There was an inspiring story by Dan Barry in today’s “New York Times.” It’s on page A12 and titled “In Prison, Playing Just to Kill Time and Just Maybe to Help Solve a Murder.”

Yes, this blog entry is heavy but it’s also so danged intriguing about thuglife.

A couple near Columbia, South Carolina had a grown son who was working in a store called Superbikes Motorsports and he and three others were shot dead. The police have few leads and have let it go “cold case.” The parents have not. God bless everloving parents like these.

THERE’S A LOT OF INFORMATION INSIDE A PRISON. That’s the real kicker to this story. Knowing prisoners sit around playing cards a lot, these parents print up poker cards asking for leads. The cards have photos of murder victims in South Carolina. The ace of spades reads “Brian Lucas: Unsolved Homicide.” It gives some facts about the victim and the crime and then it gives a phone number for the prisoners to provide tips that might help solve the crimes.

So how’s this relate to Christmas? The father of Brian Lucas, who came up with this innovative approach is quoted as saying, “We would have talked to Santa Claus if we could.”

YES. YES. A thousand times YES. Anybody reading this know anything about Brian Lucas murder? What a great Christmas present it would make for his tirelessly probing parents if you could bring them any clarity about their loss.

And, how about a gift of cards like this created for other states’ prisons? As Mr. Barry writes, “Read em and weep.”

Happy SEMISEPTCENTENNIAL Christmas Y’all,

Ben South

Southernness

CIVIL RIGHTS-ERA COLD CASE INITIATIVE:

SEEKING VICTIMS’ NEXT OF KIN

DESCRIPTION

As part of the Civil Rights-Era Cold Case Initiative, the FBI is currently re-assessing more than 100 unsolved or inadequately solved racially motivated homicides from the civil rights era. The FBI intends to notify the victims’ families of the results of the investigation. Unfortunately, however, due to the passage of time and the migration of many families, the FBI has been unable to identify the next of kin in 33 cases. The names and circumstances of these victims are listed below in hopes that the public may be able to provide information that can assist the FBI in locating surviving family members.

Atlanta Division:

A.C. Hall: A.C. Hall was shot and killed on October 11, 1962, in Macon, Georgia, after being identified by a Caucasian woman as the man who stole a pistol from her car. The woman observed a person breaking into her car and the police responded. The officers drove her and her husband through the neighborhood to find the perpetrator. The couple identified Hall as the person who may be responsible and after a foot chase he was shot and killed by the officers.

Arthur James Hill: Arthur James Hill was allegedly shot and killed on August 20, 1965, by an individual during an altercation with a group of Caucasian men in Villa Rica, Georgia. One of the men who shot Hill stated that Hill was pulling out a shotgun when Hill was shot.

Ernest Hunter: Ernest Hunter was arrested in Savannah, Georgia, on September 13, 1958. Later that day, he was shot and killed by a police officer following an alleged struggle inside the holding cell at the police station. Hunter was arrested after he interfered with the officer’s attempts to give Hunter’s wife a traffic citation.

Maybelle Mahone: On December 5, 1956, a Caucasian male shot and killed Maybelle Mahone in her home in Molena, Georgia.

Clarence Horatious Pickett: Clarence Horatious Pickett was beaten by a police officer on December 21, 1957, in Columbus, Georgia, while Pickett was in jail. Pickett died as a result of his injuries on December 23, 1957.

Birmingham Division:

Nathan Johnson: On May 8, 1966, two police officers in Alabaster, Alabama, stopped Nathan Johnson for driving under the influence of alcohol. Johnson was transported to the station where he allegedly struggled with one of the officers and was shot and killed.

William Lewis Moore: On April 23, 1963, William Moore was shot and killed by an individual near Attalla, Alabama. Moore, a postal worker from Baltimore, Maryland, and a former Marine had begun a solo march from Chattanooga, Tennessee, en route to Jackson, Mississippi, to deliver a letter to the governor urging the integration of the University of Mississippi.

