Let There Be Light

by Al Lacy

  Jenny was elated when she read the note and celebrated by taking her mother for a walk in the nearby park, where they watched the sun go down together while talking of William’s soon return.

  The next day at 2:00 P.M. Jenny was at the railroad station, along with hundreds of other excited people. There were two coaches behind the engine and coal car, and eagerly, she ran her gaze between the coaches, watching the front and rear platforms for her father to appear.

  When the last man had gotten off to be surrounded by loved ones and friends, Jenny headed home to let her mother know that Papa hadn’t been on that train. This did not discourage them. There were more trains to come. Their loved one would be on one of them.

  On Friday May 5, Jenny once again stood on the platform along with hundreds of excited people, but when the two coaches had emptied out, there was no Captain William Linden. Jenny felt a tinge of envy as she watched the men in uniform being welcomed enthusiastically with hugs, kisses, and handshakes. But she reminded herself that more trains would be coming. She would have her turn to dash up to a returning soldier and hug him and kiss his cheek.

  Signs in the depot announced that there would be more information about coming trains within a few days. Jenny returned on Saturday, but no further notice had yet been posted. The same thing was true on Sunday. However, on Monday, May 8, she found notices posted that two more military trains would be coming to Harrisburg: one on Wednesday, May 10, and the last one on Friday, May 12.

  Jenny and her mother were optimistic that William would be on one of those two trains. When Captain William Linden did not get off the train on Wednesday, Jenny and Myrna knew without a doubt that he would be on the Friday train.

  When Jenny arrived at the depot on Friday, she threaded her way through the crowds toward the platform where the military train was scheduled to stop and unload its passengers. While making her way in that direction, Jenny found several people crowded around a fresh sign in the center of the terminal. She joined the group.

  The sign was announcing that on Tuesday, May 16, a government train would be coming in from Richmond, Virginia, with fifty-three soldiers from Harrisburg and the surrounding area who had been incarcerated in several different Confederate prison camps at the time the Civil War came to an end on April 9. The train was to arrive at 3:00 P.M. The sign made it clear that this would be the only train that would bring Union men who had been in prison camps.

  Jenny moved on, feeling the excitement build inside her. Papa will be on the train today.

  Once again she joined a happy crowd of people who were eagerly waiting for the train to arrive.

  At just after two o’clock, the military train came chugging into the depot and ground to a halt. The crowd pressed close, wanting to get a look at the faces of the men as they stepped out on to the platforms at the front and rear of both coaches.

  Jenny’s heart throbbed with anticipation as she pushed through the press to a frontal position. Her eyes flitted back and forth between the coach platforms as men began coming out the doors and moving down the steps. Jenny had to keep shifting positions to allow people to get past her to the men as they got off the train.

  In less than ten minutes, the last man stepped down and was immediately in the arms of his family members.

  Jenny found herself standing alone, still running her eyes from platform to platform.

  Her heart sank.

  Myrna was sitting in her rocking chair at the parlor window, eagerly waiting for a glimpse of Jenny and her father to come into the yard. Her hand went to her mouth when she saw her daughter moving along the sidewalk alone, her head a bit low and a sad look on her face.

  She rose to her feet and headed for the parlor door. Could it be that her nightmares were true? Was William shot down in battle?

  Myrna opened the front door of the house just as Jenny reached the top of the porch steps. “Jenny … your papa wasn’t on this train, either?”

  Jenny shook her head and folded her mother in her arms. “No, Mama. He wasn’t.”

  Myrna started to mumble.

  Jenny eased her hold on her mother, moving back so she could look her in the eyes. “But Mama, there’s one more train coming. Don’t give up.”

  The focus came back into Myrna’s eyes. “I thought this was the last train.”

  “Well, it is the last train to bring the men home who were on battlefields, but there was a big sign in the railroad station announcing that a government train will be coming in on May 16 from Richmond, Virginia. It will be carrying fifty-three men from Harrisburg and the surrounding area who were in different Confederate prison camps. It has to be that Papa was in one of those prison camps.”

