xt7zcr5nd62j https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7zcr5nd62j/data/mets.xml Kentucky. State Reformatory Kentucky Kentucky. State Reformatory 1970 newsletters  English La Grange, Ky.: Kentucky State Reformatory  This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Physical rights are retained by the owning repository. Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Please go to https://exploreuk.uky.edu for more information. The Skytower News Kentucky. State Reformatory -- Periodicals Prisons -- Kentucky -- La Grange -- Periodicals The Skytower News, December 1970 text v : ill. 28 cm. Call Number: HV8337 .S591 The Skytower News, December 1970 1970 1970 2022 true xt7zcr5nd62j section xt7zcr5nd62j  

  

 

 

 

3:;.'.-" 4'. '14P “riffs-23'1"” 4
4.4.: 44.. 4 4
i471 (1.!H‘{.4‘-"4‘ .,.

~. 1‘!
' "4— 414-3434."? 2.: ‘.~
. .: “1"; , ‘i L423: 13?; :3; {? {Ill ‘
H "' I! .[l g"! 14.44.".11'3’ ..

4mi21241425415443.34334533144!

 

4 4 I 4,, 4:
1‘“, . HI: I '53.. - .

....- 4—.— -9. _ -

4 -V
. - — “. p;-

 

 

 

  

Administration
Governor ............................................................ Louie B. Nunn
Lieutenant Governor .......................................... Wendell Ford
Commissioner of Corrections ................................ J. C. Taylor
Warden .................................................................... Harold Black
Associate Warden for Custody ................ Henry E. Cowan
Associate Warden for Treatment ........ Howard C. Kassulke
Associate Warden for Administration .......... William Smith
Academic Sch-001 Principal .............................. David Vislisel
Vocational School Principal ................................ T. C. Trainor

Skytower Staff

Editor .................................................................... James Manley
Sports ........................................................................ Frank Glur
Art Work ............................................................ Don E. Scott

Print Shop Students

Layout Man .................................................... William T ilford
Assistant Layout Man ........................................ Donald White
Head Pressman ................................................... Allen Bailey
Pressman ............................................................... James Green
Pressman ............................................................ David Masters
Assistant Pressman .............................................. James Pugh
Assistant Pressman .................................... William Sanderlin
Hand Compositor ............................................ Oliver Lockhart
Linotype Operator ........................................ Morris Millhouse
Art Work .......................................................... James Stewart

The SKYTOWER NEWS
is published by the inmates of
the Kentucky State Reforma—
tory at LaGrange, Kentucky.
Offset printing services are
provided by The Jefferson
C o u n t y A r ea Vocational
School, under the supervision
of James P. Silveus.

T h e SKYTOWER’S pur—
pose is to provide a medium for
creative expression, to recog—
nize achievement wherever it
may be, and to promote better
understanding b e t W e e n the
free and the imprisoned. All
material is subject to discre—
tion imposed as it relates to

iX

truth a n (1 good taste. T h e
Views expressed herein do not
necessarily reflect those of the
administration.

Permission f o r reprinting
a n y SKYTOWER material
is most cheerfully given, pro—
viding due credit be awarded.

Address all correspondence to
the Editor.

 

From The Editor

Gary Barrow is gone. But
he left us something. Look
on the back cover. Thank you,
Gary, good luck out there.

Jim Valentine is gone, too.
Well, Jim, we’re running one
of your articles also.

Our layout artist, Don Scott,
is still with us, drawing his
cartoons. Don, we’re waiting
for that self portrait.

Jim Stewart did our front
cover and donated some poe—
try.

Something yo u might not
know, the guys who write this
mag don’t make it look the
way it does. That’s Bill Til-
ford’s department and he
really does an excellent job. I,
for one, appreciate it.

Look for some changes in
the SKYTOWER N E W S.
Editors seldom a g r e e com—
pletely on all points; guess
that’s why all magazines aren’t
the same. Hope you enjoy the
new fiction section.

 

The 17 year old girl had
just been told by her physician
that she was pregnant. “If
only Id gone to the movies
that night with my parents,’
she lamented.

“Well, why didn’t you?” the
doctor asked.

“I couldn’t” the girl sobbed.
“The film was rated X.”

