on an October afternoon,
in rural Willamina, Oregon,
Anna left her daughter,
then twelve, and young son,
to walk to her mother’s house.
Anna didn’t know her husband, William,
jealous, followed her.
Someone else found his body.
He’d been shot. All the Sheriff’s men
hunted clues, to find nothing.
All the townspeople
gossiped. For another man,
another William, age 23, had been seen
talking to Anna. They must have
been lovers, neighbors whispered.
Taken into custody, Anna and William
were held in jail behind bars,
each alone, their lives upended.
No one believed their stories.
At the first trial, the women of the town,
what did they know? They
filled the gallery, for they could not
serve on the jury or sit in the main floor.
Those women patched a crazy quilt from scraps,
raffled the finished quilt off to cover trial costs.
At the first trial, the women of the town,
what did they know? They
filled the gallery, for they could not
serve on the jury or sit in the main floor.
Those women patched a crazy quilt from scraps,
raffled the finished quilt off to cover trial costs.
First trial, mistrial.
Second trial, both found guilty, but
a judge reversed the jury’s finding.
Third trial, William sentenced to life.
Anna pled manslaughter, only
one to fifteen years in jail.
Second trial, both found guilty, but
a judge reversed the jury’s finding.
Third trial, William sentenced to life.
Anna pled manslaughter, only
one to fifteen years in jail.
She wanted to be with her children,
passed off to relatives.
passed off to relatives.
Finally in 1920, someone else confessed,
Anna and William were released,
five years lost.
They remarried, each to someone else.
Only court records and the quilt remain.
The quilt, dubbed the murder quilt,
hangs at the Oregon Historical Society,
a testament to misunderstandings.
Anna and William were released,
five years lost.
They remarried, each to someone else.
Only court records and the quilt remain.
The quilt, dubbed the murder quilt,
hangs at the Oregon Historical Society,
a testament to misunderstandings.
 |
| The Murder Quilt Source: Mother's Day: The Murder Quilt |
Today’s prompt from Napowrimo asks us to write a poem inspired by a newspaper article. I really felt at a loss since so much of the news just now is about the coronavirus. Then I remembered an article I read long ago that tickled my interest as it combined quilting with murder. Anna and William's story still makes me sad.
More information about this case can be found:
3) George A. Thatcher: Why Some Men Kill (Chapter 3).
Wow! Quite the story. It is sad that the truth does not always surface and people feel compelled to admit guilt, just to hasten the end, to have a future. Well written, I was engaged through the entire read!
ReplyDeleteWOW Beth, this was a compelling poem. Anna and William's story makes me sad as well. You have such a way with words! I appreciated your words about the writing of this poem as well. Loved it!
ReplyDelete