“Thank you, Mr. Courter,” the judge said briskly. “Miss Kopp, I suppose you’ve gone around and done your bit here, is that right?”
Constance stood and said, “Yes, Your Honor. It’s well known by now that Mr. Leo possessed a forged marriage license, which implies that Minnie Davis did have some expectation of marriage. As for male visitors, there’s no evidence of that, and no witnesses to testify to that effect.”
“Your Honor,” Detective Courter said, a bit scornfully, “Mr. Leo and Miss Davis were caught by police, red-handed, as it were.”
“Yes . . .” The judge looked down at the papers on his desk.
Constance was afraid she was about to lose him. “To my knowledge, no men have been brought in on a debauchery charge involving Miss Davis,” she said, “and Mr. Leo was just released. I believe the act you’re describing takes two to commit. Without anyone else having been charged, I see no justification for putting this girl into an institution until she’s twenty-one.”
Judge Seufert looked up at her in surprise. “That’s a novel argument. What about it, John? Where’s the other half of this duo?”
“Well, I?—”
Constance plunged ahead while she had the chance. “I know that the courts would rather not release Miss Davis on her own. She and her parents are on difficult terms, and neither wishes to live under the same roof with the other. But that’s not a crime, and she shouldn’t be deprived of her liberty over it.”
“I don’t see that you leave me another choice, Miss Kopp,” the judge said.
She risked another look over at Minnie, who had her eyes in her lap. “There is another way, Your Honor. Miss Davis would like to share a room with Miss Edna Heustis.”
Minnie gasped and stared up at her.
“I know that Miss Heustis would keep an eye on Miss Davis and exert a beneficial influence over her. I will take her to the powder works myself and see that she gets hired on, but I anticipate no trouble with that, as she already has factory experience and is accustomed to hard work. I’ll speak to the landlady on her behalf and make sure Miss Davis is allowed to pay her rent after she’s collected some wages. The landlady runs a strict house and will no doubt help to keep Minnie in line as well.”
Detective Courter made noises of protest, but the judge waved him away and looked down at Minnie. “Miss Davis, you don’t deny that you ran away from home and lived with a fellow as man and wife outside the bounds of marriage, do you?”
Minnie kept her face very well composed. “No, Your Honor, but it was a mistake, and I didn’t understand what could happen. Now that I know, I would never do it again.”
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you what could happen?”
Constance had to intercede on Minnie’s behalf. “I’ve been twice to see Miss Davis’s parents. It’s a hardscrabble home with very little time for motherly advice, but they do know right from wrong.”
“Is that true, Miss Davis? Do you know right from wrong?”
“Yes, Your Honor.” Minnie was standing now, with her shoulders back and her hands clasped prayerfully in front of her. “I’m sorry for what I did, and I only wish it hadn’t landed me in jail.”
“Everyone wishes they hadn’t landed in jail,” the judge said gently. “Do you suppose you could live a good and quiet life, and make yourself a decent marriage someday, and stay out of trouble with the law?”
She took a deep and unsteady breath and nodded. “I do, Your Honor. I’ll do just as Miss Kopp says. I won’t be any bother to anyone.”
He turned to Sheriff Heath, who’d been sitting quietly off to the side. “Bob, do you have something to say?”
The sheriff stood and said, “I hired a lady deputy because I needed someone to take an interest in the female inmates and find ways to guide them to a better life. There’s no need for this girl to become a ward of the state, at a substantial cost to the taxpayers, when she can be put to work. We both know that Deputy Kopp will see to it that Miss Davis behaves.”
Judge Seufert looked at Minnie thoughtfully for a minute and said, “Miss Davis, I’m going to release you under the condition that you report to Deputy Kopp in the manner she prescribes, for a minimum of six months, to be extended at her discretion. She’ll be writing quite a few more of those reports, and you’d better hope I enjoy them as much as I did the first one. If we see you again in our courts, you won’t be treated so kindly.”
Minnie nodded and whispered her thanks. Constance took her out of the room before the judge could change his mind. Detective Courter was still sputtering furiously. As she left, she could hear him and the judge arguing over it.
Minnie looked a little green, and Constance wondered suddenly if she was really prepared to live up to her end of the bargain.
“I expect you to be grateful for the chance you’ve been given. I’m going to have to ask quite a lot of Edna. You must be grateful to her, and make it easy for her. Can you do that?”
Minnie nodded but didn’t dare speak for fear she’d ruin it.
Constance pushed open the courthouse doors, and they stood on the steps. Minnie took a deep breath of damp winter air and shivered as it went through her. She took Constance’s elbow to steady herself.
“Will I have to wear handcuffs on the train to Pompton Lakes?” she asked.
“Not this time,” Constance said.
54
MINNIE STOOD IN MRS. TURNBULL’S drab sitting room, with its dusty old lamps and rickety card table in the corner, and tried not to fidget while Constance explained their purpose.
“We’ve come to ask if Edna would be willing to share her room with another girl.”
Mrs. Turnbull clapped her hands together and looked Minnie over with genuine interest. “That’s a fine idea!” she cried. “Edna’s about to work herself to death. You can share in the rent and each pay your own board. It’s the smallest room, but you won’t mind, will you, dear? We can just squeeze in a cot. I suspect it’ll be more comfortable than the place you’ve been sleeping.” She gave Constance a meaningful look as she delivered that last line.
Constance didn’t want to tell too much about Minnie’s situation, so she merely said, “Miss Davis was being held as a witness. She was never charged with a crime herself. Owing to the amount of time that has passed, she lost her place at the jute mill in Fort Lee and had to give up her room. All she needs is a fresh start. If I can get her on at the powder works, I hope you’ll be willing to wait on the rent until after she’s been paid.”
That was satisfactory to Mrs. Turnbull. Constance took Minnie quickly out the door and over to the factory to make sure she could find a place for her.
“Show them what a good worker you’ll be,” Constance whispered as they walked into the enormous brick building that housed the fuse workshop. Minnie looked around with wide eyes, taking in the long row of machinery and the girls in their white caps working quickly and silently.
“It reminds me of the knitting mill back in Catskill,” she said. “The machines are almost the same.”