Cap Fog 5

by J. T. Edson

  12 The most prominent of the ‘active’ actresses in movies up to the period of this narrative was Pearl White, heroine of several ‘cliff hanger’ type serials. We explained our feelings with regards to the passive roles generally assigned to members of the ‘weaker sex’ in action-escapism-adventure fiction—not just Westerns—in our Introduction to J.T.’S Ladies.

  13 Information about the career of Annie Singing Bear can be found in: IS-A-MAN, WHITE INDIANS and BUFFALO ARE COMING!

  14 As is demonstrated in the Rockabye County series, covering the organization and duties of a modern day Sheriff’s Office in Texas, the Tragg family is still actively connected with the enforcement of law in the State. Some details of two earlier members who also served as peace officers is given in: SET A-FOOT and BEGUINAGE IS DEAD!

  15 A detailed description of the bluetick coonhound, Lightning, is given in: Case One, ‘Alvin Fog’s Mistake’, CAP FOG, TEXAS RANGER.

  16 The grandfathers were Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty’ Fog and the Ysabel Kid, details of whose careers and special qualifications are recorded in various volumes of the Floating Outfit series.

  17 The definitive work on ‘open craps’ and other gambling games played with dice, plus information about the operation of such a game in a casino is: SCARNE ON DICE, by John Scarne, with Clayton Rawson.

  18 ‘Tuxedo’: the American name for what in England is known as a ‘dinner’ and in France a ‘smoking’ jacket. It is a dress coat without tails, for use at less formal functions than those requiring the ‘white tie’ accoutrements of top hat, black tailcoat, white waistcoat and tie. The term arose due to such a garment having been introduced in the United States by a group of millionaires living in the Tuxedo Park district of New York City.

  19 See: Case Three, ‘The Blanched Soldier’, THE CASEBOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

  20 Although the Burgess Gun Company supplied a holster of more conventional design to be used in conjunction with the ‘take-down’ riot gun, Sergeant Ranse Smith had the split front spring retention rig made to his own specifications as he considered it would enable him to make a faster withdrawal.

  21 A more detailed description of the Burgess folding riot gun is given in: Part One, ‘Persona Non Grata’, MORE JUSTICE FROM COMPANY ‘Z’

  22 Information about three members of the family to which Sergeant Ranse Smith was related, Mark and Deputy Sheriff Bradford ‘Brad’ Counter and James Allenvale ‘Bunduki’ Gunn, can be found respectively in the Floating Outfit, Rockabye County and Bunduki series.

  23 A detailed description of how loose pack mules were handled is given in: OLE DEVIL AND THE MULE TRAIN.

  24 Although Sergeant Carlos Franco carried a Winchester Model of 1894 carbine when participating in the raid on Minnie Lassiter's Premier Chicken Ranch near El Paso, Texas—described in RAPIDO CLINT—like most peace officers, he varied his offensive armament to what he considered would be the needs of each individual assignment, which might call for something more potent than his basically defensive handgun.

  25 ‘Chicano’, a person of Hispanic origin born, or permanently residing in the United States.

  26 ‘Apache’ used in this context does not mean a member of the Indian nation of that name. Pronounced ‘A-pash’ and not ‘A-patchy’, it is the name given by the French to a class of small time criminals who once infested Paris. They are best known outside that country for the so called ‘danse apache’ wherein the man throws and drags his female partner around the floor.

  27 The hope materialized later when Elliot Ness used it in the operations of the special Prohibition Detail he led. Formed from carefully selected agents of the United States’ Department of Justice, they acquired the sobriquet ‘The Untouchables’ because they could neither be frightened nor bribed to prevent them performing their duties. They played a major part in the eventual downfall of Alphonse ‘Scar Face Al’ Capone, supreme leader of the Chicago underworld. See: THE UNTOUCHABLES, by Eliot Ness (with Oscar Fraley).

  28 Information regarding the proclivity of people in Jack County, Texas, to operate illicit liquor stills is given in THE LAW OF THE GUN and Part Three, ‘The Trouble With Wearing Boots’, THE FLOATING OUTFIT.

