Orphan Train Tragedy

by Rachel Wesson

  “But that’s ridiculous.” Charlie stood up. “What sort of idiot believes that nonsense. Everyone in this room does their best for those children.”

  Lily caught her husband’s eye and motioned for him to retake his seat.

  “My apologies, Father Nelson. I didn’t mean to insinuate your Bishop is an idiot.”

  “Charlie, I didn’t argue with you, did I?” Father Nelson’s eyes twinkled for a second before he became serious once more. “The Bishop has suggested I refrain from mixing our children with those of other faiths. He doesn’t want Catholic children corrupted by others.”

  Lily had heard enough. “I swear to God that man is an idiot. Who cares what religion someone practices so long as they are good to the children? Surely it is more important to provide a safe and loving home rather than worry about what Church they attend?”

  “I agree, Lily. I haven’t told him we have two Jewish girls going on the next train. I also may have suggested to Reverend Haas, he come to meet you, Kathleen and your wonderful husbands. Reverend Haas is very interested in the work you do at the sanctuary.”

  “Funny you should mention him, Father. Charlie told us this evening he is organizing a big picnic and thought to invite us. Isn’t that right, Charlie?”

  Charlie nodded. “Yes Lily, they were talking about him at work.”

  “Reverend Haas decided young Pieter Fleming should ride our train,” Father Nelson added.

  “Is that the young boy who lost his parents in the trolley accident?”

  “Yes Kathleen. Reverend Haas believes there are many more children who could benefit from being sent away from New York. Little Germany is experiencing a decline. Much like other places in New York. Those who enjoy a little bit of good fortune are taking their children to live in better neighborhoods. Where they can enjoy good housing, fine schools and less crime.”

  “Meanwhile the people left behind become poorer and more vulnerable,” Kathleen said. “The Bishop should encourage his rich parishioners to do more to help to reduce crime. To get the gangs off the streets and into better paying jobs. To provide better housing. I bet some of his parishioners own the tenements those poor people call a home.”

  “Kathleen, maybe I should introduce you to the bishop.”

  Lily looked at the priest seeing the fresh lines around his eyes. He looked older every day. She had no idea what age he was.

  “Why don’t we invite Reverend Haas and his wife to dinner next week. Then we can discuss ways to work together. Father Nelson you can just happen to pop in. I don’t have to tell your Bishop who comes to dinner in my home.”

  “Yes Lily, let’s do that. Father Nelson, between Kathleen and my wife, I am sure they will find a way to work around your Bishop. For now, why don’t we all have another drink and then I will drive Father Nelson home.”

  Father Nelson stood so quickly, he nearly knocked his chair over. “Thank you, Charlie, but I will get a cab. Your horseless carriage reminds me of my younger days hanging onto the back of a horse for dear life. I will leave you younger people to enjoy the rest of your evening. Just one last request.”

  “Yes Father,” Lily replied.

  “Bring me some Coney Island Taffy. I’ve heard great things about it.”

  Everyone burst out laughing at the childish joy on the Priests face.

  “I will, Father. Maybe I will buy some for the Bishop too.”

  “Make his extra sticky. He can’t lecture me if his mouth is full.” Father Nelson tipped his hat, closing the door as he left the room.

  “I wish I could speak to the Bishop.” Lily’s voice shook with anger. “Actually, I should kidnap him and make him live in a tenement. One night in a place like the hovel we found Toby and the other children in, and he might just change his mind.”

  “Lily, darling. Some will never change their ways. Don’t lose sleep over that man. His time of reckoning will come.”

  “Do you really believe that, Charlie?” Kathleen asked as Richard sat beside her on the sofa.

  “Yes, Kathleen. I might not go to church as regular as Father Nelson would like but I believe in God. We will all have to face his judgement one day. I would love to be present when the Bishop tries to explain to his master how he could have done more to help the children but didn’t.”

