Angela meets her Nephew and Bride

(Author's note: Some literary license has been taken to meld historical and fictional characters into one story)

~ Sunday, June 30, 1864 ~

Angela’s heart jumped in her chest when she heard the knock at the door downstairs. She knew Lukas would answer it. She nervously looked at herself in the mirror, making sure her clothing was proper for meeting their guests. She did not know why this meeting disturbed her so much … her sister’s son, Ethan, was moving to Dutchtown, their German community in St Louis, with his new bride. She did not know any details – or reasons – for the move, as the telegram she received from Samantha was ambiguous.

Please provide assistance to my son, Ethan, and wife, to start anew. All will be explained upon their arrival. Affectionately, Samantha

Angela had a tumultuous relationship with her sister, as their mother, Nancy, was often left alone for years while their father, Matthew Joy and, later, stepfather Owen Chase, were at sea on their whaling ships. The lack of fatherly guidance and discipline were not uncommon in their Nantucket community, as many mothers were left to raise their children alone. Samantha was headstrong and defiant, whereas Angela tried to be more accommodating and complaint with their mother. Samantha finally had enough of her young life and ran away with her boyfriend at the age of 16. Angela was only 11.

Angela loved her mother and comforted her after Samantha’s departure. They had a particularly good relationship, and Nancy genuinely loved Owen, although Angela felt the memory of her real father was all too quickly forgotten. He died while she was an infant, so she never knew him, but often imagined a loving and caring relationship where his youngest daughter was doted upon. Nancy passed away after a difficult childbirth when Angela was 14. Angela was crushed and lonely. Her stepfather remarried, leaving her empty as both her parents were now gone.

Angela reached her own breaking point and left the small island of Nantucket during a bitter winter storm in January 1837. She was unable to tolerate her new stepmother’s flagrant infidelity while Owen was at sea. She reluctantly sold her meager possessions to fund the journey to Philadelphia, where she and Samantha planned to meet. Samantha was leaving New York City to start a new career.

Their reunion was happy as they had not seen each other in over seven years. They had both changed substantially: Physically and emotionally and forced to mature far beyond their years. The Angela that Samantha left behind as a child had developed into a fine woman and, so reminiscent of her mother, Samantha thought she was gazing upon her beloved Nancy. Angela was shocked to hear of her sister’s short foray into prostitution merely to survive, and even more stunned to see the scar on her sibling’s breast where a man attempted to kill her at gunpoint, simply to steal her paltry savings.

No longer the innocent child of her youth, it disturbed Angela that Samantha was still a fugitive from justice in Boston, where the shooting occurred, and feared she would be considered an accessory for merely having knowledge of the incident. Still, she loved her sister and would never betray her, eagerly doing what was necessary to protect her older sister, regardless of transgressions. On the journey from New York to Philadelphia, Samantha managed to procure a job in a bookbinding office. Angela took a job alongside her sister, getting proficient at gluing leather covers onto prepared books.

Bookbinding was not a profession Angela wanted to pursue as a career. She reveled in the excitement of the journey from their small hometown, instilling a desire for more adventure and travel. She read of the exploits of early pioneers seeking new lives, and the news of the Alamo and San Jacinto, in Texas the previous year, fueled her desire to strike out on her own. She read of the newly created Oregon Trail and was eager to see what the world held west of civilization. She secretly made plans to leave her sister and seek new life and fortune in Oregon or California. Getting to Independence, Missouri was a long trek, and that is where the journey west really started.

Traveling long distances alone as a woman would expose her to dangers that could easily cost her life. Marrying a man merely to make the journey was out of the question, as she enjoyed being independent and not beholding to anyone, so she developed a secret persona: She acquired the clothing necessary to pass as a man and got quite adept at binding her breasts to not appear feminine. She cut her hair short, but kept it hidden under her cap for her sister’s sake. She employed herself with the owner of the stable two blocks from the bookstore and took on the extra task of learning how to ride and care for horses.

She learned how to ride as a man, wearing pants. A small application of dirt to her lower face appeared as beard stubble, and she was quite convincing as a man. She learned to talk slower and lower her voice, but she did know several men who had higher pitched voices. The hardest part were the mannerisms: Having to be cognizant of her walk and how she moved her arms. Men seemed to unconsciously scratch themselves all the time. Their gestures were more boisterous, and they liked to sit with legs open. It took quite a conscious effort.

