Orphan Train Trials

by Rachel Wesson

  “I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Miss Collins. I know you love your brothers, and if there was anything I could do to make this easier, I would gladly do it.”

  “All is not lost yet, Mr. James,” Richard said, looking at Kathleen. “I wired some contacts. Having a railroad in the family helps. In the past, Grandfather had to employ some Pinkerton agents. We kept a couple on the payroll. I wired the man in Boise. I don’t like Beaugrand.”

  “Neither do I, he gives me the creeps,” Kathleen answered, thinking of the hard-faced man who’d taunted her in the street.

  “I believe if he pulled something this shady here, he has done it before. I have the agent working on this theory. Hopefully, we will hear back soon.”

  “The trial date has been confirmed for next week,” Mr. James said. “I hope that man of yours can find something, Doctor. I’d hate to lose the last case of my career.”

  Chapter 57

  Bella

  Bella held Megan close, the poor child shaking badly with shock as blood pooled around Alice’s body. She tried to turn the child’s face away from the ugly scene, but Megan seemed transfixed, her eyes glued to Alice. Bella picked her up like a baby and carried her toward the back of the barn where Gracie was helping the other children. Together, they left the horrible scene as a group and, one by one, were lifted onto the wagon.

  Sheriff Williams arrested Jack and brought everyone back to the town. He had sent the undertaker to deal with Alice.

  Bella had tried to comfort Susan, but the young girl had been pushed too hard. She had to pull her fingers away from the gun, half afraid Susan would kill herself or someone else. Susan seemed to snap. She began wailing, sounds more suited to a wounded animal than a little girl. She pushed Bella away, wrapping her arms around her body and rocked back and forth.

  When the doctor arrived, he had to sedate the poor girl. Bella didn’t know what would happen to Susan. The sheriff said he would try to get the judge to see it was self-defense. Bella hadn’t commented. If she closed her eyes, she could see Susan take aim and pull the trigger.

  The sheriff had taken Susan with him since her presence upset the other children. Megan said it was because she wasn’t nice, but that was all she would say. Megan hadn’t said a word about her time on the farm, but Bella had seen the marks of abuse when she helped her bathe.

  Gracie nursed the other sick children, keeping them cool with wet cloths. They gave Megan and the mixed-race boy, whose name was Charlie, some food.

  They sat waiting for Brian and the others to come back. There was still no sign of Eileen. Sheriff Williams had arrested Sheriff Slater and he was in the jailhouse sharing a cell with Jack Kingston, or Maitland, or whatever his name was. Sheriff Williams had left two Green River deputies to guard the prisoners and took the rest as backup to find out what was causing the delay at the other farm.

  Chapter 58

  Bella

  After what seemed like hours, the men trekked back into town each carrying a child. Bella pushed the hair from her eyes as she searched frantically for Eileen. The little girl had to be safe. She just had to be.

  She rushed forward, looking closer at the children. Some were so dirty, it was almost impossible to tell if they were boys or girls. Tears streamed down her face, as terror gripped her. Where was Eileen?

  Finally, it was Megan who found her sister. The child ran screaming to a little girl one of the men had carried past Bella. She hadn’t recognized her. Megan clung to her sister’s side despite Bella’s efforts to part them. The doctor came to examine them.

  “There is nothing I can do. She’s been starved and has no strength to fight this illness. I am not even sure what is ailing her.” The doctor scratched his head, pushing his too-long hair back from his eyes. When he looked at her, she was shocked to see them swimming in tears. “If I had seen them earlier, they might have had a chance but now… it’s in God’s hands.”

  Bella couldn’t accept that Eileen would die. Megan needed her twin, and Bella needed both girls to survive. Otherwise, the guilt of leaving them with those horrible men would never leave her.

  She refused to leave their sides except to use the privy. She sponged Eileen clean, held her while she was ill, and repeated the process over and over. At some point, Brian came to relieve her, but she refused to leave. Gracie also tried to help but, in fairness, she had her hands full minding the other children. They did everything they could, but the two children who had been ill in the barn died during the first night. A third died the next morning.

  Reverend Franklin prayed as did Mitch and Brian. Geoff Rees and the MacDonaghs joined in but Bella couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Why had God let this happen? Wasn’t He supposed to protect children?

  Chapter 59

  Bella

  The second night passed and, although Eileen gave Bella a fright more times than she cared to consider, she was still breathing the next morning. Megan lay by her twin’s side. She couldn’t hold Eileen’s hand as it seemed to hurt her. But Eileen liked having her sister near. Bella fretted that Megan would fall ill too, but what could she do? Nothing would make Megan leave.

  The doctor returned to examine both girls. He didn’t hide his surprise at finding Eileen still alive.

  “You are doing a wonderful job of taking care of her, Miss Jones,” he said as he examined Eileen.

  “I’m not doing anything. I just sponge her down, hold her while she is sick, and change the bedding,” Bella said.

  “Well, something is working as she seems stronger than yesterday,” the doctor insisted.

  “You mean she won’t…”

  “She is still very weak,” the doctor said softly. She saw the compassion and pity in his eyes. Bella nodded, understanding that he could make no promises about Eileen’s future.

