Part 7
by Paula B and CJ
6 January 1863
Perryville, Kentucky
The jail
1800 hours
Evan Ferrari leaned against the bars of her cell and questioned Cordelia Wallace again. "Tell me what happened. If you won’t tell me, tell someone. As it is, you could end up hanged for murder. Why did you shoot Daniel Wallace?"
Cordelia remained quiet. She'd never come up with a plausible story, at least not one that wouldn't endanger Sturgis and the slaves trying to escape, so she'd decided it was better not to say anything. It had frustrated her attorney and delighted the local prosecutor, who took her silence as evidence of her guilt. She sat silently on the bunk, leaning against the back wall of the cell.
"The trial starts tomorrow. It's likely to end there as well. I've nothing to use in putting on a defense except character witnesses." Ferrari stopped speaking when he heard the door to the jail open. He turned then nodded to the tall man who stood framed in the doorway. "See if you can talk some sense into her, General. She won't listen to a word I say," Ferrari shook his head.
AJ pulled a chair near the bars of the cell and sat. "Mrs. Wallace, please listen to me. I know you shot Daniel Wallace with his own gun. Was it self-defense? If you tell Mr. Ferrari here, he can work with that. We can put you on the stand, have you tell your side of the story. Self-defense is justifiable. They can't convict you of murder if it happened in self-defense." AJ pleaded with Cordelia to speak, but still, she refused.
«I'll be damned if I can figure out what's going on with her. Why won't she talk? From what I've gathered, this Daniel Wallace fellow wasn't well-liked, and for good reason. But if it was self-defense, why won't she tell us what happened?» The questions ran through AJ's mind. «What is she hiding?»
Cordelia swallowed as she looked into AJ's eyes. She could feel her cheeks burning. «I can't get up on the stand and plead self-defense. It would be perjury. But I can't explain why I can't speak on my own behalf, either.»
The door opened and a burst of chill winter wind filled the jail. "Miss Cori, I brought a pot pie for you to eat. I left the house with it hot. It's still warm. Should be just right for eating." Harriet smiled cheerfully. "And Buddy will be here in a few minutes. He thought you might want to hear some words from the Bible." She winked at Cordelia, who smiled silently and nodded. "Sheriff Lindsey is with him."
"It smells good, thank you. Harriet, I hope you can do something with those potatoes I told you about the other day. I'd hate for them to sit and rot. We have a south wind, that isn't good for potatoes." Cordelia looked worried.
"I know just what to do with those potatoes. Don't you worry about a thing," Harriet smiled.
«Potatoes? Wind? She goes to trial for murder tomorrow morning and she's worried about the weather and some potatoes rotting?» AJ couldn't get over it. «I've never seen anything like this.»
Bud arrived with Sheriff Lindsey before Cordelia could respond. "Let me into the cell, Lindsey. I've come to minister to her spiritual needs. You will not let her leave to attend church, so church will come to her," the minister demanded.
Lindsey looked at Bud suspiciously, but opened the door to the cell and let him inside, just the same. Harriet passed the meal to Cordelia, who carried it to the cot and sat with the tray on her lap. Bud sat beside Cordelia on the narrow bunk. He opened his Bible. Folded inside the page was a copy of the flyer about the runaway slaves. Cordelia's eyes opened wide. Bud began to read from the Gospel of Matthew about the flight into Mary and Joseph fleeing into Egypt to escape from Herod's infanticide. He caught Cordelia's eye. She nodded imperceptibly.
"You know, Sturgis loves these verses. Both he and Bobbi do," Cordelia spoke slowly and carefully. Bud read on.
Finally, Bud asked Cordelia to bow her head in prayer with him. He took Cordelia's hand in his and began to intone the standard entreaties. Cordelia spoke under her breath, as if she were praying, but instead she said, "Sturgis killed him to protect me. You must get him out. Do whatever you must to make him go. Tell him that if he and Bobbi leave, I can tell the truth and they won't hurt me. Give them as much money as they need. Whatever it takes." She joined Bud in the last words of the prayer.
"Amen," Bud said loudly as he noticed Sheriff Lindsey peering intently at them.
Lindsey stepped toward the cell. "What's she saying?"
"She's praying, Sheriff. Do you have a problem with that?" Bud looked him in the eye.
Lindsey turned away, unable to hold the minister's gaze. "Come on out of there. You've done enough preachin' n' prayin'," the sheriff said. "She needs some rest before the trial starts tomorrow."
"We're ready to leave, Sheriff. Good night," Harriett said, taking Bud's arm as they left.