  Lily knew Charlie believed every word he said but she found it difficult to believe in a God who would let so many children and families suffer. With men like the Bishop in charge and with stories of how some nuns treated the orphan children, her belief in a higher power was tested on a daily basis. She didn’t want to think about that now.

  “So, Charlie, tell us about what we are going to see in Coney Island?”

  She wasn’t really interested but Charlie could talk forever about the new attractions. Richard and Kathleen seemed to enjoy the conversation. She hoped their visit would live up to Charlie’s promises.

  Chapter 10

  Teddy, Laurie and their friends jumped up and down, sitting one minute and standing the next. They were so excited. Charlie had agreed to each of the twins bringing two friends to the show. Laurie had chosen Pieter, the latest arrival at the sanctuary and Teddy had brought his friend, Kevin. All four boys had already spent their allowance on candy. Instead of taking Charlies new automobile, they had taken the express train from Lower Manhattan. Pieter had never been on a train before. Nor had Kevin and the twins pretended they hadn’t as they wanted to share in their friend’s excitement.

  It was a beautiful sunny day and the crowds were out in force. Lily made sure the boys knew where to go if they got separated from the adults. Charlie told her to relax but she was conscious of the number of strangers around them. That and the dubious reputation Coney Island had enjoyed in years gone by.

  “Mom it’s time to go in. We got to get our seats now or we will miss the opening.”

  “Relax Teddy, we have to wait our turn. You can’t skip the queue.” Lily turned to Teddy’s friend. “Are you feeling all right, Kevin, you look a bit pale.”

  “I’m okay thank you, Mrs. Doherty.” The boy clearly wasn’t but at least he was making an effort. Lily sat beside him. She could take him outside if he got too scared. Pieter made a few remarks in German. Lily couldn’t understand the words, but his expression of delight was easy to read. She was glad to see him smiling. She hoped Kathleen would find him a nice home when they traveled together on the orphan train.

  “What is going to happen, Mom?” Laurie asked, not taking his eyes from the stage.

  “I have no idea. Ask your father.”

  “Dad?” Laurie stood to get Charlie’s attention.

  Charlie read from the flyer in his hand. “The Fire and Flames exhibit will be like nothing you have ever seen before. Take a seat quickly, I think it’s about to start.”

  The curtain raised. Lily was astonished to find herself looking at a full-sized New York style tenement. It looked just like it had been lifted out of Hells’ Kitchen. In fact, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Granny Belbin had appeared out of one of the windows. She looked at the people around her. Their obvious disappointment mirrored her own feelings. They hadn’t come all the way to Coney Island to look at a depressing part of New York they could see every day for free if they wanted to.

  Lily sat back and watched as life on the “street” in front of them unfolded. Street peddlers sold their wares with children playing in and out between their carts just like in real life.

  “Mom, this is boring. Can we see something else?”

  “Shush Teddy. Maybe something will—” Before Lily could finish her sentence, members of the audience screamed as smoke followed by flames poured out of the upper window of the tenement. Lily grabbed for her children’s hands, wondering how they would reach the exit with all the people around them. Women and children near the tenement windows screamed. “We’re trapped, help us.”

  Lily couldn’t drag her eyes away from the scene in front of her. She heard the fire engine bells and soon
there were dozens of firemen at the scene. They poured water onto the fire, while others wielding axes ran into the building.

  “Mom, look,” Teddy was jumping up and down as he pointed to some fireman laying out a tarpaulin. They gestured to the women and children to jump. Lily held a hand to her mouth as the victims did just that. Thankfully, the makeshift net held, and nobody fell to their death. Then it was all over. The curtain dropped, and the lights came on. The audience stood and clapped. Lily remained seated, not quite believing that what she had seen hadn’t been real. It was all a pretense. Nobody had been in real danger.

  “You look pale, darling. Are you not feeling well?” Charlie asked.

  “I can’t believe they would make up something so horrible about a fire. Real fires destroy lives every day. It isn’t something they should use to entertain us.” Lily could see her husband didn’t agree with her sentiments. Frustrated, she looked around her. Kevin and Pieter were both clapping as enthusiastically as her children.

