NOVEMBER 24, 1861
"Due to the sensitivity of the subject of
this trail, there will be only narrative and no details"
Even though the custody hearings were over, the saloon was once again
closed. This time it was for the trial of the men who had hurt the young girls. Even
though the judge had tried to find a jury, there was no one in the town who would even
consider the idea that the men could be innocent. The trial couldn't be moved, because
then most of the town's people would have to leave with the prisoners because half of the
people in the town were witnesses.
The judge also had to contact a lawyer to defend the scum buckets. No one in Dreamville would even think of defending those men, even if there were a lawyer in Dreamville, which there wasn't, so no one had to feel guilty for not defending them. The lawyer was Mr. Derick McMillin, a good lawyer from Broken Bow, and he had to presume that the men were innocent, as did the judge until they were proven guilty. So today, the first of the witnesses would testify.
The judge wanted to hear testimony from the kids first from oldest to
the youngest. So Daniel was first. The defense lawyer and Teaspoon asked Daniel some
questions and Daniel answered honestly. Teaspoon would act as the prosecuting attorney.
Teaspoon put questions to the children in a softer, more at ease tone.
Derick had a more serious tone, but not an angry one, because he didn't want to upset the
children. And sometimes when the children didn't answer him, Teaspoon stepped in and
rephrased the question, so that the children understood and because of his nicer manner,
they answered more willing.
Daniel told how he tried to fight off the men, but got beat up instead.
Every time he heard the cries for help, he would go to aid the girls. Sometimes, he would
tire out the men by fighting and then they would leave, not in the mood for the girl any
more, but most of the times, Daniel would just receive a beating and then the men would
rape the young girls anyway. And then sometimes there would be one man outside of the room
beating Daniel for trying to get in there to stop what was going on, while the other man
would be inside the room molesting the girl.
Daniel also told how this had started when he was 10. He was now 17, so
it had been happening for 7 years. There were several girls that had ran away, gotten out
on their own or were sold to saloons or bordellos. Daniel had even tried to go to the
sheriff, only to find out that he had bought one of the girls from these men for his own
pleasure.
Daniel even told of some of the girls being beaten to death for yelling
for help. The girls soon stopped yelling for help – except for the girls who were new
to the experience. They would be beaten, and so would Daniel who would try to stop it.
After the new girls had learned of girls that had died because they had cried for help,
they would stop yelling for assistance.
Jacy and Jennie were in the courtroom as more of a reporter capacity
instead of just spectators. After the newswomen heard what had happened to the girls, they
weren't so sure that they would be able to write a very objectable story. Sometimes in a
reporter's life it's hard to be unbiased. Jacy was glad that men hadn’t molested
Jaslyne, and Jennie was thinking the same thing about Blaine.
When Daniel told the names of the girls that were abused, the men of
town got so outraged they almost formed a lynch mob right then and there. Teaspoon, Kid,
and Noah had to calm them all down. The men obeyed and settled down.
At the end of the first day of the trial, the judge thought that it
might be best for just the kids and their new families to be in the courtroom for the rest
of the trial. So the rest of the townsfolk were banned from the courtroom, except Jacy and
Jennie; Due to Teaspoon’s request since they were covering the story for the
newspaper, and also because the judge liked Jennie’s presence.
SECOND DAY OF THE TRIAL
Ana was the one to testify the next day. It took a lot of coaxing to
get her to go back in there. Daniel said that he would be there, and Sean reassured her
that he would be there, too, and Destiny also. Jemima and Brianna wanted to be there, but
Sean and Destiny thought it would be best if they went on to school. They were too young
and didn't need to hear everything that the two men did and forced Ana to do with other
men. Even though the men were sitting right there, with Destiny's nod of approval and
reassurance that she was safe, Ana told the judge everything.
Ana had to tell the judge everything that the men did to her and how
they beat her when she tried to yell for help the first time. The older girls had told her
of the girls that had died for yelling out, so she had stopped calling out after that
because she was scared. It
At one point the Judge had to tell Sean if he could not control himself
then he would have to leave the courtroom. Sean had tried to get to the men that had hurt
Ana, but Kid and Noah had restrained him. The riders were acting as bailiffs.
Of course the judge understood. He felt the same way. He was beginning
to believe the kids. So far the defense lawyer couldn't get the girls to contradict
themselves. And the judge knew that Mr. McMillin had a good reputation. The lawyer had
been in the judge’s court many times, and if the girls were lying, he was one
attorney that could get them to tell the truth, but so far Ana and Daniel had not lied.
Next Destiny took the stand and told of the nightmares that Ana had
been having and the other systems of rape. And so at the end of the second day, it did not
look good for the two prisoners.
The next day it was Sarah, Rhonda, and Anne Marie who was put on the
stand to testify. Javier and Lilly were there as was Simon. The other kids and Aslan were
in school. Javier and Lilly held the two babies.
The girls, armed with knowledge that what these men did to them was
wrong, bravely told the judge what the inmates had done to them. Lilly then got up and
testified about the nightmares and the other systems of rape.
On this day Lee and Jimmy were asked to tell of their meeting with the
orphan train and what had happened, and what they were told by the girls. The judge wanted
to talk to Buck and Caly also, but they were still on their honeymoon.
FOURTH DAY OF THE TRIAL
This was the last day of the trial, and it did not look good at all for
the detainees. So far there was not one person who had lied. No matter how hard the lawyer
tried to get the witnesses to contradict their testimony, he could not. Although the judge
knew some people would lie under oath, he had to assume that they were telling the truth.
Today was Tina's turn to testify, and her story's was basic the same as
the other girls. It had only happed once to her, but her story was solid. Mr. McMillin
couldn't get her to contradict herself either.
Caly and Buck had gotten back the night before and had told the judge
their account of what had happened the day that they had met the orphan train. It was very
similar to Jimmy and Lee's account with no contradictions. Caly also told of the symptoms
of rape and the nightmares that Tina had been having.
As Caly retook her seat next to Buck, Caly gave Tina a reassuring
smile, and then she took and held the child that had been in Buck’s lap. Buck nodded
and squeezed Caly’s hand to let her know that she had done just fine. Steven smiled.
He was proud of his oldest unwed daughter standing up for what was right. He hoped this
trial would help both of his girls to come to terms with their terrible nightmares.
The defense lawyer whispered to his clients, "If you have anything
to say, any proof of your innocence then you better speak up now." But the men had
nothing. They couldn't even think of anything in order to prolong their sentence."
The Judge believed the children and sentenced the men to hang as soon
as they could build the gallows for it. Ian went to work immediately and had it ready for
the next day. Everyone in town turned out to
see the bastards hang.