The Escort

by Gina Robinson

  "We've done it!"

  "We've won!"

  "The second Battle of Bunker Hill is a success!"

  Their voices blended in a cacophony of human sound and victorious emotion.

  Tonio was beside her again with his good arm around her. And then they were swept away toward the train with the black tide of miners.

  The ride home on the train was a nightmare she couldn't forget. Through some miracle Tonio had been able to keep them from being separated. She rode home on his lap in a fetid, cramped rail car meant for hauling freight, not people, with a group of men so raunchy and drunk she feared for her safety and her immortal soul for witnessing their foul language and behavior.

  Flasks of whiskey and rum circulated freely from man to man. Tonio drank liberally from each one that passed his way. She couldn't condemn him. He drank to deaden the increasing pain of his gunshot wound, but she worried about his ability to protect her. She clutched his stiletto with such passion that her knuckles turned white and the feeling in her fingers faded, but she would not weaken her grip. Tonio acted casual, joking and laughing with the men as he refused their lewd offers for Angelina. Still, his hand was never far from his revolver.

  The train made stop after stop. At each tiny town, at every mine, men piled off, many returning to work the shifts in the mines that they had abandoned hours before, acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had transpired. Wallace was nearly the last stop. Somehow they got off the train and made their way to the Hall home with Angelina supporting Tonio.

  The shock had long since worn off and Angelina could only imagine the pain each step caused him. The alcohol numbed his senses some, but unfortunately it had numbed his balance as well. They wove and threaded their way across the sidewalk until they reached home. May met them at the door and the two women shuttled Tonio into the second floor bedroom that Angelina occupied. Angelina's shoulders ached from his weight as she watched May guide Tonio the last few feet to the bed.

  "Drop the knife, Angelina. You're home," May commanded.

  Angelina wasn't aware she still clutched it. She stood in the doorway too stunned to respond.

  In the end, May pried it from her hand. "Don't fall apart now, Angelina. Tonio needs help, quickly. Let's get him to bed and see to his wound."

  Angelina helped May undress him. May moved with rapid precision. Angelina fumbled in a haze. They pulled off his boots and pants. May cut off his undershirt and untied the dirty towel to inspect the bullet wound.

  "Couldn't find anything cleaner," he mumbled seeing the disgust May displayed as she dropped it to the floor.

  She ordered Angelina to bring a basin and fresh towels and sheets to use as bandages. She was about to help him lie down gently on his back when he cried out. "My back, May. Clean my back first. I can't lie on it."

  Angelina returned with the basin of water, soap, and rags. May wet a cloth to wipe clean the blood. Tonio cried out in pain. Confused by his reaction to her gentle wipes, May took a closer look. In the light from the window hundreds of tiny slivers of glass glinted viciously, piercing the skin of his shoulders and arms.

  "Angelina, get the tweezers," May said.

  "A window blew out above me." Tonio spoke through his teeth in great pain. "Should've known better."

  When Angelina came back into the room May was asking Tonio a question and oddly Tonio seemed to be comforting her. Angelina heard only muffled parts of their conversation.

  "He's all right, May. They didn't hurt him. He was driving when we pulled into Wallace."

  May mumbled something and Tonio replied. "He'll be home anytime. You should be proud."

  May realized Angelina was back. "The bullet's still in. Angelina, go for the doctor. Get old Foster. He'll come. And be quiet about it."

  As Angelina left, May was gently and meticulously tweezing the glass from Tonio's upper body.

  Finding Dr. Foster had not proved an easy task, probably made more difficult by her tired mind and the confusion and hysteria in town. May had finished the job by the time Angelina returned. Tonio was lying on his back, nearly unconscious, his wound neatly scrubbed, but oozing a clear looking fluid. May bathed his forehead with cool water. Doc Foster sent Angelina out, though she protested. May stayed to assist him. When they were finished, the bullet was out and the wound dressed and Tonio was ordered confined to his bed for at least a week.