  Relief showed in Myrna’s eyes. “Oh yes. That’s it. Your papa was in one of the prison camps. I hope he wasn’t in that horrible Andersonville Prison Camp.”

  Jenny bit her lower lip. “Me too, Mama. If he was, he’s probably as skinny as a rail. But don’t you give up. Papa will be home next Tuesday. Now I’ve got to get back to work, because Zack and Emma are waiting to hear if Papa was on today’s train.”

  “Of course. Will you go tell the Bowdens on your way to work, honey? They’re waiting to hear too.”

  Jenny kissed her mother’s cheek. “Will do. You go sit down and rest. I’ll see you this evening.”

  Just before three o’clock in the afternoon on May 16, Jenny entered the Harrisburg station, doing her best to buoy her spirits. Her father had to be on this train.

  As before, excited people gathered on the platform next to the tracks where the train was to stop. This crowd, however, was much smaller than the previous ones.

  Jenny thought of the decorations that were still on display in the Linden house and all the welcome-home signs. A chill slithered down her spine. What if—— No! She would not let herself think about what it would be like if her father never came home. He had to be on this train.

  The sound of the engine’s whistle preceded the clanging of the bell. All eyes were on the train as it rolled to a halt.

  Jenny Linden’s heart was in her throat as she positioned herself so she could see both platforms of the single coach. Men began to come out the doors. Some were frail and sick-looking. Others, in better health, helped them down to be welcomed into the arms of loved ones and friends.

  Jenny began counting as the haggard men left the coach.

  People moved around her to welcome their loved ones home from the prison camps.

  At the rear of the coach, Jenny spotted three faces of Harrisburg men that she knew. All three men were very thin. One of them was Corporal Jed Wilkes. Another was Corporal Truman Sibley. The third was Lieutenant Edgar Toomey, whom she had met on two or three occasions at social functions before the War. When she saw his parents and siblings gather around him, she recalled that Toomey had never married.

  While still counting the men as they got off, Jenny’s ears perked up when she heard Toomey tell his family members that his younger brother, Lester, had been killed in the battle near Rome, Georgia. There were sudden tears and open sobs at the news. Jenny recalled quickly that the newspaper reported that her father’s unit had been in that battle.

  When the emotions settled some, Toomey told his relatives that he and the other men of A Company who had survived the battle had been captured and put in the Andersonville Prison Camp.

  Jenny recalled that her father’s unit of the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry Division was A Company. This meant that Toomey was definitely in her father’s unit.

  Jenny continued to watch for her father, feeling sure that since Edgar Toomey and the other men of her father’s unit had been in Andersonville, he must have been there too.

  As the men continued to file out of the coach at both ends, Jenny’s heart was growing heavy. Forty-four men had come out so far and her father was not among them. He had to be one of the other nine.

  They kept coming. More wives, children, mothers, fathers, siblings, and other relatives and friends were feeling t
he relief of seeing their loved ones coming off the train.

  Jenny was still counting … fifty-one … fifty-two … fifty-three.

  Her father was not among them.

  A pained expression crossed Jenny’s face. I must have counted wrong. Papa has to be on this train! There will be no other!

  Her hungry eyes continued to watch both doors, but they remained painfully empty. Maybe Papa’s too ill to get off by himself. Yes, that’s it!

  Jenny bounded up the steps of the front platform of the coach and moved inside. Her eyes quickly scanned the inside of the coach.

  There were only empty seats.

  Her heart felt like it dropped all the way to her toes. Her mouth was suddenly bone-dry. “He isn’t here,” she gasped. A fresh wave of panic washed over her. “Papa isn’t coming home. What am I going to do?”

  Feeling numb all over, she left the coach and moved down the platform steps. She saw Jed Wilkes and Truman Sibley walking away with their relatives and friends, but Edgar Toomey was still standing close by, telling those gathered around him about the atrocities of Andersonville Prison.

  Summoning strength from deep within, Jenny rushed up to the group and set her eyes on Edgar Toomey. “Please excuse me, Lieutenant Toomey. Do you remember me?”