  “You really should get some rest, Miss Jones. You’ll make yourself ill if you don’t.”

  “I’m stronger than I look, Doctor,” Bella said, but added in a softer voice, “Thank you.”

  “If she manages to drink water without vomiting, try giving her some soup. A little at a time. But for now, it is more important she keeps drinking.” The doctor turned his attention to Megan who was sleeping. “Has she eaten?”

  “Only a little. She won’t leave her sister. I’ve washed her wounds and used some salve Gracie gave me. She made it from herbs from her garden. She said it helps with the healing.”

  “Gracie MacDonagh is a good woman,” the doctor confirmed. “The people who did this to the children deserve to be horsewhipped.”

  The doctor left without waiting for Bella to react. She wanted to ask him how he felt about the townsfolk of Mud Butte ignoring these children. They might not have known how bad things were at the farms, but they had to know the children weren’t being treated properly. They hadn’t shown up at school for one thing.

  Chapter 60

  Kathleen

  The days passed so slowly, Kathleen felt she was counting the seconds not the minutes. Yet all too soon she was on the train to Waterloo. Richard had booked her a room in a respectable boarding house which she could barely afford. He had offered to pay, but she turned him down. He was already laying out large sums for her brothers. She would have to get a job to raise the fare to go home.

  When she arrived at the boarding house, there was a telegram waiting for her.

  “I told Charlie Doherty where you were staying,” Richard confirmed.

  Opening the wire, she saw Charlie had transferred some funds to the local bank. A wave of relief hit her. At least that was one less thing to worry about. Richard accompanied her to the bank and soon she had an account opened in her own name.

  She was also allowed to visit with her brothers. The courthouse was a massive, two-story building complete with cupola and six massive pillars on its façade. It was pretty intimidating. She walked inside, as the building also housed the jail, to be met by a clean-shaven tall man wearing his badge proudly on his chest. She took it as
a good sign, the sheriff in Waterloo was completely different than the one they left behind in Freesburg.

  He allowed her to sit in a room with her brothers, although they remained shackled. The three of them were able to catch up on news. Kathleen gave her brothers her letters from Bridget, enclosing photographs of Annie and Liam taken by their new parents.

  “They look happy, don’t they?” Shane said.

  “Things worked out for them. Not like us,” Michael said, his attitude as surly as it had been back in Freesburg.

  Kathleen didn’t comment. She couldn’t afford to fall out with her brothers now and telling them they had only themselves to blame wasn’t going to win them over.

  “How are you feeling? Are you warm enough? Do you get enough food?”

  “What are you? Our mother?” Michael asked. “You should go back to New York. There’s no reason for you to stay. Unless you like hangings.”

  “Michael, stop it. Leave her be. She’s only trying to help.” Shane turned his attention to Kathleen. “Don’t mind him, he’s been grumpy since we left New York. Probably was beforehand and I never noticed.”

  “Colm Fleming was asking for you. He said he missed ya.”

  “Did he? How’s things with him?” Shane asked.

  “He got a job on the railroad. Mr. Fleming is working a bit, but most of the time he is looking after Jess and Helen.”

  “Only a matter of time before they end up on an orphan train too then,” Michael sneered.

  “Don’t be like that. Mrs. Fleming was wonderful to us. Lily will do her best to keep the family together,” Kathleen protested.

  “Lily didn’t do much for us, did she? If she had left us alone, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

  “That’s not true and you know it, Michael. You only have yourself to—” Horrified she had voiced her opinion, Kathleen let her voice trail away. “Sorry.”

  “You obviously blame me, so why are you here?”

  “You’re my brothers. What does Mr. James say?”

  “He said we have a chance if they find the real killer. If not, we will be dancing in air.”

  The sheriff chose that moment to tell them their time was up. Kathleen, although she wouldn’t admit it to anyone, was relieved. She and Michael had never been close, but now he was really irritating. She gave Shane a quick hug then left.

  Chapter 61

  Bella

  Both girls were sleeping. Bella pushed the hair from their faces, wishing she could erase the memories of this horrible time. Eileen had sobbed as she told her about how she had been treated. Rebecca, Joe Maitland’s wife, had beaten her black and blue and threatened to send her far away. She’d also told her Megan was dead. Poor Eileen had believed the horrible woman and stopped eating, hence she was even thinner than Megan. How could a woman be so horrible to children? According to Eileen, Rebecca had been a hundred times worse than Joe when it came to hurting the children in her care.

  A knock on the door startled her.

  “Bella, it’s only me. I came to bring you some food. I aim to stay here and watch you eat.” Brian said quietly but firmly.

  She wasn’t hungry but when she saw the concern in his eyes, she took the sandwich.

  “How are they doing?” he asked as he looked down at the girls.

  “Sleeping now. The doctor says Eileen is a little stronger but… he doesn’t know what may happen.”

  “Bella, you’ve done everything you can,” he said quietly.

  “But it wasn’t enough. I should never have left them,” she said.

  “You had no choice. How many times do you need to be told that?”