  Al didn't return until late that night. He was exhausted and refused to say much about what had gone on during the abduction. May didn't press. She was too happy that he was home safely to care about the details. She didn't even condemn him for letting Angelina go along.

  For days the story of the explosion dominated every aspect of life: the newspapers, conversation, peoples' thoughts. Everyone had an opinion, an anecdote, a fear.

  For three uneasily quiet days, euphoria reigned in the Valley. Many of the mines shut down. Most notably the Bunker but other smaller ones as well, those that depended on the Bunker's power plant for energy to operate. Nearly eight hundred mining jobs were at stake, but it didn't dampen the sense of victory the men felt. They drank and partied and bragged of their victory while their leaders quietly packed and left town without anyone bothering to question their conspicuous absence.

  Governor Steunenberg had been wired immediately, but no action had been taken. Many felt none would be despite the governor's promise to "punish and totally eradicate from this community a class of criminals who for years have been committing murders and other crimes in open violation of law."

  After all, what could the governor do? The Idaho State militia was away in the Philippines cleaning up the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. Angelina heard one young miner predict, "You can't steal railroad trains, dynamite mines, and burn villages without some reaction." Personally, she agreed with him.

  Angelina spent the first day after the explosion never more than shouting distance from Tonio's bedside. Doc Foster claimed his injury was not life threatening, but that did not prevent nearly twenty-four hours of fever-induced delirium and pain.

  Angelina sponged and sponged him again as he sweated and toiled to break the fever. Maybe she imagined it, but he seemed to desire, and even demand her presence in his room. He called her name over and over again. All the while she reassured him of her presence, his safety, her safety. On the second day, the fever broke and he sat up in bed drinking warm broth. On the third day she caught him sitting up on the edge of the bed pulling on his boots.

  "Pull those things off and lie back down!" She watched him from the doorway. "What on earth are you doing trying to get up?"

  He looked at her calmly. "I'm preparing to leave the state. Be a dear and pack me a bag."

  She thought he was joking until she saw the serious glint in his eyes. "You're not teasing."

  "Of course I'm not teasing, Angelina. This is a serious matter. Now find me a jacket, I've lost my black leather one. And find me a duffel of some sort, anything will do. I need you to run to the bank for me and make a withdrawal." He ticked off an impressive list of preparations for Angelina to make.

  "Where are you planning on going? And why?" She had no intention of helping him move.

  "We're going. Pack some things for yourself and grab any cash you have; we'll need it. It may be a while before we can return."

  "I'm so happy you're including me in your plans, but we aren't going anywhere." She walked over and eased him back onto the bed. He didn't have the strength of a buttercup. "You're in no condition to travel if you can't defend yourself against me."

  "Such a nice girl. I'd leave you behind in an instant, but you're an accessory now and I'd hate to see what they'd do to your pretty hide in jail." He leaned up on his elbow.

  "What jail?"

  "The jail where the officials will surely pen up as many miners as they can round up and charge with blowing up the concentrator. Haven't you read the papers lately?"

  "What are you talking about?"

  "Our fine governor ha
s declared Shoshone County is in a state of insurrection and rebellion and asked for federal troops. It's only a matter of time before they arrive. When they do, it'll be '92 all over again. They'll round up every miner in sight and throw them into a makeshift bullpen, and then they'll make an example of one or two of them.

  "I don't plan on being around when that happens. The Montana border is fewer than ninety miles away. With luck, we'll reach it before the troops arrive."

  "That won't happen, Tonio. Men who are directly implicated are calmly awaiting their fate. So many can't be wrong."

  "They're fools. Do you see Ed Baker or any of the other leaders hanging around?"

  "We aren't going anywhere until you're well enough to travel. And then only when I say so. You've lost too much blood and there's still danger of an infection." She stood over him, trembling with fear and wondering whether she should heed his warning and get them out of town.

  Tonio lay back in the bed looking pale and drained.

  She bit her lip. Maybe Tonio was right. "I'll pack the things you asked for on the slim chance you're right and have to escape quickly. Now you need to rest. You can't possibly travel today."