AJ watched it all, anger rising in him. «I may not like her politics, but I just don't think she's capable of cold-blooded murder. Of course, I'm not exactly objective. Even now, I can't escape my feelings for her. I've managed to live a lifetime without losing my heart like some fool, and here I go falling for someone I can never be with.» He closed his eyes. «But she's so vulnerable. I can't see her hang.» He stood and asked, "I'll be there tomorrow. Is there any way I can be of help?"
Ferrari shook his head, staring unhappily at the door even after AJ walked outside and closed it.
6 January 1863
Perryville, Kentucky
A slave cabin on the Wallace horse farm
1930 hours
It was dark when Bud Roberts knocked on the door of the cabin where Sturgis and Bobbi lived. It stood at one end of a row of cabins that at one time housed slaves. Now all who lived there were free or escaping to freedom. It was small, but cheery. There were two rooms and a loft lit by a roaring fire.
"Reverend Roberts, good to see you. Come on in here," Bobbie said as she opened the door wide.
Stepping into the warm room, Bud glanced around. Sturgis met his gaze. Without speaking, Bud nodded. "You and Bobbi must travel to friends of friends. It is the only way."
"She told you?" Sturgis asked, even though he already knew the answer. Anger rose in his face, but he only said, "He was like his father. Like my father. The same father."
Bobbi looked from one man to the other without speaking. She cast Sturgis a questioning look.
"When do we leave for the next station?" Sturgis asked in a low voice.
"Now. Come with me. I need to have you all in Maysville before the trial starts tomorrow morning. Gather whatever you need." Bud paused, "Where are the other three? They must leave as well."
"They be in the cabin on the other end. We thought that be better for them leavin' without being seen," Bobbi said. She turned to Sturgis, "We be leavin' too? Why?"
Sturgis lowered his head. "Because we cain't let them hang Miss Cori for something I done." He lifted his head and looked directly at Bud. "He was goin' to hurt her. He tole her that he knew about the three new slaves. He said to keep him quiet, Miss Cori had to let him at the women, startin' with her. He was goin' to rape her there in the field. I didn't mean to shoot him. I just pushed him away at first, but then he pulled out the gun. I still didn't mean to shoot him." The big man shook his head in remorse. "I couldn't let him hurt Miss Cori, and then she tole me to leave. I didn't know she was goin' to do this. I swear, Reverend, I didn't know." He looked to Bobbi, "We got to go, Bobbi. We cain't let Miss Cori hang 'cause I killed that man."
Bobbi watched as Sturgis lowered his head once more. "Can I take a few things?" she asked.
Bud nodded and waited silently as Bobbi laid out a blanket on the table, disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a change of clothes for each of them and a small black leather-bound book. She noticed the minister's shocked look. "It be a Bible, Reverend. I know it be agin the law, but Miss Cori taught us to read," she whispered as she tied up the blanket.
"Are you ready?" Bud asked. When they nodded in reply, Bud said, "Let's go."
Sturgis and Bobbi found their cloaks and Sturgis picked up the bundle and slung it over his shoulder. "The fire," Bobbi moved to stoke it out.
"No. Leave it like this. It will look as if you are still here," Bud said as he opened the door. Three figures slipped quietly through the night to the far end of the row of cabins and three more figures joined them. They made their way stealthily to the Roberts' house. Entering quietly through the back door, they found themselves in the kitchen, where Harriet waited for them.
"Sit down, rest for a few minutes. Have some hot cider, it will help keep you warm," Harriet said as she handed each of them a steaming mug. Then she turned to her husband. "Bud, will you get the quilts?" she asked.
The minister left the room and Harriet began to explain, "The quilts that Miss Cori makes with all the women, they will be your maps. Once you cross the river, follow the pattern of the knots. Each knot stands for a different town. The stationmasters will tell you whom to look for in each town, but you need to remember the signs. If the pot on the porch is upside-down, it isn't safe to enter. Watch for lanterns on the hitching post; they signify the safe houses, too. Homes with white bricks on the tops of the chimney are stations. You will be safe there. Watch for quilts with information at known stations. Patterns with an 'X' in them, like the Bow Tie or Bear's Claw signify that you may need to get a change of clothes at the next town to fit in. Someone will meet you outside the community with clothes. The Drunkard's Path pattern will show you the placement of the stations. Watch for them. If someone dies, sometimes the route changes and it may differ from the knot pattern you have in your quilts. Crossroads and Wagon Wheel patterns will let you know that you need to meet the stationmaster away from the house. The Log Cabin pattern means the home is a safe house. If someone tells you that the wind blows from the south, it means that bounty hunters are near."
