Synopsis "Dying By Inches"
Maggie Gillings' first attempt to flee the hands of her abusive mother occurred when she was just five years old. She was willing to face the dangers of the harsh Wyoming countryside, alone and friendless, rather than remain in a home where she was targeted for abuse by one of the two people who were supposed to care for her the most. When five-year-old Maggie was found cowering in a ravine on a neighboring ranch, cornered by a growling and barking dog belonging to the ranch's owner, she was returned home where she endured five more years of physical and emotional abuse. At the age of ten, after an argument with her mother, who had recently punished Maggie for a slight infraction by scalding her arm with a hot iron skillet, Maggie made a second attempt to escape. This time she took a bottle of poison along with her when she fled her family home. Her intention was to leave the world behind permanently. Again, a neighbor found Maggie, this time walking along a dusty country road, angry and crying. Once again, Maggie was returned to her home. Fortunately, Maggie's father finally decided to intercede. The best way to resolve the problems, he believed, was to send Maggie away from her mother the very next day. In 1922, young Maggie was put on a train for Missouri, a journey of 700 miles, to the waiting arms of her maternal grandparents. It was, indeed, a move that saved the young girl's life.