One day, a young man entered the bookstore and engaged Samantha in a lengthy conversation. He wore well-worn work clothes, not normally found among the polished gentry that routinely patronized the establishment, but he carried himself with confidence and was knowledgeable on a wide variety of subjects. They engaged in conversation for ten minutes before Samantha recognized him as her sister. She was both shocked and amused. Angela felt if she could deceive her own sister, she could easily fool strangers. Samantha quickly grew concerned her sister was heading for disaster: If her identity were discovered in the wilderness, it could put her in greater danger simply because she attempted to make fools out of men. Being raped and killed was no laughing matter. Angela was undaunted.

Samantha begged her sister to stay, but her upcoming wedding to Wesley meant Angela would soon have no residence that she could afford. She had no desire to join Samantha with her husband or make the transition from bookbinding to owning a dry goods business. They both knew it was time to part ways and bid a teary farewell to each other. Wesley last saw Angela as a short-haired woman and had no idea the man who quietly came calling the next day to bid farewell, was the same person.

In April of 1838, Angela fully adopted the persona of a man named Matthew, after her father, joined a company escorting a wagon train providing safe passage of goods and people from Philadelphia to Columbus, Ohio, via Lancaster, Harrisburg, Pittsburgh, Wheeling and Cambridge. It was a well-traveled route and offered no real challenge other than the infrequent Indian attack or bandits seeking a quick bounty. ‘Matthew’ was valued for ‘his’ knowledge of horses, tending to them quickly if shoes needed repair or minor muscle injuries occurred. The trip was uneventful until they were two days out of Cambridge.

They were set upon by a group of bandits that fired down on the train as it passed single file through a small pass between two hills. Their older flintlocks were no match for the newer percussion primed weapons of their attackers. They quickly lost three of their guides to sharpshooters, including Howard, the Wagon Master of the train. Angela managed to pull him between some rocks, along with another injured man, into the brush, hiding from the gang as they continued their attack. Angela had no weapon to use, so she hid as best she could, tending to the injured men.

Angela was overcome with grief as Howard died in her arms. Covered with blood, she courageously exposed herself to enemy fire to retrieve his rifle but had never used one and panicked trying to learn. The other injured man instructed her on how to load the weapon. She managed to prime it just as someone climbed over the rocks. Angela did not recognize him and, as he aimed a pistol at her, she pointed and instinctively pulled the trigger. She thought she had missed him, but he lost his footing and fell backwards off the rock out of sight away from her. In a state of terror, she managed to reload the weapon for another shot.

A skilled shot from one of the others killed the leader of the gang, and they quickly retreated as they were outnumbered. The surviving members of the wagon train reorganized, rallied the remaining wagons, and made the final trek into Columbus. ‘Matthew’ tended the injured in the wagons and was hailed a hero for retrieving Howard's rifle to fight back. The man she fired upon had been hit in the shoulder and fell to his death. His loss was instrumental in turning the tide of the attack. The gang were well-known predators, and they were all given credit for ending their reign of terror.

News of the attack had already reached the town and they were hailed as heroes, with accolades given to ‘Matthew’ for his ‘composed bravery under fire’, killing one of the gang members, and tending to the injured without regard to his own personal safety. Angela was not used to that sort of attention, and it took a lot to politely turn down all the free drinks passed her way. The injured were taken to the hospital and Angela checked up on them as she could. It took a lot to get over the ordeal, having nightmares of the exchange of gunfire leaving her dead, and she resolved to never find herself unable to defend herself again.

She acquired a Colt Patterson revolving percussion pistol that boasted five shots in a single cylinder. It was expensive, but she felt the investment was worth it. She practiced until she was proficient in its use and felt comfortable venturing into the wilderness again. It was a small .36 caliber pistol, and it fit her hand comfortably. The recoil was manageable, and she practiced whenever she had spare time to build proficiency. It had a complex loading procedure and was a bit awkward to cock, but she preferred the difficulty opposed to being unarmed at all.

A couple of months later, another wagon train signed on escorts, this time to St Louis. After that, there would be trains heading to Independence and the start of the actual Oregon Trail. ‘Matthew’ signed up with several others from the first venture and they formed a tight band that trusted and depended upon each other. Surprisingly, the man whose injuries she previously tended also joined the train, his ultimate destination being a German subcommunity in St Louis known as Dutchtown.

His name was Lukas, and he was going to join his brother, Johannes, operating a hotel and boarding house. He was also betrothed to Johannes’ wife’s younger sister, Annie, whom he had not met or even knew what she looked like, save her brother’s description. The journey was mostly uneventful and the two spent a lot of time with Lukas asking ‘Matthew’ about the female mind, as Matthew seemed to have a unique insight into the fairer gender of their species. They formed a close friendship and Angela was beginning to regret her decision to pass off as a man. She more she talked to Lukas, the more she liked him.