Bud returned and gave each of the women a quilt. "Be sure and listen to anyone you hear singing spirituals, too. Take the words more literally than they sound. Wade in the Water means just that, to avoid being tracked by dogs. You won't be entirely safe until you reach Canada, but I suspect you'll be much safer as soon as you cross the river." He turned to the slave from Mississippi. "Lemuel, you made it this far, you know the signs. Sturgis and Bobbi know the code words, but not the travelling signs."
"How we travellin'?" Sturgis asked.
"You'll have to hide in the wagon under the hay until we get out of town. We can't afford to wait until morning and say we're taking you to the slave market in Louisville then double back like usual. We need to move fast and make it all the way to Maysville tonight. Miss Cori will know when I arrive in the courtroom that you are safe and sound north of the Ohio River. You should be safe, unless Wallace told that bounty hunter what he knew," Bud explained. "Let's go," he said as he stood and made his way to the door. Harriet watched with concern as her husband and the five former slaves disappeared into the night.
A few moments after Harriet heard the wagon creak away, she heard a voice singing in a low voice just outside the door.
"The riverbank makes a very good road,
The dead trees show you the way,
Left foot, peg foot, travelling on,
Follow the drinking gourd."
A knock on the door followed. Cautiously, Harriet cracked open the door. "Mikey!" she sighed with relief.
"I saw Bud leave. I figured out what he's up to, but I don't think anyone else would guess. If anyone saw you could always just say he was visiting someone who's sick and needed a minister," Mikey winked. "How many...potatoes is he taking this time?"
"Five," Harriet whispered. "Sturgis and Bobbi are among them."
Mikey looked shocked. "Sturgis and Bobbi? Why would they leave?"
"Because Miss Cori won't tell the truth until Sturgis is safely away. He shot Daniel Wallace to protect Miss Cori. She knew that they'd probably hang him without a trial, so she's taking the blame. If she knows he's safely gone, she'll tell the truth. Wallace knew about the slaves from Mississippi. He was trying to blackmail Miss Cori" Harriet said quietly.
"So that's why she won't talk. She doesn't want to lie." Mikey shook his head. "So when the trial starts tomorrow, she'll tell the truth."
Harriet nodded. "Exactly. She doesn't want to lie, but she can't tell the truth until Sturgis is safe. Let's have some cider, Mikey. Are you staying here tonight?"
"I can't stay. I couldn't sleep, so I took a walk. I'll need to be back before morning," Mikey explained. "But I would like some of that cider. It'll keep me warm for the walk back."
AJ Chegwidden walked along the frozen creek bed beneath the sugar maples. Most people would consider it silent, but he listened to the sounds of the night. The downy feathers of an owl made the bird's flight almost silent as he hunted overhead. He watched as its shadow crossed the moon. «How did I come to this? Losing sleep over a woman who doesn't care if I exist, a woman whose beliefs are so contrary to everything I hold dear. A man my age ought to have more sense. You sure know how to pick 'em, Chegwidden. Mrs. Wallace will probably hang.»
His walk had achieved his purpose. Weariness finally overcame his senses and AJ started back toward the house. "I've never seen anything like it. She won't say a word in her own defense." He was startled out of his reverie by a voice.
"General Chegwidden, sir," the boy called out, saluting quickly. "I didn't see you, sir."
"At ease," AJ said. "Roberts, isn't it?"
Mikey nodded.
"What has you out in the middle of the night?" AJ asked.
"I'm from this area, sir. I stopped by to visit my brother and sister-in-law. Harriet...my sister-in-law, she made me some hot cider. It sure made the walk a little warmer," Mikey shivered as he spoke. "I wasn't very sleepy anyway. I've been worried about Miss Cori."
AJ looked at the boy carefully. «Do you suppose he heard me?» He sighed and spoke, "Your worries are well placed, then. She won't even speak in her own defense. I don't think things will go well for her."
"It will be fine, sir. She just wants to make sure it's safe. Then she'll explain," Mikey assured the General.
"Son, do you know something I don't? She seemed pretty damn determined not to speak about what happened when I saw her earlier today," AJ said. "What exactly to you mean, 'When it's safe?'"
Mikey swallowed. «I don't want to get Miss Cori into more trouble. And I don't want to get Bud and Harriet in trouble, either.» He glanced at AJ, then looked away.
"Spill it, son," AJ ordered.
"Miss Cori didn't shoot Daniel Wallace. Sturgis did. Wallace was trying to hurt her and Sturgis stopped him. Miss Cori knew that Sturgis wouldn't get a trial, so she took the blame while he escaped. But Sturgis is gone now, so Miss Cori will talk," Mikey stammered.
