PAGES OF DEATH

[Music] Hello, I'm Tom Harmon and I've got a very special story for you. This is a picture of Karen Fleming, 11 years old. Pretty, isn't she? And a more intelligent, bright, cheerful child would be hard to find. Perhaps she's the kind of a little girl you have in your own family or would like to have. Certainly one you would like to cherish and protect. But could you? Karen's mother and father thought they could until that evening in Karen's 12th year. Ben Karen isn't home yet and it's awfully late. Well, take it easy, Mary. She probably stayed after school for something. Oh, no. She wouldn't have stayed without phoning me. You know that. Besides, I called her teacher and Miss Armstrong said that Karen had left at 3:30. Did you call Alice Kelly or Jane? What's her name? You know that other little girl she usually walks home with? Yes. I phoned them both. And they didn't walk home with Karen today because they stayed after school to see a movie. Most of the children did. And Karen told them that she wanted to come home and help me with the baby. So, okay. So, maybe she stayed after school or she stopped off somewhere and then just forgot what time it was. Oh, Ben, you know Karen better than that. Now, she wouldn't miss dinner without letting me know. It's nearly 6:30 now. Where could she be? Oh, Mary. Now, take it easy. Well, she must be somewhere. Look, you get on the phone again. I'll go out and see the neighbors. Someone must have seen her. Ben, you don't think anything could have? I mean, you don't think we should call the police? No. There's lots of places we can look. Look, you get on the phone. I'll go see the neighbor. [Music] You see, Karen had only five blocks to walk home from school, and it was broad daylight and a How could she just disappear? Mrs. Fleming, has Karen ever threatened to run away from home? Have you had any problems with her? Oh, no. Mr. Taylor, I guess you run into a lot of wild kids, but Karen isn't like that. She'd much rather stay around the house with her brothers and sisters than be any place. I see. Is there any place she might have stopped on the way home from school? Like a malt shop or a candy store of some kind? Oh, there's a Baker's variety store. That's only two blocks from the school. All the children stop in there. Yes, we know Bakers. Oh, where could she be? Where could she been? Mrs. Fleming, do you have a picture, a recent one of Karen that we might be able to have? Somebody might have seen her. Yes, I I do have. Excuse me. I'll get it for you. Is there anything else you're going to tell us, Mr. Fleming? I wish I could think of something, but I just can't. Here it is. This was taken a month ago on her birthday. She was still 11. Thank you very much, Mrs. Fleming. This will be a great help to us. Thank you. Do you invite? I guess it's no use telling you not to worry, but we know how it is. I have two children and Taylor's got three. We've had a lot of cases like this. And 99 out of 100, the kid turns up okay. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Hello, Baker. Well, what can I do for you boys? Want some more sample magazines? Did you see this little girl in here this afternoon? Why? Because I asked you, that's why. Okay. Okay. Why didn't you ask me if I know her? I even know the kid's name. That's Karen Fleming and she comes in here all the time. Was she in here this afternoon? Yeah. What do you want to know for? I forgot. You boys are the only ones who were supposed to ask questions. All right, Baker. Was she with anybody when she came in? No. Did she meet anybody in here? No. Who else was in the store at the time? Do you remember? Yeah, that's an easy one. There was only one other customer, and I know his name, too. Paul Holidayiday. Paul Holidayiday. George Holidayiday, son. Yep. You know, George, big wheel on the city council. You sure ought to after that last meeting. Say, was that the third or the fourth time you boys tried to get your obscene literature ordinance passed? You can be sure of one thing. It won't be the last try. Oh, come on now. Just because you guys are against sex. All right, Baker. Let's get back to Paul Holidayiday. Does he speak to Count Fleming? He don't speak to girls anymore. He doesn't pal around with the boys much either. Does he come in here often? No, he's always buying magazines. Stays by himself. Reads. Doesn't run around with that bunch of rowdies anymore. What did he do in here this afternoon? I told you like always, he bought some magazines. What magazines? How should I know? I don't keep track of those things. What did Karen Fleming do? She bought some school supplies, a couple of pencils and a notebook, I think, and and some candy bars. Well, then she wasn't in here very long. Yeah, only a couple of minutes. Now, did Paul Holidayiday leave? Before she did or after? Well, I don't know. Um, after, I guess. How long after? How should I know? I don't hold a stopwatch on my customers. Paul Holidayiday may be able to give us some information. Hey, can't I even ask why you're asking me all these questions? Yeah, sure you can ask why, Baker. Karen Fleming didn't get home from school this afternoon. This was the last place anybody saw him. [Music] We're sorry to bother you, Mrs. Holidayiday, especially at this late hour, but this is just a routine check, and we thought your son Paul might be able to help us. Well, I'm terribly sorry the little girl is missing, but I'm sure Paul doesn't know anything about it. Well, we'd still like to talk to him. Well, if you insist. But I think it will be a waste of time. Something tells me we're going to see Holiday Senior. Oh well, maybe he's recovered from that last council meeting. I doubt it. We bucked him and he's not going to let us forget it. What did we do that was so terrible? And we asked for a city ordinance to help clean up some of the smut that Baker and those other guys are petting to the kids. Yeah, I know. But according to Halliday, we attacked the free