Johnny Robinson: Johnny Robinson was a 16-year-old African-American who was shot and killed by a police officer in Birmingham, Alabama, on September 15, 1963, during the aftermath of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.

Columbia Division:

James Waymers: On July 10, 1965, James Waymers was killed in Allendale, South Carolina, after an argument with an individual regarding Waymers’ efforts to string electrical wires into the home of an African American.

Dallas Division:

John Earl Reese: On October 22, 1955, John Earl Reese, a 16-year-old African-American male was shot and killed along with two other African-American females by two men who fired several rounds into a predominantly African-American café in Gregg County, Texas.

Jacksonville Division:

Joseph Hill Dumas: On May 5, 1962, Joseph Dumas was killed in Perry, Florida, by a law enforcement officer who may have shot him accidentally during a traffic stop. Dumas and his family were detained during the stop in Taylor County, Florida.

Jackson Division:

Eli Brumfield: Eli Brumfield was stopped for speeding in McComb, Mississippi, on October 13, 1961. When Brumfield allegedly jumped from his car with knife, he was shot and killed by the police officer.

Silas Ernest Caston: Silas Ernest Caston was shot and killed by a law enforcement officer in Hinds County, Mississippi, on March 1, 1964.

Jimmie Lee Griffin: Jimmie Lee Griffin’s body was discovered on a local highway near Sturgis, Mississippi, on September 24, 1965.

Ernest Jells: Ernest Jells was shot to death on October 20, 1963, in Clarksdale, Mississippi, by a police officer after Jells allegedly pointed a rifle at officers who were attempting to arrest him for stealing a banana from a local grocery store.

William Henry Lee, aka, John Patrick Lee: Lee’s body was discovered near railroad tracks in Rankin County, Mississippi, on February 25, 1965. Lee may have walked away from his disabled vehicle to seek assistance.

George Love: George Love was shot and killed near Ruleville, Mississippi, on January 8, 1958, by police officers after Love allegedly shot and seriously wounded a Ruleville night marshal who sought to question Love about a robbery.

Neimiah Montgomery: Neimiah Montgomery stopped at a gas station on August 10, 1964, in Cleveland, Mississippi, and asked the attendant to put gas in his car. Montgomery allegedly refused to pay for the gas and attacked the attendant. A police officer shot and killed Montgomery when he arrived on the scene.

Jessie James Shelby: Jessie Shelby was shot and killed by a police officer in Yazoo City, Mississippi, on January 21, 1956.

Ollie Shelby: Ollie Shelby was shot and killed on January 22, 1965, while he was incarcerated in the Hinds County Jail in Mississippi.

Ed Smith: Ed Smith was allegedly shot and killed on April 27, 1958, in State Line, Mississippi.

Isaiah Taylor: Isaiah Taylor was shot and killed on June 26, 1964 in Ruleville, Mississippi, by a police officer following a traffic stop.

Mobile Division:

Hiliard Brooks: On August 13, 1952, Hiliard Brooks was shot and killed by a police officer over a dispute regarding whether or not Brooks paid his bus fare.

Rogers Hamilton: On October 22, 1957, one or two men came to Rogers Hamilton’s home in Lowndes County, Alabama, and took him out of his house. Hamilton got into the truck with the men. His mother found Hamilton’s body in the road. He had been shot and killed.

Bessie McDowell: Two men went to Bessie McDowell’s home in Andalusia, Alabama, in 1956 to collect a debt from an individual who resided with McDowell. When the individual fled, the men shot into the house and accidentally struck McDowell killing her.

James Earl Motley: On November 20, 1966, James Motley was detained by a police officer in Elmore County, Alabama, during a traffic stop. After an alleged altercation with responding officers, he was transported to the police station. He was later found dead in the holding cell.

Archie Wooden: Archie Wooden was sixteen years old when he allegedly cut his leg on the branch of a tree and bled to death in 1967 in Camden, Alabama.

