- Lorrenda’s
- father,
- a
- Civil
- War
- Veteran,
- and
- Benton’s
- sole
- lawyer
- was
- shot
- dead
- while
- sitting
- in
- his
- office
- chair
- by
- a
- young
- illiterate
- member
- of
- an
- inbred
- wandering
- family.
Befriended
- by
- Sheriff
- Bert
- Malcom,
- he
- became
- Lorrenda’s
- life
- long
- confident
- who
- taught
- her
- shoot
- and
- care
- for
- modern
- firearms
- which
- she
- put
- to
- good
- use
- on
- diverse
- occasions
- and
- earned
- two
- notches
- on
- her
- pistol.
Stepping
- into
- her
- father’s
- business
- shoes
- Lorrenda
- was
- immediately
- faced
- with
- protecting
- Adams
- County
- citizens
- from
- a
- railroad
- land
- purchasing
- swindle.
- After
- winning
- the
- railroad
- owner’s
- ear,
- she
- was
- given
- sub-rosa
- authority
- over
- the
- railroad’s
- western
- expansion
- project.
- When
- a
- vital
- railroad
- bridge
- was
- sabotaged,
- Lorrenda
- was
- given
- the
- job
- of
- tracking
- down
- the
- man
- responsible
- for
- mass
- murders,
- destruction
- of
- property
- and
- sending
- a
- complete
- train
- to
- the
- bottom
- of
- a
- lake.
Lorrenda
- was
- a
- non-conformist,
- visionary
- and
- a
- feminist
- long
- before
- the
- concept
- was
- invented.
- She
- was
- a
- recognized
- leader
- in
- promoting
- new
- office
- equipment
- and
- employment
- of
- women
- office
- staff.
- When
- offered
- the
- presidency
- of
- a
- small
- railroad
- company
- she
- refused,
- preferring
- to
- remain
- a
- kingmaker
- rather
- than
- becoming
- a
- queen.
Turning
- over
- her
- businesses
- to
- women
- Lorrenda
- earlier
- trained,
- she
- became
- active
- in
- politics,
- served
- on
- the
- board
- of
- a
- telephone
- company
- and
- promoted
- the
- use
- of
- motor
- vehicles
- and airplanes.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
