Finding Eliza (14 page)

“Where were they for those two days? Held? Trapped?” Lizzie sat with the chocolate in her hand, unable to focus on anything but the story.

Gertrude stood and walked to the front window. She swept the lace curtain from the window and placed a hand on the glass. She stood quiet, watching the neighbor children as they played between their yard and hers. “My father indicated in his diary that they had been missing for a day or two before the incident. I think that they were trying to run away together just like you thought. Where else could they have been? He didn’t write that she was held captive, so they had to be together before that mob found them. I don’t think they expected what happened.”

“Do you know what happened to Eliza?” Lizzie hesitated. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that question.

“You know from the diary entry that they beat her pretty severely. Just like Eldridge, Eliza’s wrists had the same rope tied around them. My guess is that they dragged her just as they dragged him, but I don’t know that for sure. Daddy believed that they raped her. You’ll read about it later in the diary. During her recovery Eliza kept telling him that the men involved told her that she needed to be 'turned back to her kind'.” Gertrude lifted a handkerchief from her pocket and patted her eyes as they watered. “The hatred that they heaped on that poor girl was too much. Remember, she was just a teenager herself. It was just too much.”

“Gran, do you think if she had made a different decision they would be still be alive? If she had stayed away from Eldridge, would it have made a difference?”

“I wouldn’t know how to guess. There’s no way to know. All I know is what happened that day, or at least what the diary tells us,” Gertrude answered.

“Do you know who did it? Do you think that it was someone in the town here today?”

Her grandmother was silent. “I’m not sure that I want to know that answer. Do you?”

“I don’t know. Don’t you think that it’s time we found out the full story? Eliza deserves to be remembered. We have to find out what happened to her.”

***

After a light dinner, Lizzie sat in the glider in front of a fire. She looked up at the first stars of the night and made a wish.

“Wish I may, wish I might, have this wish that I wish tonight. I wish that Eliza's story will be discovered.”

“Did you say something?” Jack asked as he joined her in the back yard.

“Oh, just being silly. I’m making my wish like we did when we were kids. Who knows? Maybe it will work this time.”

“What are you wishing for? I know. You want a handsome man to come sweep you off your feet.” Jack pulled his wife’s feet into his lap and pulled off her boots. “Tell me your story.”

Lizzie had been replaying the diary entries in her head all evening. Like Technicolor film, the horror her grandfather expressed in his diary played on a loop through her mind. She replayed the details from the diary as well as the fear and anger she felt as she broke down in the drive.

Jack sat in the dark listening. Finally he asked, “Are you sure you need to go through this? Maybe the diary is too much for you to read. It sounds like it is just ripping off a scab from a wound that healed a long time ago. If you keep chasing this thing you’ll be stirring it up for everyone in town. Is that what you want? We’re talking about confronting racism in the South, Lizzie. This is beating a hornet’s nest.”

“But, Jack, don’t you see?” Lizzie pleaded. “This is about a life that the people of this town swept under the rug. We’re talking about a murder, Jack. What if they are running around town here today?”

“I think you’ve lost your mind. They’d be at least 100 years old by now.”

“There was a mob, Jack. Some of those boys could have been teenagers. There are people in this town that are that age. They could still be alive. There could be other entries in the diary with more details leading to the people who murdered Eldridge. That’s a crime. You investigate crime. What about the crime involving Eliza? We’re talking murder and rape, Jack. You can’t let that go.”

“Now I know you’ve lost your mind. You can’t be serious. It’s an old diary, Liz. Listen to how it’s written. It’s not exactly filled with specific names and locations.”

Lizzie decided right away that Jack had no idea what she was holding. This diary was the story of a relationship gone wrong. It was the story of a family torn apart. She couldn’t be just the keeper of these secrets. She had to do something about it.

“I don’t care what you think. These lives need to be remembered. They need us to find out the truth. You’re supposed to find justice for the innocent victims. Listen to what my great-grandfather writes. His heart was filled with so much pain. His sister and this man were victims. Don’t you believe that the stories in his diary are true?” Lizzie sighed under breath. Jack hated it when she sighed. In her heart she hoped that this would land with the impact she intended. “Jack, this is for my family.”

“I love you and your family, but we’re talking about an event in history that people don’t want to discuss. I think you need to put this into perspective. Remember their lives, but don’t look for a crime. Do what you need to do to make peace. There’s nothing more to do than that.”

Lizzie didn’t appreciate the brush off that she received from her husband. She knew that Eliza and Eldridge needed to be remembered no matter what Jack said. It was time to hit up Gertrude and the gals for help. Her mind raced with questions. Where should she look? Newspapers? The courthouse? An event this big that ended in the death of one and the rape of another had to be recorded somewhere. “Gran and the gals will know,” she whispered to herself. She leaned back into the glider and looked at the stars once more. “I’d like to be a little clearer on that wish of mine…”

Lizzie walked inside and got ready for bed. She pulled the covers around her body and settled in with the diary. Now that the initial shock had worn off, she had a renewed energy and interest in reading more. Lizzie read late into the night, even after Jack turned off his bedside lamp and settled into sleep. She couldn’t sleep until she knew more about the pain that Eliza felt. She had an empathy that she couldn’t explain for the girl that she’d never know.

Lizzie couldn’t stop searching until she had answers.

***

Diary of Alston James: 4 September 1934

My heart is so heavy.

Poor Eliza has been recovering for the last few days at my home. Anne is such a wonder to watch as she nurses the wounds of my baby sister, both those that are physically seen and those that are hidden emotionally. She shows such compassion that I pray her love and concern will nurture healing.

