Beneath the Honeysuckle Vine (59 page)

“
Johnny!
”
Vivianna screamed once more as two men took hold of her arms, pulling her away from him.
She struggled wildly—tried to escape—tried to reach for Johnny.

He was weak
,
yet he fought too.
Vivianna watched as Johnny struggled—butted Mr. Sidney
’
s head with his own, sending the leader of the mob reeling.

The other man landed a hard fist to Johnny
’
s right jaw, however, and Vivianna screamed as he crumbled to his knees
.

“
Hang him!
”
someone shouted.

“
Leave him be! Leave him be!
”
a child
’
s voice cried.

Vivianna looked to see
Lowell
.
He was there
,
a large man holding him tightly by the arms.
Nate and Willy were there too
,
struggling to escape the clutches of the men holding them.
Savannah
was shouting
,
two women holding her back.

“
Johnny!
”
Vivianna cried as someone threw a noose around Johnny
’
s neck.

“
Hang him high!
”
someone shouted.
“
That damn Yankee killed one of ours!
Stretch his neck long!
”

“
No!
”
Vivianna cried.

She screamed again as gunfire broke the air.
She gasped as Mr. Sidney crumpled to the ground
,
blood soaking his shirt at one shoulder.
Another shot rang out
,
and the second man holding Johnny reeled backward.

The mob gasped—silenced.

Vivianna followed everyone else
’
s attention as Charles Maggee made his way through the crowd toward Johnny.
He leveled his Spencer carbine at Johnny
’
s head. Vivianna gasped—held her breath.
Surely Mr. Maggee didn
’
t intend to kill Johnny!
Hadn
’
t Boy and Floydie been Johnny
’
s friend
s
and fellow soldiers?

“
This man didn
’
t do nothin
’
,
”
Mr. Maggee said.

“
He
’
s a damn Yankee,
”
Mr. Sidney growled.

Instantly, the barrel of Mr. Maggee
’
s gun met with Mr. Sidney
’
s forehead.

“
And so were you,
Matthew
…when the war began,
”
Mr. Maggee said.
“
Only reason you didn
’
t enlist in the Alabama
First
with my boys is because your wife said if ya did, she wouldn
’
t be here waitin
’
for ya if ya lived long enough to come home.
Ain
’
t that right?
”

Mr. Sidney
’
s lips pursed in an angry, defiant expression.

“
We got a dead boy on our hands!
A soldier!
”
someone shouted.

“
This here Yankee knew him!
”
another man shouted.

“
Yes, he did,
”
Mr. Maggee said.
He stepped in front of Johnny—Johnny
,
who spit blood out of his mouth and still remained on his knees, panting for breath.
Turning,
Mr. Maggee
leveled his Spencer at another man at the front of the mob.

“
Fact is that
’
s why he
’
s dead,
”
Mr. Maggee said.
“
I killed him before he could murder this fine man.
”

Vivianna heard
Savannah
gasp,
“
Charles!
”

“
I was out visitin
’
my boys
—
my two good boys
,
buried out there in the Turners
’
cemetery because I didn
’
t think they
’
d rest in peace here in town…not with the likes of you folks around,
”
he said.
“
I was out there just talkin
’
with my boys, when all of a sudden, here comes this Reb.
He asked me what I was doin
’
…and if I know
’
d a feller name of Johnny Tabor or one name of Justin Turner.
”

Several sets of eyes suspiciously lingered on Justin for a moment.

“
I said I did,
”
Mr. Maggee continued,
“
l
eastwise I knew Justin Turner.
I
’
d seen Justin had made it home
,
right that afternoon on my way to visit the boys
.
I seen Justin Turner and his friend here walkin
’
up the road goin
’
home.
”

Vivianna was desperate to get to Johnny.
She started to move toward him, but he raised his eyes, slightly shaking his head as a warning she should not come to him.

