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· 110 · 15 Her family . . . attempted to keep the facts from the public, but it leaked out to a few and gained headway until it has become public property. —Decatur Daily republican, March 18, 1883 As winter slowly faded, the sun began to trace a higher arc through the sky, and the frozen earth softened underfoot. With the promise of spring embracing every living thing, it was hard not to feel better—even for emma. Wisely, she had put her marriage on indefinite hold, at the recommendation of her family and friends, who had urged her to take all the time she needed. And her fiancé, mr. Adams, had promised to wait patiently for his hometown girl. so in the spring of 1883, it was her sister etta, not emma, whose wedding plans were in the works. Now in her late teens, etta had finished her schooling, and Ab knew he might soon be handing her over to another man. His two oldest girls had used remarkably good judgment in selecting their mates, and he approved of etta’s chosen partner as well. The Taylorville man, a successful miller and son of a Baptist preacher, was named Charles Logan. What kind of man emma’s fiancé was remained to be seen. young Adams had been far removed on June 29, working somewhere out on the western plains.1 only time would tell if he would return for his intended, as he had promised. everybody wanted to believe he was a man of his word; emma needed that kind of support. But in a day when many men viewed rape victims as damaged goods, that was a tall order. There was another class of males, however—those who considered themselves defenders of the fairer sex. These were the same men who now marveled at Adams’s incredible restraint, and the same ones who wanted to “get it over with” by making the fiends pay for what they’d done. Perhaps it was a blessing that hundreds of miles separated young Adams from the turmoil back home, for if he was harboring a burning desire for revenge, distance was enough to thwart any such action. the interim · 111 in any case, etta’s nuptials were to take place in early may. on Friday, march 16, she went to sonny’s house to visit her sister. With her wedding only weeks away, it isn’t hard to imagine what the two young women discussed that day. emma was especially upbeat, her health and spirits apparently back on track— perhaps that is why, with emma’s blessing, etta decided to take supper in the dining room that night, with sonny and Lizzie and their children. she propped her sister up in bed, turned up the bedside lamp, and handed emma a book. But then she hesitated, saying that maybe she should stay and take her meal in the room after all. No, insisted emma, she should go and enjoy her supper with the others. so etta crossed the room, checked the lock on the outside door, circled back to kiss her sister lightly on the forehead, and then disappeared down the hallway. When she entered the dining room, Lizzie inquired after emma and suggested that maybe Nellie or mary should go and sit with her.2 etta didn’t think it was necessary. Her sister was having a good day, and she would be fine. midway through supper, however, Lizzie sent one of her girls to look in on emma anyway. What unfolded next was pure chaos. “The little girl came running back at once, crying ‘oh, mamma, the room is dark and emma is gone.’”3 Hearing the alarm in the child’s voice, everyone sprang to their feet. mrs. Bond screamed and, lifting her skirt hem, took off down the narrow hallway toward emma’s room. The others followed, but before they could reach the bedroom, more screams from Lizzie confirmed their worst fears. emma’s bed was empty, and her reading lamp was out, cloaking the room in darkness. someone fumbled around and relit the bedside fixture. it only took a cursory glance to see that the door leading to the outside stood wide open. As the frigid night air poured in, the room’s appearance sent a collective shiver down the backs of those gathered there—etta’s, most of all. When she’d left for supper, her sister had been tucked safely into her large and heavy bed in the...
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