by Al Lacy
When Seth Coleman arrived home that afternoon, he found a letter in his mailbox from the Chief U.S. marshal’s office in Washington, D.C. Its contents thrilled him, and he wanted to share the news with someone. He had thought of his friend Adam Burke earlier, wanting to let Adam know about Jake Wilson’s confession. He would go to Adam’s apartment and share both bits of news with him.
Seth pulled his buggy up in front of Adam Burke’s apartment and climbed down, then saw Adam coming down the street in his open buggy.
“Hello, Seth!” Adam said with a wave. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I have some good news to share with you.”
“All right. I’ll put away my horse and buggy and be right back.”
Moments later they entered the apartment, and Adam directed his friend to sit down in the parlor. “All right. Let’s hear this good news.”
Seth scooted to the edge of his chair. “I know you keep up with what’s in the newspapers, Adam, so I’m sure you’re aware that Jake Wilson was hanged at the state prison this morning.”
“Wilson’s hanging has something to do with your good news?”
“Yes, as strange as that sounds. Before they took him to the gallows this morning, he confessed to the warden that it was he who stabbed Lawrence Sheldon to death!”
“What? Really?”
“Really. It’ll be in tomorrow morning’s Enquirer, but I wanted you to hear it from me before you read about it in the paper.”
“Seth, this is great news! I can’t tell you how happy I am for you! This will shut the mouths of all those doubters. You can finally have some peace about this thing.”
“Believe me, that’s going to feel good. I … ah … I have some other news to share with you. I’m going to leave Philadelphia.”
“To do what?”
“I’m going to become a deputy U.S. marshal. I sent an application to the office in Washington, and I’ve been accepted. Just got my acceptance letter in the mail today. I’m to report in at the Washington office on September 3 to begin my training.”
“So tell me, was this application sent in because you wanted to get away from the doubters here who still thought you killed Sheldon?”
“Well, it helped to put it in motion, yes. But actually I’ve wanted to get into that branch of law enforcement for some time. I’m really happy about it.”
Adam smiled. “Then I’m glad for you. Guess I should fill you in on what’s happening with me.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, Philipa and I are going to move our wedding date up about a month because we’re moving to North Platte, Nebraska.”
“Nebraska!”
“Yes, sir. I took a trip out west right after I graduated from Harvard. Those wide open spaces have beckoned to me ever since. It’s been my dream to go out there somewhere and set up my own law firm.”
“Well, a man should follow his dream, Adam. That’s what I’m doing by becoming a deputy U.S. marshal. So tell me more.”
“I’ve been in contact with the chairman of North Platte’s town council. He tells me the town is on the grow but has no law office. The people have to go all the way to Grand Island—one hundred and twenty miles away—to get legal help. That’s where I’m going to open my own law firm.”
“Sounds like quite the adventure. I hope you and Philipa will be very happy in North Platte.”
“Thank you.”
“Guess we won’t be seeing each other anymore, Adam, but I’ll make it a point to see you once more before I leave for Washington.”
The sun was rising when Joseph Mason stepped onto the front porch of his mansion and picked up the morning paper. He waved to a neighbor a few yards down and turned to go inside.
Upstairs in the master bedroom, Nancy Mason was seated in front of the mirror at her dressing table, applying the last touches of rouge to her cheeks. The powder and rouge didn’t completely hide the pallor of her skin, but it did help some. She was feeling better than she had the last couple of days and was looking forward to her busy day. The Masons were not only on the board of directors at the Philadelphia orphanage, but Nancy worked one day a week as a volunteer. That was Nancy’s greatest joy—the highlight of her week. She only wished her health would allow her to put in more time there.
“Ready, Mother?” Rachel asked from the open bedroom door.
Nancy laid down the rouge brush and smiled at her daughter’s reflection in the mirror. “I’m ready.”
They locked arms and headed down the wide hallway toward the winding staircase.
