The Secret Saddle_Anna Troy's Emancipation

by Dani Larsen

  "Yes, I figured that is what it was about while they were beating the crap out of me. I don't know anything about that. I would never lynch anyone, or let anyone else I know do that. Why are they blaming me?"

  "The story is that law enforcement officers and Pinkerton men were responsible for Little's death, and they think it was paid for by the mine owners who are trying to stop the strike. The miners heard you were a Pinkerton man and figured you were in on it."

  "Damn, I'm not even with the agency anymore. I'm pretty much retired. I just use the badge to help me get information on the case I've been working on. I guess I won't be working on that case for a while."

  "Charlie, the doctor said you won't be up and about for at least two or three months. You've got several broken bones and two gunshot wounds to heal from, and he said it will take a little longer at your age. After the snow starts you won't be able to make it anywhere. I'd say you won't be able to head home until spring, or at least when the weather gets nicer."

  "Has anyone told my wife about what happened?"

  "Not that I know of, if you want to tell me where to telegraph I will send a message this afternoon."

  "That would be appreciated, Bart. I will pay you back, and I will pay you for all your help. Louise can send some money right away, but I need to let her know what happened and why she hasn't heard from me." Charlie was speaking slowly and carefully, as it was difficult and painful for him to talk at all.

  "I'll get some paper and you can write down what you want me to say, and then we can move you early tomorrow morning. I will get some trusted men to help move you to my extra room above the saloon. The doctor can come and check on you over there. I think it's time you thought about real retirement, Charlie. I don't think the guy you are looking for is anywhere around here, and I don't think you will be in any shape to track him down for quite a while."

  "I sure hate to see this guy get away with all he has done, but you might be right, Bart. All I want to do right now is get home to my Louise. I guess I'll have to go back to my writing when I finally get home, if I ever do. My next book will have to be about 'The One Who Got Away'."

  Part III

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  "Move to the City"

  The two cattle rustlers arrived back in Baker City, in the early spring of 1918. They took their time on the trek back from Winnemucca, stopping for a time in every small town along the way. They spent Christmas drinking in a bar outside of Nampa, Idaho. Jude didn't want to stop anywhere close to Boise, as he was afraid they were still looking for him there. He had grown a full beard and mustache and let his hair grow long. For some reason, the longer his hair grew the curlier it got, so he was pretty sure no one in Idaho would recognize him anymore, but he didn't want to take any chances.

  The men agreed to separate before they reached town and to not hang out together, so that no one would know they were partners. Sam also had a full beard now, and since it had been twenty-seven years since his famous crimes he hoped no one would recognize him, as he had spent a lot of time in the town jail. They decided if no one recognized Sam that the two men could become casually acquainted in a local saloon. Sam decided to change his last name just in case anyone remembered his name from way back when. Jude thought he could get his job back at the hotel, and they decided to meet in Jude's room late at night. Sam would check in as Sam Miller, and Jude would make sure no one would question his identity.

  Jude came into town first and went straight to the hotel where he had no problem getting his old job back, as they were still shorthanded. He had told them he was going to visit his sick mother in Portland when he left, so they were happy to see him back. Sam arrived about an hour later and went to the saloon, and he waited to check into the hotel until two in the afternoon.

  Sam got a job at the saloon on the far end of town. He thought working in a saloon was a great way to get information. When men were drinking, they were prone to talk about anything and everything. It was a good place to talk to Troy neighbors or ranch hands. The two men thought it was best that they take their time before they tried to steal the saddle, as they didn't want to be the new identifiable strangers. Mary and John Troy were well-known in the area so Jude wanted to lay low and pretend like he was an upstanding citizen of the community, so he wouldn't be a suspect when the time was right to break into the ranch. The last thing he needed was for that Pinkerton man to show up in Baker City and recognize him. That was the only thing that worried him.

  The George Hempe family welcomed their sixth child, George Stephen Hempe, on a cold crisp day in January of 1918. Although there was snow on the ground it wasn't snowing, and the winter winds were calm when Anna went into labor. A woman at a neighboring farm was a midwife, and George was able to ride over to her place with no problem early that morning. The birth was an easy one for Anna, although she was exhausted and worried about the big job of raising six children and helping George on the ranch. She prayed to the Lord that this would be the last child he would send her. The other children were thrilled with their new baby brother, especially Helen, who at seven years old thought she was big enough to help her mother out. Anna was up and around when her parents came to visit on Sunday, and she was carrying the tiny fellow in her home made sling.

  The Troys were thrilled to see their new grandbaby and nephew, and oohed and awed over him after their arrival. As the weather had stayed calm for several days after the baby's birth, George had been able to make it to his in-laws ranch to ask them to bring the priest to dinner with them on Sunday, so they could have the little boy baptized. It was a very cold day but the skies were clear, so the Troys bundled up and headed for the little ranch in Keating. They stopped by the rectory in Keating and asked the priest to follow them to the Hempe ranch.