 

 

 

  

Chairman, State Parole Board
Anywhere U. S. A.

Dear Sir:

I am writing about my parole date which comes up soon. I would like to tell you a little about my case
as I know you are a man who would not want the truth to remain hidden.

When I left here the last time I went to a good job. But after a couple of days my wife didn’t want me
to live with her because of my neighbor. One day my Wife stumbled in the front yard and started to fall
down. I reached out to grab her but she fell too fast and my hands missed Where I was trying to put them.
My neighbor saw this and said that I was beating my wife. But my wife will tell you that she got her
black eye when she bumped her head on the washing machine door. And anyway, this is the same neighbor
that has the young daughter that told all those lies about me the last time I came to jail. You remember,
she was only thirteen but looked a lot older. So, if she could fool you, you see what kind of a chance I had.

What I am trying to say, sir, is that the real reason I was picked up in that bar is because I was waiting
on the corner for a friend and it got so late I decided to wait inside because I didn’t want to get arrested
for hanging around on the streets. There was a guy in the bar who asked me to have a drink but I said no.
He had been up here before but he wasn’t one of the guys I hung around with. When he got mad I was
afraid he would start some trouble so I finally said I would drink one beer with him. I’m not sure what he got
into a fight about but I do remember trying to break it up and somebody hitting me. Well, I didn’t run
away because I didn’t think I had done anything wrong. But when the police showed up I was the only one
there. And naturally, the bartender blamed everything on me so he could collect damages. However, when the
police smelled that one beer on me that I had foolishly drank, and looked at my torn clothes; well, I
didn’t get much of a chance to explain. The next day my parole officer went to talk to my neighbor and I
think she must have still believed those lies her own daughter had said about me a long time ago.

Well, I could see things were looking bad and I couldn’t understand it because I was trying so hard to stay
out on parole. Can you imagine how surprised I was to find out that bar was in another county? I honestly
couldn’t believe it. As a matter of fact, although you probably don’t know this, I called my parole officer
a liar and said some pretty nasty things to him. Boy! was my face red when I found out it was true.

I realize I should have known better and I don’t usually do things without thinking. I believe that I am
now a wiser person. If I were on the streets now I would know better than to get into a situation like that
again. I know that you can recognize my sincerity and Will know what to do when you finish reading this letter. I

have no doubt that you will View my case in a different light now that you know the truth.

Respectfully yours,

Franklin Flakely Flurb

 

 

 

  

 

Editorial

What’s In A Line

Wherever I go I always find a line when I get there. Shaving, bathing, eating, it doesn’t
matter what it is; someone is always in front of me waiting to do the same thing. The other
day I saw the canteen line twelve feet long and the canteen was closed. And last week four
guys were lined up near the bleachers, each waiting his turn to feed some birds.

Now, I’m not saying that lines aren’t useful because I know they are. They do have
their place and I certainly think the guy who invented them deserves honorable mention
in the annals of history. But I don’t believe he meant for things to reach the extreme that
they have. Some lines are not all they’re cracked up to be and they don’t always have a happy
ending. I got in the chow line once when it was longer than a football field and ate fried
chicken for dinner. After that, I got in one just about as long down at the laundry and
didn’t get anything at the end of it, not even my own laundry. Not too long ago there was
a record breaking line when the mess hall menu advertised pork chops and vanilla ice cream.
I spent an hour and a half in that line and wound up with a bologna sandwich and a cold
piece of raisin pie. Lines, it seems, can be hazardous to your health.

But the above isn’t the important thing. What is important is the fact that, if we are not
careful, we can become addicted and conditioned to other people thinking for us. I know
guys who jump in a line everytime they see one. They do this automatically because they
have been taught and conditioned to get in line for almost everything they have ever been
given. There’s a guy standing behind me now, waiting to use this typewriter. He won’t go
and look for his own because it’s easier to wait until I’m through.

Sometimes we, as human beings traveling down first one road and then another, do manage
to get in the wrong line. If we discover our mistake early enough, we can step out before
we’re swept up with the pace of everyone around us. Otherwise, we follow it through to
the end.

