THE STORY OF HOW ONE FAMILY WAS STALKED BY A VERY DETERMINED PROWLER...AND TO DATE OUR CASE STILL REMAINS UNSOLVED IN THE POLICE FILES...
The year was 1959, and it will be 48 years ago on January 25th when my storybegan.
My Dad worked nights, second shift, from 4pm to 4am, as a foreman in a plant that made parts for military specs. My mom stayed home raising us 9 children. In 1959 I was 19 and living away from home on my own. My 1st brother was 17 and away in the Air Force Military Police.
So that left the remaining 7 kids still living at home,
their ages ranging from 13 to 1&1/2 years old.(3 brothers and 4 sisters)
In our house, there were 3 bedrooms upstairs, and my parents had made over an enclosed side porch into a downstairs bedroom, with a double bed and other furniture, along with a full sized crib,where my youngest sister slept. The double bed was at one end of the room and the crib was at the other end, both had windows where the beds were.
It was about 1am when my Mom heard noises at the front bedroom window, and realized that a figure was trying to get into the bedroom. He was coming in through the window by my youngest sister's crib, and the noise woke her up also. The prowler stopped halfway in through the window,and when my Mom started yelling he heard my brothers coming down the steps from the upstairs bedrooms, and he pushed himself back out of the window and ran.
My mom had a phone by the bed and immediately called for the Police.
They told her not to touch anything, and stay all together, which they did. Figure how 7kids and Mom looked huddled together in that double bed, waiting for the Police to arrive.
Arrive they did, sirens blasting, lights flashing, along with the neighbors waking up and watching. Everybody was afraid to even go let the Police in, but finally one of my brothers did.
Then the police started
checking all around the outside of the
house. What they found out during their investigation that night really shook everybody up.There were cigarette butts around every downstairs window laying on the ground outside each window..The cigarette butts were not new, but had been there for quite some time..They were not any brand that was smoked in our house.
It had snowed that day and was still snowing. All the footprints in the snow, around all the downstairs windows were fresh and made by the same
person.
At that time my Dad had put up a white picket fence in the back yard and the closing gate was under the back window where my Mom and sister slept. She had cafe type curtains on the windows in the side porch bedroom. The Police found fresh footprints on the ledge of the gate, where he had been standing, peering down into the bedroom. along with some fresh cigarette butts.
So naturally it was assumed that this person had been stalking around for quite a while.
Also, because of the fast get-a-way he made before the Police got
there, and the scent the Police Dog picked up went over a back fence into another street and then the dog lost the scent, made them believe it had to be someone local, who knew my Dad worked nights, and the sleeping arrangements and times everybody went to bed.
If my little sister had not been in that crib that night, but in bed with my mom, as she often did, I hate to think of what might have happened. Please come back for Part 2 coming soon. I have to take a little break from writing this, as, to this day, this experience still bothers me, even though I wasn't living at home at this time.
But, this is that same house I am telling you about. My son bought it before my Mom died in 2001, and now he and I live in it.
Even to this day some mention of it will come up, especially when my son cuts the grass, he will come in and say, "didn't find any cigarette butts,Mom" and I get a chill..
We can kinda laugh about it now, just kind of.Please come back for
Part 2 of the Prowler..
Twenty-eight years ago, Stan Parker and Angela Carpenter broke off their engagement when each wanted to go their separate ways.
Stan became a sheriff’s deputy, married a dispatcher, and had a daughter. His wife died 7 years ago leaving him l
Twenty-eight years ago, Stan Parker and Angela Carpenter broke off their engagement when each wanted to go their separate ways.
Stan became a sheriff’s deputy, married a dispatcher, and had a daughter. His wife died 7 years ago leaving him l
Crowley County Series, Novels 4-6
An uplifting series with romance, mystery and suspense.
Join the people of Crowleyville as they face the challenges of small town life while struggling to welcome an influx of newcomers.