  "Tomorrow may be too late," he replied weakly. "You will come with me. I won't leave you behind."

  She looked down so that he couldn't see her eyes and the desperate plea for his love they held. She could never veil her eyes the way he could. "Tonio, there is no need to leave, is there? Not if you're innocent?"

  He didn't answer but instead closed his eyes. "I'm tired, Angelina. Please leave me alone now."

  She covered him with a light blanket and walked to the door.

  Tonio saw her hesitate, watching him for a moment before departing. Her doubt permeated the room. He could have reassured her, but he wanted her faith in him to be her own. What had he expected? That she would jump at the opportunity to flee with him? That she would tell him she believed in him? That she would love him at all costs?

  Yes, that's exactly what he'd expected. He lay back and fell into a fitful sleep as she set about the errands he had sent her on, unaware of the damage she had caused.

  Chapter 16

  Tonio's dire prediction became reality less than twenty-four hours later. Early on the morning of May third a special train carrying close to eight hundred African American blue-jacketed federal reserve troops rolled into the Silver Valley. Brigadier General H.C. Merriam, a tough man without a sense of humor concerning military matters and violation of law, headed the troops. With a precise efficiency known to very few outside of the military, he conducted his assignment as if he were planning a battle. Within hours of arriving, his men had secured arrest warrants for over fifty men.

  They blockaded the rail lines and major thoroughfares, and took up office in local government offices. The troops arrested Sheriff Young and his deputies and declared Shoshone County under martial law. He made an official announcement to the newspapers and posted signs in every town.

  As the day progressed and it became obvious that many men were trying to escape, the General ordered troops not to bother securing warrants but to arrest anyone that could be identified as being at the Bunker on the day of the violence.

  General Merriam commandeered a barn near Wardner and dispatched a group of troops to begin constructing a makeshift jail. Barbed wire fences went up within a span of hours. Tents were erected. Another dispatch of troops was sent to monitor the surrounding hills and arrest any miners trying to escape. They apprehended many miners as they sought refuge in the hills. The unfamiliar sight of an African American soldier charging after them with rifle in hand was usually enough to cause even the bravest man to surrender. Lined up two abreast and closely guarded, the captives were marched in groups of twenty to thirty men back to the prison camp—the bullpen as it was soon to be known.

  Locals panicked as their men sought to escape. Horror stories quickly surfaced of miners being arrested as they got off shift, still in their digging clothes. Dripping wet and foul, they were herded into boxcars and shuttled into the prison camp, their families left to wonder what had become of them.

  Soldiers rammed in doors and ransacked houses as they searched for hideaways. They smashed furniture and insulted and roughly tossed aside women who tried to protect their men. Tensions and fear were further amplified by the predominately white population's distrust of the African American troops sent to quell the labor rebellion.

  The regular Idaho militia was fighting the Spanish American war with Teddy Roosevelt. Idaho Governor Steunenberg had been forced to ask the federal government for help. The feds had sent the African American militia. Anti-government sentiment ran high.

  Truth and fiction escalated and commingled as the hours ticked by and tensions rose, until it became impossible to discern between them. Two things were certain—the Valley was in a panic and no one was safe.

  Angelina was at the hotel when she heard the news. She ran for home without pausing to think out a plan. Out of breath and winded, she burst into the upstairs bedroom where Tonio rested, her words barely coherent, her thoughts wild and jumbled. She grabbed Tonio's boots and shoved them at him, then flew around the room, throwing odd items into the empty duffel she'd dragged out the day before.

  "Tonio! Get up! They've arrested Al! Got him when he reported for work this morning. May's in a tizzy. Said to make sure you escape. Why are you sitting there! Hurry! They'll be here soon!"

  Tonio lay back calmly on the bed watching her with mild amusement. "Who is they?"

  "The troops, who else? They arrived in Wardner this morning, nearly a thousand of them. Mostly African American men. The General's declared martial law." She didn't slow from her frenzied task. "They're arresting everyone."