Joseph entered the kitchen, newspaper in hand and drew a deep breath. “Ahh … Millie,” he said to the middle-aged cook, “it sure smells good!”
“I hope it tastes as good as it smells, Mr. Mason.”
“Well, if it doesn’t, it’ll be the first time!”
“Good morning, Daddy, Millie!” Rachel said as mother and daughter entered the kitchen arm in arm.
Millie returned the greeting over her shoulder as she stood at the stove, transferring scrambled eggs from a skillet into a bowl.
Joseph laid the morning’s edition of the Enquirer on the table at his usual place and said, “My, don’t my girls look gorgeous this morning! You could almost pass for sisters.”
Mother and daughter smiled at each other as the family sat down at the table and Millie began filling their plates.
“Honey, you’re not eating this good food with much enthusiasm,” Joseph said after a few minutes. “Are you having a bad day?”
“Mama, maybe you’d better not go to the orphanage today,” Rachel said.
“Oh, I’m fine. The last couple of days have been a little rough, but I’m better today. My appetite isn’t back yet, but I’ll be able to go to the orphanage.”
Joseph looked at her questioningly, but Nancy smiled at him and said, “Really, honey. I’m fine.”
He gave her a tentative smile, then filled his mouth with scrambled eggs and unfolded the newspaper. The headline caught his attention:
CONDEMNED MAN CONFESSES MURDER
OF OFFICER LAWRENCE SHELDON
BEFORE GOING TO GALLOWS!
“Well, look at this!” he said, holding up the paper so his wife and daughter could see the bold print.
“Well, isn’t that something,” Rachel said. “Who was it, Daddy?”
“I don’t know. Let me see here …”
“I’m so glad to hear this,” Nancy said. “So many people around here have spoken their doubts about Officer Coleman’s innocence, in spite of the jury’s verdict. I’ve never felt he did it.”
“I have to admit I had my doubts, Mama,” Rachel said. “It was—”
“You remember that man who killed the two women in the Rittenhouse Square district back in July?”
“Is he the one?” Rachel asked.
“Sure is. Jake Wilson. They executed him yesterday morning at the state prison, but before they put his neck in the noose, he confessed to the warden that he was the one who killed Officer Sheldon. It was a grudge thing.”
“Well, that should put a stop to the talk that officer Coleman got away with murder,” Nancy said. “Just goes to show you we humans are but frail creatures quite capable of error.”
SETH COLEMAN ARRIVED AT THE POLICE station that same morning for duty. He passed through the double doors and headed down the hall. When he rounded a corner, there was a crowd of officers gathered in front of Chief Bennett’s office, some in uniform and others in street clothes. Bennett was standing in the doorway.
Suddenly every man turned and looked at Seth, and they all began applauding. Chief Bennett threaded his way through the press while the applause grew louder.
When the noise settled down, Bennett said, “Officer Coleman, when the news of Jake Wilson’s confession reached your fellow officers, they gathered here to show you their support.”
One officer in uniform said, “Many of us thought the jury handed down the wrong verdict. All of us who doubted you
are truly sorry and ask your forgiveness.” Several policemen nodded in agreement.
“Fellas, I admit it wasn’t easy to get the cold shoulder and to hear some of the accusing remarks,” Seth said. “It hurt pretty deep. But since you’re man enough to confess you were wrong, and you’re asking my forgiveness … I’m man enough to forgive you. Consider it done.”
There was more applause, then one of the officers said, “Seth, let me say for those of us who never doubted you, we’re just happy that you’ve finally been cleared. You’re an excellent police officer and a great guy!”
When the applause started up again, Chief Bennett took a step closer to Seth and said, “Officer Coleman, as you know, we’ve got men here who need to get out on the streets, including yourself. But before we break up this meeting, there are two men in my office who would like to see you, and they want to say something to you in front of all of your fellow officers.” Bennett looked behind him and said, “Tell them to come out.”
