Land of opportunity
"We believe that America is the land of opportunity and a beacon of freedom."
Emiel and his family immigrated to America in hopes of a better life. Being one of few families to survive the trip across the Atlantic ocean, their hopes grew stronger. A few months after setting foot on the land of opportunity, the reality hit them.
As they arrived in a small town called Valentine, all they were met with was discrimination. His father was unable to get a job, as no employer wanted him. This made it hard for the family to get food, and after only months his mother fell ill and passed away.
Outlaw
"When a man is denied the right to live the life he believes in, he has no choice but to become an outlaw."
At age 17 Emiel only had his father left. His father managed to get a job at the stables in town. Everything seemed well until one day when he was getting the horses, some drunk men approached him. They hated the Irish and ganged up on him. They beat him to the point of unconsciousness, he later died of the injuries.
Emiel was left alone working on his late parents farm. It didn’t last long until people started harassing him. Throwing rotten fruit and vegetables, stealing livestock, and shouting slurs. The final straw came when a bunch of young men broke into the stables at night.
They set fire to the building and the fire quickly spread to the house. Emiel barely managed to escape with his horse. After this encounter he decided to become an outlaw.