  She seemed to be in the minority. Most of the audience seemed delighted by the performance, their faces lit up with joy. Maybe Lily had seen too much of the real life experienced by those in the tenements.

  “Can we go home, please?” she asked.

  “Aw Mom, not yet. I want to see the—”

  “Teddy, stop it. Your mother is upset. Come on Lily, get your coat.” Charlie took command of the situation and led their family out.

  Her children left Lily in no doubt they blamed her for ruining their fun. But she couldn’t change her mind. She thought the exhibit was tasteless. Just last Christmas, over six hundred people had lost their lives in a fire at a theater in Chicago. What was the sense of making fun or entertainment from something so deadly?

  Chapter 11

  When they got to the exit, they found Richard and Kathleen waiting for them. Patrick soon arrived carrying some candy for the children.

  “What did you think?” Kathleen whispered to Lily.

  “It was horrible. Why would anyone want to see something like that?”

  Kathleen linked arms with Lily. “I am so glad you feel like I did. I’m sure the people around me thought I was odd. They seemed to love it but all I could think about were the children we’ve sent out of New York on the trains because of fires.”

  “I think both you ladies need a holiday and time to recover your sense of fun. The organizers know New Yorkers love nothing better than tales of down-to-earth men becoming heroes. Firemen are those heroes. In fact, most of the men you saw on stage are real life firefighters making an extra few bucks acting out here.” Charlie grinned at the two women. “I am guessing you wouldn’t be up for going to see the Johnston flood reenactment then?”

  “Yay Dad, that sounds cool. Can we go there next? Laurie would love it and it would be good for lessons. We could tell the teacher all about it when we get back to school. Can we go? Now?” Teddy begged. “Kevin and Pieter want to go too. Don’t you?” Teddy nudged the boys beside him, and they all looked imploringly at Charlie.

  “Charlie Doherty. When will you learn to keep things to yourself?" Lily protested above the shouts of her twin boys.

  “Boys will be boys,” Kathleen said. “Maybe after you take the children to see the various enactments, you could bring them over to the firemen who will teach them about real fires and how dangerous they are.”

  Lily nodded in approval to Kathleen’s suggestion. At least some good might come out of their visit. But, there was no way on this planet she was going to any more real-life reenactments. Where was a good old-fashioned magician or a singer?

  “Richard, would you mind escorting Lily home and I will stay with the boys. Patrick, you can stay too if you like?”

  “Thanks Mr. Doherty. I’d like that. Sorry Mom but I enjoyed it.” Patrick kissed Kathleen on the cheek.

  “Richard, do you want to stay too? Kathleen and I are well capable of taking the train back home?”

  “No, thank you, Lily. I feel the same as you both do. Enjoy Charlie, boys. See you later, son.”

  Lily kissed her husband and boys goodbye and headed to the exit with Richard and Kathleen.

  “Thank you Richard, I hope I didn’t ruin your day out.”

  “Lily, you didn’t. I was glad to leave. After dealing with burn victims day in and day out, I thought the exhibit rather tasteless to be honest. Kathleen wasn’t too impressed either.”

  Kathleen didn’t say anything. Lily glanced at her wondering what was on her friend’s mind. She’d been all jittery since the visit to Granny Belbin. Was she worried about the Orphan Train?

  “Kathleen, you with us?”

  “Sorry Lily, I was miles away. Pieter is a lovely young boy isn’t he. I wonder if I will be able to find a foreign, I mean German speaking family for him.”

  Lily wasn’t convinced it was Pieter’s situation bothering her friend, but she wasn’t about to say so. “You might find a family like Kevin’s. Couldn’t get one more American yet they speak German as a family. Kevin’s grandparents on both sides came over in the 1860’s.”

  They chatted about this and that as they made their way home. Kathleen and Richard didn’t linger. Lily enjoyed having the house to herself as Sarah had taken the other children out. Lily took out a book intending to read but was fast asleep when the boys finally came home.

