Chapter 2
Heinz was sitting at the table trying to finish his English homework. It wasn’t only Trudi who believed the children needed to learn English. One of the teachers at school, Mr. Epstein, had attended Oxford and he was fluent in English. He had spoken to the older children and told them they must learn to speak English to help their families if they emigrated to America or Britain.
When Heinz queried was it really necessary, the man had become quite animated. Instead of telling Heinz and the others who questioned the necessity, he asked the children to provide proof the need didn’t exist. He pointed to the examples of the queues of Jews outside the American and British Embassies waiting for papers to leave Germany. How would these families survive in another country without knowing how to communicate?
But it was his comments about how those who knew English would thrive and be able to come back at a later time to fight Hitler and his minions and return the Jews to their former positions that convinced Heinz. He liked that idea. Papa could be a doctor once more. He hated seeing Papa sneaking out to help people, at the risk of getting caught.
Something broke his concentration, a series of shrill whistles, followed by earsplitting screams.
“Papa, what’s that noise?” Tomas asked, hugging his brown bear to his chest.
Heinz was already at the window staring out at the street below. He couldn’t see anything but the noise was deafening. He heard loud banging and the sound of glass shattering over and over again. Then he saw smoke.
“Papa, the synagogue’s on fire.”
“I have to go and help. Heinz stay here and mind your brother and sister and your mama.”
Heinz opened his mouth but at a look from his father, he shut it again.
Trudi protested, “Please don’t go out, stay here where it’s safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“I can’t stay here, hiding like a coward. Those are my friends down there. People will be hurt, need my help. I have to go.”
Heinz watched as she begged his father not to go but his father’s mind was made up. She should know that, just by looking at his face.
“I’ll come with you.”
“No, Heinz. You stay here. Promise me to look after everyone until I get back.”
His father’s tone told him argument was futile.
“Yes, Papa.”
He returned to the window, not wanting to watch as Tomas flung himself at their father, begging him to stay with them. He heard her bolt the front door after he’d gone. Tomas came closer to the window, sliding his hand into Heinz’s.
“What do they want Heinz? Are they going to kill us?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer, as she intervened.
“No, silly. Who’d want to kill you; everyone loves you. Come away from the window, boys. Both of you.”
Heinz stared at her, not moving.
“Heinz, I asked you to move.”
Still, he stared and would have continued to do so, only, at that moment the window shattered. A rock barely missed his head.
“Come away from the window and shut off the lights. Now!”
At her shout, he moved. He gathered Tomas in his arms and carried him to the bedroom, following Trudi. Heinz pushed Tomas’ bed as far away from the window as possible. Together they tucked the younger boy into bed, piling extra rugs on top of him to protect him from any flying glass. The bedroom was off the main street, so perhaps he would be safe.
Tomas cuddled Brown-Bear; his eyes large in his face.
“Heinz, I’m scared.”
Trudi answered. “We all are, pet. I’ll tell you a story after I just check the other windows.”
“I’ll check them. You read the story.” Heinz took back control. He was almost fifteen-years-old and not a child anymore. Papa had left him in charge. He went through their apartment closing the curtains and turning off all the lights. Only when it was dark did he poke his head around the curtain to glance out the window and immediately wished he hadn’t. Sturmabteilung!
The Sturmabteilung (SA) had invaded their street. It seemed like every SA man in the country was standing outside. In the apartment opposite, he watched as an SA man flung open the windows and turfed various pieces of furniture over the edge. He saw Mr. Geller, a wonderful old man, a veteran of the First World War, stand up in protest, only to be knocked to the ground. Then they started kicking the prone figure. Tears in his eyes, Heinz closed the curtains wishing he hadn’t promised his father to stay put. He wanted to go to Mr. Geller’s place and help him. But it was too late.
There was a knock on the door. He jumped, despite his bravado. Heart hammering, he moved closer but didn’t answer it. Was it the Gestapo? They wouldn’t knock silly; they’d just break the door down.
The knock came again. “Please Heinz, Tomas, open the door.”
Rachel? What was she doing out on a night like this? He quickly unlocked the door. Rachel and her sister almost fell into the hall, quickly followed by their mother. Mrs. Bernstein looked like she had fallen out of bed, her hair was all messed up and red streaks marked her cheeks.
“Is your father here?”
“No Mrs. Bernstein, he left to help at the synagogue.” As the woman looked around her, a wild expression in her eyes, he realized the door should be shut.
“Come inside, please. We should lock the door.” He took her hand to pull her inside, as she seemed incapable of listening.
Her voice trembled as she glanced behind her. “But what if they come here? They will kill us all.”
“Mama, please get a hold of yourself, you are scaring Ruth. They aren’t going to kill anyone. They are just bullying us, trying to scare us like they always have. You are letting them win.”
Heinz watched in awe as the strict Mrs. Bernstein looked at her daughter. He thought she might slap Rachel but instead, she pulled her into a hug.
“You are right, my darling. I’m so sorry. But when your papa and your brothers didn’t come back after the Gestapo came, I thought… Well, it doesn’t matter what I thought.”
