Second Harvest

Pastor Brian James was sure he heard God's calling when he set off for the Arizona Territory from New York. But once he arrived, the shambles of a dying mining town and the two houses of ill-repute, established in previous years, presented enormous obstacles for his ministry. Unfazed by such insurmountable odds, Pastor James organized a small gathering of worshipers, comprised mostly of elderly folks and widows, who met in Dillard's General Store on Sunday mornings. Pedestrians walking the street on Sundays could hear a-cappella music reverberating from the general store as Pastor James belted out hymns with the same zeal he pursued the foundation of his congregation.

Pastor James was only forty, but his pot belly and balding head, presented when dressed in the only ill-fitting suit he owned, made the man look older. Thaddeus and Rebecca required witnesses for the marriage ceremony, which consisted of Sheriff Tom Dawson and the widow Nan Smith, who turned ninety that precise day. Brief, the modest ceremony involved incoherent ramblings by Pastor James as he salivated over the young and beautiful Rebecca.

Not long afterward, the newlyweds delivered their son, Roy into the world, in the year 1881. Thaddeus joyfully adjusted to the pleasures of a lovely wife and a new family when suddenly, his circumstances altered. Sadly, Rebecca succumbed to the same affliction of her namesake predecessor, by living a mere eight months after Roy's birth. The labor process weakened Rebecca, but she ultimately became a victim of her previous injuries, which she suffered the fateful day when she and Thaddeus first met. Giving birth was strenuous on Rebecca's body-more than anticipated. As she lay in bed fighting death, she pleaded with her husband, requesting him to care for and raise their young child. She encouraged her husband with a weak voice.

"Remember my life, for I brought Roy into our world."

Rebecca was the only woman Thaddeus really knew and he loved her so much. Weeping uncontrollably, Thaddeus tenderly kissed his wife goodbye and pledged his unwavering commitment. As Rebecca slipped away, she whispered: "I'll always love you, Thad." Moments later, Thaddeus screamed up at God, cursing the day he was born. All glimmers of hope were ripped away, leaving him with the responsibility of raising a young son and repeating the drama his father William encountered a generation earlier.

From these tragic events surrounding the family, the Folsom curse evolved into a scourge that would ultimately affect future generations, depriving its members of any hope. The inability to find long-term happiness robbed the Folsom's of faith in an optimistic future. Hence, each day was lived as if it were their last.