  Toomey stopped what he was saying and looked at her. “Why, yes. You’re Jenny Linden, Captain William Linden’s daughter.” He forced a pleasant look on his face. “What can I do for you, Miss Jenny?”

  “I heard you say that you were in A Company … my father’s unit.”

  “Yes.”

  “Papa hasn’t come home yet, Lieutenant. Can you tell me about him? Was he in Andersonville Prison with you?”

  Toomey excused himself to the group of relatives and friends, saying he would be right back. He took Jenny by the hand and led her aside so no one else could hear their conversation. “Miss Jenny, your father was indeed in Andersonville with what was left of A Company after the battle near Rome, Georgia. I … I don’t how to tell you this, except to say it straight out. Your father is dead.”

  Jenny stared in open-mouthed shock. Her heart kicked inside her chest. “D-dead?”

  “Yes. Your father was murdered by a guard in the prison. His name is Sergeant Dan Tyler.”

  She suddenly broke into tears, and Toomey feigned compassion on her, taking her into his arms. “I’m sorry, Miss Jenny. I hate to be the one to break this to you.”

  When she finally gained control of her emotions, Toomey released her and told her how Sergeant Dan Tyler had mistreated her father repeatedly.

  Jenny drew a shuddering breath. “Oh-h-h-h. Why did he murder Papa?”

  “Well, because of this mistreatment by Tyler, bad blood developed between them. Tyler couldn’t stand it because your father stood up to him. Finally, Tyler sneaked into your father’s tent one night and stabbed him to death.”

  These words served only to put Jenny back in sobs. Toomey held her in his arms again, but inside, he was rejoicing once again that the captain was dead. After a few minutes, Jenny’s sobbing faded. Attempting to gain control of her emotions, she wiped tears, breathing raggedly.

  “Miss Jenny,” said Toomey, “if you need confirmation of what I just told you, Corporals Truman Sibley and Jed Wilkes, who got off the train with me, can substantiate it.”

  Jenny shook her head. “Your—your word is good enough for me. I don’t need to ask them.”

  “Are you sure? I’d be glad to run after them. They’re probably out in the parking lot.”

  “No, no. It’s all right.” She drew another shuddering breath. “Was this Sergeant Dan Tyler punished by the Confederate authorities for murdering my father?”

  “Absolutely not, Miss Jenny. No Confederate authority is going to punish one of their own for ridding the world of a Yankee soldier. Especially a Yankee officer. Tyler got off scot-free.”

  Jenny struggled to maintain her composure. “Do you know where this cold-blooded murdering Rebel lives?”

  “No. I never did hear where Tyler was from.”

  Jenny nodded. “Well, thank you for telling me about Papa. I’m sorry to have butted in on you.”

  “Don’t be sorry, little lady. I’m sorry I had to be the one to tell you about your brave father.”

  As Jenny walked away, her insides were churning with mixed emotions: grief at the death of her father and wrath toward the man who had murdered him. She wished she could keep the bad news from her mother, but told herself it would be impossible. Mama had to know. However, if she could get by with it, she would spare her mother the horrible details.

  She considered taking her mother to the hospital so she would have the proper medical care when she was told of her father’s death, but Myrna Linden would know something was seriously wrong if she was told they were going to the hospital. Even if Jenny could get Dr. Griffin to come to the house before she told her mother the bad news, she would know something was wrong and think the worst, anyway. There was no other way to do it, but to be honest and tell her the truth.

  When Jenny arrived home and mounted the steps of the front porch, she looked through the parlor window and saw that her mother was asleep in her rocking chair. Dreading what the news was going to do to her mother, Jenny steeled herself and walked through the door.

  Myrna stirred when Jenny entered the parlor, rubbed her eyes, and focused on her daughter’s drawn features. Her mouth went dry. “Oh no. He wasn’t on this train, either?”

  Jenny moved up to her and took her hand. “Papa’s dead, Mama. I don’t know any other way to break it to you.”

  Myrna burst into tears. Jenny told her about Lieutenant Edgar Toomey being on today’s train. Toomey had said that Papa had died while in the Andersonville Prison Camp.