New Orleans Division:

Izell Henry: Two individuals claimed that they found Izell Henry in a roadside ditch about a mile from his home in Greensburg, Louisiana, on July 28, 1954. They transported him to Lallie Kemp Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

David Pitts, Albert Pitts, Marshall Johns, Ernest McPharland: On July 23, 1960, an individual shot and killed four of his employees in Monroe, Louisiana.

New York Division:

Jimmy Powell: On July 16, 1964, Jimmy Powell was fifteen years old when he was shot and killed by a police officer in New York City for allegedly charging at the officer with a knife.

San Antonio Division:

Preston Bolden: On May 8, 1953, Preston Bolden was found dead in the vicinity of 419 Nolan, in the proximity of the 600 block of North Walnut Street in San Antonio, Texas, near a railroad track. Bolden’s neck was broken.

Ann Thomas: Ann Thomas’ partially-clothed body was found on April 8, 1969, near the intersection of Rotary Street and Hamil in San Antonio, Texas. She had been sexually assaulted and shot four times in the head.

Ladislado Ureste: Ladislado Ureste was found on April 22, 1953, by a police officer near Concepcion Park in San Antonio, Texas. He was taken to a local hospital where he died.

The ICPD reports:

On Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 8:24pm Iowa City Police received a report of a robbery in the parking lot of the Sycamore Mall at 1600 Sycamore St. The female victim reported she had parked her vehicle on the north side of the mall parking lot and was returning to it after shopping in the mall. As she was opening the vehicle door a man approached her and told her not to scream. He then grabbed her purse. After a struggle the victim fell and the man ran off towards Hwy 6 with her purse. The man did not display a weapon and the victim was not injured. The suspect was described as a black male in his twenties, approximately 6′2″, 200lbs. He was wearing a black coat, baseball cap, jeans, and white shoes. The suspect was captured on mall surveillance video:

 

Police renew their appeal for information 15 years after a Hebden Bridge schoolgirl was murdered…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: school district. For a different topic see here. The blog is also related to: teach.

I wonder if these are some of the same guys from the November 2 mugging.

The ICPD reports:

 On Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 11:23pm Iowa City Police received two separate reports of armed robberies. A victim reported he was walking in the 700 block of N. Gilbert St. when two men approached him from behind. When the victim turned around he was punched in the face and fell to the ground. One of the men displayed a handgun and the victim was ordered to give them his money. The two men fled the area on foot, in an unknown direction, with the victim’s wallet and other personal property. At the same time police dispatchers were talking to this victim, another victim called in to report he was robbed in the 400 block of N. Linn St. This victim reported he was walking in the alley when two men approached him and demanded his money. The victim reported one of the men had a handgun. When the victim began yelling for help the men began punching him. The victim continued to yell for help and the men fled the area eastbound down the alley on foot. The victim did not loose any property.
Prior to being robbed, both victims report seeing a group of 4-5 subjects that broke off in pairs and walked in different directions. The victims described the subjects who robbed them as 2 black males, 18-20 years old. At least one of the males was wearing a black, puffy, down coat and black ski cap. The victims received minor injuries that did not require medical attention.

Posted by Audiegrl

The Boulder Colorado Sheriff's Office on Oct. 28, 2009, released this 1953 photograph of Dorothy Gay Howard

Associated Press/Amanda Lee Myers—A murdered young woman buried as Jane Doe in Colorado 55 years ago. An Arizona family puzzled and saddened as Dorothy Gay Howard’s disappearance stretched into decades.

It took a historian, a detective and a determined family member to make the connection after more than a half century that these two people were one and the same.

Howard’s younger sister, Marlene Howard Ashman, the last surviving member of the immediate family, was relieved last month when authorities announced the identification.

“It was just complete and utter shock,” said Ashman, who lives in Mena, Ark., but spoke to The Associated Press from Newport, N.C., where she was visiting her daughter.

“All these 55 years, I guess I learned as a child to put it in an abstract form so I could deal with it; it’s easier to accept,” Ashman said.

But the younger sister is grappling with the fact that Howard was murdered and is aching to know who killed her.

