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Page 14 THE BATTALION THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1961 Features E Unsolved Atlanta murders arouse residents’ anger United Press International ATLANTA — Terry Pue sat in the all-night hamburger joint until it was nearly dawn and when he left, he told the girl behind the counter “ain’t nobody gonna get me.” But somebody did. When Curtis Walker got home from school, his mother told him not to set foot out of the house. But when she wasn’t looking, he slip ped out the door. He never came back. Twenty black children have been murdered since July 20, 1979, and not'one killer has been caught. For 20 months, residents of the bleak and crowded housing pro jects and the run-down black neighborhoods have huddled Get your Xerox copies ON THE DOUBLE together under a reign of terror. Fanned by activists who persist in seeing the murders and/or the fai lure to catch a killer as a racial plot, and the steadfast refusal of police to discuss the case, anger is now taking its place alongside the fear. Most investigators believe there may be at least 10 killers, their motives ranging from domestic stress and revenge in isolated cases to sexual perversion in many instances. There have been attempts to label a large portion of these kill ings as statistical normalities; one at Northgate, above Farmer’s Market Inexpensive, High-Quality Copies On Our Xerox 9400 FREE COLLATING in most cases. We specialize in Most investigators be lieve there may be at least 10 killers, their motives ranging from domestic stress and re venge in isolated cases to sexual perversion in many instances. REPORTS and DISSERTATIONS. Also: Self-service copying, typing, binding, resume writing, editing, business cards, wedding invita tions, stationery. ONE STOP service for reports and dissertations. ON THE DOUBLE 331 University 846-3755 Open M-F, 7 a.m.-lO p.m. Sat., 9-6 *. authority remarked recently the city normally has as many as 20 such cases a year. But rudimentary statistics re leased by the Atlanta Police De partment for 1975-78 fail to bear this out. In the worst year, 1975, seven black children were killed, but most were infant child abuse cases. In 1978, only one was mur dered. Over that four-year period, 17 black children were murdered, 11 were under the age of 5, and only one of those cases remains unsolved. The only link between all 20 victims is their race, their pover ty, and the fact that not one of their killers has been arrested. All but two were boys, ranging from 9 There’s a better way to get in on the summer fun! 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The best apparent indication of a link between some of the cases is the cause of death — 10 of the victims are known to have been strangled or suffocated — and the proximity of some of the bodies. Sources say investigators may know the race of the killer in some of this year’s cases. Skin tissue lodged under the victims’ finger nails would reveal this, but au thorities will not say whether they have found any. Much has been made over synthetic fibers found on some of the bodies. But sources say these fibers, despite being evidence that might link a suspect with a body — if there was a suspect, are not identical and do very little to tie any of the cases together. There is also strong belief at least some of the last seven killings — all by suffocation or strangula tion — may be the work of the same killer, a psychopath stimu lated by publicity surrounding the previous killings. “We have created him,” said a medical examiner working on the case. Police say in most child mur ders, the killer will be found with in his family. They are sure that is the case in only a few of these deaths. At least one, they feel, is the result of the victim’s court tes timony; others may have come from sour drug deals or ripoffs. But most, they feel, are ulti mately motivated by sex. They befieve that despite the fact not one of the boys’ bodies showed any signs of sexual moles tation or abuse, and that none were nude — all but two were fully clothed. Some of the boys, in fact, were believed to have occa sionally sold homosexual favors. One investigator said the most likely sexual killer would be a sad ist whose gratification comes from the very act of destruction. “When there’s a sexual motive, strangulation is the favorite method,” says Georgia Crime Lab Director Larry Howard. All of the boys, with one excep tion, appeared to have gone quiet ly to their executions. Probably with the offer of money, they