AJ stared at him incredulously. "She would do that to protect a slave?"
It was Mikey's turn to stare. "Sir, Sturgis hasn't been a slave since old Mr. Wallace died. Miss Cori and Mr. Braxton, they freed all of their slaves. Gave Sturgis and Bobbi that cabin and some land because of Sturgis and Mr. Braxton being half-brothers."
"What? I thought they were slaves. But you're telling me the Wallaces freed their slaves and the freed slaves stayed on?" AJ couldn't believe it.
Mikey nodded. "Some of them did, at least. They help Miss Cori out, and she takes care of them. Times can be hard for freedmen, but Miss Cori takes care of all of the people on her land."
Remembering the gracious way his men had been provisioned, AJ nodded. «She certainly does that.» He paused, then asked, "But what about the slaves she bought recently?"
Mikey didn't answer.
"Tell me, Corporal," AJ commanded sternly.
"They weren't really slaves, sir. Not anymore, at least. They escaped from a plantation in Mississippi. Miss Cori took them in until they could cross the river. They come up each year, but they have to wait for the Ohio River to freeze. It's easier to cross then, just walk across it anywhere. Miss Cori gives the escaping slaves safe refuge until it's time to cross," Mikey whispered reluctantly. "Nobody looks for escaping slaves working on someone else's land."
"She's with the Underground Railroad?" AJ hissed.
Mikey nodded. "Yes, sir. She makes those quilts -- they're maps for the escaping slaves. Most of them can't read. It's against the law, you know. But if they spend enough time here, Miss Cori generally teaches them how, at least a few words. And she keeps them all safe from Daniel Wallace. He's like his father. If he had his own way, he'd beat the men and be after the women. And he knew about the escaped slaves from Mississippi. He was trying to blackmail Miss Cori. Sturgis fought him to protect her. He didn't mean to shoot Wallace. It was really an accident. He wasn't going to let him hurt Miss Cori."
For the first time that night, AJ smiled. «She could have told us. We could have helped her.» "But why did she keep up the masquerade of 'buying' slaves with us? She had to know that we certainly wouldn't return them to their owners."
«I've said too much already.» Mikey chewed his lower lip, knowing that the strength of the Underground Railroad was its secrecy. "Sir, Miss Cori and my family, they've been doing this for years. Before the war began they were bringing escaped slaves to the north. It's less dangerous now, but many of the people here still sympathize with the Confederates. It wouldn't do to be too open about helping the slaves escape."
"There has to be more than that," AJ muttered under his breath.
Mikey heard and sighed. "It's the slaves from here in Kentucky, sir. Now when they come from the south, well, they've been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation. But here in Kentucky, because Kentucky didn't secede, it's still legal to own slaves, just as it is in Maryland. It's still breaking the law to help the local slaves escape."
"So she didn't say anything to us because she's breaking the law by helping local slaves as well as escaped Confederate slaves? But she kept working, even with us here. She must not have been too afraid." AJ wondered aloud. «Just my luck. I discover she's not the demon I had built her up as in my mind, but clearly, she has no interest in me. Otherwise, she'd have trusted me enough to tell me what she was doing. But she was content to have an antagonistic relationship between us. Perhaps, knowing what I know now, these feelings I have for her will be even harder to bear.»
"Having us here actually helped, sir. She felt the slaves would be safe even if the bounty hunters came out here. She knew the soldiers could hold off a few bounty hunters looking for runaways when she might not be able to do that alone." Mikey glanced at the General, then said, "And your talk of the evils of slavery, it reinforced her story, that she was still buying slaves to run the horse farm. She knew, sir, that you didn't like her having slaves, but that you made no attempt to free her slaves. She also saw how you were very careful to follow the rules about the army using people's homes, paying for what the men ate and such. Well, sir, she was afraid that you might turn them in if a local slave showed up. "
AJ was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was low, "I am not the civil government. Slavery is reprehensible and I see no reason why it should be illegal only in the states that seceded. The law should be the same for everyone, not directed as a punitive measure to a select few. I would have done nothing to stop her, regardless of the origins of the escaping slaves."
Mikey sighed with relief. "I'm glad to hear that, sir. I was afraid I'd said too much."
"Are you sure she will defend herself tomorrow?" AJ asked.
Mikey nodded, "My sister-in-law told me that when my brother arrives in court tomorrow, it will signal to her that Sturgis and the others are safely on their way. Then she'll talk."