  Bella didn’t answer. She bit into her sandwich, even though her stomach roiled. She forced herself to eat the food and drink the coffee he had brought her.

  “Did you find out how they came to have so many children?” Bella asked. It had been bothering her. Didn’t anyone check on the welfare of these kids?

  “Seems they were working with a number of agencies, not just the Outplacement one. They had children from the Boston agencies as well as some from a catholic hospital. I reckon the majority of the children they took were ones that would be difficult to place. There aren’t many who want a black or Mexican child. Or one who is deaf.” Brian looked furious. “The Maitlands hired out the children to other farms. Seems some people didn’t care what age they were so long as the work was done.”

  “But what of the girls? Were they working on the land too?” she asked.

  Brian couldn’t meet her eyes.

  “What? Tell me, please,” Bella whispered.

  “Seems they were destined for other things. They have had a few girls in the past, some were sent to other places.” Brian took a deep breath. “Susan, being older, had already been mistreated. In that way.” Brian’s neck was bright red as he stared at the floor.

  Susan couldn’t have been more than ten years old. Bella swallowed hard. She felt dreadful for Susan, but Brian’s words had given her a little hope. “You mean… the twins weren’t touched?”

  “Not as far as we can tell. Rebecca, Joe’s wife, has been talking nonstop since they took her in. Seems to think it will help the judge treat her better.”

  “I hope the judge locks her up forever,” Bella retorted. “In fact, she should hang too. She’s just as bad, if not worse, than the men.”

  Brian didn’t argue with that.

  “She said the twins were treated harshly, particularly Megan as she kept fighting back. When she didn’t seem to care what happened to her, they used Eileen to control her. It worked, as Megan couldn’t bear to see her twin hurt so she complied.”

  “She told Eileen, Megan had died. That’s why Eileen is so skinny. She stopped eating as she wanted to die too. Oh, thank God we came back when we did.” Bella took the rag up and started sponging the girls’ faces, crooning to them as she did so.

  “What’s that song you’re singing?” Brian asked.

  “Me? Was I singing?” She hadn’t been aware she was doing anything.

  “Well, maybe not singing. More like humming, sounded good though.”

  Embarrassed, Bella flushed. “I don’t know what it’s called. Kathleen, Bridget’s sister, used to sing it all the time at the sanctuary. Said it made her feel closer to her ma.”

  “You have a nice voice,” Brian said, before standing and gathering the empty dishes. “Bella, try to get some rest. You won’t do them any good if you fall sick too.”

  “Brian, what happens now?”

  He looked her in the eyes but stayed silent.

  “Them? Where will they go?” she asked again.

  “I wish I knew. I really wish I knew.”

  Chapter 62

  Bella

  The next week passed slowly. Mitch and some of the other men had returned to Riverside Springs. Mitch was keen to get back to Shannon, and Bella couldn’t blame him. He promised to tell Mrs. Grayson all that had happened and assure her that Bella would catch up with her work when she got home. She didn’t think the older woman would mind her staying with the twins.

  Brian stayed, despite Bella telling him to go home to look after his farm.

  “I want to stay here. You need someone to make sure you eat. I don’t trust you to look after yourself,” Brian said firmly.

  While part of her was frustrated to be treated like a child, the other part loved the fact he was so protective. It meant he truly cared about her.

  Reverend Franklin and Geoff Rees also stayed.

  Gracie and Bella shared the task of looking after the twins. The other children rescued from the farm were sent to Green River where the nuns would take them to an orphanage. But neither Bella or Gracie would let the twins go. Eileen wasn’t well enough to travel, and Megan wasn’t going anywhere without her twin.

  They worked in shifts, so it meant one of them was there the whole time. Gracie told the girls all sorts of fascinating stories. Megan repeated them back to Bella when it was her turn to sit with them.
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  Finally, at the end of the week, the doctor visited again. He expressed amazement and pronounced Eileen was out of danger. “She will need careful nursing to build up her strength, but in six months she should be as fit as her sister. If you ladies ever want to work as nurses, come find me.”

  Bella and Gracie exchanged a quick laugh. Relieved, they left the girls sleeping for once and went to join the men. While they had been watching the twins, the circuit judge had arrived.

  “He came rather quickly, didn’t he?” Bella said.

  “Yes, he did,” Gracie agreed. “The brothers have a long track record. None of it pretty. Seems they’ve been in and out of trouble since they were about as young as the twins.”

  “What will happen to them?” Bella asked.

  “Given the evidence, I’m certain they’ll hang. The only doubt is whether Rebecca will join them. The judge may be lenient in light of the fact she is a woman, but he’s not known for his kindness.”

  “What of their partners? They couldn’t have done this alone. For one thing, at the very least, the sheriff turned a blind eye. He threatened Gracie when her husband tried to intervene. He should be punished,” Bella insisted.

  “He will be tried too, Miss Jones. And a couple of other men Rebecca gave up when questioned. I don’t think he will have an easy time of it at the penitentiary. Not when they find out he was once a lawman.”

  Bella didn’t care. She had no sympathy for Slater. If he had done the job he was paid to do, the children would have been protected.

  “So, what happens now? Do we have to stay for the trial?”