The Unsolved Bunch

Harry Longabaugh and Etta Place
in New York City, circa 1901,
just before they sailed to Argentina

Chances are, you've seen the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katherine Ross. The movie ends with a self-evident question mark. While most historical narratives place Parker and Longabaugh's likely demise at the hands of the Bolivian Army, inescapable facts in real life may forever facilitate alternative endings. 

Originally published to the Gainesville Times on Tuesday, December 13, 1988, Criminology Professor Alex Taylor takes a shot at the mystery of the three principals of the film — a mystery that continues to this day.

The Quiet Ones

The movie Minority Report makes for comparative commentary here. Originally published in the Gainesville Times, December 6, 1988, Prof. Taylor speaks to the notion of Pre-Crime and a police state where psychological profiling is a practice compelled on all citizens.

Oh, and please excuse the typos. I think Dad’s editor was having an off day. See? That’s an example of external loci. As much as I loathe them, I’ve caught typos and other grammatical errors in at least 90% of the professionally-produced publications I’ve read. Mistakes happen to the best of us, and it makes me feel just a little better about myself when I, on such a rare occasion, happen to catch one. Tee hee!

I’m somehow reminded of Dr. Leland Goines’ (Christopher Plummer) lamentation of psychiatry in the 1996 movie, 12 Monkeys. Kidding aside, it seems our society is always in danger of creeping away from freedom in the name of some emergency.

The Hangman’s Ball

Prof. Taylor examines our never-ending culture of violence in this week’s Taylor Tuesday. Published in the Gainesville Times, November 29, 1988, his Crime Stories column features the career of Isaac “Hanging Judge” Parker, famous (or infamous) for his frequent use of ropes. Commentary follows the column.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Familiar then, familiar in 1988, familiar today. My father, perhaps wisely, eschewed a direct political commentary as it might not have favored the personal viewpoints of the paper’s Editors. Indeed, our culture of violence existed then as it does today. Movies have spared no imagination in the cruelty and gore splattered upon the screen. Video games have become play-per-view interactions of violent behavior, and many actually reward such behavior (Grand Theft Auto, etc). Direct comparative attributions are debatable, subjective to age and other dispositions, yet the level of civil disobedience and illegal, falsely-moralized entitlement has become a little more than notable, given the severity of recent riots, organized looting mobs, and their political puppeteers. We are as violent and desensitized as we’ve ever been.

No Catchy Titles for Pedos

1988 Cold Case - See Below

Pedophiles. That's the subject of Prof. Taylor's Crime Stories column, tendered for publication in the Gainesville Times, November 22, 1988. (*Note: Dad apparently took the week off November 15, 1988. The NE Georgia section did not contain his column that week. (Yes, I looked throughout the entire edition). Anyway, back to a subject I generally avoid unless stoning someone in my mind for it. 

My father mentioned a deluge of incidences around the time of publication and, after some Googling, yep... sickos aplenty. More on this below the column.

 

For the first time, my father prevented me from running an internet search on something. I'm not about to go on some internet data record for researching the PIE. Nope! You want that on your search record, go right ahead. Seems I'm always reading or hearing of someone's Google search history after a crime was committed, and the victim's behavior was also scrutinized as part of a pretrial discovery. Anyway, maybe somewhat hypocritical to research incidences Prof. Taylor referenced at the top of his column. Indeed, there were many. Here are but a few...

Nov. 6, 1988 - Lawrenceville Father of Six Convicted of Molesting Two Daughters

Summer 1988 - Blurred Lines at Rome Boarding School 

Nov. 10, 1988 - Three Pentecostal Ministers 

June 12, 1988 - Seattle Priest 

And there would be many cases involving the Catholic Church, Boy Scouts and other trusted, sacrosanct organizations for many years to come.

The picture at the top is from a recently-solved 1988 cold case child murder in Georgia. Read about it HERE.

Next week has to do with a one "Hangin'" Judge Parker.
(You see were my father's head was after writing about pedophiles...)