Stuart's Crossing
an excerpt

Everyone noticed the smell but few could identify it. It was wafting between the odor of burned wood and paper. It wasn’t the unnatural mechanical smell of burning typewriters and adding machines. It was something natural and at the same time foreign.

It was the war veterans whose first began to look around with concern in their eyes. They recognized it and whispered words to the fireman who already suspicious of the situation had increased their efforts to put out the blaze. They were too late of course. The two bodies were found in the large room that had been converted to a chapel. One was lying on the raised platform that doubled as a stage and the other one had been found lying on the large table that was used as a substitute altar.

The Burrows family had not gathered to watch the fire as had so many of the townspeople, something that many commented on later when viewed in light of the fact that almost the whole town had turned out to watch the school burn. They had stayed home It was not until later in the day when they went to the police with the news that the head of the family was missing…and it was concluded by what bits of clothing they could find that one of the bodies was indeed the Rev. Burrows. A shock wave went through the community. The handsome charasmatice minister, the headmaster of Stuart Academy had burned along with the school that he has worked so hard to build up. Then the family of one Ricky Jackson noted to the police that he was also missing. It was concluded that he had also died in the fire. Since Ricky was a young outspoken upity colored boy it was assumed that he had set the fire. Whether he meant to kill the Rev or not was up to speculation. Many couldn’t believe it as Ricky was an apostle of non-violence and had never raised his fist in anger toward anyone. To kill the Rev was completely outisde of his character.

The body of a white man meant one thing. The body of a young black man meant something else. To find both ogether was an extreme oddity in normal situations. That the white man was an outspoken opponent of intergration and the black man was a vocal campaigner for Civil rights meant that this would not be an open and shut case. To look for justice for Rev. Burrows would force the authorities to investigate the murder of Ricky Jackson as well and to spend time and money on bringing a killer of a young black man to justice just wasn't done in thos days. Instead of investigating the authorites of the time made a half hearted attempt at solving the crime but then gradually let it go.

People moved on. Memories faded. Time healed some wounds and life continued until one day someone planned a reunion for the alumni of Stuart's Academy.