Necessary Evil
Authors: Killarney Traynor
Necessary Evil
By Killarney Traynor
This is a
work of fiction.
Names,
characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either
products of the author’s imagination, or are used fictiously. Any resemblance to
actual events, locales, organizations, or persons (living or dead) is entirely
coincidental.
Copyright ©
2015 Killarney Traynor
All rights
reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without
written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical
articles and reviews.
Cover Design
by Adriana Hanganu, adipixdesign.com
Author
photograph provided by Monica Bushor of Bushor Photography
For
Ernest and Reuben
I have read, in the
marvelous heart of man
,
That strange and mystic scroll,
That an army of phantoms vast and wan
Beleaguer the human soul.
- Longfellow
Fear of the Lord is the
beginning of knowledge.
-
Proverbs
1:7
Contents
Alexander
Chase’s Last Known Letter to Mary Chase:
58
Excerpt
from Mary Chase’s Diary
. 82
Excerpt
from Mary Chase’s Diary
. 107
of Characters:
Present
Day:
Madeleine
Warwick
Susanna
Chase,
her aunt
Michael
Chase,
her uncle, deceased
Prof.
Gregory Randall,
of Hadley University, MA
Prof.
Joseph Tremonti,
of Breaburn College, CA
Prof.
Anthony Maddox,
of Breaburn College, CA, deceased
Darlene
Winters,
author and neighbor
Allison
Winters,
her daughter, missing
Lindsay
Khoury,
farm hand
Jacob
Adamski,
farm hand
Che
Che Randazzo,
co-worker
Melanie
Randazzo,
her daughter
Mark
Dulles,
TV personality
Charlene
Schaeffer,
Charleston Historian
Charlie
White,
local newsman
From
the Past:
Alexander
Chase,
the accused thief
Mary
Welles Chase,
his mother
Obadiah
Chase,
his step-father
Avery
Chase,
his step-brother
Jeremiah
Beaumont,
Alexander’s friend
Jaspar
McInnis,
Alexander’s South Carolinian employer
Mary
Anna McInnis,
his daughter
Life can change in the blink of an eye.
What was once running along safely, smoothly, predictably, can be derailed in an
instant as forcibly and as irretrievably as a train running into a granite
mountain.
For the want of a nail, they say, the
kingdom was lost. My life is proof of that. Not so much for the want of a nail,
but for something far more inconsequential. Or so it felt at the time.
My name is Madeleine Warwick. On a bright,
beautiful June morning, on a back trail I’ve been riding since I was four years
old, my life changed forever.
I’ve been picking up the pieces ever
since.
Years ago:
From an article in
The Triple Town
Sentry
Chase Letter Authenticated
Professor Anthony Maddox announced today
that he has authenticated the much disputed Chase/Beaumont letter.
In a public speech at Braeburn College, in
Sundale, California, the distinguished Professor of American History announced
his findings on the controversial letter, citing lab tests and other evidence
that brought about his conclusion.
“Using the finest scientific techniques and
after consultations with my knowledgeable colleagues, coupled with my own
research, I’m happy to announce that this letter, written by Jeremiah Beaumont
to Mary Chase in 1862, is authentic. It is a valuable find, one that will
influence historical studies of the time period. I am proud to have been among
the first to comprehensively study it.”
Beaumont, born in Georgia, was a
non-combatant during the Civil War and worked with Alexander Chase when both
were in the employ of a Charleston merchant, Jasper McInnis. The letter was
addressed to Alexander’s mother, Mary Chase of New Hampshire, and was written
while Beaumont was in prison in Baltimore during the summer of 1863. Ostensibly
a letter of consolation, it explained the circumstances surrounding the death
of her son, who had been serving as a private in the Union in the 3
rd
New Hampshire Voluntary Infantry, as well as explaining the disappearance of a
large collection of household goods that Chase was accused of stealing back in
1861.
“I regret, thinking on your new widowhood,
that there is nothing of Alex’s that I can send back to you,” Beaumont wrote.
“Some ‘goods’ which we had the good fortune to come into were lost on the
gaming tables in this very city shortly after their acquisition. I have since repented
of my actions, but the goods, now lost, cannot be recovered.”
The letter was discovered in the bottom of
a trunk three months ago in the still active Chase farm in Chester, New
Hampshire. Susanna Chase, the discoverer, and descendant of Alexander Chase by
marriage, immediately recognized the significance of the find and submitted it
to Maddox for examination.