They went separate ways upon arriving in St Louis, but Matthew promised to visit Lukas prior to heading west for Oregon. A week later she found herself nervously at Johannes hotel and boarding house. It was more difficult to maintain the Matthew persona in the presence of the two women and she was shocked at how rudely they both treated Lukas. He informed Matthew that Johannes had died the previous month from dysentery. To the displeasure of Agnes, Johannes’ wife, he had left the entire hotel venture to Lukas. He knew little of running such a business. He was left relying heavily on Agnes and Annie, but he did not really get along well with them. Annie would make an acceptable wife, but she was highly influenced by Agnes, and he did not get along with her at all.

Lukas asked Matthew to join him in his venture and become partners instead of continuing to Oregon. Matthew said he would consider it but felt highly conflicted. Angela had strong feelings for Lukas, but the ruse had gone on too long to just reveal she was a woman, and she also knew if Agnes found out her deception, there would be much trouble made.

Angela wanted to distance herself from Annie and Lukas, as she did not want to get emotionally involved but she could tell Lukas was unhappy with the arranged marriage and, with the passing of his brother, confided he no longer felt obligated to honor the wedding proposal. Realizing both women would be without employment or housing if they were to part ways, Annie did her best to persuade Lukas to marry. He discussed this at length with Matthew, who tried to listen dispassionately, but knew, as a woman, she was falling in love with this industrious, hard-working man whose life she had saved on the trail to Columbus.

Matthew suggested he find another to marry, but Lukas said there was a shortage of available brides. Not wanting to cause problems, Matthew had taken a room at another hotel, and asked Lukas to visit so they could talk more in private about his predicament. Lukas was shocked when a woman answered the door instead of Matthew and was thoroughly confused when the woman’s face looked remarkably like the man he had grown to know and trust. It took quite a bit of convincing for Angela to come clean from the ruse.

In her darkened hotel room, Angela disrobed and revealed her female form. Lukas was shocked and bitter at having been so deceived but, after several passionate rounds of lovemaking, they were convinced they were meant for each other. As Angela lay next to him in the bed while he slumbered, at the tender age of 19, she had made love for the first time. He would be the only man with whom she ever shared her bed. In the middle of the night, he rose and left to return to his hotel. He had never touched Annie and, after Angela, would never touch another woman.

The next day, as Lukas tried to make sense of Agnes’ ledgers, a young woman named Angela entered the hotel, looking for employment. Lukas hired her immediately put her to work sorting the expenses of the hotel and managing rooms as desk clerk. She quickly balanced the budget sheets and reorganizing the ledgers into something that made sense. In short order, Angela had managed to streamline the business to run more efficiently. Annie and Agnes realized they were no longer able to maintain their position, despite their attempts to subvert Angela’s hard work.

Angela and Lukas married on Christmas, 1838 and became a strong couple. Angela was not unkind and wanted to give the sisters every chance to stay and work, but they did not like being demoted from owners to mere employees, working for a strange woman they did not respect. After several months both finally left, and it was not long before the two caused problems as they spread vicious lies about Angela being an opportunist and seeking only money from the business. Despite their slander, the hotel prospered and grew under their combined management. The business was not without heartache, as the two sisters continued to subvert the hotel whenever possible.

By June of 1840 it was obvious they were having problems conceiving a child. Angela had suffered one miscarriage after another, none lasting more than three months. They thought they were to be childless, but fate dealt them a different hand. At the end of May, word came to town there had been an attack on a train of pioneers outside Salem, Illinois, barely 70 miles east of Dutchtown. When the wagons arrived, they were all in bad shape. Worst of all, one entire family had been decimated, killing the husband, wife, and two teenage boys. Surviving were two young children, Katrin, 5, and Markus, 3.

News of the attack shocked Lukas and was horrified by the loss. His cousin, Emmett, was the husband lost in the attack, and was traveling with his family from Düsseldorf, having been convinced by Lukas to make the trek to America. He felt responsible for their loss and fell into deep depression. In his personal affects, Emmett stipulated that, if anything were to happen to him and his wife, that Lukas would get first choice to taking the children in.

Angela insisted they adopt both without hesitation. The two children were adorable and, although traumatized by their ordeal and loss of their parents and siblings, Angela worked diligently to bring them into her home and raise them as her own. Lukas was also doting, especially on Katrin, which was reminiscent of how Angela had dreamed her father doting on her. Their family was full of love, and through their hard work, none wanted for anything.