Everywhere we go there are lines and the times comes to all of us when we have to get
in one for some reason or another. But we should be careful. Somewhere out there, there are
lines that will get you a bowl of soup, an old shirt, or an Army blanket to help make winter a
little easier for you. Somewhere out there, there are lines that will get you a high school
diploma, a night of relaxation at the movies, or a weekly unemployment check. And some-

where, there is a line we can follow that will bring us back here.

By Jim Manley

 

  

 

Prisoners Host Christmas Party

Wayward Angels

By Larry Werner
Courier - Journal Stafir Writer

.LA GRANGE, Ky. — With
cake and ice cream, toys and
balloons and Santa himself, 35
underprivileged children were
having a first - rate Christmas
party, and so were their hosts—
convicted armed robbers, dope
peddlers , even a murderer.
“It just goes to show you,”
said George, one of the older
inmates at the Kentucky State
Reformatory near LaGrange,
“VVe’re fathers, brothers and
granddaddies, too.”

The occasion yesterday was
a party behind prison walls
sponsored by inmates for the
children, probably the first
time it has been done at the
reformatory, according to
Warden Harold Black.

The 35 children, from the
counties of Jefferson, Oldham,
Shelby, Spencer and Bullitt,
were brought by the state De-
partment of Child Welfare to
the reformatory dining room.
There they were greeted by
5 8 inmates — selected b y in-
m a t e organizations - who
seemed to enjoy the affair as
much as the kids.

A similar party was spon—
sored by a smaller group of
inmates Wednesday night, but
it was held in a wing of the
administration building.

Yesterday’s party was in the
large, main dining room, with-
in the prison yard. Black said
he had no worries about al—
lowing the children into the
reformatory.

“I know how these men feel
about kids,” Black said. “After

the enthusiasm t h e y showed
when the idea was introduced,
I had no hesitation.”

As Black talked to a re—
porter, he stood at one end of
the huge cafeteria and smiled
broadly as h e watched the
youngsters dance to the music
of a two — man rock band, ac—
cept presents from an inmate
Santa Claus and eat ice — cream
with their friends in prison
garb.

The inmates, Black said,
raised $170 to pay for re—
freshments and gifts. When
the employees heard about the
effort, they collected an addi-
tional $127.

The investment was worth—
while, said Bill, who is in pri—
son for murder.

“We did it for the children,”
Bill said. “But we’re getting
more out of it.”

“I have a boy of my own,
and I can’t be with him,” he
said. “We couldn’t go to the
children, so we brought the
children to us.”

Gary has just won a parole
after serving time for armed
robbery. He said the party was
“ one of the best things that
ever happened” at the refor-
matory.

“When you’re locked up in
an institution, you tend to
forget,” he said. “This serves
as a reminder that there is
another side of life, and that
it’s worthwhile.”

Ron, who is serving three
years for writing bad checks,
said the party “teaches you a
little about giving of yourself.”
His friend Joe added that the
occasion provided i n m a t e s
with .an opportunity to be

themselves.

“With other inmates, he has
to c r e a te the tough — guy
image,” said Joe, who is ser-
ving two years for auto theft.
“In contact with children, feel-
ings can be released, and he
can be himself.”

A young man named How—
ard, who is serving time for
selling LSD, gave an appro—
priate response wh en asked
about the party.

“These little kids are a trip
in themselves.” he said. “They
make me appreciate life. The
whole atmosphere has been
lifted up.”

William, serving 10 years
for armed robbery, said, “I
feel different today, free al—
most,” and Floyd said the
children in a k e t h e inmates
think.

“You got dope pushers. You
got junkies. You got hit men,”
Floyd said. “They think, What
did I do with my life. I wish
I was a kid again.”

The party was ending, and
the farewells began - big hugs
for the children from their
big — brothers - for - the-day.

Little Tony didn’t want to
go, however. He pulled away
from the child welfare worker
and tried to return to the
dining room.

“When t h e y start crying
when it’s time to leave, that
about sums it up,” George
said.

 

Newsday
We see the handwritting on
the wall and all we do is cri-
ticize the formation of the
letters.

 

 

 Bonding Ex - Convicts

Norman Riddiough
Director of Information
Services

Department of the Solicitor
General

Ottawa, Ontario

T h e refusal o f insurance
companies to b o n d ex — con
victs, thus depriving many of
them of jobs, increases the pro—
bability that these men will re—
turn to lives of crime.

