Page 8B { € ever to draw breath was born In Mound City, Missouri. By the time Charles A. Hatcher was @, he had been convicted of auto theft and forgery. These minor brought him of two and three years in Missouri State Penitentiary, arte of the toughest slammers in the entire U.S. Charite didn’t like his accommodations at all, In 4951, he managed to escape, but was soan captul and sentenced to an additional two years. A itany of crimes and jail sentences was to follow Charlie al his life, but it is not these crimes which concern is. You see, Charlie Hatcher eventually became a Bdriat killer, one of those individuats who roam the US, as human predators. Estimates vary as to the pamber of these monsters presently statking their ellow man. Experts agree that the figure may never known, but feel that it falls somewhere between 30 and 300. Charles Hatcher was a charter member of ‘ils infamous group. mFrom the mid-’80s to the early ’80s, a period of wer 25 years, Charlle kidnapped, raped, sodomized d killed his victims. He was often apprehended ahd sent away to prison or mental institutions, but Charlie, despite his depraved lifestyle, was not insanc. He knew exactly how to fake mental illnesses. He changed his ‘name often and was always released to ki again. Authorities never knew they were dealing ith one man. When they came‘to realize this fact, it too late for Charlle's victims. §-The names of Eric Christgen and Melvin Reynolds ut porsver be indelibly connected with Charlie latcher, oe May 26, 1978, four-year-old Eric was left outside 2St. Joseph, Missouri, store for five minutes while his abysitter ran inside to purchase a flag. When she rbturned to retrieve the youngster, he was nowhere to be found. A massive search was immediately implemented, without results. *; Police expected a ransom demand due to the prominence of the Christgen famlly, but no such demand was forthcoming. The boy's father appealed for his son's return on television. A $10,000 reward syas offered for the child’s safe return, Little Eric yas beyond help. Members of the search party found the boy's body in a weeded area near the Missouri River. He had been sexually abused and asphyxiated. + Eric's tragic death struck at the very heart of St. deseph. Violent crime is not an everyday occurrence in the community. The child's funeral was the largest ever held in the city. Who among them had committed Such a horrible deed? 8. t 9) n July 16, 1929, one of the meanest dudes After pr dropping pearance, Melvin had at wed. 1» Who 1 preference, but set : hange all that. Evidently, the process was ul. She and Melvin became engaged to be a near the store on the day of the Slsappearance vehemently denied killing Eric. He did add In his if you want me to." . lice kept interviewing tl le, the ost 2 Finally: eter rTogation sessions which nfessed in his own + ty and, 80, in Missouri State Prison, Several officers who had worked on the difficult case recelved promotions for tet diligent efforts in gathering the evidence against elvin. On July 30, 1982, in a seemingly unrelated incident, ll-year-old Michelle Steele disappeared after keeping a dental appointment In downtown St. Joseph. Only hours after she failed to return to her home, her mother reported her missing to police. That same evening, police and 65 volunteers commenced searching for the missing girl. Citizens couldn't help but recall the ill-fated hunt for Eric Christgen. Raymond Shubert, his son David and a buddy, Billy, were fishing for catfish along the Missouri when they noticed a man sitting on the riverbank no more than 30 feet from where they were fishing. The stranger, who was wearing tennis shoes and a baseball cap, inquired if the fish were biting. Donald and Janet Niedel were down by the river that day. They, too, observed the piranget, At the . 0 the _ Charlie Hatcher _ f was a serial’ killer but the authorities. ‘kept freeing him | » to murder aga was In Brogress admitted hims Ba just fine, ERIC CHRISTGEN, 4, above, was’ one of 16 people Charlie Hatcher, left, admitted killing over a three-decade period. Meivin Lee Reynolds, right, spent “four years in prison for the 1978 murder of the Missouri boy. before Hatcher confessed. Hospital. He claimed that he was hearing voices ,and that he wanted the voices to-go away. At the same time, Michelle Steele le, Roy'Montgomery, time no one paid that much BARTLE & GIBSON ANNOUNCES SPRING SPA SAVINGS STouad ti dér some brush along Pes . ‘reported thelr. sightings to : he Stal - », othe hospital as Charlie Hatcher,:a: criminal: i « Beveral convictions for sodomy) and rape In his - H » checkered past, In ‘most. cases,.Charile had recelved-. * atlnts In hospital rather than prison. He always, nd.was o> Sihtenced Iti Wednesday, April’3, 1991" (he bank of the Missourt River, about a mite from where Erle Christgen's.body:had been: found, The wilnesses. who had reen,the man the day before; so close to. where Michelle's body was discovered, tice, Admittance officials al-St. Josep le Mental Hospital soon. advised: : authoritles of Richard Clark's, voluntary. admittance into thelr Institution, Clark, matched the description of| tho man‘scen near tho scene of the'crime: ‘. Soveral cyowitnesses were shown photographs of Clark and identified him as the man who was seen near the river, Further checks identified she man i ose studying ' { i need that Chatto system." 