Silver Strike Bride

Kirsten Vinter was happy in her job as a cook for a wealthy man and his wife even though it was in the city. Every morning she thanked God for the help the pastor of her church had given her in finding the job. Kirsten's parents were Swedish immigrants who lived on a farm outside of Chicago where her father was a sharecropper. When he and her mother both contracted cholera and died in January of 1866, the owner of the farm told Kirsten that she had to leave because he needed the house for another sharecropper.

Kirsten was just eighteen at the time, but thanks to the pastor at her local church she was able to find work as a cook for Mr. Robert Hines and his wife, Ester. Mr. Hines was a banker and he and his wife lived in a huge house in Irving Park. Kirsten's job paid only fifty cents a day, but included a room of her own and three meals a day.

Kirsten's job was to cook the meals Mr. and Mrs. Hines ate and to prepare food for any parties they might have. Another young woman, an Irish girl named Alice, did the cleaning and laundry. Kirsten found Alice to be not very mature in her thoughts and very spontaneous in her actions. That proved to be a valid assessment one night the third week in September after Kirsten had served Mr. and Mrs. Hines. She and Alice sat down in the kitchen to eat, and Alice asked Kirsten if she thought they should be paid so little when Mr. Hines had so much.

"I've talked to other girls who work in the houses on this street, and they are paid seventy-five cents a day and more if they have to cook for a party and clean up afterwards. I think we should both go to Mr. Hines and ask him to pay us more. What do you think?"

Alice was just happy to have a job. She'd never really thought about how much she was paid. Fifty cents a day was enough to buy what she needed and she had a little left over to buy materials for a new dress every other month.

"Alice, what if he decides to send us into the streets? You know where women in the streets end up, and I don't want that."

Alice shook her head.

"He won't do that. He won't be able to find any other girls who will work this hard without paying them the same as the girls in the other houses get paid. He might say he won't pay us more, but if that happens, what will we have lost? If he says he will, we'll be making more money. You just come along with me. I'll do all the talking."

That conversation took place at dinner the next night. After Mr. and Mrs. Hines had finished their dinner, Kirsten took them the cake she'd baked for dessert. Alice followed her into the dining room.

When Kirsten sat the plates in front of Mr. and Mrs. Hines, Alice spoke up.

"Mr. Hines, I have been talking to the other girls in the houses nearby and they are all paid seventy-five cents a day. We would ask you to raise our pay to the same. If you do, we'll work even harder for you."

Mr. Hines had put his napkin back in his lap and then smiled at Alice.

"So, you're saying that if I don't raise your pay, you won't work as hard?"

Alice shook her head.

"No. I'm just saying if you do, we'll work harder."

Mr. Hines smiled again.

"I'm satisfied with your work and I believe Mrs. Hines is as well. She has never said anything to the contrary to me. What would you do differently that would make me want to pay you more?"

Alice didn't say anything, and Mr. Hines laughed.

"I see by the look on Kirsten's face and the fact that she has not said anything that she is not party to your request even though she is here. Her pastor told me she is a hard worker and a nice young lady and I believe him so I shall not hold this against her. You do not have anything more to say, but I expected as much. You're not smart enough to have thought this out."

Mr. Hines' frowned and then raised his voice.

"You little Mick bitch, I pulled you out of a boarding house where you worked for your room and board, and this is how you thank me. I should send you into the streets. Men like girls with red hair, so maybe you can make a living on your back. How would you like that? Maybe you'll make some real money then.

"On second thought, you probably couldn't. You aren't pretty enough to get more than two bits a time, and after a year of laying on your back for five or six men every night, you'll look like you're forty instead of twenty-one. An old colored whore could make more money than you will.

"Now, both of you, go back to the kitchen where you belong and do not bother me and Mrs. Hines any more about this."

Alice was in tears of rage when she and Alice got back to the kitchen, and she turned to Kirsten.

"I'm not pretty enough? Did you hear him say that? I suppose I'm not pretty enough for what he does to me when Mrs. Hines goes to visit her mother or her friends. He never says that then."

Kirsten gasped.

"You mean he...he makes you...with him?"

Alice nodded.