  29 Although people in other States refer to that particular crime as ‘rustling’ Texans prefer to call it by a blunter and more accurately descriptive name, see: THE COW THIEVES.

  30 How and why the injury was inflicted is told in: THE JUSTICE OF COMPANY ‘Z’.

  31 Andrew Mark ‘Big Andy’ Counter is respectively the son and father of Mark and Bradford ‘Brad’ Counter, q.v.

  32 One such occasion is described in: RAPIDO CLINT.

  33 ‘Banana republic’: colloquial name for Central American countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, Salvador, Nicaragua, or Costa Rica, whose economy was dependent upon a single type of crop, generally bananas. Information regarding the career of General Lee Christmas, an American soldier of fortune active thereabouts, is given in: Chapter XVIII, ‘One Man Army Corps’, TRIGGERNOMETRY, by Eugene Cunningham. We also based our series REBEL OF THE IRON ROAD—which was first commenced in VICTOR boys paper on October the 9th, 1965—upon incidents from his eventful life.

  34 Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog claims he is now of the opinion that the betrayal to which he referred did not originate from Hogan Turtle as he assumed it had at the time. However, he declines to say who he believes was responsible.

  35 A description of ‘apartment house’ wrestling is given in: THE SHERIFF OF ROCKABYE COUNTY.

  36 The exact words are recorded as being, ‘I’ve put a fortune in the hands of any clever man—providing, of course, he is a man of resolution and the books fall into his hands at an early date. In these days of scientific discovery, what is new today is commonplace tomorrow. See: TERROR KEEP, by Edgar Wallace.

  37 How the association between Miss Margaret Belman and Mr. J.G. Reeder commenced, and progressed is told in: THE MIND OF MR. J.G. REEDER and TERROR KEEP, by Edgar Wallace.

  38 What the predicament was is told in: Part Three, ‘The Case Of Joe Attymar’, RED ACES, by Edgar Wallace.

  39 Told in: Part Two, ‘The Shadow Man’, MR. J.G. REEDER RETURNS, by Edgar Wallace.

  40 Told in: ‘CAP’ FOG AND J. G. REEDER.

  41 By a remarkable coincidence, the Essex Head public house on Essex Street, London, WC2, had its name changed to the ‘Edgar Wallace’ some years after this narrative and we had the privilege of attending the pre-opening reception.

  42 Told in: Part One, ‘A Change Of Plan’, GOOD EVANS, by Edgar Wallace.

  43 Information regarding the exact status of Mrs. Jane Amelia Grible is given in the Appendix.

  44 Edgar Wallace did not learn of the existence of the armory whilst working on the various volumes of biography about Mr. J. G. Reeder. Therefore, he inadvertently claimed an air pistol and not, as was the case, a Webley & Scott Mark 1.177 air rifle, was used to frighten away two criminals lurking outside Daffodil House one night: see; Part Two, ‘Kennedy The Con Man’, RED ACES, by Edgar Wallace.

  45 One occasion when Mr. J.G. Reeder indulged in his favorite form of entertainment is described in: Part Five, ‘Sheer Melodrama’, THE MIND OF MR. J.G. REEDER, by Edgar Wallace.

  46 Told in: ‘CAP’ FOG AND J. G. REEDER.

  47 One occasion when Mr. J. G. Reeder made use of the trait of criminals to ‘harbor illusions and fairy tales’ is described in: Part Two, ‘The Treasure Hunt’, THE MIND OF MR. J.G. REEDER, by Edgar Wallace.

  48 Information regarding the later career and ultimate end of Wallace Oszuald ‘Wally’ Marks is given in: Chapter 16, ‘The Passing of A Master Mind’, UNDERWORLD NIGHTS, by Charles Raven.

  49 Sergeant Ranse Smith had presented the second Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver he owned to Sergeant Mark ‘Comanche Blood’ Scrapton when the latter had expressed interest in its specialized qualities for use as a close quarters defensive weapon.

  50 ‘Sob sister’, colloquial term for a female journalist s
pecializing in articles of a cloyingly romantic nature.