“Now that I know, it isn’t so much that she died, but the horrible death,” she said.

Boulder County Sheriff’s Detective Steve Ainsworth, the lead investigator in the case, said Howard died of blunt-force trauma. She couldn’t be identified because her body was found a week after she was killed, and animals had gotten to her face and fingers.

Someone's Daughter: In Search of Justice for Jane Doe by Silvia Pettem

At the time, the mystery made headlines across Colorado, and Boulder residents raised enough money to buy her a gravestone, which read “Jane Doe — April 1954 — Age About 20 Years.”

Boulder County sheriff’s officials have credited historian Silvia Pettem with encouraging them to renew efforts to identify Jane Doe. Pettem became interested in the woman and her story after visiting the cemetery in the 1990s and writing the book “Someone’s Daughter, In Search of Justice for Jane Doe.”

Meanwhile, Howard’s grandniece Michelle Marie Fowler decided to contact Ainsworth after reading an article about Jane Doe and suspecting for years that Howard had been killed.

More @

To keep up to date with the case, please visit Someone’s Daughter author Silvia Pettem’s website. The site contains additional information, including the fact that Dorothy Gay Harden’s killer is believed to be executed serial killer Harvey Glatman aka “The Lonely Hearts Killer“.

The ICPD reports:

On Friday, October 30th, at 6:55 p.m., the Iowa City police received a call from an adult male reporting that he had been robbed at knife point in the area of Kirkwood Avenue and Gilbert Street. The victim stated that he was getting into his car, which was parked to the rear of 315 Kirkwood Avenue, when he was approached by 2 black males. One suspect displayed a knife and the second suspect shoved the victim into his car and demanded his money. After grabbing the victim’s wallet the two suspects fled the area on foot in an unknown direction. The victim was not injured.

Suspect 1 is described as a black male, about 5′6″ and 200 lbs.
Suspect 2 is described as a black male wearing a white t-shirt.

A long story short: For some reason, I can’t solve this riddle. I need help. It’s probably not as hard as I think it is so I thought I’d ask around, see if anyone can solve it.

What ends begin

surrounding surround

a memory’s on

when soon to be found.

If anyone solves it, please let me know the answer! Thanks : )

According to The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR, or as I like to say, Tighhhaaaarrr)  Amelia Earhart’s final destination has been uncovered.  They say that she made a crash landing on a small, uninhabited island in the south Pacific where she and her co-pilot, Fred Noonan, continued to live for an undetermined amount of time “Survivor” style.  Poor guy.  She was a brave woman, but she would definitely not be in the top 10 of women I would want to be stranded on a deserted island with.  

Sophia Vergara would be better

With technology, forensic sciences, and previously remote areas being inhabited, you would think more of these mysterious disappearances would start to turn up.  And I’m not including Jimmy Hoffa on this list because we all know he’s buried in the end zone of the Meadowlands. 

Judge Crater  

Joseph Crater was an associate justice of the New York Supreme Court.  He was put there by then-governor Franklin D. Roosevelt.  That alone tells you he had friends in high places.  He was living the high life; going to parties, living in a posh NYC apartment, and going on weeklong getaways with his mistress.  Then he up and disappeared.  Leading up to his disappearance on August 6, 1930, he cashed over $5,000 worth of checks ($65,000 today), bought a ticket to a Broadway show, and went to dinner with his mistress (who was a showgirl) and a friend. After leaving dinner, he was never seen again.   

What disappears into Vegas...

His disappearance captivated the nation but the thousands of tips that came in amounted to nothing.  Discussed theories included that he was murdured or that he skipped town because some he was about to be revealed as a corrupt judge.  In 2005, a 91-year-old woman close to death said that Judge Crater was killed by her husband, an New York police officer, and the bodyguard of a member of the infamous Murder Inc., and buried under the boardwalk at Coney Island.  No remains have been found. 

Little known fact:  Crater’s showgirl mistress, Sally Lou Ritz, disappeared without a trace about a year after the judge.  Interesting.