"Good. I didn't believe that she could have murdered Daniel Wallace in cold blood, but her silence was damning. I'm glad she's ready to talk." AJ said. It was the words he didn't speak that were telling. «I don't think I could bear to see her hang.»
"Sir, I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get some rest now. By your leave?" Mikey waited for AJ's answer.
"Dismissed, Corporal," AJ nodded. «Serves you right, Chegwidden.» AJ shook his head. «I was pretty quick to judge Mrs. Wallace because of those slaves. But my true instincts weren't far off, at least not when it came to recognizing her worth. Won't do me much good, but at least I have the satisfaction of knowing that I don't have to feel any conflict in my attraction to her. Of course, I've lost my reason to back away. I can't keep reminding myself of the slaves to try to change the way I feel about her.» AJ wandered on in the darkness, his thoughts still keeping him from sleep.
7 January 1863
Danville, Kentucky
Boyle County Courthouse
0930 hours
The trial was in the county seat, Danville. The ride wasn't long, but it tired Cordelia. They arrived at the courthouse and Cordelia followed Evan Ferrari inside. «I think I could probably lie down on the ground right here and go to sleep, but then, it probably wouldn't look good to sleep at your own murder trial.» Instead she looked around. She saw Harriet, who gave her a weak grin to show support. Cordelia smiled back reassuringly. «I wish I really felt that confident. I still don't know what I'm going to say.» Cordelia blinked in disbelief when she saw General Chegwidden. «What must he think? He's made his disapproval about having slaves clear, and now he has murder to add to that.» Cordelia eyed him mournfully, trying to ignore the flush rising to her face and the burning explosion in her solar plexus. «Why does this man do this to me?»
AJ looked around the room, taking in the crowd. The courtroom was filled to the brim. Even the balcony gallery overflowed. Among the crowd was a small group of reporters. AJ noted that Tess Coulter was among them. «Biggest public entertainment since the battle.» He scanned the front of the room, his gaze resting on Cordelia. For a moment their eyes met. He felt a jolt pass through his body in response. «She looks so sad.» He noticed her eyes broke quickly away from his as she lowered her head.
Harmon Rabb, the county prosecutor, sat at the table across from Cordelia and Ferrari. He listened carefully to the crowd. «One thing about being blind, I can pick up the undercurrents more easily. I can hear everything that everyone in this crowd is saying.» Rabb enjoyed being an attorney, but he craved military action. He'd enlisted at the beginning of the war, but an accident with a cannon had put an end to that. He'd returned home blind, but he had a sharp mind and was a quick study, so he'd returned to his civilian job as a county prosecutor immediately. He was still good at it, maybe even better because he had more to prove. «This will be an easy win. It may be circumstantial, but there isn't much to challenge Cordelia Wallace's guilt. Her silence only helps me.»
A cry of, "All rise. The honorable Judge Thomas Boone presiding," filled the air as everyone in the courtroom stood. The mustached man with intense eyes looked out upon the crowd as he took his place on the bench. His black robes made him look severe. He knocked his gavel forcefully against the block as the bailiff called out, "Court is in session." Judge Boone sat and the rest of the courtroom followed suit.
The trial began. Much to his dismay, AJ was the first witness for the prosecution. He swore his oath and was seated. Rabb stood and began to question him.
"General Chegwidden, you were the first to arrive at the scene of the murder?" Rabb asked.
"I was, as far as I can tell," AJ said.
"Please tell us what you found," Rabb had turned toward the jury with this statement. He had paced out the floor of the courthouse. He knew every inch of the floor and didn't need to use his cane. He knew that the members of the jury, if they didn't know him, might not even know he was blind.
AJ swallowed and began to answer, "When I arrived on the scene, I saw Mrs. Wallace holding a gun. Daniel Wallace was on the ground, dead."
"Was there anyone else around?" Rabb pressed.
"I didn't see anyone," AJ said grimly. "But --"
Rabb interrupted, crossing his arms before he asked, "Based on what you saw, what did you do?"
AJ spoke clearly "I sent one of my men to bring in the civil authorities. But I --"
Rabb cut him off, "Thank you, General. That will be all." He turned to Ferrari and said, "Your witness."
"I have no questions for this witness," Ferrari said.
AJ stared at the man in disbelief. «Why doesn't he ask about what I didn't see? Have me state unequivocally that I did not see Cordelia Wallace shoot Daniel Wallace? Let me finish the statements that Rabb cut off?» He rose slowly and left the witness stand, only to watch helplessly as Rabb put one witness after another on the stand to testify about the difficult nature of the relationship between Daniel Wallace and his sister-in-law. Ferrari did not question any of them. «He's losing the chance to make any points in her favor. All of these people talking about the nature of their relationship could easily be questioned more about Wallace and his temperament. From what I've heard, no one liked him much. It would make a stark contrast to the character witnesses for Mrs. Wallace.»