“Mrs. Bernstein, I thought I recognized the voice. Please, come in. You are shivering. Here, put this on.” Trudi went to the coat stand and took down her fur coat. “Would you like some coffee?”
Heinz’s lip curled. Even now, Trudi was trying to use the situation to her advantage by getting into Mrs. Bernstein’s good books. At a look from Rachel, he felt ashamed. It was almost as if she could read his mind.
“Thank you, Trudi. I don’t know if we should stay. We may have led the Gestapo straight to you. I wasn’t thinking. I just had to get away, they broke up the whole house, every dish and…” Mrs. Bernstein dissolved into tears. Trudi gathered the woman to her and half-carried, half-dragged her to sit down on the couch.
“Heinz, a glass of water please for Mrs. Bernstein and take the girls into Tomas. They will be company for each other.”
He did as he was told, without argument. As he gave Mrs. Bernstein the glass of water, he listened to her story. They had destroyed everything. What about his Oma and Opa? They lived further away. Were they safe?
Chapter 3
The noises outside escalated, as the sounds of stamping boots came closer. Mrs. Bernstein seemed to recover. She stood up, took off the fur coat and gave it to Trudi.
“Try to hide it. Together with any other valuables you have. The stuff that is easy to carry. They’ll fill their pockets with your gold, your diamonds.”
Trudi flushed, her eyes looking at the floor. “There isn’t much left. I have been using them for food.”
Mrs. Bernstein held her hands out to Trudi who clasped them to her. “My dear, we all have to do what we can to survive. We don’t have much time. Get your jewels now. Ruth, Rachel, come here please.”
The girls came forward, they hadn’t stayed in the bedroom but all three children had taken up residence behind the couch as if by staying closer to the adults they would be safer. Trudi ran to the bedroom she shared with Papa
and returned carrying some jewelry. Heinz recognized one piece as his mother’s engagement ring. He’d never seen Trudi wear it and had assumed it was buried with his mother. Mrs. Bernstein picked it up, the large diamonds sparkling against the darkness.
“Now children this is a game. You know how we play hide and seek? I want you to do that with Mrs. Beck’s jewelry. Ruth put this ring in your shoe and don’t take it off. Don’t tell anyone you have it.”
“Yes, Mama.” Ruth put the ring in her stocking and then put her shoe back on, wincing as she tried to put her foot on the ground.
“Good girl. You can pretend you hurt your ankle and that’s why you are walking funny.” She turned to Rachel, “put these on Rachel, hide them wherever you can think of.” She gave Rachel a pile of jewelry that the girl took with her to the bedroom. When she returned, there wasn’t a piece visible.
“Your engagement ring Trudi, take it off and put it somewhere else. Be quick.”
“But I…”
“Quickly. This is no time for arguments.” As she spoke, Mrs. Bernstein undressed Liesl and wrapped up some jewelry in her diaper, before redressing the child. All the time Liesl didn’t cry but she didn’t giggle either. She just stared. Mrs. Bernstein gave her a cuddle before handing her to Trudi. “She’s just a beauty, isn’t she? Best to put her back to sleep in the bed with the little ones.”
“Now, children, I want you to lie down in the bed and stay there no matter what happens. I will tell you to get up if you have to. Otherwise, you are not to move.”
“Not even for the bathroom?” Tomas piped up, a look of concern on his face.
“No, Tomas darling, not even for that. We need you to be little soldiers. Can you do that and obey the order to stay in bed? The girls need you to protect them, as you are the man.”
Heinz watched, in amusement, as his younger brother’s chest pushed out. Tomas took Ruth’s hand and led the girl to the bedroom as if she was younger and not almost six months older. Rachel looked at her mama before she took Liesl with her.
“Now Heinz,” Mrs. Bernstein turned to him.
“I’m not sheltering in the bedroom.”
Mrs. Bernstein gave him a look that would have caused Hitler to rattle in his boots. He was about to apologize when the banging started on the door.
“Open up, you filthy vermin. Open or we will bash the door in.”
Mrs. Bernstein moved toward the door but Trudi put her hand out. “This is my home. I will answer the door. You take a seat and let’s try to be as civilized as possible with these animals.”
Trudi took a deep breath before she opened the door, just as a solider attempted to break it down.
“Gentlemen. How can I help you?”
Heinz watched, as the men stopped, as if taken by surprise to be greeted with such politeness. Then an officer stepped forward.
“Out of my way. We are looking for Beck. He is to come with us immediately.”
“My husband isn’t here. As you can see it is only us ladies and the children. You are welcome to search the property.” Trudi stood, straight as an arrow, still pretending that it was her choice to invite them in. It seemed like it was working too. The men lost the earlier swagger they had.
The officer directed two of the men to search. Heinz would have been amused in other circumstances as the two men took apart everything in the room. How they expected a grown man to hide inside a cushion was beyond him? But then it was just an excuse to pull apart the cushions and other furnishings. When they got to the children’s room the screaming made them hesitate.
“Shut those kids up, or we will.”
