Douglas. Tommy knew exactly what he wanted from Rudolph by the time they walked into the converted streetcar/diner. Tommy told Rudolph to order whatever he wanted and suggested the steak and eggs, hash browns, sliced tomatoes and both orange juice and coffee. Rudolph had never had more than a single hamburger and Coke from any restaurant in his life. The only time he had ever even been inside a restaurant was before his dad had gotten sick when he would take Rudolph to the little ‘City Café’ in Matewan, on Saturday afternoons, to get a hamburger and large Grapico. Rudolph remembered the hamburger and drink had cost $1.73 and how he thought that was so much money and how special he was to have his dad spend that much on him just to eat. As hungry as he was, the thought of ordering a steak with his eggs plus both coffee and orange juice simply blew him away. Rudolph thought he must have stumbled across the richest preacher in Pittsburgh and just kept talking and talking much to Tommy’s delight.

Finally Rudolph, trying to figure out how to stay on this gravy train decided to ask this generous man a few questions. “Are you a preacher”, Rudolph ask as he loaded his last piece of toast with as much butter as he could smear. “No”, Tommy said laughing, “I did not mean to mislead you.” “My aunt is a secretary and bookkeeper at the church and I had just gone by to tell her Happy Birthday and give her a little present. I’m really not much of a church go’er,” Tommy said, “I’m a businessman here in Pittsburgh.” “What kind of business,” Rudolph asks trying to determine if this might be someone that could turn into a job opportunity. “I do things for people that they don’t want to do themselves,” Tommy answered, seeing an opportunity to make Rudolph a part of his world. “Why aren’t you working today,” Rudolph ask, trying hard to make sense out of everything going on. “Most of the time I don’t work at regular times,” Tommy told him. “The things I do for people are usually done at night, and a lot of the time outside of Pittsburgh,” Tommy was really confusing Rudolph now, all the time watching, trying to read Rudolph’s reaction. “Do you do the same things every time or do you do different things at different times,” Rudolph while always having struggled in his class work was already street savvy and was beginning to smell something even a kid from the coal fields knew may not be just right. “I do different things at different times, depending on what my customer needs, I’m working tonight,” Tommy offered, “why don’t you come with me.” “You don’t have anything else to do or anywhere to stay,” Tommy said, “come on with me, I’ll help you get a place to stay and pay you a hundred dollars ($100.00) to help me tonight.” “A hundred dollars,” Rudolph nearly spit his coffee across the table. He had never held more than the thirty-five dollars ($35) he had taken from his aunt in his hands at one time in his life. To Rudolph one hundred dollars was a dream, as far as he was concerned a hundred dollars was probably more than anyone in Matewan could put together. Rudolph did not even ask or care what he had to do to get this money. For a minute he did wonder if he was going to be expected to kill someone but even that thought did not bother him that much. He would almost kill himself for that much money and he certainly would kill someone he did not know. Tommy saw the change in Rudolph immediately and knew then he had the help he had been looking for so long. To seal the deal Tommy left a $10.00 tip and handed Rudolph a twenty-dollar $20 bill to stick in his pocket for what he called ‘walking around’ money. They left the diner and quickly found Tommy’s year old Cadillac Seville and headed toward a boarding house on the south side of Pittsburgh and Rudolph’s new way of life.

(to be cont'd)