None of them contained the name Jay Fitzwater. So when the secret was revealed, my brother and I set out to discover what had happened. We found that time hides facts easier than it heals wounds. In Lincoln County, Kansas, there is little record of the town fathers of nearby Shady Bend who tarred and feathered a school teacher for allegedly seducing one of her students. Although there were news stories of the crime and subsequent trial, its clear that some kind of collective guilt has since clouded recollections.
Local citizens are still hesitant to share painful memories.
They don't want to talk about Margaret Chambers. In my family, it was a direct order. My great Uncle Jay was banished from Kansas for his participation in the crime. The family was directed never to speak his name again. It was the discovery of the spirited school teacher that inspired me to put pen to paper.