The two witnesses to the murder of Lawrence Sheldon stepped out of Bennett’s office. The officers made a path for them, and when they approached Seth, they had tears in their eyes. Seth shook their hands, assuring them they too were forgiven.
The meeting broke up, and as Seth headed for the street to begin his shift, he found Hank Moldow and Keith Dailey waiting for him. The two men had just been reinstated after receiving a reprimand from the internal affairs committee.
“Seth,” Moldow said, “Keith and I just want to say we’re sorry—and to thank you for the kindness you showed us when you could have shown us scorn.”
Seth shook hands with them and said, “I hold no grudges, guys.”
Claude Ralston sat at the breakfast table, clutching his morning edition of the Philadelphia Enquirer. His eyes ran over the headlines for the dozenth time since he had read the story to his wife and daughter. The two other chairs at the table were unoccupied, and the food on the plates and the coffee in the cups had grown cold.
Claude could hear sobs coming from Bettieann’s bedroom. He shook his head and mumbled to himself, “How could I have been so wrong?”
Finally, he folded the paper, dropped it on the table, and shoved back his chair. When he reached his daughter’s bedroom, he tapped on the door and then stepped inside. Bettieann lay face-down across the bed, her body quaking. Lillian sat beside her. Lillian looked up at her husband and shook her head, tears running down her cheeks.
Claude started to speak, but Lillian touched his arm and said, “Let her cry it out.”
He nodded and sat down in a chair next to the bed.
“When Bettieann finally stopped crying, Lillian pressed a clean hanky into her hand, and she sat up, sniffling.
“Oh, Papa, how could I have been such a fool? How could I have been so wicked and so mean to poor Seth? He told me he was innocent, but I wouldn’t believe him! I told him that attorney had hypnotized the jury. How horrible of me!”
Claude squeezed her shoulder tenderly. “Honey, your mother and I are as guilty as you are. We didn’t believe him either.”
“I know, but Seth was in love with me. I’m sure he was on the verge of asking me to marry him. He trusted me when I told him that I loved him. Then I cut his heart out! I told him I stopped loving him when I found out he had been arrested. And that wasn’t true! I didn’t stop loving him. I thought I had, but I’ve known I still love him ever since he came by the house to see me!”
“Honey,” Lillian said, “if you still love Seth, you need to tell him.”
Bettieann brushed the hair from her eyes and shook her head. “He wouldn’t believe me, Mama. And besides, I can’t face him. Not after what I said to him … and did to him. I’d be too ashamed to look him in the eye.”
“But if you really do still love him,” Claude said, “you ought to find the wherewithal to go face him. Tell him how sorry you are … that you still love him. You owe him that much.”
Tears filled Bettiann’s eyes again. “I owe him a lot more than that, Papa, but I just couldn’t face him! I’m a coward, too, I guess.”
Lillian patted her arm. “Let a little time pass. Time has a healing balm of its own. When you feel better about yourself, you can go to Seth and talk to him.”
That evening, Seth Coleman returned to his room at the boardinghouse after eating supper with the other boarders in the dining room. He sat down in the overstuffed chair by the front window and looked down at the traffic on the street below.
“Ah, sweet relief!” he said. “No more suspicion-filled eyes at the station, on the streets, or at the table here in the boarding house.” He closed his eyes and whispered, “But, oh, Bettieann, I still love you. I’d be so happy to hear you say you still loved me. I’m sure you’ve heard about Jake Wilson’s confession by now. If I could only—”
There was a knock at the door. Seth went to answer it, his heart pounding like a trip-hammer. His heart sank when he saw Jack and Thelma Sheldon standing there.
“Officer Coleman,” Jack Sheldon said, his voice barely audible, “we need to talk to you. Could you spare us the time?”
Seth felt a desire to slam the door in their faces but pushed the urge away. “Certainly,” he said, his voice calm and steady. “Come in.”
He led them to the love seat and invited them to sit down. Then he turned the overstuffed chair away from the window and positioned it facing them. “What can I do for you, Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon?”