I’m not sure what Eliza remembers. She refuses to speak. She’s locked herself into her mind, keeping us all out of reach. She withdraws whenever I get too close. She’s so broken. My heart weeps.

I’ve been trying to contact the local police but no one wants to investigate a death like that of Eldridge. They won’t investigate the crimes against Eliza. They say that it’s illegal. They are so cruel and hurtful, looking past what they did because Eldridge was colored.

What about my sister?

I can see the light fading in her eyes. I’m not sure how long she’ll be able to survive like this.

This is all my fault.

Alston paced back and forth in the second floor hallway in front of the closed bedroom door that held his battered and broken sister. Anne stood at the bottom of the stairs listening to him as he prayed and cried out to God. After hearing his footsteps slow, she made her way up the staircase hoping to find him in their bedroom ready to rest and relax.

“Allie, there isn’t anything that we can do other than give her time. She might be ready to talk in the morning.”

“We’ve been saying that for days, Anne. There’s nothing I can do about what happened, but I can make sure that she doesn’t feel alone. She was all alone out there, don’t you understand that? I found her all alone in that cemetery with his body. They left her there like an animal.” Alston walked into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Leaning forward, he held his head in his hands and the tears flowed. It may not have been a typical reaction for a man, he thought, but he couldn’t hold it back. His life felt like it was falling apart.

“We should call the police again, Allie. They have to listen.”

“They don’t care. They won’t do anything. There are too many people involved. We have to protect her. If she doesn’t make waves, perhaps they will leave her alone. We just have to protect her and pray that they don’t come back for her a second time.”

Alston realized that he was the only thing standing between Eliza and those who attacked her. What if they decided to come after his sister again? What if they came after Anne? He reached toward his wife and held her face in his hand.

Anne laid her head in her husband’s lap. “I keep thinking of the family that Eldridge left behind. It’s so sad. Their hearts are breaking, and yet we can’t grieve together.”

“I can’t get his face out of my mind. He was so young.” Alston leaned over and buried his face in the side of his wife’s head, feeling her hair cover his eyes. “I had to leave him, Anne. I had to. I had no other choice. I couldn’t carry them both. I caused this.”

“Alston James. Stop those thoughts. You did what you could, and you called his folks. Not many in this town would have done that. You didn’t do it to him. All you could do was try to protect Eliza. No one will fault you for that.”

Anne took a seat near her husband. She wound her arms around his as they sat at the end of the bed. The pair sat in silence. Alston wanted to become invisible and quiet. He had to protect his family, and if that meant becoming someone that no one noticed he would do it. He needed to do what would cause Eliza the least amount of distress and harm as she recovered. She had to be his first thought.

Anne leaned into his shoulder and started crying quiet tears. Alston cradled her into his arms as she emptied herself of the tears she had carried after days of tending to Eliza’s wounds.

“We could leave, Allie. We could pack her up and go to South Carolina. I’ve got people there. You could find another position at a school, or we could farm. We could do anything. I just want to get out of this town, Allie. I want to be away from this place.”

Alston looked at his wife’s tearful eyes. Her bright blue eyes shined red and bloodshot. He brushed the hair from in front of her forehead and eyes as he wondered how long it had been since she had slept more than a few minutes. He knew that Anne was exhausted.

“Anne, we can’t let them run us out of this town. I will keep you safe, and I will protect Eliza, even if it means keeping quiet.”

Chapter Fourteen

After another long night with little sleep, Lizzie felt like she was stumbling through the morning. Her thoughts felt hazy and slow. The evening’s discussion with Jack was heavy on her heart. He may have been right. Maybe there wasn’t anything that she could do, but she wasn’t going to let it go without trying. Murder was still murder. She had seen so many cases on the national news that centered on the same type of scenario: old crime gets solved and people go to jail.

After a quick stop by the local coffee shop, Lizzie met Gertrude and the gals at the local library. Her grandmother explained that it would be best to start with the local newspaper. Lizzie was anxious to see what they wrote about the incident. Gertrude warned her that they would most likely ignore Eldridge’s lynching.

“It may need a bit of creative searching,” her grandmother reminded her during their morning phone conversation. Lizzie was ready to spend as long as it took to find out the truth. Gertrude was willing to research as long as Lizzie wanted.

Lizzie met the four smiling women at the library, passing around cups of coffee for everyone.

“Nectar of the gods,” slurred Blue as she drank the dark chocolate mocha she had requested.

They settled their belongings at the long table in the research room, each making sure the lid to her drink was secure and away from any of the library’s materials. Claud made sure to point out the sign showing that they were allowed to have drinks at the tables only.

“Don’t be so stuffy, dear. We know the rules,” Blue said. “Of course, I never was fond of rules.” She winked at Lizzie.

“It’s time to introduce you to the microfilm readers. Be prepared to feel like you can't go any further. Once you get to that point, your record will be just around the corner,” Abi said as she patted Lizzie around the shoulder. “Let the games begin!”

The women loved having Lizzie in their element. The foursome shuffled her through the library, showing her where to find the microfilm that might contain her records. Lizzie had no trouble narrowing down when the article may have been in the newspaper, thanks to the diary. Lizzie pulled three rolls of film from the metal cabinet covering the correct time period.

The women each pulled up a chair around the microfilm machine and began to show Lizzie the proper procedures in using the reader. Each genealogist had her own tips.

“Start at the beginning of the roll,” one said.