*********************
Tenny was now fourteen years old, going on
fifteen. Major events in her life, far beyond her control, had snatched Tenny
from her sweet childhood into the life of an adult. And, during these turbulent
times in Arkansas, adult life could be hard. Especially in Pulaski and Pope
Counties.
*
Author’s note: The two major events
described below are historically correct. However, my knowledge of Tenny’s
involvement is skimpy. Historical records of her involvement consist of a
couple of lines in a Pope County Historical Journal, a paper found in Tenny’s
youngest daughter’s trunk after her death, and a single line in a family
historians’ journal.
To my knowledge, not a single word about this passed down through my
family, who were not inclined to speak of such things. Especially not to us
children. So, I filled in the blanks with my best guess; fiction. It may not
have happened exactly this way. Some names are changed, a fictional character
or two is added. But, it all happened.
Tenny and her younger sister were asleep in
their room. It was late at night. A door opened. Tenny saw a man approaching.
By the time she was fully awake, he was there. She could not get away. She
screamed. Her younger sister screamed. Tenny heard running footsteps in her
house. Fortunately, the men of the family were soon there.
The man ran. He was chased outside; other
men joined in the chase. The man was caught. Within the hour, he was lynched
down in the woods by Tenny’s house. An
over-the-body inquest was held. The findings were, he died at the hands of
three men, who all readily admitted their actions. They were never tried, as
the man had a history of such actions.
Tenny vowed to never again spend another
night in that house. She moved in with her older sister and her husband, where
she lived, for the most part, until she married.
*
Cade Connor, her sister’s husband, soon
became a major figure in the Pope County Militia war, which raged around Dover
in 1872-73. Although conflicts such as these were not uncommon during the
Reconstruction Period, Pope County remained under martial law for three years,
longer than any other county. A state of near-war existed until the end of
Reconstruction.
Cade and several others knew that if they
were caught by the militia, they would die. Cade had no plans to be caught, and
he never was. But he had a weak spot; his family. He knew they might be killed.
Cade took his wife, their infant, and
Tenny up to a cave he knew of near Clarksville, and hid them out. Nobody is
sure how long that lasted, but it could have been for the rest of the war, a
year or more. My father only told us that Grandma Tenny lived near Clarksville
for some time. He never mentioned in a
cave.
When the three were, at long last, able to
come home, her sister was pregnant, and Tenny knew they needed the space she
was occupying in their small house. And, she would never spend another night in
her parent’s home, no matter what.
*
Tenny remembered the small package
Samantha had given her long ago – in case she was ever in a tight. Well, she was
in a royal tight. She packed her bag and headed for the stage depot, telling
nobody. It was time to find Samantha.
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