As the children grew, they eagerly stepped into the role of working the hotel with their parents, doing little chores that needed attending, to eventually running the front desk. Katrin, like her mother, was skilled at mathematics and managing the finances for the hotel and boarding house came naturally to her. Both Lukas and Angela were happy to share the business with them and hoped to pass the hotel on to them when they retired. Although Katrin was happy to remain in Dutchtown, Markus had the same itch to travel and explore that his mother had.

The family further solidified their roots when Katrin married a young man named Walter, a blacksmith, in the summer of 1857. Angela was rewarded with her first granddaughter in the spring of 1859. Her life seemed complete … she had a loving husband, beautiful children and now a wonderful son-in-law and granddaughter.

As the cloak of war descended in early 1861, Missouri was a heavily contested border state, and it was obvious all available young men would be drafted into one army of the other. Fortunately, due to their industry and need at home, Markus and Walter paid a modest conscription to stay at home. Lukas was beyond the age of draft.

In the summer of 1862, at the age of 25, fearing that changing requirements for enlistment might force him into military service, Markus made plans to leave the family and seek his fortune further west. Many had left the community in the early 1850s as gold fever gripped the entire country, and the war effort drastically reduced the number of young men in the entire region. Angela had doted on Markus as a proud mother, and his departure hit her particularly hard. She told him to write often so she would know he was in good health. He would never reach gold fields.

Two weeks later, Angela received a telegram that he had taken a fall and broken his leg. He had made it a full 80 miles on his journey and was hospitalized in the German community of Hermann. Angela boarded a train and rushed to his side. She stayed with him several weeks as he recovered. He intended to continue his trek west once he recovered, and even tried to recruit Angela to abandon her responsibilities for the thrill of exploration. Angela would not be persuaded, although she fell in love with the friendly German community and mentally made note that she and Lukas should open a second hotel in the township.

A chance visit Angela made to look at watches changed Markus’ life forever. She met the beautiful young daughter of the shop’s owner, Liesel, and arranged an introduction to Markus. His desire to travel ended there. Although purely unintentional, Markus branded his mother a match maker, threatening to never trust her again in any dealings with women. But it meant Markus was more than happen to end his journey of exploration in Hermann. He set down roots. Lukas and Angela had returned from their wedding just the previous month. Angela was thrilled that another grandchild might soon be in their future. Lukas was also taken by the friendliness of Hermann.

But now, Angela was having to take in her nephew and his bride, knowing little about them or their circumstances. She had never even met him, as Samantha did not give birth until almost a year after Angela left Philadelphia. Angela had no problem helping family and friends, as she had done many times in the past, but she drew unfounded conclusions about them, comparing her sister’s criminal past and assuming her visitors were in as much trouble. The truth would be far worse.

Taking one last look in the mirror, Angela made sure her apparel was properly buttoned and smoothed down. Normally she would wear her daily work dress, but she wanted to make a good impression, so she wore her fancier evening dress, usually reserved for receiving esteemed guests. Angela descended the stairs as Lukas entertained them in the parlor. She tried to set her tone in a stern business-like manner. Angela wanted them to be in awe of her, putting them on the defensive until she ascertained the whole story as to their past. Ethan’s young bride immediately rose as Angela entered the room. It was obvious Lukas’ lack of proficiency with English was causing problems.

“Aunt Angela,” Ethen greeting with a smile, standing up.

“Ya,” Angela curtly responded, “Angela is fine, no need to stand of ceremony.”

“You look just like Mother,” Ethan remarked, trying to curry favor.

“I would hope not,” Angela responded, attempting to make a joke, “I am much younger.”

As they stood awkwardly looking at each other, the other woman approached, holding out her hand, “Angela, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Ancora.”

There was a brief discussion about how to properly pronounce her name, as Ancora spoke with a subtle Spanish accent and rolled her ‘R’s’ causing difficulty with Lukas and Angela’s German tongue. Angela tried to determine the best way to start her line of questioning, when Ethan noticed Lukas’ 1860 Henry rifle in the corner. Their love of firearms sparked a conversation. Angela seized the opportunity to excuse the ladies to the kitchen. Once there, they could enjoy a more open and honest chat. Angela brewed some coffee, but her curiosity got the better of her.

“What is your crime?” Angela asked directly. Ancora wrinkled her brow, “You don’t start ‘anew’ without having a reason to leave your life behind. That usually entails wrongdoing.”

Ancora replied, meeting Angela’s audaciousness head-on, “I killed seven men?”

Angela put her hand to her chest, faltering back in her chair, “SEVEN! How were you not caught killing so many? Over what period did you carry out these dreadful deeds?”

“I did not count,” Ancora replied, thinking, “maybe the span of a minute.”