The truth according to me:  Well, he’s probably dead.  Not many people live to be 120.  But before that, the little known fact stated above would lead one to believe he wanted a wife-free life with his mistress and she joined him a year later.  At the risk of starting a conspiracy theory, he probably used his high level government contacts to disappear with his mistress and sex it up someplace unknown, probably Vegas.  

D.B. Cooper  

On November 24, 1971, a man using the name Dan Cooper boarded a boarded an airliner flying from Portland to Seattle.  He then proceeded to hijack the hell out of it.  He handed a flight attendant a note, which she though was an invitation to join the mile high club, and she put it in her pocket without reading it.  After he urged her to take a look at it, she opened it and read “I have a bomb in my briefcase. I will use it if necessary. I want you to sit next to me. You are being hijacked.”  So she must have figured either it was a real hijacking, or this guy didn’t exactly have a way with women.  

Maybe D.B. stood for dream big

The plane eventually landed, where everyone but the flight crew was released, and $200,000 and a couple of parachutes were delivered to Cooper.  Cooper instructed the pilot to fly to Mexico City.  Shortly after takeoff, Cooper opened the rear door of the plane over a storm in rural Washington and jumped into infamy.  Despite the largest man hunt ever at the time and a still ongoing investigation, the only evidence ever found from the hijacking was some of the ransom money discovered on the bank of the Columbia River in 1980. 

Little known fact: When Cooper asked for parachutes, he was “accidentally” given a dummy reserve chute used for training and sewn shut for that purpose.  It was not found on the plane and was assumed to be used by the hijacker.  

The most likely outcome

The truth according to me:  As much as I would like to believe he is alive and well and enjoying his cult celebrity, he is probably dead too.  Since one of the chutes he had on was unusable and none of the money has ever been spent, he was probably trying to decide what to buy first when he hit the ground hard enough that he is probably resting comfortably in the inner part of the earth’s crust.

The Colony at Roanoke  

The colonists apparently were about the size of hobbits

In 1587, 117 men and women comprised the first colony on American soil.  The colonists were brought over by Walter Raleigh and led by elected governor John White.  They established relationships with most of the local native tribes and things appeared to be on the up and up.  

It took everything they had for the women to look straight ahead

One tribe, however, refused to hang with the white man and even attacked and killed one colonist while he was gathering crabs. (I assume they mean from the ocean, not  from the natives)  The colonists petitioned governor White to return to England for three months and ask for help from the government.  Unable to return for 3 years, he came back to an abandoned settlement with no indication of what happened to everybody.  The structures had even been carefully dismantled, meaning they were not in a hurry when they left. 

Little known fact: Sir Walter Raleigh apparently liked to wear women’s clothes. 

The truth according to me:  The settlers were tired of the suppressive nature of the English lifestyle.  They decided that multiple wives, wearing warpaint, and smoking peyote was much more fun.  Tired of waiting for the governor to return, they eventually told the Queen to suck it and moved in with the tribes.

The Mary Celeste

The Mary Celeste was a merchant sailing ship famously found in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872.  She was apparently abandoned, in perfect condition, and under full sail heading directly through the Strait of Gibraltar.  Not only that, there was still 6 months worth of food and water aboard and none of the personal belongings or valuables of the crew or passengers was missing.  It is still considered the greatest maritime mystery of all time.  Theories were wide ranging in the years following the disappearance of the crew.  From insurance fraud, mutiny, and piracy to a tsunami. 

Surf's up bragh!!!

One theory that would suck if it were true is that fumes began to emanate from the cargo of alcohol they were carrying.  Fearing medical problems, the crew of 10 piled into the lifeboat and were tied to the back of the ship until the fumes dissipated.  The rope became untied and they were left to drift. 

Little known fact: The Mary Celeste didn’t wreck on that voyage.  She was docked and her cargo delivered.  The ship eventually went through 13 owners and was ultimately scuttled off the coast of Haiti in an attempted insurance fraud that didn’t work.