It didn't take long for the prosecution to present the case against Cordelia. AJ watched as Cordelia strained in her seat, looking over the crowd as if she were searching for someone. He saw her lock eyes with Harriet Roberts. Harriet shook her head. Cordelia nodded and shut her eyes as she turned around and lowered her eyes.
Ferrari looked confused for a moment, then spoke, "Your Honor, our first witness is missing. I'd like to request a recess."
Judge Boone glanced at Rabb, who, feeling certain of his win, offered no opposition. Judge Boone granted the recess, and AJ followed Cordelia and Ferrari out of the courtroom. When they stepped into the small room to wait out the recess, AJ paced outside the door. Finally, he knocked, opening the door without waiting for a response. "Ferrari, what do you think you're doing? You haven't challenged anything that Rabb presented. She doesn't stand a chance if you don't try to show what sort of man Wallace was!"
"What is it you expect me to do? She refuses to testify on her own behalf. She won't even tell me what happened. The best I can do is get the Reverend to testify as a character witness, and he hasn't shown up yet," Ferrari bellowed defensively. "Perhaps you could do better, General? Shall I let you take over the case?"
Chegwidden glared at Ferrari. He took a deep breath then glanced at Cordelia. "That idea isn't half bad. Since she hasn't told you anything, it isn't as if I don't know her story as well as you do." He caught Cordelia's eye. "I might even know it better."
"What do you know about the law?" Ferrari laughed.
"Enough. As a civilian, I practiced law in Virginia. I believe I could handle myself in a Kentucky court," the General stated.
Cordelia stared, looking from one man to the other.
"Let me talk to her. I will be acting as her attorney, so anything she says I will consider bound by attorney client privilege," AJ said quietly.
Ferrari glanced at Cordelia, who shrugged, before he turned and walked out of the room. He closed the door quietly behind him.
Chegwidden pulled a chair in front of Cordelia. He sat. She drew in a deep breath. «He is so close.»
"I know," AJ whispered. "I also know that you have agreed to take the stand when Reverend Roberts returns. You know that you could be asked questions that will endanger your operation?"
Cordelia nodded.
"You know I did not want to testify against you?" AJ shook his head. "And that fool, Ferrari, didn't even bother to make the point that I did not see you shoot Wallace. He didn't question anything to give you more time. Will you trust me to stall for time while you take the stand, to wait until Reverend Roberts returns to ask you what happened?"
Cordelia stared at him.
"Mrs. Wallace, your life depends upon it. Will you trust me?" AJ asked.
Again, Cordelia nodded her head.
"We will stay here as long as the recess allows. Then I will ask to take over the case." AJ shook his head. "I'm not even sure that the judge will allow me to take over your case."
AJ reached for Cordelia's hands, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Cordelia lowered her eyes and sighed. "There were so many lives at stake. You could have turned us in. I couldn't risk it."
"My men could have helped you," AJ whispered.
"The more people who knew, the greater the danger of being discovered." Cordelia paused. "And I could tell you were disgusted by my holding slaves. Your attitude would have made it more believable if someone had questions about the slaves. Having the Union Army on the premises made us all safer, even without you knowing anything."
AJ asked, "Is that why you made us so welcome, to protect the slaves?"
"We have the same cause, but my means are more hidden than yours. I made you welcome because you were welcome." Cordelia fell silent. She lowered her head and sighed. "General Chegwidden, will my testimony be enough? Will they hang me?"
Holding her hands tightly between his, AJ whispered, "I will do my best to see that they don't."
There was a knock on the door. It was Ferrari. "The recess is over."
They filed back into the courtroom. This time AJ sat at the table with Cordelia. Judge Boone raised his eyebrows as he called the court to order.
"General Chegwidden, you have taken the seat of the Honorable Mr. Ferrari. Am I to take it that you are now representing Mrs. Wallace?" Boone asked.
"With your permission, your honor," AJ stated.
"Are you an attorney, General Chegwidden?" Boone waited for AJ's answer.
"I am, your honor," AJ said. "In my civilian life I practiced law in Virginia."
"Objection," Rabb called out. "General Chegwidden has already testified as a witness in this case."
"I was, indeed, called as a witness for the prosecution. The prosecution has rested its case. There were no rebuttal questions for me from the defense. It seems my use as a witness is over and I would like…my client would like for me to take over the case as the attorney for the defense," Chegwidden argued.
