Midwives

Connie Danforth recalls the long summer and fall when her mother, Sibyl Danforth, was being tried for her role in the death of Charlotte Bedford. As her parents and their attorney discussed the case in Sibyl’s home during the evenings, 14-year-old Connie would listen worriedly from her room. She recalls her parents arguing with each other in desperation, as well as their calls to lawyers, doctors, and midwives to help Sibyl build a case. One sequence stands out in Connie’s memory: their lawyer, Stephen Hastings, telling the Danforths that it was a myth that you could tell a jury’s decision from their demeanor the moment they walked back into the courtroom. Connie did not believe Stephen, as all myths have a kernel of truth to them. Thus, the day the jurors walked back with a verdict on her mother, Connie surveyed their faces eagerly. She hoped at least some jurors would look the family in the face, indicating a judgment in Sibyl’s favor, but the jurors averted their eyes. Connie began crying and pleading with the jury, expecting the worst.