  They had a lovely feast, as Mary, Fan, and Zee had cooked a turkey dinner before they left home, and they wrapped everything carefully and brought the full meal with them. They didn't want to get caught in a storm while they were this far from home, and having the food fully cooked ahead of time would save lots of time. All they would have to do is reheat the food, and if the weather turned they could return home quickly. John had caught the wild turkey a few days earlier. Anna was thrilled that she didn't have to fix dinner, and with her family's help they turned the baby's baptism into a festive celebration. After little George was fast asleep in his cradle and the children were settled down reading in the main room, the adults sat around the table talking. The priest had left after supper as he had a sick parishioner to attend to on his way home. George asked his in-laws what they had heard from his brother-in-law.

  "Sure do miss Steve, have you heard from him?"

  Steve had joined the service and gone to fight in World War I, in early December, and the family was praying for his safe return.

  "We got a letter last week. He says it's a brutal war, but so far he is safe and sound, and asks us to pray that peace comes soon."

  "I have been praying for his safety every night, Mama."

  "Thank ye, Anna, we are too. Let us talk about something we can do something about." John tried to lighten up the conversation.

  "I'm hoping we can sell our ranch and move into town in early spring, as I got a letter from the Police Captain asking me when I can come to work. I put my application in with the police department the last time I was in town. It would be great if we could sell this place before the crops need to be planted."

  "Let me check around for ye George. I'm thinking maybe the fellow who owns the land next to yers would be interested in buying yer property to add to his. He is a friend of mine, so hopefully I can make him understand that ye need to get back at least what ye paid fer it, and maybe a little more."

  "We would be happy with that."

  "Anna, I was thinking that maybe Kate could get ye some work doing alterations in town, so ye could add a little money to the pot." Mary told her daughter.

  "Thanks, Mama. That is a good idea. You might ask her when you see
her next. We need to bring in as much money as possible to save for our own place."

  The sound of the wind whistling through the wooden boards of the little house alerted them that the weather was changing, and when George looked out the window he reported ominous clouds forming in the sky. The Troys quickly piled into their buggy and headed for home. An hour later, the winds were swirling the heavy snow into piles that surrounded the house, and they had one of the worst blizzards that had hit Baker County in several years. The Hempe family bundled up and stayed inside for the next four days, except for George; who tended to the animals and brought in the wood for the fire. He had prepared for the harsh winter storms by purchasing extra feed, filling the barn with hay, and making sure the woodpile was full of burnable wood. The Troys had bought a crate full of jars of beans, jams, jellies, and fresh breads they had made especially for the growing family to add to their pantry. They cuddled up and stayed inside playing games, and reading again all the books in the house, while the wind, sleet, and snow raged outside.

  The storm was the last big one of the winter as when it was over the sun came out and the temperature rose to a balmy fifty-four, which was warm for that time of year in Eastern Oregon. As soon as they could, Anna and George started preparing things for their big move.

  John Troy knew the man well who owned the adjoining property to the Hempe's small farm. After some back and forth discussion with him, the man agreed to purchase their property at ten percent more than the Hempes had originally paid for the eighty acres. George was hired on the Baker City police force as soon as he wrote back and told them they were moving to the city. He found a rental house that was big enough for their family downtown, and they moved in the middle of March in 1918. The Troys helped them move, and it took three wagons filled with the family's possessions, and two buggies full of family members to get them into their new home. George, John, and Fan drove the three wagons, and Mary and Zee drove the two buggies. Anna rode in the buggy with her mother, with baby George in his sling and little Bert sitting between the two women. Little Mary sat in the back seat among blankets, toys, and pillows. John, Helen, and Joe rode in the buggy with their Aunt Zee.

  "Mama, have you heard from Steve?"

  "Yes, we finally got a letter last week. He says the war is terrible, and that he can't wait to get home. All I can do is to keep praying. I am so thankful when we do get a letter from him, because I know that he was alive when he wrote it."

  "I pray nightly for him too, Mama. I don't know why we got into this terrible war anyway. It seems like it has been going on for years, way before our country decided to get into it."

  "Yes, but the papers say that with our help the tide is turning and we are winning."

  "I hope so, as I can't stand the thought of anything happening to my brother."

  The children were so happy when they saw their new home that they ran through the house, opening and closing doors and cabinets. Fan and Zee played with the children, while the men unloaded the family's things from the wagons. Anna fed George in a chair in her new kitchen, at the same time directing her family to put things where she wanted them. When they finished working, John and George went to the general store and stocked up on food for the family, to add to what Anna and Mary had brought. Mary fixed sandwiches, lemonade, hard boiled eggs, pickles, and tea for everyone, who sat wherever they could to enjoy the meal. George parked his buggy in the driveway and his wagon in front of the house. There was a small stable behind the house where he put the family's four horses, and fed and watered them. All of the supplies for the horses and the vehicles were put in the barn, including the wooden crate which held the saddle that Mary had given Anna when they moved to the farm in Keating.