"Is this what you would like, Mrs. Wallace?" Judge Boone asked.
Cordelia nodded. "It is, your honor."
"While it is highly unusual, I am loath to deny a defendant the attorney of her choice. You may continue, General Chegwidden," Boone stated simply.
"In that case, I would like to call Mrs. Cordelia Wallace to the stand," AJ said. The crowd buzzed. A few shocked gasps could be heard over the murmur. It was well known that the defendant had refused to speak on her own behalf until this point. In the back of the courtroom, Tess Coulter scribbled furiously.
Cordelia stood, walked around the table to meet the bailiff, and took the oath to tell the truth with her hand on the Bible. Then she took her seat in the witness stand.
"How long have you lived in Perryville, Mrs. Wallace?" AJ asked.
Cordelia smiled. «He's certainly starting with safe questions.» She answered clearly, "I have lived in Perryville since I married Braxton Wallace when I was sixteen. That would make it eighteen years."
"Before moving to Perryville, where did you live?" AJ continued.
"Objection! Irrelevant!" Rabb called out.
Judge Boone sighed. "Mr. Rabb, I will allow it, however irrelevant it may seem. I trust that General Chegwidden will make the relevancy clear without much delay?"
"I'll do my best, your honor." AJ grinned, then repeated his question to Cordelia.
"I lived for some time in Bardstown. Then my family moved to Lexington. I met Braxton while I lived there," Cordelia took her time with the answer.
"When did you meet Daniel Wallace?" Chegwidden asked.
Cordelia thoughtfully considered. "Both Braxton and Daniel had come with their father to Lexington. They had some business with my father. All of them stayed to dinner. It was winter, and during dinner, a heavy snow began to fall. My father refused to send them out into that weather to return home. The servants who had helped with dinner stayed as well. My father wouldn't send anyone out into that night. The house was filled with people."
"What was your first impression of Daniel Wallace?" AJ crossed his arms and waited for the answer he suspected would come.
"I wasn't sure what to think. I really didn't know anything of him. It was mostly the men talking at dinner, and my momma making a few polite comments," Cordelia said.
"And after dinner?" AJ continued.
"After dinner…after we had all gone to bed, we heard an awful crash upstairs. Then someone screaming. The men, my father, my brother Conlan, and Braxton and Mr. Wallace found Daniel upstairs in the room where the maid was sleeping. He had turned over the bed and beaten her because she fought him. Momma helped clean her up and she slept the rest of the night in my room, with me. She was terrified. She cried all night. Because of that, I didn't think much of Daniel Wallace from the beginning, I suppose," Cordelia's voice was barely above a whisper.
"Objection! Your honor, this is prejudicial," Rabb cried.
"I'd like to show a pattern of behavior, your honor," Chegwidden said patiently. «I'm sure I can find some more examples of Daniel Wallace's brutal behavior. While it would provide a motive, it also will make clear Wallace's intent, regardless of who shot him.»
Judge Boone simply stated, "Then continue."
"Were there other times, to you knowledge, that Daniel Wallace behaved in a similar fashion?" AJ asked.
Cordelia nodded. "He stalked the slave quarters, none of the women were safe until after Mr. Wallace died and Braxton inherited the farm. When Braxton died, I made sure there were always servants sleeping in the rooms on either side of me when Daniel visited. He had made inappropriate advances, mostly when he was drunk, but sometimes when he was sober. He ripped the skirt off one of my dresses once, before Sturgis could stop him."
AJ was ready to ask another question when the courtroom door flew open. Cordelia shot a look over AJ's shoulder and smiled. Reverend Roberts smiled and nodded. Cordelia sighed and gazed steadily at AJ. Without looking back, he knew who had arrived.
"Did something like that happen the day Daniel Wallace was shot?" AJ waited for her answer.
"It did. I was working on the fence line. Sturgis had returned to the barn to pick up a new fence post. Daniel came by while he was gone. He tried to force himself on me right there in the field. When Sturgis returned, he pulled Daniel away. Daniel tried to shoot Sturgis, but Sturgis fought him. The gun went off by accident." Cordelia's voice faded and she lowered her head.
"Then what happened?" AJ pressed for the rest.
Cordelia raised her head and glanced at AJ. "I knew that it wouldn't matter why Sturgis was fighting him, Sturgis would be blamed for Daniel's death, even though Daniel was the one who raised the gun. I sent Sturgis away to protect him. I knew that in self defense, or even in my defense, a black man wouldn't have a chance since it was a white man who was dead."
The crowd erupted. So did Rabb, "Objection, your honor! Objection!"