enterprise system. We tried to legislate morals, interfere with business, and destroyed the freedom of the press. We couldn't get it through his head that this is no Skidro operation anymore. These kids can pick up these girly magazines and sex violent stuff all over town. And now any kid with a quarter and a 4 cent stamp can even order them through the mail. Hello, Mr. Holidayiday. Taylor Harris, my wife tells me you want to talk to my son, Paul. Well, he wouldn't know anything about some girl not coming home from school. Well, it's very possible, but Paul was one of the last people to see the little girl, and we just wanted to ask him a few routine questions. It's the kind of check we always make in these cases. It'll just take a couple of minutes at this hour of the night. Well, I suppose you have to go through the motions. Marian, come in here, please. Well, if you say so, George. What's the name of this girl? Fleming. Karen Fleming. Fleming. That name sounds familiar. What business is her father in? He's a truck loader. Oh, well, I wouldn't know him. They're very nice people. Well, it's too bad they can't keep track of their children. I take care of my son. Why can't other people do the same for theirs? And you should be doing something about the criminal element that's taken over the city instead of running after straight children or trying to turn us into a 9:00 town. But of course, I suppose it's a lot easier to prosecute a small businessman like Mr. Baker. Oh, this is my son. Paul, I suppose your mother told you what these men want. Yes, but I don't know anything about any little girl. Paul, when you were in Baker's store this afternoon, did you see this little girl? I don't remember. When Paul's head's buried in a book, he would notice that the roof fell in. Now, Mr. Baker told us that you were the only two customers in the store at the time. Now, uh, take a good look at her. Are you sure you didn't see her? Well, I I do remember now. There was a girl in the store that looked something like that picture. You didn't know Karen Flleming personally? I never heard of her. He has other things on his mind besides girls. You didn't talk to her, did you? What would I talk to her for? Did you notice anyone outside the store or on the street nearby when you left? I didn't see anyone. You didn't see any strangers around? No, I didn't see anyone. I just got in the car and drove home. We had dinner at 7:00 and Paul was here for dinner. I see. What did you do until dinner time, Paul? I was in my den. That's what Paul calls it. It's really his recreation room. We had it built for him adjoining the garage. He keeps his own hi-fi out there and his projector and all of his other interests. He spends most of his time there after school. Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything at all? Well, I don't know anything. I told them that when they came in here. So did I. Well, thank you very much. You've been very helpful. It's quite all right. It's too bad you had to waste all this time. Well, if we can get that little girl home safely, I don't think our time will be wasted. Good night. Good night. [Music] No, there's nothing else we can tell you. All night long, we've been trying to think of something, another place to look. Something's happened to her. I can always feel it when when something happens to one of the children. I'll get it. Hello. Oh, is that the night? It's your office. Thank you. Hello, Taylor. Yes, Carlile. All right, we'll be out there in a few minutes. They found her. She's dead. [Music] Dad found her body in a ditch out at the city dump. Murdered, sexied. We have to go out there and check the area over and we'll start from the beginning. We'll talk to Karen's [Music] teacher. First, we've got to go in there and tell them we've got to, Bob. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Why don't you sit down? Thank you, Miss Armstrong. My name is Taylor and this is Mr. Harris. We'd like to ask you a few questions about one of your students, Karen Fleming. Oh, well, isn't she home yet? No. Uh, no, she isn't. Well, that's terrible. Her poor mother must be worried out of her mind. I know. I couldn't sleep last night just thinking about it. And this morning, I came across something that really made me feel bad. Oh, what was that? Well, I was going over some compositions from my class this morning. Excuse me. And I came across one that Karen wrote just the day before yesterday. And it was so so like her. My very happy life. Oh, I'm sorry. Perhaps you don't have time for it. Trust me. No, please. We'd like to hear it. All right. My Very Happy Life by Karen Fleming. I was born in the Valley Hospital and my mother said she was very happy. My family is a very good family. I have a big sister and two little sisters. I have three little brothers. When I was three years old, we had a new baby sister, 5 days old. I was baptized on August 4th. My first communion was February 22nd, my best day. My education means much to me. I would like to take advantage of all the education I can get someday. I hope to be a teacher. I have many possessions. My home and my family. I have the gifts of God, faith, hope and love, health, and the ability to learn. I have all the things a girl would need and a collection of dolls. I like Meatloaf. My favorite color is green and I have the cutest kitten with no tail. I like sports and desserts. I am looking forward to a very good future. I do hope you find her soon. We already [Music] [Applause] have. I can't tell you how shocked I was when I heard the terrible news. Oh, that poor father and mother. I know Paul will be glad to tell you anything more that he possibly can. He He might think of something. Any of us would do anything we can to help you find the man. No, I shouldn't say man. The the beast the the fiend that did this terrible thing. Well, Paul must be out in his den. So, if you'll just come this way. [Music] Paul. Well, he must have stepped out, but I'm