Professor Maddox admitted that he was
initially skeptical as the contents of the letter “seemed, at first glance, to
fly in the face of what we knew about both Alexander Chase and his friendship
with Jeremiah Beaumont, especially in regards to the amount reportedly lost on
the ‘gaming tables.’ However, this does set to rest some questions about the
activities of Alexander Chase, particularly in regards to the McInnis affair.”
While the letter references two obscure
historical Civil War persons, the local repercussions of the authentication are
momentous. Alexander Chase was a controversial figure, son of a prominent local
family well-known for their political activism and public spirit. Their
reputation was tarnished when the McInnis family charged the deceased Alexander
with theft of their large family fortune and brought suit against the Chase
family when the Civil War ended. While the family disclaimed all knowledge of
such treasure, public opinion said that it was buried somewhere on the Chase
farm. The lawsuit stretched on for years, ending only with the death of Jamison
McInnis, grandson of Jasper. Rumors of treasure persisted, however, and many
treasure hunters and historians have searched the farm, to no avail.
The Chase treasure was largely forgotten
until a year ago, when the Chase family farm was featured in the popular
documentary series, Lost American Treasures. Even though Michael Chase, the
farm’s owner, assured the viewers that there was nothing hidden in his fields,
the episode generated new interest in the treasure. Amateur and professional
treasure hunters flocked to the farm, now a respected stable and riding school,
searching with metal detectors and shovels and ignoring posted “No Trespassing”
signs. Then tragedy struck: Michael Chase was killed when his horse stumbled in
a hole left by a treasure hunter.
His death had a stunning effect on the
community.
“We were devastated,” said Darlene
Winters, a resident, and author of the bestselling novels,
To Pluck a
Butterfly’s Wing
and
Too Close to the Sun
. “Michael was a rock in
this community, a true gentleman and a generous man. His death was just tragic.
He was far too young.”
The Chase Farm is still in operation, now
under the management of his wife, Susanna, and niece Madeleine Warwick, who
divides her time between the farm and her full-time job at a veterinary office.
Both were relieved by Maddox’s announcement.
“This letter absolutely disproves the
buried treasure theory,” Ms. Warwick said in a telephone interview. “We’re
hoping that this will discourage treasure hunters once and for all.”
Scholars agree with Warwick’s assessment
of the letter. Beaumont doesn’t specifically refer to the McInnis treasure, but
his letter does mention an item that was included in the lawsuit’s list of
stolen items: a set of silver Kirk spoons. While Beaumont mourns the effect the
‘rumors’ had on Alexander’s reputation, he neither confirms nor denies the
theft itself, something that Professor Maddox believes is tantamount to a
confession.
“Beaumont and Chase were friends, working
for a man who was acknowledged to be a harsh taskmaster, even by the standards
of the time,” he stated in his address to the press. “Beaumont wrote this
letter while serving time for disturbing the peace. He knows that the jailers
are going to be reading it before they mail it, so he can’t come right out and
say, ‘Yes, we stole the goods. Then we got drunk and lost them gambling.’ He’d
never get out of prison. So he skirts the issue, but makes sure to mention the
spoons specifically. I think Beaumont was telling Mary Chase, ‘Look, you know
and I know what kind of man your son was. I’m only telling you what you already
know. And there’s nothing left.’”
The Professor also announced his intention
to step down from his position in the history department, retiring to focus on
personal projects. His successor has yet to be determined, but popular
historian and author Joseph Tremonti is rumored to be in the running.
Back east, the authentication is a mixed
blessing. This paper was unable to reach the McInnis family for comment; but
the Chase family, speaking through Ms. Warwick, reported that they were relieved
by the discovery of the letter: “It only proves what people have thought for
years. Every family has their share of rogues and colorful characters.”
When asked, Warwick admitted that they
were still troubled by trespassers. She hopes to add the Chase Farm, founded in
the 1680s, to the New Hampshire roster of Historical Places. In the meantime,
she continues her uncle’s work, boarding, raising, and breeding horses as well
as offering lessons and summer riding camps.
“Chase Farm is fortunate in both our stock
and our riders,” Warwick said. “We count many prize-winning riders and horses
among our stable family. We’re looking forward to our annual horse show and
competition this coming August.”
She acknowledges that life without her
uncle is hard, especially on her aunt, Michael’s widow. But, “We’re forging
ahead and every day gets easier. We’re looking at a bright future.”