  By this time, Myrna was staring blankly into space and mumbling incoherently. Jenny dashed to the Bowdens’ house, explained how she just learned that her father had died at Andersonville Prison Camp, and what the news did to her mother. She asked if they would take them to the hospital.

  Upon entering the hospital with Myrna Linden, Jenny found Della Martin at the receptionist’s desk and quickly explained what had happened. Myrna was immediately taken into an examining room, and a messenger was sent from the hospital to go to Dr. Adam Griffin’s office and tell him the state Myrna was in.

  The Bowdens stayed in the waiting room with Jenny.

  Almost a half hour had passed before Dr. Griffin rushed into the examining room. Another fifteen minutes had passed when the doctor came into the waiting room. Jenny and the Bowdens rose to their feet as they observed the serious look on Dr. Griffin’s face.

  “Jenny, I hate to tell you this, but your mother is in bad shape.” He repeated what Della Martin had told him in the examining room about Captain William Linden’s death in the prison camp, wanting to be sure he knew the facts. Jenny told him he had them right.

  The doctor sighed. “Jenny, she is going to need constant care. We’ve got to keep her here in the hospital.”

  Jenny nodded. “Of course, Doctor. I want her to have the best of care.”

  “I want you to go on home. This blow has hit you hard too. You won’t be alone, will you?”

  “We’ll stay with her, Doctor,” said John Bowden.

  “Good. Go now, Jenny. Come back in the morning.”

  As the Bowden buggy moved through the streets of Harrisburg, Jenny told her neighbors that she really needed to have some time alone. She would be all right. They told her they understood, but that if she needed them, all she had to do was step outside her door and call for them. She asked if they would go to the general store, notify the Hendersons of what happened, and tell them she would have to have time off from work to spend at the hospital. The Bowdens assured her they would take care of it.

  When Jenny arrived home and entered the house, her heart felt like it was made of cold lead. Suddenly the decorations and the signs she had made for her father seemed to mock her. In a rage, she ripped the signs off th
e walls and threw the flowers in a trash can on the back porch. All the while, she screamed repeatedly that she was going to hunt down Sergeant Dan Tyler and kill him.

  Day after day, Jenny fed on the anger that was coursing through her toward the man who had murdered her father. Myrna was steadily growing worse, drawing deeper into her depression and away from her daughter.

  Jenny’s mind went continually to the man who had taken her father from her, and she resolved that wherever Dan Tyler was, she would find him. He was going to pay for this with his own life. She was so full of hatred toward Tyler that she had no appetite. She fed on the deep need of revenge that consumed her. Tyler would be sorry one day.

  As the days passed, Jenny stayed by her mother’s side as if her presence was paramount to Myrna’s healing. Pale and wan, she often whispered to her unresponsive mother, begging her to come back to her.

  Della Martin was finally able to get Jenny to start eating again, but the portions she put down were very small. Della also did her best to convince Jenny that she needed to rest her mind and body. Jenny only shrugged and continued her vigilance, all the while making plans of vengeance on Dan Tyler.

  On the sixth day since Myrna had been hospitalized, Jenny was standing over her bed. Her mother had been incommunicable the entire time, even though she was awake from time to time. Myrna did no more than mumble and stare blankly into space. At the moment, Myrna was sleeping.

  Jenny looked down at her with sad but loving eyes.

  Suddenly Myrna jerked, shook her head, opened her eyes for a few seconds, made a guttural sound, closed her eyes, and went limp. Jenny dashed into the hall to find a nurse. The first one she saw was Millie Conrad. Ignoring her, she ran up to a nurse who had treated her mother and was just coming out of a nearby room. “Please! My mother is getting worse. Hurry!”

  When the two of them entered the room, the nurse saw that Myrna’s face was purple, and quickly checked her pulse and looked for a sign that she was breathing. After a few seconds, she turned to Jenny. “I’m sorry, Miss Linden. She’s gone.”

  Jenny collapsed on a chair and began sobbing uncontrollably. The nurse hurried to the door, and calling to another nurse, told her to bring one of the staff doctors immediately.