9957. THE WHITE CASTLE RIOT

THE WHITE CASTLE RIOT

There used to be one in Rahway, right

by Deals In Wheels. It was a steamfest

all the time : tragic truckers and forlorn

lovers on the loose. Barreling in for their

28 burgers and an order of rings (onion,

that is). The place was a live-happening

of all the discredited people in that little

section of the world. One time I was there,

just waiting out a storm, really, and I saw

the little plaque upon the wall : about the 

place and its history. It had been built in 

1934, right after the Decalon Riot, which

had taken place at the site. There used to 

be a marina down at the river there, (it

was still there through the 1970's), and 

a bank robber named Henry Decalon 

berthed a boat there and dashed up the 

hill, from the river, to the top. He was

going to make it to Rahway, where 

someone was to meet him on the train

for the city, He had two canvas bags of

bank cash. The cops ambushed him and

shot him down, at about the same time 

an unruly crowd had come over  -  I guess

from Rahway too, but the plaque didn't say,

nor did it say how they all knew about this.

They all broke out into fighting and hollering,

and it somehow got called the 'Decalon Riot,'

but I call it the White Castle Riot, for fun.

Perplexing, rather useless plaque, but I

was just passing time. Anyway, by the time

they all got there, Decalon was dead, and

"no one could ascertain where the two bags

of money had gone, or if they ever really

existed."  Strangest thing. So, in time, once

the highway really got rolling there, they 

built this, very first, White Castle Hamburgers

building, for travelers. Then, 60 years later, they

widened the highway yet again, and took away

everything  -  White Castle, Deals In Wheels,

the whole section. Too bad. Now it's all

nothing but a highway motel, a KFC, and a

rather nasty trash incinerator operation. That

money just disappeared along the way. And

I always wonder too, about that guy on the

train. Did he just arrive and keep waiting?

How did he find out what had happened?

Who was he, and where'd he go?