  "I see. And what are we going to do?"

  "Escape, of course!"

  He laughed, a loud cynical laugh tinged with genuine amusement.

  "Why are you laughing?"

  "I'm laughing at you, planning to escape. We're a day late, my dear. You should have listened to me yesterday."

  "It's not too late! They haven't gotten to Wallace yet. If we hurry—"

  "You have a plan, I assume."

  "No, I haven't had time to think." She paused for a moment. "We'll take a train."

  "A train? You think the General is so stupid as to allow the trains to run, happily loaded with fugitives headed for Montana or Canada?"

  "Perhaps not. What about the horses we use at the Hole?"

  "We'd have to get to Burke. And I lost the only one that could run worth a damn at the Bunker. Angelina, by now I guarantee you, the hills are blue with troops. I've been in the military. I can guess the way the General is thinking. This is a battle to him. He'll have fortified the area. There is no escape."

  "Then we'll hide."

  "Where? Under the bed? In the root cellar? You don't think they'll search those places? Tell me, Angel, why are you so concerned? They won't arrest the innocent. You said so yourself, or do you doubt?"

  She didn't understand his hard look. "They're arresting everyone who was seen at the mine that day. Everyone! We were there!"

  "Are you so worried about yourself?"

  "I'm worried about you." She couldn't tell him how much.

  He leaned back against his pillow. "Sit back and relax. Destiny will be. We can't change it now."

  The day passed in a slow, nervous tedium. Try as hard as she might, Angelina could not think up a plan of either escape or alibi. Tonio spent the morning quietly thinking or playing solitaire. She hoped he was concocting a plan, but his face was a mask, unreadable. Whatever he was thinking he refused to comment on. Late in the afternoon the troops stormed Wallace like an enemy attacker. She couldn't believe this was their own government.

  The blue coated troopers marched up Pine Street in precise military formation. She watched in silent horror from the upstairs bedroom as they forcibly entered the house across the street. Then their neighbor to the right. She counted a contingency of nearly thirt
y troops guarding as many local men in the street as they stormed home after home. She winced every time one walked past their gate. At last it was over. They marched the men towards the rail depot, inexplicably ignoring 221 Pine.

  "Tonio, they've gone! We're safe! All this worry over nothing!" She clapped her hands in a girlish expression of glee and then danced to the bed singing. "We're free! We're safe! We're free!" The look on Tonio's face as she bent to hug him froze her in place.

  "Pack our things, Angel. We're leaving tonight as soon as it's dark."

  "Why? We're not suspect."

  "We've been given a reprieve. They didn't stop here because they already have Al. They expect to find me in Burke. When they don't find me there, they'll come back here."

  "Where will we go?"

  "To Harrison and the shack you own."

  "How will we get there?" He had said that they couldn't take the train and they had no horse.

  "We'll walk."

  "In the dark? The whole way! Oh, Tonio! I can't. I don't know the way. We'd have to follow the tracks."

  "They'll be watching the tracks for trains, not people. We can do it if we're careful. The problem will be getting out of town."

  May came home nearly an hour before dusk, fuming and stewing over the treatment Al had received at the army's hands. "Jackasses, all of them! They're claiming Al is a part of all this, that he willingly participated. Al was taken hostage at gunpoint! That constitutes willingness? I suppose he should've let the holdup men shoot him. Jackasses!"

  She briefly outlined the condition at the bullpen. "And the men don't have any food or blankets. And the guards give you the worst kind of abuse when you try to take some in."

  "May, calm down. We need your help." Tonio told her his plan.

  "They've imposed a curfew at dark, Tonio," she said when he'd finished.

  "I expected as much. Just before dark Angelina and I will head to the Lux. I'm going to pretend to be escorting her home after treating a working lady to dinner. Once we're inside the Lux, we'll wait until nightfall and sneak out the back. The Lux is the last building in town before the depot. The tracks are no more than forty feet from the back of the building."