In connection with this pro-
blem , the federal government
of Canada has instituted a
bonding program, which is a
cooperative effort among the
Department of the Solicitor
General, the provincial proba—
tion and parole services, pri—
vate after care agencies and
insurance bonding companies.

These agencies, in effect,
5 p o n 5 er ex — inmates. They
provide the insuring companies
with information about an ex—
offenders background and an
assesment of his present ad—
justment t o society. We’v e
found that by sharing infor—
mation about ex—offenders,
there has been a high rate of
acceptance by the companies.

According to Canada’s Sol—
icitor General, George J. Mc—
Ilraith, “The bonding program
is another step forward in our
application of modern rehab—
ilitation efforts to return of-
fenders to the community as
responsible, productive citi—
zens.”

 

Lyndon B. Johnson
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
October 27, 1964

I just knew in my heart
that it wasn’t right for Dick
Nixon to ever be President of
this country.

It’s The Law

from the Criminal Law
Reporter

To prisoners, confined with
in the United States, mail cen
sorship is part 0 f everyday
life; with one recent exception.
The prisoners at institutions
in Rhode Island do not have
their outgoing mail censored,
unless the administration can
successfully obtain a search
warrant to do so. This re—
markable an d unique situa-
tion exists because of a federal
district c o u r t injunction, is
sued by that court as part
of proceedings in Palmigiano
vs. Travisono, U S D C, RI,
8/24/70.

The injunction which caused
the radical outlawing of cen—
sorship is, of course, tempo—
rary, as all injunction are; but
final rulings are shortly to be
handed down as part of a
three Judge Court’s investi—
gation into all of the allega-
tions in the above case. The
odds, at this point, favor a
drastic transition, wit h pro—
spects of the court finally con—
firming the basic factors of
the present injunction.

Here’s what the RI injunc-
tion prescribes, according to
the Criminal Law Reporter,
1.) All incoming letters, ex—
cepting those discussed under,
“Pulbic Officials and attorneys,
“supra, may be opened and
inspected for LSD stains, and
the like, drugs, weapons, es—
cape instruments and similar
items which t h r e a t e n the
safety and/or security of the
prison. 2.) Since highly in—
flammatory writings and hard
core pornography as herein
before mentioned can only be
detected and screened through
a reading of the same — all in
coming letters and the con-

tents thereof may be read and
inspected f or said purposes.
However, excepted from this
control are all letters addressed
to inmates from his approved
addressee list, which I (the
Judge who handed down the
injunction) rule may be in—
spected as recited in No.1
above, but may not be read. a.)
In taking steps to prevent the
intoducti-on of such items into
prison, even though the pur-
pose or end in view is legiti-
mate, prison officials must use
means which are legitimate
and which provide the least
restrictive of the available al-
ternative methods of accom—
plishing the desired end. In
screening out pornographic
materials, prison officials must
strictly abide by th e guide—
lines set forth by the Supreme
Court in Roth vs. United
States.

That was the language used
in the injunction as it pertained
to incoming mail. The best is
yet to come. Here is what the
injunction demanded with re-
gard to outgoing mail, and
again we quote from the deci-
sion as carried by the Criminal
Law Reporter. “The fact that
officials have not found it nec—
essary to listen to such conver—
sations ( with Visitors ) in
order to thwart escapes and
otherwise maintain security
raises serious questions con-
cerning their alleged need to
read prison correspondence 1.)
The reading of any outgoing
mali from the inmates is unec—
essary and in Violation of the
Pi r s t Amendment rights of
the parties involved unless pur—
suant to a duly obtained search
warrant, and in the absence
of the same no outgoing pri—
soner mail be opened, read or
inspected.”

(Continued Next Page)

 

 

  

 

(C ont’d from page 3)

It’s The Law

That’s what the court in—
junction demanded. You may
want to read that again, so
here’s an instant replay, “No
outgoing prisoner mail may be
soner mail may be opened,
read or inspected.”
without a duly obtained search
warrant.

The injunction also speci-
fies that no mail to courts,
attorney or public officials may
be opened, outgoing or incom—
ing, for any reason.