Trudi rushed to the room to comfort the children, with Mrs. Bernstein following suit but she was stopped.
“You don’t live here?” The officer grabbed Mrs. Bernstein roughly by the arm.
She looked at the hand on her arm and then into the man’s face.
“Unhand me you lout. I am visiting a friend. Since when is that against the law.”
Heinz held his breath. The man’s face twisted in anger before he drew his arm back and slapped Mrs. Bernstein across the face, knocking her to the floor.
“It’s late and after curfew. Your sort shouldn’t be on the streets.”
“I wasn’t out on the street. I live…” but whatever she was going to say next was drowned out by a second slap. Heinz had seen enough. He stepped forward and grabbed the man’s arm just as he was about to deliver a third slap.
“Did your mother bring you up to hit women, you oaf? Let’s see how you like to be hit.” With that, Heinz delivered a punch of his own, his hand connecting with the man’s right cheekbone.
His moment of satisfaction was all too brief, pain exploding over his shoulder, as something heavy came down on his right side. Then a boot kicked him in the ribs, as he lay on the floor. Darkness, mercifully descended, just as another kick was delivered. He dimly heard Trudi screaming to leave him alone, he was just a child and didn’t deserve to be treated that way and then he heard and felt nothing.
To read what happens to Heinz and his family, please click here
Historical Note
Orphan Train Disaster would not have been possible but for so many amazing authors who have written non fiction accounts of the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. In particular, I would recommend you read David Von Drehle’s book - Triangle: The Fire That Changed America. I would also like to highlight skilled researcher, Michael Hirsch who finally, after years and years of research, in 2011 gave a name to every victim of the fire.
I have tried, where possible, to remain true to the events of the fire itself. But some details I had to change for the sake of the story and others, well they were simply too horrific to include in the book. If you ever look at old newspapers from this era, you will see that they do little to hide the horrors associated with tragedies of this type. I admit I was also conscious that discussing this fire would bring up memories of 9/11.
While the main characters in my books are fiction, they are often based on real life stories. There are real life characters too. These include, but are not limited, to the victims of the fire for example, the Maltese ladies. The meeting between Mr. Maltese and Maria’s mother at the party or with Maria in the aftermath of the fire did not happen. Celia did escape with her fur muff and was in hospital after the fire. The Wegodner family, father and son met each other hours after the fire, having each believed the other was dead. I can’t remember whether they were hospitalized or not.
David Weiner did try to attack Harris and Blanck, his sister Rose had died in the fire and his other sister, Katie was horribly injured.
Harris and Blanck went on to open new factories although they never attained the level of success they had previously enjoyed. Less than seventeen months after the fire, a fire inspector allegedly found locked doors at Blanck’s new shirtwaist factory.
Nobody actually knows how the fire began, the suspected cause was a lit cigarette. But what people do know is that greed and the pursuit of fortune was what caused the fire. Nor were these factory owners the only ones to blame. Countless people ignored the perils attached to working conditions at that time. In fact, there is an argument that the Triangle provided better working conditions than many other similar employers.
My editor suggested I change the name Rose in my book but so many people at that time were called Rose. Maria’s sister was Rosa in a previous book before I thought about writing about this fire. It was too late to change her name and that of Leonie’s sisters. I know it gets confusing but Rose Schneiderman, was a well known Trade Union activist who spoke out about the Tragedy. Lilian Wald should be better known in society for all the work she did with, and for New Yorkers. Francis Perkins went on to work with President Roosevelt and was instrumental in the creation of the New Deal. She was also the first female cabinet member. Finally, most people have heard of JP Morgan. My hope in writing about Anne Morgan and her friends was to raise their profile a little higher. I may not agree with all of their
actions but the work these women did for the workers of America, and New York in particular, shouldn’t be forgotten.
Also by Rachel Wesson
Hearts on the Rails
Orphan Train Escape
Orphan Train Trials
Orphan Train Christmas
Orphan Train Tragedy
Orphan Train Strike
Orphan Train Disaster
Titanic stand alone
Heart of Disaster
Trail of Hearts - Oregon Trail Series
Oregon Bound (book 1)
Oregon Dreams (book 2)
Oregon Destiny (book 3)
Oregon Discovery (book 4)
Oregon Disaster (book 5)
12 Days of Christmas - co -authored series.
The Maid - book 8
Clover Springs Mail Order Brides
Katie (Book 1)
Mary (Book 2)
Sorcha (Book 3)
Emer (Book 4)
Laura (Book 5)
Ellen (Book 6)
Thanksgiving in Clover Springs (book 7)
Christmas in Clover Springs (book8)
Erin (Book 9)
Eleanor (book 10)
Cathy (book 11)
Mrs. Grey (book 12)
Clover Springs East
New York Bound (book 1)
New York Storm (book 2)
New York Hope (book 3)
Writing as Ellie Keaton
Women & War (World War II fiction)
Gracie
Penny
Molly
About the Author
Thank you so much for reading my books. Readers like you have made it possible for me to live the life of my dreams. Even now, after twenty or so books, I still have to pinch myself.
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