3 foned Charlie, He for decades. This time was ditterent ced him ‘at the pelle of the crime. | go to prison, but a hospital would d Charlie requested a meeting with the FBI. In order to gain credibitity with them and add to his faked insanity act, Charlle produced'a map of the area « around Rock Island, Rhode Island.,The map contained, detalled instructions ‘as to where a bod: Id be found, The FBI took hi found the body of 3¢-yei certainly was an attention ‘grabber. He let authoritles, Enow he woutd soon tell them where other bodies coul found, * Meanwhile, Charlie was charged with the murder of Michelle Steele. ‘Then he dropped his bombshell, ith an Innocent man In prison for the.Christgen killing, the Police took no chances, Charlie's details were checked and only to himself, Charlie decided to perlodically con: to other murders. He now . admitted to having killed Churchill and a boy, William Freeman, in 1969. He told authorities that over the years he had killed 16 people. On Oct. 13, 1983, Charlie pleaded guilty to the murder of Eric Christgen and was sentenced to life imprisonment. A year later, Charlle was convicted of murdering Michelle Steele. For this crime he received life imprisonment without possibillty.of pare! for 50 years. After serving only 10 weeks in A confinement, Charles Hatcher hanged in his Missouri State Penitentlary cell. "Charlio's conviction for the murder Melvin was fron jail. Rita Anderson had waited for her man. She and lelvin were married by the same judge who had : to,nri ie, Reynolds now have two childrens + i Wednesday,April 3, 1991 The Castlegar Sun Poe Help! What does it housewife I’d stay home, Sign me‘ Dear Ann Landers: Please give me the definition of administrative assistant, Everyone seems to be so hung up on this title, it’s ridiculous, Te is MY title, but it means nothing to me. Here's why: My boss refuses to use paper cups. He insists on ceramic mugs when he serves coffee to business It Enjoying the leftovers } which was good, because by the time she had spent exactly twenty-seven-and-a-half minutes in my care anybody that had , hoped to claim her, would have had to have had thirty-six pisces of identification and the little black dog would have had to‘have jumped ‘up and yelled, “MOMMA,” before I would have even considered letting her go. on her little hind legs at the mere hint of food, or not, look hopeful, and then walk over, still upright, to collect. It usually works, CAM ; onto my lap, at any old time, convenient or otherwise, mostly otherwise. i Others say that’s where she is, . now. : downgraded to Midget the Idgit in no time. coming back if she pleases is probably the reason she was a stray in the first place, : firmly looped around my right wrist, which is firmly attached to my right arm, which is now six inches longer than my left arm, |, three pounds, six ounces, my right hand would permanently ; drag on the ground leaving a little furrow behind me wherever 1 go. I-used to try switching off, but if she was attached to my right wrist she insisted on lunging about on my left and vice versa, Of course, i manent fixture of our household as well. comes to getting rid of certain things. dinner. Specifically sweet potatoes. And I do make these recipes, even with all those little brown doggy eyes looking at me and insisting that leftovers, legally, belong to them. ‘She was cute, cunning, and fetching. No doubt about it, Nobody. claimed the tiny, sharp-nosed little black stray ‘The tiny ebony-coated waif is a born trickster. She will stand during When guests ask where they can wash out the cups, he says, “Just leave it, my administrative assistant will clean up.” Often my boss will make microwave lunches and leave the dirty dishes, which he also expects me to clean, Sometimes he calls me from the front office to hand him things that are within ‘his reach, Ann, this makes me so angry I could scream, I'm no women's libber and wouldn't mind if these things _ She also has an endearing habit of leaping into my arms, or I often say she missed her calling and belongs in a circus. - but that’s neither here nor Christened the Mighty Midget Mutt, she was — rightfully - Her habit of going where she pleases when she pleases and It’s also the reason she never goes anywhere without a leash Midge is a frantic critter-chaser and if she weighed any more She also produced Mac and Tosh, her children, now a per- Thave to admit that I do seem to have a real problem when it That, fortunately, does not extend to leftovers from Easter eek ~~ ‘Sweet’ Potato Muffins Simple to make, sweet enough for dessert. 