"It started after the first month. It was a Saturday afternoon and he came into their bedroom when I was changing the sheets. He smiled and said I was a good housekeeper, and then said he thought I'd be better at some other things. I didn't know what he meant so I asked him.

"He didn't say anything at first. He just put his hands on my breasts and smiled. I was so scared I couldn't move. That's when he said I could earn some extra money if I took off my dress.

"I wouldn't have done it except I did need some extra money. My mother and father are still in Ireland and I need money to bring them to America. I asked him if that was all I had to do and he said we'd talk about it after I took off my dress.

"Well, I did, and when I was standing there in my chemise, he touched my breasts again and then my hips, and then said he'd always dreamed about having a woman like me.

"I asked him what that meant, and he just smiled and said I was old enough to know what he meant. Then he took a silver dollar out of his vest pocket and showed it to me and said it could be mine if I took off the rest of my clothes and then laid down on the bed.

"Kirsten, I want to bring my mother and father here, and I thought, well, maybe just this once. I did what he asked."

Kirsten was standing there with her hand on her mouth.

"You let him...you let him put his...in you?"

Alice nodded.

"Yes. It didn't take him long and it didn't hurt because I had already done it with the stable boy from next door. He gave me the silver dollar after he pulled up his pants and said there was more where that came from. He's been doing it to me almost every Saturday since then unless I couldn't.

Kirsten shook her head.

"Alice, you can't keep doing this. You'll get with child."

Alice frowned.

"I asked him once what he would do if this happened and he just laughed and said it would be my fault if that happened. I've been making sure that doesn't happen because I know what he'd do if it did. I would end up like he said tonight."

Alice then looked up at Kirsten, and her face was a mask of rage.

"I'm not going to let him do this to me. You'll see. He'll get what's coming to a man like him."

That Sunday afternoon, Kirsten was preparing Mr. Hines' favorite Sunday supper of roast beef, potatoes, carrots and onions when Alice came into the kitchen. Kirsten didn't give a thought to that. Alice didn't have much to do on Sunday afternoons and often joined her in the kitchen while she prepared the evening meal.

Kirsten had also baked some fresh bread, and as she carried it out of the kitchen, Alice said she would dish up the main course. When Kirsten came back into the kitchen, Alice had a large piece of beef, several potatoes and carrots, and a small serving of onions on two plates. Kirsten picked up the plates and took them to the dining room, then came back into the kitchen. She and Alice ate their meal after which Kirsten went back to the dining room to pick up the dishes.

It was as she was walking back to the kitchen with the plates that she heard Mr. Hines say he was feeling rather tired and thought he'd go upstairs to read a bit before going to sleep. Kirsten smiled at that comment because that was Mr. Hines' normal reaction to any heavy meal. She was a bit surprised that Mrs. Hines said she'd go with him. Mrs. Hines was not a big eater at all, and usually had a glass of wine before going to bed.

Alice said she was going to go for a walk before bedtime and left Kirsten to do up the dishes and put away the remaining food. Kirsten did so and then went to her room. After reading her Bible for half an hour, she blew out her lamp and went to bed.

The next morning, Kirsten was up, dressed, and in the kitchen at six because Mr. Hines always wanted his breakfast at seven. She fried potatoes and when they were nearly done, put sausage and eggs in with them, stirred the pan, and left them to cook while she made coffee.

When the coffee was done, Kirsten filled the silver pot, put it on a tray with two cups, cream, and sugar, and carried the tray into the dining room. She was surprised that Mr. Hines was not sitting there drumming his fingers on the table like he usually was. Mrs. Hines often came downstairs later than Mr. Hines, so Kirsten figured they had just slept a bit later than usual. She went back to the kitchen and moved the frying pan to the back of the stove to keep the food warm until Mr. and Mrs. Hines came down for breakfast.

After half an hour, they were still in their bedroom and Kirsten began to wonder if they were ill. It was not her place to wake them so she went to Alice's room to ask her to do so.

Alice was in her nightgown and wiping her eyes when she opened the door. Kirsten explained that she thought Alice should wake Mr. and Mrs. Hines for breakfast. Alice smiled, an expression Kirsten thought odd, but said she would do that as soon as she dressed. About fifteen minutes later, Alice went up the stairs to Mr. and Mrs. Hines' bedroom.