In issuing the injunction the
court raised a few other ques—
tions that will be determined
shortly by the three Judge
court. “The court will con—
clude for the purposes of this
motion that an approved ad-
dressee list of seven persons
to whom an inmate may write
is a reasonable method of
maintaining p r i s o n security
without undue restriction on
the First Amendment rights
of the prisoners and, such cor-
respondents, so long as the
criteria used in the prepara-
tion of sush lists are rationally
related to the purposes of con-
finement and the sceurity of
the institution. The court in—
vites counsel to further argue
and brief this point for the
hearing on the merits. Why
should there be any limitation
on the number or correspon-
dents except as it may be
based on the amount of time
available to the inmate for
writing letters and the amount
of physical space and facilities
available?”

Pretty astounding verbage,
huh? The Judge summed up
his issuance of the injunction
this way, again according to
the Criminal Law Reporter,
“I feel compelled to comment

on the F o u r t h Amendment
waiver signed by prisoners at
the time of committment. In
exchange for mail, “privi—
leges,” ACI (Adult Correc-
tional Institutions, that’s what
prisons are called in Rhode
Island) officials require from
each inmate his signature to
a written statement author-
izing them to censor his mail.
It is this court’s view that
such, “authorization, ” under
the inherently coercive circum—
stances under which it is given
is without effect and cannot
operate as a waiver or consent
under the Fourth Amendment
to the opening and reading of
all of his mail.”

And finally, in capping this
unique, but certainly timely
decision to enjoin, the Judge
said, “Prison officials are here—
by enjoined from following
any rules, regulations or pra—
cties which a re inconsistent
with the guidelines set forth
in this opinion.”

The Judge, the Honorable
J. Pettine, has broken some
precedent. Normally an in—
junction is to, “maintain a
status Quo.” That is, to freeze
things as they exist at the
time of the injunction’s is—
suance and until a court dec—
ision on the conflict can be
rendered. But Judge Pettine
felt that the violations of the
First Amendment, in this in-
stance , were so important as
to require an injunction that
would immediately establish
a, “status Quo,” that was in
keeping with the guaranteed
rights under the First Amend-
ment.

If the three man court, 1n
it’s final determination of the
Palmigiano vs. Travisono
case, upholds the premise of
the current injunction, it is
safe to say that all prisons in

4

this country will be forced to
a d o p t similar First Amend—
ment safeguards in the area
of mail and censorship.

 

K.S.R.‘s First Christmas
Party For Children

By Jim Manley

When I got there the kids
were sitting two at a table,
sharing the other two seats
with their hosts, inmates of
the Kentucky State Reforma-
tory. They mumbled and buzz-
ed, laughed and smiled, and
listened to J. Watkins playing
carols on the organ. Here and
there a nun or a child could
be seen talking to a gnarled
old bank robber, a young drug
addict, or laughing at a table
with a convicted murderer.

Thirty — t h r e e inmates of
the Kentucky State Reforma-
tory were hosting -a Christmas
party for 26 orphan children
in the dining room of a prison
cell block. I c e cream, c a k e,
cookies, potato c h i p s, a n d
cheeseburgers the main course
were in abundance. Everyone
was wearing his happy face,
drinking 5 o d a pop, minding
manners, and, forgetting for
a while, the normally cold and
lonely surrounding in which
he lived. The twenty- six or-
phans, along with their escorts
six nuns, a social worker and
a bus driver, came from the
St. Thomas, St. Vincent Home
in Anchorage, Kentucky.

I sat at a table with a pretty
little girl named Pam; Sister
Alice Eileen, the home’s di—
rector; and Reformatory War-
den Harold E. Black. While
I was sitting there I wondered
what I was going to write
about this event and how I
was going to portray just how
(Continued Next Page)

 

 

 (Cont’d. page 4)
Christmas Party

much the guys, as well as the
kids, were e nj 0 y i n g them—
selves.

Suddenly a little tot ran up
to Sister Alice Eileen, flashed
a polaroid snapshot under her
nose and exclaimed, “See me!”
Then she skipped swiftly away
before the good Sister could
reply. Sister Alice smile at the
rest of us and said, “There
are fifteen kids in that picture
and the only one she sees is
herself.”

“There is only one person
in the picture,” the warden re—
plied.