  51 A description of the events which took place during the previous visit of Mr. J.G. Reeder to Stivinn’s Wharf and what it looked like is given in: Chapter Twenty, ‘Your Name Is Alvin Dustine Fog’, ‘CAP’ FOG AND J. G. REEDER. The property also features in: Chapter Three, ‘Bones And The Wharfingers’, BONES IN LONDON, by Edgar Wallace.

  52 We have recorded our sentiments with regards to the use of gratuitous and, to our way of thinking, completely unnecessary profanity as an alleged attempt to create ‘realism’, in the third paragraph of our AUTHOR’S NOTE.

  53 Some details of the career of Inspector—as he was at the time of this narrative—Jonathan Ambrose ‘Johnny’ Wade, of the Thames River Police, are given in: THE INDIA RUBBER MEN, by Edgar Wallace.

  54 Like many English people of his and other generations, Mr. J. G. Reeder was inclined to claim, perhaps ‘tongue in cheek’ that the world is divided into two parts, Great—as it was in those pre-Welfare State days—Britain and its Colonies. For other adherents to the belief, see the comments of Mrs. Winifred Amelia ‘Freddie Woods' Fog, nee Besgrove-Woodstole, q.v., Captain Patrick ‘the Remittance Kid’ Reeder, q.v., and ‘Brit’ respectively in, THE WHIP AND THE WAR LANCE; Part Three, ‘The Deadly Ghost’, ALVIN FOG, TEXAS RANGER; THE REMITTANCE KID and RIO GUNS. Also our Dedication in: KILL DUSTY FOG!

  55 Some details of the career of Chief Inspector Oliver ‘the Orator’ Rater—whose sobriquet was derived partly from a play of words on his name and because of his reputation for brevity of speech—are given, although the case referred to above is not included, in: THE ORATOR by Edgar Wallace.

  56 At the period of this narrative, the operation for acute appendicitis was still considered one requiring major surgery beyond the facilities offered by the medical staff of Holloway Prison.

  57 ‘Their Airships’: a sobriquet for the Air Members—serving senior officers acting as heads of departments such as ‘Plans’, ‘Operations’, ‘Intelligence’, ‘Signals’, etc.—of the Air Council, the supreme commanding body of the Royal Air Force.

  58 ‘Crab-fat’: derogatory name for a member of the Royal Air Force; corresponding with ‘pongo’, or ‘brown job’, particularly when khaki ‘battledress’ uniforms became standard wear, for a soldier; ‘bootneck’, ‘Joey’ or, in the case of an officer, ‘bullock major’, for a Royal Marine’; ‘matelot’—pronounced ‘mat-loe’-or ‘Jolly Jack’ for a sailor in the Royal Navy.

  59 ‘Wings and Bangs’: sobriquet, based on the duties performed therein, for the Aircraft and Armaments Experimental Station of the Royal Air Force, at Martlesham Heath, in Suffolk.

  60 The reason for the apparently surprisingly agility, seemingly so at odds with the appearance presented by Mr. James Garfield Reeder, is explained in: APPENDIX ONE.

  61 Neither we, nor the world’s foremost fictionist genealogist, Philip Jose Farmer—author of, in addition to numerous other works, TARZAN ALIVE, The Definitive Biography Of Lord Greystoke and DOC SAVAGE, His Apocalyptic Life—with whom we consulted, have been able to trace any connection between the ‘Robin Hood’ referred to in this narrative and the distinguished lineage of an earlier, more famous, bearer of the name.

  62 Some information regarding the career of ‘that obnoxious little twister’, Horace Wilberforce ‘Snoopy’—sometimes, ‘Frithy’—Frithington-Evans and his connection with Lady Mary Herban is given in: Chapter 14, ‘Educated Evans Declares A Win’, GOOD EVANS; Chapter Nine, ‘The Freak Dinner’ and Chapter 12, ‘The Journalist’, MORE EDUCATED EVANS, by Edgar Wallace.

  63 Until having commenced upon this narrative and requested that certain details be clarified by Mr. James Garfield Reeder, neither we nor our predecessor as biographer had heard of this facet of ‘Mr. Jason Grant’s’ activities.

