Chapter 9
It took longer than expected for the Sherman children to settle after lunch, and when Roseanne appeared in the doorway between the office and the living quarters, she was visibly fatigued.
“Are you able to continue, Mrs. Danbury?” Harlan asked the wane looking girl.
“I will do my best, your Honor.”
“Very well,” the man allowed. “But permit me to ask one question before you begin, ma’am.”
The girl looked up and waited for Judge Lemke’s question, her remarkable eyes darkening.
“When did you become aware of the arrangements between your mother and Gerald Matthews?”
“I’m not sure I understand, sir. I mean, I knew Ma was sending me to empty chamber pots and the like right from the start. Ma said I’d be warm and get plenty to eat if I went into service for a wealthy family.”
“I think he means the arrangements regarding the children,” Ben inserted as he dished up a plate of food for each of them.
Roseanna cringed, but after a deep breath, she closed her eyes and continued. “I’m still not sure what information you are looking for, so I’ll just tell it to you as it happened, if that is alright.”
Sympathetic to the young lady’s distress, Judge Lemke offered, “Take your time, and tell it as you know it. But I must remind you – be honest and be thorough as you make your statement.”
Nodding her agreement, Roseanna stared at the wall behind the white-haired man. Timidly, she shared, “After Caleb was born, I thought that was the end of it. So, when Mr. Matthews showed up at my Ma’s place again a few weeks later, I was upset. Ma sent him to visit with my cousin that time because birthing Caleb almost killed me.”
“Your cousin?” Ben interrupted. “What’d ya mean, your cousin?”
“Yes, please clarify, Mrs. Danbury. I don’t understand why your mother would suggest your cousin to your lover.”
Choking on the word, Roseanna spluttered, “Lover? That man’s attentions were not welcome. I did as my Ma said so my family had something to eat. So, how can you call him a ‘lover!?’”
Lifting a hand in a calming manner, the judge explained, “It is simply a term to describe an intimate partner, Mrs. Danbury. It is not meant to imply feeling, or, in this case, consent.”
Taking a minute to calm her breathing, Roseanna grasped the steaming cup of coffee the Sherrif offered and held it in her hands. The warmth of the simple pottery mug seeped into her skin and soon soothed her jangling nerves. “My Ma changed after Pa went off to war. And after the raiders came through, everything I’d been taught to believe fell apart.
“My sister’s disgrace was only the beginning. When my cousins arrived from Mercersburg, things became more desperate. I learned later that they’d also been shamed during Stuart’s raid. I was sent to the Matthews’ home shortly after they arrived, and when I returned home after Christmas in 1865 . . . it . . . well, it was obvious something dreadful was going on.
“Men came around at all hours of the day and night. Some were townsfolks, some wore blue jackets, and others wore gray. And the only way my Ma would let me stay is if I continued acting as Mr. Matthews’ mistress. Otherwise . . .” Roseanna choked on the words and stopped to collect herself before she spit out, “Otherwise, I was expected to do as my cousins were doing.”
The scratch of Harlan’s pen stopped, and he dropped the writing utensil on the desk. He’d read of the atrocities committed during Stuart’s raids, but hearing firsthand details twisted something in his gut. However, a mother’s repulsive betrayal of her own flesh and blood was by far more heinous than any war crime. Still, he had to keep a clear mind to ensure that justice was served, and unfortunately, emotion had no place in his deliberations.
Ben sat quietly with his head down and his hands clasped in his lap. But he had to know – “How old were you, Miss Sherman?”
Roseanna turned to the man and wearily replied, “I was eleven when my mother sent me to Philadelphia, and I had just turned twelve the first time Gerald Matthews put his hands on me. Caleb was born a few months shy of my fourteenth birthday, and the rest? The rest is just a nightmare that seems to have no end.”
After a few minutes of quiet consideration, Judge Lemke steepled his fingers under his chin and looked over the girl before him. “The day is getting away from us, and there are a few other matters I need to see to this evening, so we will adjourn this discussion and pick it up again tomorrow, ma’am.
“While I cannot dismiss the warrant for your arrest, I believe we have satisfactorily established that you birthed the children in question.” Sliding a piece of paper across the desk, the judge continued, “Please write down the dates and locations of the children’s birth along with their full given names. I will wire the church in Chambersburg to confirm the information.
“In the meantime, I’d like to offer you some sound advice. Gerald Matthews has the means to take your children, Mrs. Danbury, as I am sure your father and your deceased husband were well aware. Their desire to halt this injustice is also patently obvious, but I cannot contravene the law. And I must rule in the children’s best interests.”
“What does that mean?” Roseanna cried, gingerly rising to her feet and laying a hand across the small mound that had recently housed her baby.
“It means you need a husband, ma’am, if you want any hope of winning custody of your sons,” Harlan replied.