I thought about that for a
while and then I thought about
it some more. After that, I
pondered on it for a time.
Finally, I said to my 3 el f,
“Well, that’s it. There was only
one person in that picture.”
And I saw the party then as
something that r e v o 1 V ed
around her in the same way
it centered itself around me
and everyone else there. The
Administration officials, t he
inmates, the Sisters, the kids:
all were somewhat stripped of
name, rank and serial number
for this ocassion. We were all
the end result of a product
that couldn’t possibly be the
same if one of us were miss—
ing.

My musings were suddenly
broken by a flash of red. I
glanced up in time to see Santa
Claus striding through the
door with an enormous sack
of presents slung over his
shoulder. A little boy, the first
child to spot him, flashed a
grin wide enough to reach
both ends of your heart. His
eyes lit up ecstatically and he
squealed in pure delight,
sounding the alarm for the
rest of the kids and, in a flash,

Santa was mobbed with hugs,
handshakes, and eager, happy,
faces. I watched him pass out
presents to all the residents
of the home, including the
Sisters, and I got a little
choked up inside. Then he
made the rounds a s e c o n d
time, giving each child another
present. I watched their happy
faces beaming like b e a c o n
lights and I got a little envi—
ous.

You see, Santa was Bill L.,
a convicted murderer who has
been serving time since 1957
and has a wife and family of
his own. He conceived the idea
of the orphan’s p a r t y and
took it to Father Ivo Cecil,
wh o promptly made outside
arrangements while Bill went
to work on the inmates. In
hardly no time at all, he had
over two hundred dollars and,
as the deadline for the party
drew near, permission finally
came from the officials. But
in the meantime a lot of work
and organizing had to be done
to make the party the smooth
operation that it was. Bill did
that work. I went with him
once when he set out to collect
some funds. I saw him in act—
tion. I saw him talking to cons
from all walks of life, cons
he had known for years and
cons he had never seen before.
And I saw those cons digging
in their pockets, signing their
names and giving their pledg-
es.

And when it came time for
the party, everybody who had
given c o u 1 d n ’t go. There
wasn’t room. Some had to be
slighted; it couldn’t be helped.
Then there were two who re-
fused to go. They had been
here for a long time and said
they just couldn’t take it. The
idea of being with the kids
for a while was too much for

them.

So t h e party came an d
went. Not only was it the first
of its kind to ever be held
inside the confines of the re—
formatory, it was also a tre—
mendous success. The roughest
part, the bump in the road,
came when the children had
to leave. As each of us watched
them go through the gates,
carrying bags of fruit and
nuts, games and toys, dragging
their coats and trying to wave
good - b y e without dropping
anything, I think we all knew
we were going to be in for a
few rough moments.

Maybe I’m a little senti
mental. Maybe old Santa
wasn’t up to his ears in hap—
piness as he passed out pre—
sents and talked and shook
hands with the kids. Maybe
the kids weren’t having a
grand time when they bom—
barded the organ and sang
Christmas carols that bounced
off the ceiling. And maybe
when some of the inmates
looked around and shook
hands with guys they hardly
knew and said, “Merry Christ—
mas;” well, maybe they were
faking it. I don’t know. I real-
ly couldn’t say. But that’s the
way I saw it, December 16,
1970, Christmas day at La-
Grange Reformatory.

 

Lyndon B. Johnson
Washington, D. C.
July 14, 1965

I have the ablest staff that
ever served any President in
my memory. There’s not a
playboy among them. They
aren’t sitting around drinking
whiskey at eleven o’clock at
night. They aren’t walking
around with their zippers un—
buttoned.

 

  

 

i

$65.? .../,/I [NH 1!!
¢ /¢ \ IQ
. I I t ‘

. - 5. r . f
,. /../...//.m/

i
u /

 

 

mmmm_ nuguu—m H," mm}... fur-s»- .....n. r .. — v.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

The Circle Draws

Tighter
By Benny Hamrick

It took them a long time
to rebuild . . . .

From out of the depths of
the torn and ravaged land,
they banded together in a
joint effort to save civiliza—
tion. Sworn enemies laid down
their weapons and labored
side by side, digging graves
and burying the dead. The
ruins of g r e a t cities were
cleared away and small vill-
ages began to sprout where
once the giant architectural
monoliths had stood, seeming-
ly dominant and seemingly
indestructable.

