For Whom the Bell Tolls
Update 44
1882
Kathleen ‘Kitty’ Timworthy’s journey from Kentucky to New SorGun was full of adventure and heartbreak, but her greatest challenges still lie ahead…
As the world rolled into the 1880’s, great changes were being felt across America and in New SorGun as well. The town was growing at an incredible rate, closing in on 5,000 souls at the turn of the decade. Suddenly New SorGun was looking more like a proper town, and less like a frontier village. As a result, the townsfolk were expecting the social atmosphere to reflect those changes. But old habits die hard, and parts of New SorGun still held a reputation for depravity and vice.
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Kitty Timworthy was one of those citizens looking for change. After butting heads with the town’s ‘establishment’, including Eastman T. Finch, Kitty began building a grass roots campaign among the citizens of New SorGun. She entertained union leaders, dinned with socialists and vegetarians, and had tea with the local clergy. Kitty quickly found herself at the head of a populist movement itching for change against the bankers, businessmen, and social elite who were building enormous wealth off of the backs of the ‘little guy’. Both sides were heading for a clash.
*
The alarm bells began ringing, literally, on a cold winter night in January of 1882. A respected tailor by the name of Terrance Collins was walking home when he was stopped by two robbers demanding money. Mr. Collins reached into his coat pocket for his wallet when the two men shot him dead and ran off into the night. The victim’s body was quickly found and somebody began ringing the fire bell.
A large group gathered and upon hearing the sad news they began searching the entire town for the murderers. A short while later a boot was found sticking out of a hay stack on the wharf, and the mob pulled two men from their hiding (or resting) place. Most folks proposed to carry out justice right there and then, but Sheriff Willis, with a hand on his revolver, convinced the posse that sleeping in a haystack was no crime.
“We’ll take ‘em to the jail and let justice prevail,” he said.
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The posse took the men’s shoes and compared them with the footprints in the soft mud at the scene of the crime. The shoes were almost an exact match and the citizens of New SorGun were convinced they had captured the murderers. The next morning the prisoners were brought before Judge Morgan where their only defense was to deny guilt. The judge ordered the men be held without bail until they could be tried, but at that moment a large group of men rushed the prisoners and subdued the lawmen surrounding them. The enraged mob gathered outside where the two prisoners were strung up by the old maple tree near the center of town.
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Judge Morgan and Eastman Finch attempted to cut the men down, but both were stopped by the mob.
“You will regret this,” yelled Finch as he was carried off. “Our actions today are no better than the criminals who shot Mr. Collins!”
Kitty watched as the mob carried Morgan and Finch away, and she could see tears streaking down the judge’s face. She was partly terrified by the furor displayed of the throngs of irate citizens, but also excited at the same time. If she could somehow tap that raw energy, maybe the people of New SorGun could one day rise up and put an end to the entrenched interests of the established elite.
Days later, Judge Morgan fell deathly ill. Mr. Finch, one of the Judge’s good friends, visited immediately once he heard the news. The Judge motioned for his friend to come near.
“Those hangmen were in revolt against the very foundation of this country,” Morgan said in a weak voice. “They were exemplifying the doctrine of original sin and total depravity… Their actions will cast a shadow on our town that I fear may not be lifted for years to come.”
Mr. Finch nodded and held the judges hand, trying to comfort his dying colleague. Judge Morgan passed away soon after. Many would say he died of a broken heart.
Still haunted by the images he had witnessed days earlier, Finch vowed to do everything in his power to stop a similar event from ever happening again. With the help of some of his business friends, Eastman Finch went to the town council and mayor with a proposal to double the size of the sheriff’s department. Many in New SorGun welcomed the news of additional law enforcement, but Kitty and many of her followers accused the town council of using the new officers to protect the interests of the businessmen and wealthy investors.
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The fact was, Finch was used to getting what he wanted. Eastman’s contributions to New SorGun could not be overlooked, and he used his money and influence to sway the town council when it suited him. His controlling interest in the SorGun Herald, one of the town’s most prominent daily papers, also allowed him a voice in the court of public opinion. When all was said and done, Eastman T. Finch was considered one of the most powerful men in New SorGun.
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It was no surprise to Kitty Timworthy that the city council and mayor quickly passed Finch’s proposal, and the event only encouraged Kitty to double her efforts. In order to enact lasting change and restore power to the people of New SorGun, Kitty would have to tap into the same emotional energy she witnessed the day the two ‘criminals’ were rightly executed. The Reverend Zebediah Payne was more than willing to assist Kitty in that department.
Kitty met Reverend Payne many years earlier when he was still giving sermons out of an old school house. Zebediah was never shy about sharing the word of God, and each Sunday he preached the dangers of sin and the devil until his voice gave out. Whether it was the theatrics or the message, Zebediah’s congregation grew, becoming one of the more popular churches in the town of New SorGun.
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Although the Reverend and Kitty didn’t see eye to eye on every social or political issue, they bonded over their mutual distaste of Eastman T. Finch and the other big wigs in the New SorGun establishment. Finch continued to profit from his stake in the Illahee, the local brothel, which was a cardinal sin in Zebediah’s book. Each and every Sunday, Reverend Payne would use his bully pulpit to inform the masses of the depravity and vice that was infecting the town through the establishments owned by Finch and his colleagues. As time wore on, Eastman, who wore his popularity as armor, began to notice the chinks. Finch’s veil of invincibility began to wear off.
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The ‘magma pit’, as the locals liked to call it, was the area of town full of taverns, gambling halls and brothels. The area was a popular entertainment destination for many, but after a number of criminal incidents, including the murder of Terrance Collins, popular opinion began to turn and many citizens began demanding the removal of such vise from New SorGun. Kitty, with her connections to various groups such as the clergy and prohibitionist, became the de-facto leader of the movement to bring New SorGun into a ‘new’ civilized era.
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Finch and the current town leaders quickly realized there was a new challenger to the established political status quo.
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Replies to the last Teaser:
mb1.0.2: Oh...so glad this is back! Wonderful work as usual. Such an inspiration!
Thank you, I'm enjoying your current CJ as well!
Luiz P. Romanini: Is that Indian Point?
Good eyes, it is indeed 
ModyMentos: Moor moor moor... of the good work.
Thanks!
Tankmank: Can't wait for the full update
Hope you enjoyed it
slickbg56: Rise up people!
Things are starting to heat up
Scissors: This would be an excellent place for a really nice train station. ;-)
That would certainly help the land value
Huston: There's no turning away from beautiful work...even if I'm looking at a slum. I feel an uprising coming on... 
What is a town without a little political strife?
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