  It took a little while for the family to get settled in their new home. The school was right down the street where John, Helen, and Joe attended. Anna was thrilled that her children got to socialize with other children, and that she no longer had to teach them at home, but she missed them terribly, and so did the three younger children, as their entertainers and often babysitters were their three older siblings. Anna realized how much help they were to her when they were not there.

  The Hempes made some extra money when they moved, by selling their stock and some of their farm tools to the neighbor who was buying their small farm. George kept all of the tools that he thought he would need when they eventually purchased a dairy farm. The extra money had helped them financially. They kept their chickens, and George built a small coop in the back yard of their house, so they had fresh eggs in the morning and sold what was surplus. Eventually, they sold the rooster too, as some people in the city wanted to sleep in, and he was an early morning crower.

  Anna took in sewing and alterations to make some extra money. Kate's shop in town was still doing a booming business, so she was able to give Anna a lot of weekly sewing to do. George loved his job patrolling the streets of Baker City. It was a thriving town in the early 1900's. The traffic was still mainly horses, buckboards, carriages, and stage coaches, but more people were investing in automobiles, and they were becoming part of the everyday traffic in the city.

  The children were growing up and able to help their mother in several ways. John, at nine, was great at collecting eggs from the chicken coop every morning before school, and seven year old, Helen, was a wonderful sitter for her little brothers and sister. Six year old, Joseph, helped his brother collect eggs and sell them, and he was also good at sweeping the front porch.

  The three older children loved attending school, in the one room schoolhouse right down the street, and were disappointed when it was over at the beginning of June. They were happy to find that there was a lot to do in the neighborhood in the summer too. While they were in school, they would come home and practice reading to the smaller children. When they were out of school for the summer, they continued to read every day at their mother's insistence, but they spent a lot of time playing in their large backyard. Four year old, Mary, was the live wire of the group. She was always curious and asked a lot of questions and couldn't wait to start school herself. If you were to ask Anna, she would say that Mary was more of a handful than her baby brothers. Bert was walking by the time they moved. He was eighteen months old and a happy little boy, who was content to be entertained by his older siblings. Anna carried little George around in the sling she had become accustomed to using, and she was able to get a lot done while nurturing the baby. She had become a very capable mother, and her nightmares visited her rarely now, so she was busy, but happy.

  It was hot in Baker City in the summer of 1918. The children were in and out of the house all day. They loved the weather because they could play outside most of the day when they weren't doing chores. Only Bert and George were inside most of the time, and Bert loved playing with his baby brother. It was George's turn to hang out in the apple crate, and Bert entertained him by making funny faces at him and listening to him giggle. Mary insisted on playing outside with the older children, and Helen was good at watching her little sister. They liked to play stick ball in the lot on the corner with the other children that lived on the street. Everything was going well, until one hot morning in July when George came home for lunch and brought someone with him. Anna's mouth fell open when she saw Jude Burden enter her front door.

  "Hi, Anna, hope you don't mind. I found an old friend in town and asked him to come home for lunch."

  "Hello, Mrs. Anna. How are you? I heard you two have a passel of children now."

  Feeling sick inside, Anna was barely able to speak.

  "I'm fine, Jude. Yes, we have six children now." Little George was sleeping in his cradle in the corner of the room, and Bert had immediately clasped onto his father's leg who bent down to pick him up.

  "Mighty good looking little boys you have here." Jude was trying a little too hard for Anna. He still gave her the creeps.

  "Where are the rest of your youngins?"

  "They are outside playing stick ball with the neighborhood ki
ds."

  "Sit down, Jude, and tell us what you have been doing for the last couple of years." George pulled out a chair for the man who had worked for his father.

  "I've just been traveling around a bit, seeing this pretty country. After your mother sold the ranch I thought it was time for a change, so I worked here and there for a while, but I came back to Baker City and got me a job at the hotel where I am living. It doesn't pay much, but covers my room and a couple of meals in the hotel restaurant. I worked for a time up in Idaho doing the same thing a long time ago. How is your father doing, George?"

  Anna was quietly filling two plates with meat, cheese, and biscuits. Her hands were shaking, as she poured them coffee and set the plates in front of the two men.

  "My pa passed away in December of 1916, Jude. The accident damaged his brain, and I guess there was no coming back from that. The month before that, my sister Mary caught typhoid fever, and she passed from that before my pa died. It was really sad, as she was newly married and had a baby on the way. She lost the baby too."

  Jude was happy to hear that he didn't have to worry about Frank telling on him anymore, but he was surprised to hear about Mary's death. He put on his saddest face.

  "I am sorry, George. I didn't know about your pa, and can't imagine how awful losing both of them like that could have been. How is your mother doing?"

  "Ma is doing okay. She has Ida and Agnes living close now. Sylvester stayed in Union and we all write each other once a month, although Walla Walla is just a little too far to go and visit."

  "Your ma was always a nice woman. I'm real sorry for her."

  "Thanks, Jude. We miss them both."