"It ain't true!" a woman in the back screamed. "It ain't true! I saw it! That ain't what happened!"
The crowd became even louder. "Order! Order in the court!" shouted the bailiff. Judge Boone hammered his gavel onto the stand. Finally the courtroom became quiet.
Cordelia stared in amazement at the woman screaming in the back of the courtroom. She knew her. It was Lauren Singer. Cordelia stared in disbelief, her eyes filling with tears as she caught AJ's gaze.
"Your honor, I ask for a recess so that I may question this new witness for rebuttal," said Rabb.
"I object, your honor. I question the veracity of this witness. If she saw a murder, why did she not come forward before now?" Chegwidden roared angrily. "What's more, the defense is not over. I demand that we be allowed to finish."
"The defense will be allowed to finish, but the prosecution will be allowed to call the witness to rebut the defense. At any rate, we will recess until tomorrow." Judge Boone banged the gavel down on the counter.
The bailiff called, "Court is adjourned."
Tess Coulter saw her father's favorite reporter race out of the courtroom. «Going for a front page story.» But Tess knew Miss Cori. «I just don't think she'd kill someone without a good reason. And Lord knows, there're plenty of good reasons to want to kill Daniel Wallace.» Tess noticed Sydney Walden in the back of the courtroom near where Lauren Singer had been standing. «If something happened to Miss Cori that would leave that land up for auction. And Sydney Walden has been land greedy for a long time.» Tess tucked her notebook into her reticule and made her way to the back of the courtroom.
7 January 1863
Perryville, Kentucky
The jail
1300 hours
Cordelia had ridden back to Perryville in stunned silence. It worried AJ. «What motive would that woman have to claim to have witnessed Cordelia kill Daniel Wallace? I need to find that out to discredit her.» He was getting no answers from Cordelia. She began to shiver, and he reached to cover her with another blanket. She leaned into him, sinking weakly into his arms. Against his better judgment, he held her. Even the warmth of his body failed to still her shivering, and AJ realized it was as much from shock as from the actual cold. She had fallen when she stood to climb from the wagon to walk into the jail. AJ ended up carrying her. She sat in the cell, still shivering uncontrollably.
Taking a flask from his pocket, AJ poured a small measure of bourbon into a cup of steaming coffee. He held it to her lips. Cordelia sipped from the cup. AJ whispered, "Cori, we have to keep going. I need your help. Please talk to me."
"What can I do?" Cordelia stammered.
"Tell me about Lauren Singer. Why would she do such a thing?" AJ asked.
Cordelia shook her head. "I can't imagine. I hardly know her. She's the common law wife of Chris Ragle. You've met him. He's the town drunk. Your men have brought him into the jail frequently. He usually fights them. Probably hits her, too, she's beaten up enough but always tells people she fell. They sharecrop some land from Sydney Walden. It isn't much. Between the condition of the land, which isn't fit for a pigpen, and Ragle's infrequent work, the crops rarely produce much. I doubt if they can pay their annual debt in any given year. I've never had much to do with either of them. Occasionally, Sturgis would run Ragle off the farm, but that's about it."
"Cordelia, if something happened to you, what would happen to the farm?" AJ was still perplexed.
For a moment, Cordelia thought. "I've never made a will. My family is dead, as is Braxton's. I suppose it would go up for auction."
"Has anyone ever expressed an interest in the land?" AJ was still hoping to find some clue.
"Several people, actually. Mostly Sydney Walden. She's asked repeatedly if I would sell her parts of the property that border hers. She even offered to buy the whole farm when Braxton died. I'd hate to think of the way she'd treat the horses, " Cordelia said.
AJ nodded. «Sydney Walden wants the farm. At least part of it. And the woman who claims to have witnessed Cordelia killing Wallace owes money to Sydney Walden.»
"How can this help?" Cordelia began to cry.
AJ pulled out a handkerchief and began to dry her tears. She leaned into him sobbing. He pulled her into his arms and took a deep breath. «I won't let them hurt you.»
7 January 1863
Perryville, Kentucky
The offices of The Perryville Sentinel
1300 hours
Tess Coulter watched the printing presses run. The story of Lauren Singer's outburst covered the front page. «But something isn't right. If I find out what it is, perhaps my father will let me write more than obituaries.» Tess chewed on her pencil and listened to the rumble of the presses.
«Lauren Singer and her common law husband live on property owned by Sydney Walden. Walden's property borders Cordelia Wallace's farm. Walden was standing near Singer before she began to shout out her accusations. It adds up. Walden isn't above treachery. She could have forced Singer to speak out.» Tess wondered how she could prove what she believed.