  64 The maker of the comment was Detective Sergeant William Arbuthnot Challoner of the Selbany Street Police Station in Somers Town who was known to the denizens of his ‘manor’ as ‘the Miller’ because of his habit of chewing on a piece of straw. See: Chapter 14, ‘The Freak Dinner’, MORE EDUCATED EVANS, by Edgar Wallace.

  65 Unlike units of the British Army, which drilled at one hundred and twenty paces per minute, the rate employed by the Rifle Brigade was one hundred and eighty.

  66 Although the Americans number the successive levels of their buildings consecutively from the street, the British commence with the ‘ground’ and continue upwards with the first floor.

  67 We realize our description of Olga Flack is far from in keeping with that given in a much earlier biography. Although neither Penelope Wallace nor Mr. James Garfield Reeder will confirm our supposition, we believe she may have been successful in misleading Mr. Jason Grant as to her true nature and this, in addition to his having suffered the trauma of recovering the woman he loved and had believed dead, caused his failure to institute criminal proceedings against her after the events Edgar Wallace recorded in: TERROR KEEP.

  68 When we queried the possibility of a Vickers Vimy bomber being able to land anywhere other than on a full sized and equipped airfield, Mr. James Garfield explained it needed far less of a runway than even the twin engined aircraft used in World War II. He also pointed out that, as late as into the mid-1930s pilots of airliners such as the Armstrong Whitworth Argosy always made a habit of studying the terrain ahead whilst in flight to select ordinary fields of suitable size in which to land should the need arise and such descents were, in fact, not infrequently carried out safely.

  69 Gosport tube: a simple device, much like the ‘speaking tubes’ employed in large houses before the development of telephones, used to permit conversation between the crew of an aircraft before more sophisticated ‘intercom’ systems became available.

  70 ‘Scarff ring: a metal frame carrying a movable arm to which one or two light machine guns such as the Lewis could be attached, fitted as armament in the crew’s cockpits on aircraft. Named after the designer, Warrant Officer F. W. Scarff.

  71 Some of these ‘expatriate’ criminals served as mercenaries on the losing side in the Spanish Civil War. Returning to Britain at the cessation of hostilities, they took reserved occupations when World War II broke out and did not give the country of their birth any support until after Russia went to war with Germany in June, 1941.

  72 The information regarding the ‘roots’ of the Chopper was supplied by Mr. Commissioner—later Sir—Henry Sanders, K.C.M. G. arguably the world’s foremost authority upon the various African tribes. Information regarding his career and about the Lulongo tribe is given in the Sanders of the River series of biographies by Edgar Wallace.

  73 Contriving to create a confusion in which Sergeant Ranse Smith was substituted for Sergeant Alvin Dustine Fog, Mr. Jason Garfield Reeder had let it be known that the former had killed the Chopper whilst resisting arrest for murder in the United States. The full story of how the hired killer had contrived to operate was given to the coroner’s court and appeared in the newspapers of Britain and the United States. With the formalities over and their assignment completed, the contingent from Company ‘Z’ returned to Texas on a passenger liner and resumed their operations against criminals who evaded the conventional processes of the law.

  74 Various cases handled by one or another of the Mr. J. G. Reeders are recorded in: ROOM 13, THE MIND OF MR. J.G. REEDER, RED ACES, MR. J.G. REEDER RETURNS and TERROR KEEP.

  75 CAP FOG AND J. G. REEDER was not our original choice of title for this volume. We selected KILL MR. J. G. REEDER!, but Ms. Penelope Wallace said she would prefer some reference to our character in the title, so we suggested MR. J.G. REEDER, MEET ‘CAP’ FOG. For some reason which was never explained, on the advice of their Sales Department, Corgi Books made the longer substitution.

  We now find we were in error when we were preparing the manuscript for this title, as we suggested ‘Cap' had already acquired his sobriquet by becoming the youngest man ever to attain the rank of Captain in the Texas Rangers. He, in fact, at that time was
only a sergeant and his promotion came about as a result of the case we have recorded herein.

  76 AUREUS HARUNDUM: to quote its author John A Hogan, ‘It is the nearest I can get with my memories of Latin to ‘Golden Reeder’ which seemed rather apt in this case.’