  When they got home, Laurie and Teddy escaped up to their rooms. When Lily checked on them later, she found them playing firemen. Teddy was the fireman and Laurie the child who needed rescuing.

  As the paper coverage proved over the next few days, Lily and Kathleen were in the minority. Most people loved the Fire and Flames experience. Most everyone she came in contact with had either seen it for themselves or heard of it from their neighbors.

  Charlie took the paper from her hands one evening, not long after they had seen the event. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the side of her neck.

  “Darling, you’ve forgotten the most important thing about the show. It gives New Yorkers what they want most from life. A happy resolution to every problem.”

  Distracted by her husband’s caresses, Lily didn’t argue. Who was she to stop others from having their fun?

  Chapter 12

  Kathleen and Lily were sitting in the sanctuary office, checking the final preparations for the next orphan train.

  “Thank you so much for not pulling out of accompanying this train,” Lily said. “I think no one could have borne it if we’d had to cancel the trip again.”

  Kathleen agreed. “The children are nervous enough without the train being canceled at the last minute. I said from the start I could handle it alone, but I had hoped, if I’m honest, Jane would come with me. It’s a pity Gregory convinced her to elope. They could have gotten married first and taken the orphans to Green River as part of their honeymoon trip.”

  Lily smiled at Kathleen’s attempt at a joke. “I hope she will be happy. Gregory seems to be a nice man, but I wouldn’t like to live with my mother-in-law. Especially, if I hadn’t met her.”

  “I thought you got on well with Charlie’s mother.”

  “Ruth is a lovely woman, but I like the fact she lives in Clover Springs and not in New York. Mothers always think the sun shines out of their children. I love Charlie, but some days he just drives me nuts.”

  “Isn’t that what all men do?” Kathleen asked.

  “Ladies, do I feel my ears burning?”

  Father Nelson stepped into the room. “Sorry to intrude but Cook let me in. She said to make my way through, she’s in a tizzy. She’s run out of sugar or something for her baking.”

  “Poor Cook,” Lily said. “She is making a batch of cookies for the children to celebrate their last night. She made the mistake of asking them which ones they would like, and they all chose different types.”

  “I hope someone asked for coconut and chocolate. They are my favorites.” Father Nelson subconsciously rubbed his expanding belly.

  “I think Cook knows better than
to forget you, Father Nelson. It's lovely to see you but why are you here? Something tells me you are about to change our plans.”

  “Lily Doherty, are you implying I would interfere with any of your arrangements?”

  Lily just lifted her eyebrows, making Father Nelson blush a little.

  “Well, Lily, maybe I do. This one can’t be helped. Kathleen, I need you to collect another child on the trip. She will join you at a small station two stops farther down the line. There was no time to collect her and bring her to the sanctuary.”

  “What’s her name, her age?” Kathleen asked.

  “Mia Chambers, and she is six years old. I made a big mistake.”

  Surprised, Kathleen and Lily both looked at the old priest.

  “When her parents died in a tenement fire a year ago, Mia spent some time in the hospital. Three months ago, I persuaded her uncle to take custody of her. I shouldn’t have. He is a young single man and obviously not equipped to deal with a six-year-old girl. He wrote and asked me to collect her. The poor child has lost someone else.”

  Lily looked confused. “I don’t remember Mia. Did she come to the sanctuary?”

  “No, the hospital released her into the care of the orphanage,” the priest explained. “It was only when I met the uncle when he visited one day, that I asked him to take Mia. I felt sorry for her. I let my emotions cloud my vision.”

  “Father Nelson, you did the right thing,” Lily said. “We always try to keep children with their families. At least you tried.”

  The priest looked up, and the sadness in his eyes tore at Kathleen’s heart. She moved toward him and put her hand on his arm. She would have hugged him but for the collar he wore. That small white band put a distance between them. She rubbed his arm. “Father Nelson, Lily is right. You did what you thought best. I will collect Mia and find her the best family I can. I promise.”