Kirsten went back to the kitchen to dish up the breakfast, and she'd only been there long enough to put the plates on the kitchen table when Alice came in to join her. The girl was grinning when she sat down.

"Mr. and Mrs. Hines will not be having breakfast today", was all she said.

Kirsten didn't understand.

"They always have breakfast at seven. Are they ill? If they are, we must fetch the doctor."

Alice grinned.

"The doctor can't help them now. They're both dead."

Kirsten fell back against the kitchen counter.

"Dead? How could that happen? They were both fine last night."

The look on Alice's face frightened Kirsten. Alice's eyes were wide open and she had an evil grin on her face when she answered.

"Did you know that the same hemlock that grows in Ireland also grows in Chicago? I didn't until I went down to the river with the stable boy next door last week. After we made love, he told me about them. Last night when I took a walk, I pulled up some of the plants and cut off the roots by wrapping them in an old newspaper so the juice wouldn't get on me. They looked just like carrots only sort of pale.

"I said Mr. Hines would get what he deserved. What he deserved was the hemlock roots I sliced into slivers and put in their food. I put them in both plates because I couldn't be sure you'd give Mr. Hines the right one."

Kirsten put her hand on her breasts.

"Alice, you'll be arrested for murder and hanged."

Alice smiled that oddly wicked smile again.

"No I won't. I'm not the cook. You are. The police won't believe I could have put anything in their food. Only the cook could do that.

"Somebody will come looking for Mr. Hines when he doesn't go to work and when they find them, they'll send for the police. I'm going to be on my way to New York before that. If I were you, I would do the same thing. It will take a doctor to tell the police Mr. and Mrs. Hines were poisoned, so you probably have until tomorrow morning to leave Chicago."

Kirsten had only a few dollars to her name, certainly not enough to buy a train ticket.

"Alice, I can't go anywhere. I don't have enough money."

Alice smiled that evil smile again and fished a small leather sack from between her breasts.

"Mr. Hines has seen fit to give us an increase in pay. This is two hundred dollars in gold and silver coins, half the money he kept in his nightstand. I knew it was there because that's how he always paid me for spreading my legs for him. It should get you a train ticket to somewhere. I'm taking the other half. Now, I'm going to go pack."

Alice tossed the small sack to Kirsten and then left. A few minutes later she walked into the kitchen dressed and carrying her bag.

"Don't wait too long, Kirsten. They'll be after you as soon as they figure out what killed Mr. and Mrs. Hines."

With that said, Alice walked out the back door.

Kirsten was dumbstruck. She had thought her life was on a smooth road, but now, she would be accused of murder if she was caught. Alice was right. Her only choice was to leave Chicago, but where could she go? It would have to be somewhere the police would not look for her. That meant it couldn't be a city where there were police. Her description would be sent to the police department in any large city, and a slender Swedish girl with long, blonde hair would find it hard to hide in a small town. She would have to go to a place where people didn't ask questions and where there were few, if any, police.

Kirsten knew she couldn't go by train unless she left that very day. As soon as the police discovered the murders, they'd give her description to every train station in Illinois and probably the states that bordered Illinois. She'd read about a bank robber who was caught in Ohio because a train conductor recognized him from a poster from the Chicago police.

Kirsten didn't know where she was going or how she'd get there, but she went to her room and packed her few belongings in a traveling bag and pinned the small sack of coins to her chemise and between her breasts. Then, she set out walking toward the church she attended every Sunday. The pastor had helped her once. Maybe he could help her again.

When she got to the church, Kirsten didn't tell the pastor why she needed to leave Chicago. She just told him she was tired of being a cook and tired of the city and wanted to move to a place where there weren't so many people. She also smiled and told him she wanted to find a husband.

The pastor stroked his chin for a while, and then frowned.

"Kirsten, if I were you, I'd stay in Chicago. There are places where there are men looking for a wife, but you would not be safe going there alone. I received a letter yesterday from a man who went from Chicago to Colorado to prospect for silver. Apparently he has established a mine and now wants a woman to travel there and become his wife. The other pastors in Chicago get the same type of letter at least once a month.

