Introduction
“Can you write a novel?” Peter asked me. I had recently won the annual Christmas ghost story competition in a local free paper and was wallowing in the publicity and attention it had garnered me. “Yes I could write a novel; although it may take me a while.” I warned him in reply. “What did you have in mind?”. My work colleague explained how during his previous career as an antique dealer, he had purchased a collection of scrap books, photos, postcards and diaries from a house clearance sale. They had all belonged to an old lady who had passed away a few years earlier in my home town of Grays Thurrock, in Essex. It transpired that much of the collection related to her time as a young woman living with her parents in Wisconsin USA, during the 1920s. Her father was a preacher, and it was through him that she met a Native American called Lone Star, with whom she had a torrid relationship. Reading between the lines, this appeared to cause a scandal which resulted in the family returning to England. There is scant detail about what actually occurred between them (As such things were hardly spoken about openly or even recorded), but using some known facts from the documents, and combining it with my own extensive online research of Lone Star himself, as well as incorporating another true story of the time (i.e. the trials and tribulations of the Ojibwe Indians of La Courte Oreilles) for dramatic purposes, I have concocted a fictional account based upon true events. The Wilkins family have had their names changed, while other characters like Little Wolf and Walking Bear are complete fiction. Lone Star himself remains factual, including his White man’s name and some actual quotations lifted from newspaper articles. An actual Newspaper interview from 1951 is reprinted at the end of the book. For me the most rewarding experience of writing this book has been learning about a truly great and inspiring man, on a par with Gandhi or Mother Theresa. He was in his time something of a celebrity, when the world recognised and honoured those who made a significant contribution to society, rather than just self seeking gratification. My appreciation of history has also grown, as along the way I discovered many more stories of triumph and tragedy in the early part of the last century. The name and reported facts about the scoundrel Norman G Baker remain true, as do some of the individuals associated with Jenny and Lone Star, such as E. Leah Tomlinson. There is no record of Lone Star having been involved with the plight of the Ojibwe (pronounced O-jib-way), and although the events occurred historically parallel to Jenny’s story, artistic license has been taken by merging the two events together. I have not discovered Lone Star’s ultimate fate, but assume he passed away during the late 1950s or 60s, the most recent newspaper coverage I have found has him visiting Canada in 1956. Jenny herself married and led a full life on her return to Grays. But fortunately for us never forgot her years in Wisconsin.
Paul Carey (Dec, 2012)
