All God's Children
A Story of Faith and Love
by
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It was a warm June night, in the year of our Lord 1975, when Father Ed Murphy closed and locked the front door of the rectory and walked the few yards over to the door of the sacristy of St. Michael’s. As Father opened the door, he didn’t notice the young man who had snuck up behind him. The young man said, in an obviously disguised voice, “Get in there and don’t say a word or I’ll shoot.” Father Ed did exactly what the young man ordered, and the lad shut the door as he looked around the room. “Now, open that safe. And be quick about it!” Again the good father followed the man’s command, bending over to unlock the safe. As he did, he saw that the young man was, indeed, holding a gun. “I better do what he says,” the priest thought.
Ten-year-old Matthew Bingham was on his third wood-collecting safari when the snow started falling. “I’ll get some more and then head back,” he said to himself as he strode deeper into the woods. Over the years, he had learned to pay attention to his surroundings and to be aware of anything that did not seem just right. But the boy in him told him to continue on; the family needed the wood if they were to eat. Suddenly it occurred to him that the snow was getting heavy. As he turned to head back to the campsite, he struck his head on a low tree limb, knocking him on his tail. He blacked out for just a few moments, but long enough for the whiteout conditions to cover the Soda Springs area. Matt started walking in what he thought was the right direction but soon realized the campsite was nowhere in sight. He decided his best move would be to find cover and wait out the storm. What he didn’t realize was that he had walked a much longer distance than he thought, and deeper into the forest. Matthew Bingham was lost and snowbound. Marjorie Palmer had been a model citizen during her year’s probation. I met with her once a week, and she never caused a problem. But her life changed in late May of 1975. One afternoon, Marjorie came home from school, later than usual. When her mother asked where she had been, she hemmed and hawed and finally blurted out, “Mommy, I’m pregnant!” Tears were streaming. That night was a long one, to say the least. The other two daughters, Margaret and Marie, were sent upstairs, and Marjorie and her parents went into the family room. Marjorie admitted she had had more than one affair and, honestly, didn’t know who the father was. “We’ll get an abortion,” Frank stated immediately, to which Muriel quickly agreed. “But we have to do it quietly, so no one will ever know.”
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About the Book
My name is Jerry Gallagher, and I am a retired probation officer, having served with the county probation department, juvenile division. I saw kids in trouble all the time, most of them deserving of the sentences the courts handed them. This is the story of three instances in which I was involved in the lives of children. I call them “Father Ed’s Gamble,” “Miracle on the Mountain,” and “The Girl Who Should Be a Saint.” One thing was made clear over the years:
From the moment of conception, whether a child turns out good or bad, or even if the child doesn’t survive or goes hungry and naked, that child is, nonetheless, one of All God’s Children. Amen.
About the Author
Gerald Gabhart was born in Sacramento, California, in December 1933. the younger of two boys. He grew up in Stockton, about an hour away from Sacramento, going to public grade schools and to Saint Mary’s High School. He attended the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in Personnel Administration. After a three-and-a half-year tour in the Army, specializing in counter-intelligence, he took additional courses at Sacramento State College. In 1961, Gerald became a claims examiner with California-Western States Life Insurance Company. It was here where he became a good friend of the Brothers Family and, eventually “Uncle Jerry.” They remain close to this day. In 1980, he went to work with Computer Sciences Corporation, working on the “Medi-Cal” program. In 1988, he transferred with the program to Electronic Data Systems, and retired from there is 1996. Gerald has always enjoyed being around children, whether it was as a Little League Coach, as a host for trips to watch Cal football, or just “hanging out.” He has always said that if adults harm each other, that is a shame. But let a kid be the victim, and he is ready to do battle. Thus, it is not a surprise that he should write this book.