It was 4 pm on a mild afternoon in May of 1930 and the small Texas town of Sherman had gone from drowsy to wild with rage in only a few hours. A colored man had reportedly raped a farmer’s wife and there was talk that he had mutilated her, as well, and that she was now on the brink of death. A mob was forming around the courthouse demanding that the sheriff release the culprit so justice could be done.
Mary Catherine Woods placed the receiver back on the telephone cradle with shaking hands, then turned to her son and husband. “The preacher’s wife says the crowd is growing. I think we need to get Johanna and Sadie to a safer place.”
Colonel Jacob Woods turned to his 17-year-old son, Zachary. “Go fetch them, son! I’ll take them to Uncle Willie’s farm. Nobody’ll know they’re there.”
Zachary jumped up from the settee in the front parlor and raced up the stairs two at a time. He hurried across the large attic and knocked on the closed-door to Johanna’s quarters. “Jo-Jo,” he called out, “please, let me in.”
The door opened a crack and Zach saw the strain on his beloved old nanny’s face. He stepped inside the room and wrapped his arms around her. “Now don’t you worry, Jo-Jo. We’re going to get you away from all of this.”
“I think my granddaughter and me need to stay right here, Mr. Zach,” she whispered. “Nobody going to disturb the home of the Colonel.”
“Zachary!” Colonel Woods’ voice boomed up the stairs. “Get them down here now. We don’t have much time!”
Zach picked up the old woman’s shawl, which was hanging neatly from a hook. “No, ma’am, Pa has a better plan. You just have to trust him.”
Johanna sighed. “No going against the Colonel, I expect.”
The boy scanned the room. “Where’s Sadie?”
She inclined her head in the direction of a cabinet built into the wall.
Zach walked over and pulled open the doors, revealing four shelves of neatly stacked clothes. He pushed the side of the cabinet and felt it slide easily, revealing an opening to a hidden space where he and Sadie had played when she had first come to stay with them when she was twelve. This time, however, there was no laughter in the air. Sadie, now sixteen, was crouched in the far corner, her coal-colored eyes filled with fear.
Leaning down, Zachary whispered, “Come on now. You know I’d never let anybody hurt you.”
“I’m not sure you’re that powerful, Zachary Woods, but I do trust you.” the girl said, crawling out.
By now, Colonel Woods’ 6 foot 4 inch frame loomed in the doorway. “Johanna, come with me.” He gently took the old woman’s elbow and led her to the stairs. “Hurry, you two!” he shouted over his shoulder.
As Sadie stood up, Zachary pulled her close and buried his face in her soft hair. “It’s going to be okay.”
“Maybe not.”
“Zachary!” Mrs. Woods called from the bottom of the stairs. “Come now!”
“I love you, Sadie Madison.”
“I love you back.”
Their lips brushed with tenderness.
“This’ll be over soon,” Zach whispered.
“We’ll see,” she said, then hurried out of the room to join her grandmother.
***
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