“A MINUTE?” Angela gasped with disbelief, “What possessed you? How is there any way you can be absolved of this crime, and you dare bring this into my house?”

“My house – my family – were attacked,” Ancora explained, “men came with torches, bent on destroying my entire family. They killed my mother and all four of my sisters. My house was burned to the ground. I alone survived.”

“Has your honor been restored in a court of law?” Angela asked.

Ancora hesitated, “You assume I was in the wrong to begin with,” she explained, “I have a death mark over me. The family that attacked me conspired with other family members to implicate me in a crime which I did not commit. I did not commit murder; I attempted to defend my family. For that, I am a fugitive.”

“And if you are found here,” Angela pressed, “how could my family survive without being drawn into your web of crime and deceit? You would risk the welfare of my entire family? THIS I cannot accept. We cannot help you … you must not stay.”

“We brought, as way of token,” Angela suggested, “two thousand dollars for you and Lukas, and the additional funds necessary to start our own business. We do not wish to burden you, merely have a place to reside until we can secure our own location to start our business. We will gladly reside in your hotel at whatever rate you feel is appropriate and be strangers to you if you wish.”

“I cannot pretend to hide my knowledge of your wrongdoing,” Angela confessed, “I would not sleep at night fearing for my family’s safety.”

Ancora smiled, as if she had an ace card to play, Angela frowned back, trying to understand her change in attitude.

“Samantha suggested,” Ancora reported, pulling a small tin box from her handbag, “that I present this as way of introduction and explanation. She said you would understand.”

Angela accepted the box and looked upon the date scrawled in the lid: May 27, 1864, barely a month hence. Emotions welled up in her as she recognized the handwriting of the date.

“Samantha gave you this?” Angela inquired.

“She gave me the tin, and inscribed the date,” Ancora replied, “the contents are purely mine.”

Angela remembered her older sister’s tin box that bore the bullet retrieved from Samantha’s chest after being shot in Boston. Samantha buried the pain of that time deep within herself, but finally broke down with her sister, realizing she could have very easily lost her life. It was a painful reminder of her past. Angela opened the box with reverence and gazed upon the three flattened bullets, padded with the material from a corset.

They were substantially larger than what she remembered of her sister’s, and it brought back painful memories of the attack on the wagon train. She could still hear the thump of the lead bullet as it tore into her friend, Howard, who rode not five feet from her when the attack started. With a small change of fate, that first bullet could have been hers. She remembered shooting a man whose face she could not remember, killing him without a second thought. Her eyes welled up with tears.

“These are yours?” Angela inquired.

Ancora nodded, “They fired over thirty shots at me. They struck my clothing eleven times. Those three hit me in my corset. I still cannot explain why they did not penetrate to kill me.”

“How did you survive to defeat them?” Angela asked.

“I damned them to hell for attacking my family,” Ancora responded dispassionately, “I sent seven of them there directly.”

“You were armed?” Angela asked.

“Two Colt pistols,” Ancora replied, “taken from the first men I killed.”

“Colt is good,” Angela remarked, thinking of her own Patterson and the Dragoon she acquired later. She remembered how helpless she felt as bullets flew around her in the hills, unable to defend herself.

She looked upon Ancora in a different light, thinking of Samantha, and how close she came to death. She saw Ancora’s stoic face dissolve into tears. Angela would remember that for the rest of her life, as she would learn Ancora was not a weak woman or prone to uncontrolled emotions.

“I lost my entire family in ten minutes time,” Ancora sobbed, “I can’t even begin to describe the pain, the loneliness … my mother, all my sisters. I don’t seek your pity – or forgiveness – merely your understanding.”

“I cannot begin to comprehend,” Angela commiserated staring at the bullets, “I was fourteen when my mother died. She had delivered my youngest sister the day before. She had a fever and the midwife promised to return later that day. We were alone. I went to talk to her, and she just stared at the ceiling. She quietly died right next to me as I did my chores. She did not call out, she just died. I was right next to her, and she died alone. I have never forgiven myself for not being at her side. We were both so alone. I lay next to her and cried for hours, until the midwife returned.”

“I was with my mother when she died,” Ancora relayed, not giving any additional details, “horrendous for a daughter at any age.”

“Where did the bullets strike you?” Angela asked.

Ancora rose and pointed to the places on her bodice where she was hit, one being right over her heart. Angela lovingly reached out and touched each spot. She closed the tin box and returned it to Ancora.

“Your family is welcome in my home,” Angela declared, “let us get you into business and see if a dry goods store and hotel can join forces and become stronger. And this business of our past, it need never be mentioned again.”