Rupert
was born in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, on February 16, 1880. The son of
publisher JB Madasheck, he grew up in a world of travel, luxury, and
the
assumption that he would inherit the business.
Just before going to Harvard in 1898, he was lolling about in Havana
in
time for the Spanish American war. He alleges that he joined Teddy's
Rough
Riders and rode to fame. His father, whose publications include the
Boston
Keltic Kronikle, New York Lies & Half-Truths (motto: All the News
that
Fits, We'll Spew), the Tallahassee Tourniquet, and the Atlanta Carpet
Cleaner, never stooped so low as to actually delve into the editorial
content of these rags. Rupert, on the other hand, found himself surrounded
by war stories from wounded and non-wounded officers and soldiers.
With
these stories, he cobbled together a fascinating autobiography as well
as
book rights for a whole string of war story books.
Finally getting to Harvard in 1899, he spent much of his time convincing
dear ol' Dad to publish the books, concocted and legitimate. The series
did
very well, and no one noticed years later when the stories re-emerged
as
Great War reminiscences starting in 1915. Many of the same stories
were
regurgitated as Hunt the Huns, a series for boys akin to the
Boy Allies
books.
Rupert was graduated from Harvard in 1903, took a year or so off traveling
around Europe, and spent a couple years at Oxford. During 1905-6, some
books appeared that seemed to claim that parts of Russia around Port
Arthur
resemble Cuba. Immediately after the 1905 revolution, remarkably similar
'eyewitness accounts' of events around St. Petersburg appeared, this
time
in newsprint as well as book form. JB had finally come to accept that
what
was first an indulgence of an annoying young upstart had become the
basis
of new family wealth.
Also at Oxford, Rupert acquired a dueling scar, which he often used
to his
advantage when showing his dash and bravery. No opponent could ever
be
found, having allegedly fled the country. We now believe that he paid
to
have the scar made while very drunk, and woke up with the scar (much
as
sailors often sober up and find new tattoos they don't recall getting).
It
is unclear whether the surgery was pre-planned or a spur of the moment
decision.
Up until The Great War, Rupert traveled constantly, taking little hands-on
interest in the family newspapers or even in the new book trade. He
was
constantly seeking out wars, strife, or hot spots in order to re-adapt
his
growing collection of stories. He managed to visit several Russian
prisons
with interpreters and collected some real stories of the revolution
and of
the Russo-Japanese war. (These later surfaced after WWI as alleged
tales of
the Bolshevik wars, but they didn't sell as well as the Great War books)
He was a bit old for service in The Great War (how convenient), but
'volunteered' and went to Paris on his own in 1914 as a self-proclaimed
correspondent. He arrived a couple months after the Taxicab Army (Battle
of
the Marne) and set to work. The first order of business of course was
re-issuing the old stories with French and Belgian countryside names
substituted for the old Cuban and Russian place names. Second came
collecting the stories from the cafes and salons of Paris. He managed
to
get a near-exclusive agreement with several French newspapers for rights
to
stories in the US, but could not land a deal with all French papers
nor
with the English papers. Nevertheless, he established major conduits
of war
stories (which always sell better than historical descriptions, which
are
subject to censorship as well).
By the 1920s, Rupert was well entrenched in a fast-paced lifestyle of
excitement, glamour, danger, and wealth. The book part of the family
business flourished and was the basis of his independent wealth. Thus,
he
had no need to worry about begging JB for cash or waiting for the old
coot
to die (we note that JB was alive and quite healthy during 1925). Rupert
had ghost writers doing the regurgitation, hired cops (of many countries)
doing the interrogations for new stories, and mapmakers substituting
the
old place names for new.
Thus, by 1925, Rupert had no need whatever to work or pretend to work.
He
had allegedly fought in two wars, been shot at during many more wars
and
revolutions, had sailed down the Tigris, had hiked across Tibet…He
was
getting a bit bored with the humdrum of adventure. And he still hadn't
caught a good glimpse of the Flash.
For most of his life, at least since Cuba, Rupert had seen it at the
farthest extent of his vision. A brief flash of light on the outer
periphery, it was always gone when he looked. To this day we do not
know if
he traveled the globe running from what he called the Flash, or seeking
it.
Ever since the duel with the Flash's minion (for that is where the scar
must have come from), Rupert had been torn between the flight and the
search. In vain had he sought information in the more mysterious parts
of
the world. It's impossible to know where he had actually been and what
travels were mere imagination. Some places he actually did visit years
after his alleged visitation. But we are fairly sure that he spent
time in
libraries and used book stalls in India and Persia. This seems to be
based
on several illuminated manuscript illustrations which he claims resemble
the Flash or the minion. He doesn't seem to collect manuscripts, although
he could afford it.
He is concocting a whole mythology revolving around all the war stories
he
has collected and published, seeking a connection between them. He
also
read a newspaper clipping about a murder trial and convinced a guy
named
Ted to write a story about it. Somehow he thinks this story is connected
with 'it all.' Theodore Dreiser had no idea what 'it all' could mean,
but
his American Tragedy will be published this year. Rupert is
convinced
that the Chicago lad is a mirror for some distant relatives recently
foisted on JB for inclusion into the Madasheck empire.
We can only wonder if shells from Big Bertha during The Great War added
some shell shock and aggravated whatever causes the peripheral vision
sparks of light referred to as the Flash. Insistences by others that
no one
else was in the room at the time of these flashes has only made Rupert
suspect them of hiding something.