were lured away, investigators surmise, probably by a man on foot. They probably walked together to his car, got in willingly and were kil led later. Medical examiners insist there is no indication any victim was drugged or chloroformed. Only Terry Pue, who at 5-feet-5 and 102 pounds was one of the largest victims, bore any marks of a struggle. No investigator or source close to the investigation gives any cre dence to the theory these are ra- The method of killing does not fit a racial hatred pattern, say the experts; such a killer would be much more likely to shoot his vic tims and leave them where they fall. cial murders, beyond the obvious fact that the killers have concen trated on black — generally light skinned — children. The main argument given against a racial motive is the utter lack of precedence. No one can bunch-a-b’loons Send balloons instead of flowers! Great party decorations! Birthdays • Wedding Receptions • Bridal Showers • Formals Create a festive atmosphere for any occasion! Call Weekdays 1-5 p.m. 696-4179 Party Rates, Too iwwo ACCOUNTING MAJORS GAAP IS HERE! Sponsored by Accounting Society and Beta Alpha Psi Greater Annual Accountant’s Playday (and banquet) Thursday April 16, 1981 Events 5-K RUN TENNIS GOLF Students, compete with professors and professionals! Reception Awards Banquet Dance following More information available at the Ac counting Department at the Old Hospital Building. Tickets are on sale from 9:00 - 1:00 everyday. ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ FIGHT NIGHT Dorms, Corp Outfits, Fraternities And All Texas A&M Students And Organizations are Invited to Enter Teams To Compete in Boxing Competition. DEADLINE FOR ENTRIES MARCH 15, 1981 5 Weight Classes $55 entry Fee per team L.Wt. - 130 to 150 lbs. L.H.Wt. - 166-185 lbs. M.Wt. - 151-165 lbs. H.Wt. - 186-200 lbs. Sup.H.Wt. - 200 lbs. & up. FIGHTS: MAY 1 & 2, 1981 For more Information Call Brian Armbruster 696-1853 846-3256 Tim Smith 696-2525 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ♦ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 4c 4c segregationist and one-time j ernor, took out an ad urgingj killer to give up, if not to j then to him. The most succes! that line apparently belongstol Rev. Earl Paulk. Paulk, a sim man, has had a number of c from men claiming to be ell killers; some he believes mayt been real. One of them cently arrested, however, charged with making ha calls. Police said he was nol People in touch with theii tigation insist the special force, which has grown fromli men to a staff of 106 since its in tion last July, is doing ever within its power to crack thee The pressure on its officers is whelming. But W.K. Perry, veteranha) of the Atlanta homicide squad* retired in anger a few days! the first two children’s were found in 1979, says t force is “too little and too 1 Perry says he quit Brown and his Police George Napper, were so absorb# by “community relations” they would not give him moa men to handle a soaring murdt rate. He makes no bones aboutli j en jor A bitterness. ^eros in Perry says the task force, ass |f{ er f[gh because, he says, he doesn’t want grew, became a dumping groin p to tip the police hand to the kil- for men other departmet*’ recall a killer actived by racial hatred who slew children at ran dom. The method of killing also does not fit a racial hatred pattern, say the experts; such a killer would be much more likely to shoot his victims and leave them where they fall. Many black leaders are dis gusted with the way the city went begging for vast sums of money to fund the investigation, and with the police policy of total silence on the murders. Four prominent black legislators have announced their support for a white candidate for mayor — the present mayor, Maynard Jackson, is black. And in at least one housing pro ject, some of the residents de nounced the police force as incom petent and uncaring and set up their own armed patrol to watch over their children. A few weeks ago, a black man, told by a fright ened woman that she saw a car with white people in it trying to grab a black child, opened fire on the car. No one was hurt. “The police don’t say nothin’ because they don’t know nothin,” groused a black man standing out side his apartment. Public Safety Commissioner Lee P. Brown has laid down strict orders against discussing the case, lers. Everyone can understand that, but authorities in other cities, with experience in mass killings, say the time has come for Atlanta police to lay their cards on the table. The silence