The truth according to me:  That’s easy.  It was totally aliens. Or a sea monster.

All he ever wanted was a friend

As I’ve mentioned in the past, Parking is a contentious issue in my neighborhood.  I shy away from parking in Lois’ spot because I don’t want to have any arteries severed.  I haven’t, however, laid down the law about people parking in front of my house, mostly because I’m a pussy and would probably get cut trying to keep someone from parking in front of my house.

And I’m very against getting cut.

Clearly, just a tender soul that wasn’t made for Ghetto Living.

Anyway.  Last night as I’m headed home, a dodge durango is parked in front of my house.  I’m a bit annoyed, but mostly in that “not going to do shit about this” way.  As I’m walking into my house, I realize that not only were there people in the car, but there was definite swaying action going on.

Now, I can only speculate.  It’s possible they had their Jack LaLane juicer in there and were making smoothies and the swaying action was from a team of lumberjacks sawing into coconuts.  But, given that the windows were a bit foggy, I’m going to assume there was something else, more lovemaking-esque going on.

Perhaps this solves the mystery of how condom wrappers end up in my yard.

The ICPD reports:

On Monday, October 26, 2009, at 3:40 AM, officers responded to the 1000 block of West Side Drive on a report of an intruder who had been in a residence. The female victim said the male had fled the area about 20 minutes early.

Officers determined the intruder had entered the residence through an unlocked door and proceeded to the victim’s bedroom, where she was asleep. The victim awoke to find the intruder covering her mouth. The victim began screaming and the intruder fled the residence eastbound on foot.

The intruder is described as a dark skinned black male, 5′10″, average build, wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt.

The victim was not injured during the attack.

Officers checked the area and spoke with area residents but did not locate the intruder.

The ICPD reports:

On October 21, 2009 at 10:03pm Iowa City Police received a report of a home invasion at 590 Foster Rd #B6. The three victims reported five black males, wearing black clothing and ski masks forced their way into the residence. Three of the suspects displayed guns. Two of the victims were pepper sprayed. One of the victim’s that was pepper sprayed was also struck in the head with an unknown object and sustained minor injury. The victim was treated at the scene by paramedics. The suspects fled in an unknown direction with cash and electronics.

Foster Road is across the river (North) from City Park.

http://socyberty.com/crime/black-dahlia-elizabeth-short/

The ICPD reports:

At 4:08pm yesterday, October 8, the Iowa City Police Department received a report of a male that had apparently been shot at 1958 Broadway St, building #C. The caller reported the male was lying on the floor of a common hallway and a handgun was lying next to him. 

Responding police and medical personnel quickly discovered that the victim was deceased and that he had sustained an obvious, fatal gunshot wound. Police recovered a small handgun from near the body. The scene was secured and processed as a homicide. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was asked to assist in the investigation. 

Investigators were able to identify the deceased by an Illinois driver license in his possession. The deceased is identified as 64-year-old John E. Versypt of Cordova, Ilinois. Mr. Versypt’s wife has been notified of her husband’s death. Mr. Versypt owns rental units in the complex and was reportedly in Iowa City to attend to those properties.

 A lot of unanswered questions at the moment. Was the gun found the one that killed Versypt? What in hell happened that would result in shooting the landlord at 4pm? Eviction gone wrong?

Also, I’ve been to Cordova plenty of times, it’s a nice little town. Helluva lot safer than Southside IC too, evidently.

What legal principle is Paul invoking here?  Or is it not so much a legal (Greek) principle as a Jewish principle?  He seems to be relying heavily on logic in this verse, but I can’t seem to wrap my mind around what he is saying…

I thought the city was doing  little press releases for robberies.  Guess I’ll have to go back to reading the police blotter.

Incident #	002009051362
Time Reported	9/28/2009 12:31:00 PM
Disposition	K
Location	Bartelt Rd/Mormon Trek Blvd
Common Name
Activity	01200 : Robbery
Officer	00000036
Details	occ at 1030 tool cpmpls wallet and id 2 bm subj one had an automatic at the pd