Jack cleared his throat and fidgeted with his hands, then said, “Thank you for letting us see you.” Seth nodded but said nothing.
“Officer Coleman, we … we learned today about the confession of Jake Wilson. We realize how wrong we were to accuse you of killing our son even after the jury acquitted you. Thelma and I have come to ask your forgiveness. We want you to know that we’re truly sorry for the way we acted that day in the courthouse.”
“We mean that sincerely,” Thelma said. “Will you forgive us?”
Seth stared at them for a long time. “That moment in the courtroom when you would not believe I was innocent of Lawrence’s death was a very painful one, Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon. For days afterward the scene came back to me, and in my mind I could see your accusing eyes. I remember you saying that you’re Christians, and that even though I did kill your son you had forgiven me.”
“We were so wrong, Officer Coleman,” Jack said. “Christians are far from perfect, and we proved that to you.”
“We had to ask the Lord to forgive us before we could come and ask the same of you,” Thelma said.
“I know you were going through a horrible experience that was tearing your hearts out,” Seth said. “Sitting in the courtroom throughout the trial had to be a terribly painful thing. Maybe if I had been in your place I would’ve done the same thing you did. So let me say that I appreciate your coming to see me, and I appreciate your willingness to admit you were wrong in the way you treated me. Mr. and Mrs. Sheldon, I forgive you.”
Thelma pulled a hanky from her purse and wiped away the tears streaming down her face.
Jack thumbed his own tears away, and said, “Thank you, sir. If you had not forgiven us it would have weighed on us the rest of our lives. Are you aware of what the Bible says about people who show mercy to others?”
“Well, I’m not sure.”
“It says a lot about it, but I have a particular passage in mind. Do you have a Bible, Officer Coleman?”
“Yes, it’s in my bedroom closet. I’ll get it.”
Seth returned with the Bible, and said, “This was given to me when I was a boy.” He handed it to Jack. “I was nine years old at the time.”
“Looks in pretty good condition. Do you read it much?” “Well, no, I don’t. I suppose I haven’t looked inside it since I was a teenager.”
Jack opened the Bible to the New Testament. While he was flipping pages, he said, “Officer Coleman, do you believe this Book is the Word of God?”
“Yes, sir. I was brought up in Sunday school and church.
I … ah … got away from church when I was seventeen. My parents were killed … well, you don’t want to hear my family history. Anyway, what was it you wanted to show me?”
Jack flipped a few more pages. “Here … Matthew 5:7. Jesus says, ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.’ ”
“Yes, I recall that verse.”
“You see, Officer Coleman, you—”
“Call me Seth, sir. You too, Mrs. Sheldon.”
Thelma smiled for the first time since entering the apartment.
“All right … Seth,” Jack said. “Mercy is what you showed to Thelma and me. Jesus said that the merciful shall obtain mercy. He said that if we are merciful to others we’ll have mercy shown to us when we need it.”
Seth smiled. “That’s good, isn’t it?”
“Sure is. And of course as guilty sinners before God, all of us are in need of His mercy. The whole human race has sinned grievously against God, including me and Thelma, including you. Right?”
Seth rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes, sir. I remember Sunday school lessons and sermons that made me feel so guilty for my sins.”
“That’s because whenever we hear the Word of God taught or preached, it isn’t long until it shines its light on our sins. We learn quickly that God hates our sins, though He loves us. It was God’s marvelous love that caused Him to send His Son to the Cross. He died for sinners so that we could be saved. He paid the price that God—in His holiness, righteousness, and justice—demanded for our sins.”
Seth remained silent, but he was listening carefully to Jack’s words.
“By dying and then raising Himself from the grave, Jesus provided the one and only way for guilty sinners like you and me to find mercy from God. Salvation is ours when we repent of our sin and believe that Jesus did all that was necessary to save us.” Jack searched Seth’s face, then said, “From what you told us a minute ago, Seth, you’ve heard the gospel before.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you ever sought God’s mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ and His shed blood?”