"Those places are still very wild and there are no policemen to keep things under control. There are saloons there where the men drink whiskey and gamble away their money and the few women there...well, I don't have to tell you what those women do to make their money. There are often shootings and robberies. There will only be one store and that store will not have much in it other than mining supplies.

"This man does not have a house yet. He says he will build a house if he can find a wife, but until then, he is living in a tent. I'm told it gets very cold in Colorado, colder than it does in Chicago. You would catch your death in a tent."

As Kirsten listened to the pastor, she was forming a plan. A place with no police was what she was looking for. Maybe the man who wrote the letter would be a good man who would take care of her. If he wasn't, she had no doubt there would be more than one man there who wanted a wife.

"Pastor, would you give me the letter? I grew up on a farm and I can take care of myself. I can take the train to Colorado and I'll be safe on the train. Once I get there, I'll find a way to contact this man so he can come and get me."

The pastor shook his head in frustration. These young women thought with their hearts instead of their heads. When Kirsten asked him again, he took a letter from his desk and handed it to Kirsten.

"Kirsten, I wish you would reconsider, but it sounds like you've already made up your mind. When you are ready to leave, I will have my carriage take you to the train station."

Kirsten smiled the best fake smile she could manage.

"I resigned my position this morning. I am ready to leave now."

At ten o'clock that morning, Kirsten walked into the train station. She bought a ticket on a Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific train that was going to Denver and then took a seat near one of the doors to the station. Her plan was to get up and walk out if she saw any police enter the station. She was relieved when none did before she boarded the train. At one o'clock that afternoon, Kirsten was sitting in a seat by a window and watching the city of Chicago pass by.

The trip took twelve days and was anything but enjoyable. Kirsten found it difficult to sleep for more than a few hours at a time because of the jostling and noise. It was hot in the train car during the day, but opening a window to let in some air usually meant at least some smoke coming in with that fresh air. Eating meant leaving the train when it stopped for coal and water. The food was usually of poor quality and cost more than Kirsten wanted to spend. She decided to settle for buying a loaf of bread and a small amount of ham and ate on the train.

Kirsten was overjoyed when the train stopped at the station in Denver. She was also apprehensive. She knew nothing of Denver other than it was a city in Colorado Territory. It wasn't as big as Chicago, but it looked like it was trying to be. Everywhere Kirsten looked, there were buildings going up.

Kirsten had no intention of seeing more of Denver than she had to see in order to find a man to take her to meet William Baynes, the man who had written to her pastor in Chicago. When she asked the man at the ticket counter how she could get to the silver mines at Rabbit Creek, he smiled.

"Why would a pretty young girl like you want to go to one of those hellholes? There are plenty of places where a pretty girl can make a living right here in Denver. You might not make as much money, but life will be easier."

Kirsten frowned at the implication that she was a prostitute.

"Sir, I assure you I am no fallen dove. I am here to get married."

The man smiled again.

"Ah, so you are one of those catalogue wives we get from time to time. Well, your best bet would be one of the freight wagons down by the loading platforms. The drivers are a rough lot, but they'll get you to the mines if you don't mind having your innards shaken up during the trip."

Kirsten walked out of the station and down the platform to where the freight wagons were being loaded. Most of the men looked dirty, had long, scraggly beards and wore ragged clothes.

Kirsten asked the first teamster she came to if he knew of a man who could take her to Rabbit Creek. The teamster pointed to a man with his back to them.

"Over there, with the team of blacks. His name is Hiram Wainwright and he's the Rabbit Creek driver. Uh...Ma'am, Hiram looks a little scary, but he'll get you there safe and sound."

Kirsten walked up to the man and said, "Are you Mr. Wainwright?"

When he turned to face her, Kirsten caught her breath. The man's mouth wasn't straight across. It dipped down on his left side. That was shocking enough, but the leather band that covered his nose was something she'd never seen before. It had a portion shaped like a nose, but Kirsten couldn't figure out why a man would wear such a thing.

The man looked her up and down, and then said, "Yes. What do you want?"

Kirsten took a deep breath. She couldn't very well just walk away, and even though this man looked a little scary, he looked strong and cleaner than the others.