sure he'll be back in just a few minutes. Oh, we'll wait. Oh, this place is a mess. I haven't been out here in ages, but I had no idea it was like this. Paul used to be so neat and orderly. He's never wanted a cleaning woman in here, but I'm going to insist that he let me have one here the first thing in the morning. Bob, tar and gravel. Remember that new road they're putting in out of the city dump? This place is a mess. Paul's good school shoes. I don't know what's got into him. May I see those? Did Paul wear these to school yesterday? Oh, I'm sure I don't know. He has more than one pair of shoes. That looks like tar and gravel. Let's put this through the lab for a test. Right. What are you doing? What do you want with Paul's shoes? I'm afraid we'll have to keep those for a few days. Well, why? What are you doing here? I I don't think you should see Paul. I'm afraid we'll have to see Paul. We'd also like to look around some more. Well, go ahead. But you won't find anything. I'm going to get my husband. What did Carl's report say on this boy? Well, he made a complete character check of the boy. It's clean all the way. Except that he seems to be losing interest in his schoolwork, but that's only natural for a boy his age. Well, it could be. Let's take a look around. We have no motive or incentive for the boy. Hey, look at this. Scorching sex stories, shows all tells all night of horrors. Home of the stripper and some paperbacks. Look at that film, too. And slides. Evidently, this kid has been ordering through the mails, too, for magazine ads. This is strictly hardcore stuff. What's going on here? I think you'll be interested in seeing these, Mr. Hall. And there's more. Paperbacks, film, slides. Where did this come from? From Paul's dresser. Oh, they couldn't have. Oh, these are horrible. Paul would never read anything like this. This couldn't be Paul's. This is the kind of stuff you find along Skid Road. Now you can buy them at your neighborhood store. Where is Paul? Well, he went out. He'll be back in a minute. Well, these could never belong to Paul. He's keeping them for somebody. That's all. There. There's some other boys. Whatever the answer is, there's nothing the police need to bother Paul about. I can take care of it. Oh, Paul, these don't belong to you. Paul, what are you doing with these? I can't believe it. Well, there must be some mistake there. There must be. Mrs. Holidayiday, would you mind waiting for us up at the house? Why, George, what are they trying to do? Mariam, please go to the house and wait. Go on, son. How could you do this? Can I go now? Paul, I'm going to ask you some questions and I want some straight answers. Did you drive straight home from Baker Store yesterday afternoon? Yes. I told you I did. And you didn't stop anywhere? No. I'd like to look at your car, Paul. Why? What do you want to look at his car for, Paul? Let's look at the car. Are you afraid we might find tar in the tires? The only road they're working on with tar and gravel is by the city dump. Oh, yes. I did drive by there. You just drove by? Yes. You didn't stop and get out. You didn't get out of your car and walk on that road. No. No. Then how do you account for the tar and gravel on these shoes, Paul? These are your shoes, aren't they? I didn't mean to do it. I didn't mean to. Paul, I don't know why I did it. I don't know why. I think we do, Paul. [Music] Well, I hear you boys got the killer. Well, sir, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I heard who it was. Just goes to show you, don't it? You never can tell about these quiet kids. You never know what they're thinking. You should know what they're thinking. Bigger. Me? How should I know? Did Paul Howy get those in here? Could have got them 20 places in class. He told us he got them here. Now look here. Don't you try to get me mixed up in this thing. You mixed yourself in it up to your ears. It's all in the business. I'm only trying to make a living. Would you like to try telling Karen's father that? Why doesn't Holiday look after his kid? I'm no nurse maid. I'm not supposed to check up on what these punks read. No, Baker. You're just supposed to put within reach of any kid that can read smut that we wouldn't allow in the city jail because it's too strong for hardened criminals. You're just supposed to stand there with your hands in that cash register while these kids soak up poison that would turn the mind of a grown man. You just stand there and smile while these kids get the impression that sex is dirt and lust and love are the same thing. That it's okay to try perversion just for kicks. I told you kids can pick this stuff up 20 places in town. That's just the point, Baker. You and all the others, you're contributing to a racket that's vicious enough to pervert an entire generation of American kids. Now you lay off for me. You got your murderer. Yeah, we got one of them. That boy in the store and thousands like him could become the same kind of a criminal as the murderer of Karen Fleming. Karen Fleming's last name is fictitious. But there was a real Karen. When she was only 11, she was raped and murdered by a sex mad youth. She actually wrote that composition you heard. You remember when she said, "I'm looking forward to a good future, but it will never come." Sex mania, the kind that feeds on printed filth, spoiled all that. This same tragedy could happen to another little girl, perhaps your little girl. Statistics show that sex crimes have increased in the same ratio as the obscene publication racket. Jay Edgar Hoover has said sex mad magazines are creating criminals faster than we can build jails to house them. 75 to 90% of obscene material ends up in the hands of children. But this vicious billion dollar a year racket can be stopped. Some cities have already begun to stem this tide of filth. If you would like to know how you can do the same thing in your community, write to the hour of St. Francis 12th in Los Angeles Street, Los Angeles 15.