seems all the more strange because of the city’s show- boat antics last fall. Fear reached the point of hys teria — demonstrated when, with murders unsolved, blacks being killed in other parts of the country and Ku Klux Klan activity rising, a boiler exploded at a housing pro ject day care center, killing four children. Explaining it was an obvious accident and not a bomb did little to allay panic. So the city — de spite already having been burned for creating massive hoopla by hir ing a strident psychic—drummed up a $100,000 reward and Mayor Jackson ordered a house-to-house canvass of the entire city. Police and firemen, grousing over the massive waste of manpower, knocked on every door, from the shanties of Cabbagetown to the mansions on Paces Ferry, politely asking if anyone had seen anything suspicious. It did appear, howev er, to produce probably its only intended effect — relative calm returned to black sections. Investigators have little doubt the publicity has led to more deaths — but it has apparently had little effect on potential victims. Despite frantic mothers and $60,000 worth of police flyers urging children to beware, police making a test had no trouble entic ing black children into private cars with a $5 bill. An almost circus atmosphere has grown up around the killings. Psychics flock to the city; those who don’t come, write. One con sultant the city picked up is a pro fessor at Duke University who is trying to correlate the flood of vi- wanted to get rid of; he said ofc ers with no interest in woi murders and no investigative perience were assigned to force, and police recruits, with experience of anything, wen brought in to handle the flood: calls. Jl V “This is a terrible mistake,’ ® Perry, now a private detecti«| who is following the case close!)’ gy R] “I’ve worked over 2,000 hoi : tides, and I know you’ve got# TexasA& have the ability to pull informatia lirector M out of people. latementV “They got the wrong peoplea leprelimii the field and the wrong peopled iCAA is the phones,” he said. Brown aid thletic De Napper, Perry says, are highlyir/ The letti telligent, well-educated men, bit ie NCAA “they are oriented to commnw im of the ity relations. They don’t low tatewhataj good, basic police work.” artment w Whatever they may under lowever, stand about police work, Browt eamedthei and Mayor Jackson are mastersi wsible rec fund-raising. In a campaign » hat investig aggressively organized that 1! leenapproe times it overshadowed the investi|f infractioi gation, they begged, pleaded aaf football play demanded money from tkl Tatesaid Reagan administration, big busi|ofany wron ness and the public. They cot hs coaches plained the investigation was cost'un nnec t e( ], ing up to $170,000 a month ovalartment, budget. The Reagan administratioi coughed up nearly $1 million fa peripheral social services, and ii sisted there was no legal way ti funnel money directly into the vestigation. But the pressure fros black organizations around the®' tion and in Congress grew heavy that Reagan finally bud led under and sent the city hing. He adde 'estigations td have h; iry school i “Ioanna hat have u nvestigatio aid. He said nvestigatio million. A concert by Samir' Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra raised lucted,”he another $150,000, and private ami civic donations poured in atsuchi loingtowai Television personalities have solemnly urged “the killer” to hand himselfover to them. Repor ters have rushed onto the air with breathless reports of “unusual abrasions” on bodies that had been in a river for two weeks, and “unexplained” graffiti on rest- walls. Lester Maddox, the staunchly fluid rate that Jackson recend) announced the city needed more money. But the money is causin] lems. Fifteen task force investigaton are from surrounding jurisdic tions, none of which pay theii officers overtime. They volunteei their time and hope for time later. Atlanta officers are pi overtime, and the sight of somed the Atlanta officers making $1,401! a week in base pay and overtime, sources say, rankles the outsiders “It (inves mough igation, “It’s just ATTENTION ALL GOURMETS AND FUN-LOVERS! Come to the CHARITY CHILI COOK-OFF Sponsored by Texas A&M Krueger Dorm This Sunday, April 5 Behind Texas Hall of Fame All proceeds benefit the BRAZOS COUNTY HUMANE SOCIETY to help build an animal shelter. COME ON OUT AND JOIN THE FUN TICKETS — 1.00 in advance, 1.50 donation at the gate Come watch and enjoy!! BEER L V ROY JEAN OF KORA BANDS ^ TI JALEPENO-EATING CONTEST SOFT DRINKS OTHER FUN, FUN, FUN! w