Halloween 1907

Jan 30

Chapter 20

“No one will ever know!”

So thought high school senior, Jasper Collins.

Jasper was Franklin Wilder’s first cousin. He was a strapping young man with fine bearing and rakishly good looks. He was a Senior at the new Benedictine Military College on Bull Street. He juggled two girlfriends. Fortunately, both of their names were Mary Elizabeth.

“I have an idea for the best Halloween prank in the history of Chatham County!” He started to explain his plan to his best friend, Tillman Green.

Tillman thought he was insane.

“Well, said Jasper, if you don’t want to help me, I will do it myself!”

“Let me get this right, Tillman said. “You want to break into Benedictine and sneak a goat in? Any idea how much trouble we will get into if we are caught?

Hell, they may put us in front of the ROTC firing squad for target practice!

“I’m just hoping it will eat our calculus exam”, chortled Japer.

In reality, Tillman was actually excited about helping in such an adventure.

So, it was decided, the two would meet at the backdoor to the BC kitchen. Tillman had been working for Smith Brother’s after school and the weekends. He had made numerous deliveries there. He had noticed the lock was broken and it would be the perfect entry point.

At midnight, Tillman was waiting at the kitchen door. As was expected, the lock was still broken and entry would be easy. Then, he heard a noise! It was a goat bleating. Then he heard multiple bleatings! Jasper had three smelly and raucous goats in tow. “Whoa! Said Tillman, one is bad enough, but three?” Jasper replied, “If we are going to do this, let’s do it right!”

They crept in and were leading the animals down the hall to the Headmaster’s Office when they heard a loud and startling noise. (They were never to find out what the noise was or where it came from). The goats became spooked. They pulled the tethers from the boys’ hands, bolted and scattered in various directions. The bleating and noise from their hooves thundered throughout the hallways.

The boys ran after them, but the goats were frenzied. One ran into the chemistry lab and smashed into a table filled with beakers and test tubes. The sound of glass crashing was thunderous. Thousands of shards sparkled in the moonlight.

Tillman spotted one goat as it was running into the chapel. It decided the alter cloth looked tasty. He bit on the corner and started to pull it to him. The cross and the candle sticks started to rock. Tillman made a mad dash and stabilized them. As Tillman was putting everything to rights, the goat bolted out and ran down the hallway.

The third intruder was spotted running up the central staircase.

The reality of the situation was overwhelming yet somehow comical to the boys. Then they had a blinding realization they were probably headed for big trouble.

The next day was November 1st. All Saints Day. The school had prepared a special 11:00 AM mass and service to be held in the school’s chapel. The cadets’ families had been invited.

Daylight came.

It was a perfect autumn day in Savannah. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the low 70s.

The custodian was the first to arrive at the school. As soon as he opened the front door, he was greeted by the bleating and frustrated animals. They sprang out the front doors. One headed to the front garden of Sacred Heart Church rectory. One was seen running up Forsyth Park to the Armstrong House. There he enjoyed a nosh of late blooming clematis which hung over the ornate wrought iron fence. The other was never seen again.

The county was abuzz with the incident.

People were divided into two camps of thought. Those who thought the perpetrators should be prosecuted to the fullest extent and those who could not stop laughing.

The day’s classes and All Saints Day mass had to be moved to Scared Heart. During the mass, laughter spontaneously erupted when the congregation heard one of the goat’s bleat outside the chapel window.

After the mass, Headmaster Stevens confronted the boys. Jasper and Tillman never knew how they were found out. But the headmaster was adamant and they could not deny it. Jasper’s charm and good looks could not get him out of this one.

They were given the task of completely cleaning the mess and paying for the damages. It was either this or being discharged and expelled. They were also assigned to assist in the kitchen for the rest of the year and barred from all the football games and social functions.

For years, the local citizenry would recall the incident every Halloween.

The boys were spared the ROTC firing squad (just barely).

Fig, Pear, Walnut & Goat Cheese Pizza

INGREDIENTS

1/2 lb. pizza dough
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 onion, sliced in long strips
1/3 to 1/2 c. goat cheese, crumbled
2.5 oz brie cheese, sliced into thin strips
1/2 c. Southern Conserve Fig Preserves
1/4 c. pear, diced
1/4 c. fig balsamic vinegar
Handful of Arugula
Small handful of walnuts
Drizzle of honey

DIRECTIONS

If making homemade dough, prepare the dough according to the recipe. If using store bought dough, defrost to room temperature.

Start by beginning to caramelize the onions on a pan with 1 tsp of olive oil over low to medium heat. Stir occasionally, and cook until the onions are a golden-brown color (about 30 minutes to 1 hour).

When the onions are about halfway done, set oven to 450F.

Roll out your pizza dough to about a 10–12-inch circle.

Spread 1 tbsp of olive oil evenly over the pizza dough, leaving an edge around the circle for the crust.

Spread out the slices of brie cheese evenly. Sprinkle the goat cheese crumbles over the pizza, trying to fill in the gaps between the brie cheese slices.

Spread the fig perseveres evenly across the pizza. Continue to spread the slices of brie cheese evenly. Sprinkle the goat cheese crumbles over the pizza, trying to fill in the gaps between the brie cheese slices.

Sprinkle the diced pear over the pizza.

Bake until the crust is golden, about 10-15 minutes.

While the pizza is in the oven. Heat the balsamic vinegar on the stove until it comes to a low simmer. Continue to simmer the vinegar until it thickens up to a glaze consistency and reduces to about 1/3 of its original volume, about 5-10 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven. Spread a handful of arugula over the pizza. Top with a handful of small walnuts. Add a small honey drizzle over the pizza, followed by a light drizzle of your reduced balsamic glaze sauce.

Serve.