“
Well, that dirty Reb…turns out he was a guard at
Andersonville
…tried his best to beat Johnny to death
and couldn
’
t do it.
He thought I was sympathetic to the Confederacy.
And I am, in a manner.
We all are.
I love
Alabama
.
Anyhow, the man tells me he
’
s here to kill Johnny Tabor…Justin Turner too
,
if he can manage it.
Then he looked down and seen my boys
’
graves.
He asked me why two Yankees were buried there.
I told him they were my boys…that they died in the fightin
’
.
That ol
’
Reb
,
he pulled a knife from his belt and lit out after me…said he was gonna cut me open and I could lay out in the sun and rot like the two
Andersonville
prisoners he was aimin
’
to kill. He got me quick across the belly
—
nearly spilled my guts out all over the ground
—
so I shoved him.
He stumbled backward
,
tripped himself over a small headstone…cracked his head open on Floydie
’
s.
”

Johnny glanced to Vivianna
,
and she struggled to keep from running to him.
It was Zachary Powell
’
s blood on Floydie
’
s stone!

“
I went over to check on the boy
,
even though he
’
d been tryin
’
to kill me a moment before.
He was dead…and I knew folks would hang it on the Turner boys if I left him there.
So I drug him off into the woods.
He was too heavy to take too far though.
So I left him while I went home and cleaned up my wounds and fetched the wagon.
I come back after a while
and hauled him off over there where the
y’re
buildin
’
the new line.
I figured nobody would find him…or if they did
,
they
’
d think he just died in the war
,
like my boys.
”

Vivianna sobbed as Sheriff Pidwell came forward and helped Johnny to his feet.

“
You killed him?
”
Mr. Sidney growled.

“
He was tryin
’
to kill me, Matthew
,
and his death was an accident.
The war weren
’
t over yet…not official.
I figure he
’
s counted as a casualty
,
just like my boys were…only without any honor at all.
”
Mr. Maggee
’
s eyes narrowed
.
“
He meant to murder two men that weren
’
t soldiers no more.
Way I see it
,
that makes him deservin
’
of feedin
’
the buzzards.
”
Mr.
 
Maggee lowered his carbine. He turned to face the mob
,
many of whom now wore expressions of guilt and sadness rather than fury.
“
I know how many of you were in favor of the
Union
.
I
’
ve heard you say it…know you hoped for the war to end to find the
Union
strong,
”
Mr. Maggee said.
“
I won
’
t reveal ya
,
but I do expect ya to leave this boy alone…and to know I was only protectin
’
myself and two men that fought for what was right
,
even if it don
’
t seem that way sometimes.
Go on home.
Hide your own secrets
.
I know ya have
’
em.
You
’
re nothin
’
but a mob of hypocrites.
”

The crowd paused
,
each person looking to one another.
Some were still angry
,
some humbled
,
some standing in utter ignorance.

Vivianna watched as Caleb helped Sheriff Pidwell to untie Johnny
’
s hands.

She gasped when Johnny growled, landing a brutal blow to Mr. Sidney
’
s midsection with one knee before plowing a fist into his face to send him tumbling to the ground.
Johnny spit on Matthew Sidney, and no one moved to help the mob leader.

Justin approached Johnny then.
“
Johnny…I…I…
”
Justin stammered.

His stammering was silenced when Johnny—weakened though he was—let go a powerful fist to Justin
’
s jaw.
Caleb stood over his brother for a moment. He shook his head as he looked at him
,
disgust and disappointment plain on his face.
Yet in the next moment, he reached down, offering a hand and helping him to his feet.

“
You best keep outta my way for a while, Justin,
”
Johnny growled.

“
I
’
m sorry, boy,
”
Sheriff Pidwell said, placing one hand on Johnny
’
s shoulder.

Frowning, Johnny nodded in heroic acceptance of the apology.

“
You
’
re just gonna let him go?
”
Mr. Sidney asked, struggling to his feet.

“
He whipped up on you and six other men before he went down, Matthew,
”
Sheriff Pidwell said.
“
Unless you want me to keep him here to have another go
-
around at you…I am lettin
’
him go.
The man ain
’
t done nothin
’
wrong.
”
Sheriff Pidwell nodded
,
indicating Matthew Sidney should be on his way.
He looked back to Charles Maggee then
and
placed a hand on his shoulder.