The Great War had come
and gone. The bombs had ex—
ploded and people had died by
the millions. All across the
land the giant skyscrapers
folded and crumbled to the
ground. Then came the gases,
and for a long time it seemed
that no one would be spared,
that no one was safe.

But in the end some did
survive. And while they built
their huts and erected their
villages, t h ey thought about
the Great War and what it
had done for them. They real—
ized how, in the face of near
annihilation, it had accom—
plished the one thing their
leaders could never achieve;
it had brought them together,
living and working as one.

And while the memory of
the Great War was fresh in
their minds, the people drew
up their doctrines and elected
their leaders. Each man found
his niche and did his part ac—
cordingly. Hunters supplied
their communities with game.
The farmers plowed the fields
and the scholarly tutored the

 

young. Generations came and
went as time trudged steadily
o n w a r d, watching a s the
win gs of democracy slowly
opened and enveloped the little
planet.

Eventually the significance
of the Great War shriveled
into nothingness. It regressed
in stages from an evil thing
of the past, something that
could never happen again; to
ancient history, an incident of
prehistoric times; and finally,
it settled into the realm of
mythology and became a sim—
ple parable, a teaching by
which a lesson could be
learned.

But Pelk, a sheepherder liv-
ing on the outskirts of a large
village, was not interested in
learning lessons. H e wanted
to teach them. Several head
of his livestock were missing
and he was convinced that his
neighbor, Macus, was respon-
sible for the theft. He was so
upset by the loss he sat in his
lonely mud hut and steamed
and fumed until he worked
himself into a frenzy. And by
nightfall, a cold and murder—
ous scheme was in his heart.

Under cover of darkness he
went to Macus’ house and
killed him, stabbing the man
viciously several times, then
ripping open his throat. He
found the man’s wife, petri—
fied with fear, cowering in
a dark corner of the room.
Her huge, staring eyes never
blinked or fluttered as he sav—
agely raped and mauled her
body. The heavy thumping of
his own heart was the loudest
sound he heard, and, it was
a deafening roar in his ears
when he buried his stone ax
deep inside her skull.

A few days later a crowd
of angry citizens paid a visit
to Pelk and left him hanging

‘1

from a tree. His son, Pok,
fled to the hills and gathered
together a band of renegades
from the various misfits scat-
tered o v e r the countryside.
Pok, a vengeful person, then
led attacks on isolated homes
and families, killing, looting,
raping and burning.

In the months that followed,
adventurers, as well as outlaws
and outcasts, were attracted
to the band. The capture of
women enhanced the flavor of
excitement and, before long,
t h e little b a n d had mush—
roomed into a small army,
reaping destruction and havoc
everywhere they went.

Finally, all out war pre-
vailed. No quarter was given.
Villa g es and communities
were burned to the ground and
every living creatured was
skewered, clubbed, trampled,
or otherwise put to death. An—
imals and humans lay in bro—
ken heaps a n (1 pieces, dying
and dead, some burned and
charred beyond recognition.
Corrupt politicians exploited
and manipulated. No one could
be trusted. Women and child—
ren were slaughtered; t h e y
died painfully and needlessly,
their hopes and dreams burst~
ing like bubbles in the air.
And all the while, the living
fought on; snarling and clen-
ching their teeth, clubbing and
smashing their opponents, try-
ing desperately to conquer, to
destroy, to be amon g the
standing when the battle was
over.

Then, in the midst of the
blood and dust and death, as
the fierceness of the battle
climbed toward its peak, some—
thing happened. The fighting
began to decrease; men backed
away from one another. Axes
and clubs clinked and clanked

(Continued N ext Page)

 

 

  

 

(Cont,d. from Page 7)

The Circle Draws Tighter

as they fell from unclenched
hands. Slowly, ever so slowly,
each man looked around and
saw himself standing on the
brink of extinction,

And for a small flickering
moment, in that fleeting in—
stant of time, each man stood
alone with the gravity of his
thoughts. Horror and f ea r
crept into his heart as he came
face to face with reality. And
when it dawned upon him
what he must do to save his
world and people, man raised
his head and looked arcoss
eons of time and space, think—
ing that he had been blessed
with deep wisdom and insight.
And as he turned and clasped
his brothe