1-1/2 c. flour 1/2 c. sugar 2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. nutmeg 1/2 c, milk legge 1/2 c, mashed, cooked sweet potatoes or yams (candied is OK) 1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans 1 tbsp. sugar Combine flour, 1/2 c. sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, lly, but they happen all the time. I've been try- ing to think of a tactful way to express my displeasure. I find his behav ine and i . — Fed Up in Chicago Dear Fed: I'refer you to the old Ann rs axiom: “Nobody can take advantage of you without your Permission." : When the boss first asked you to wash out the coffee cups, if you didn't feel comfortable doing it, Ann Landers Syndicated Columnist you should have said so, Now it is expected of you. The same goes for the lunch mess. I'm sure you'd be much happier somewhere else. Start looking. And next time, get a firm job description before you sign on. Good luck. Dear Ann Landers: Please help our family. We are having a prob- Jem with h . All the chil- erate, a I work very long hours to meet unreasonable deadlines, .I’m reli- able and competent. I bypass lunch regularly to get more work done, are women going to get a fair shake? If I wanted to be a dren are good students, getting A's and B's. They are 19, 14, and 9, Our 9-year-old gets from one to three hours of homework a night. The other children never have any- where near this much. They always have been active in Boy Scouts; soccer and piano, their grades never have suffered, but this year has been a nightmare, The 9-year-old can barely get his homework done on the days when he doesn’t have an outside activity, but when he has soccer or piano, it is total chaos, There is no time for playing with friends. Some ‘of the other Parents solve the problem by just plain doing some of the assign- ments for their children, The 9-year-old already has decided to drop out of soccer and piano, but we are really trying to hold on to Boy Scouts. Don't sug- gest talking to the princi He mean? Pago 9B: wid pues | Dear Ann Landers; You have Printed many letters from wives who were cheated on and lettezs from the “other woman.” My did a lot of running’ around on’ mother and now I am struggling fos make a go of my:‘own marriage even though my husband has unfaithful on more than ‘one sion. The men always ‘claim ¢ mit riage was “dead” or “ no good” before they began to have affairs, They somehow feel that this enti- les them to do anything they I am’ tired of’ all the. lai :d for adul and lack 8f ip le won't do a thing. And I should tell you that we can't afford private school, I feel that children should be allowed to enjoy their childhood and have no more than on-half hour of homework at night. What do you think? — To Much Home- work, Oxnard, Calif, ‘ Dear Oxnard: Observe your child when he does his homework. Maybe he needs to leam how to read more rapidly and how to con- centrate. Join forces with other Parents and if five or six of tnem are having the same problem with their children, go together and speak to the teacher, not the princi- commitment. It's not only hard on the women, but children who lack a secure family life suffer a lot. did not ask to be bom. We brou, them into the world and we o them‘a stable, loving home with two loving parents. i To all the cheating husbands/"i say, you can't tum back the clock, but you CAN wind it up again, Confess your mistakes and clean up your act: Don’t continue to behave like a heel. Stop blaming others for your weaknesses. Vow i &row up and accept your responsiy bilities. — Debbie in Lincoln, Neb: Dear Debbie: Well said. AWy can add is bravo! ‘ He ne wos the current compilation of themost iar thi people do, edited by Chuck Shepherd. Proof that true stories are weirder than made-up stories, An Alabama prison official in Montgomery reported in February what he called the first document- ed case of a prisoner's hiding a serviceable gun inside his rectum. Prisoner’ Wayne Phillips was weddings. Said owner Mary Collins, “We want to be part of more than just the final event in a Person’s life,” * Not to be outdone by Ms. Collins, Roger Ahlgrim, a Pala-, tine, Ill., funeral home owner, recently installed a nine-hole miniature golf course in the base- ment of his parlor, along with shuffleboard, Ping-Pong, bumper Pool, video games, and a haunted house exhibit with a toy guillo- tine, spider webs, tombstones and caskets. The basement gets booked for birthday parties and civic groups but is closed during wakes, * Ruben Lezcano of Mexico City offers the “poor man’s nose job": For about $9, customers buy tine plastic hooks (in three sizes) to be inserted into their nostrils, causing down-tumed noses to tum ard. Lezcano says even sneez- {dislodge them, * Management at a Brazilian mining company (Campanhia Vale do Rio Doce) began showing erotic films at the mine in Decem- ber to entice workers to break a union-ordered strike and report to work, The union was reportedly forced to stage its own erotic film- fest for workers to keep them out of the mines. + San Francisco jeweler Sidney Mobell is asking $25,000 for his sardines encased in a 14-karat solid gold sardine can, inlaid with 55 di ini to say his nation’s enemies were liars, “people of small stature” ds and ga gold toothpick. yp , came out a s"pyg, mies,” prompting a Protest by tha + Evidence p at the Camden, N.J., kidnapping trail of * James A. Howard, 39, in Novem- ber revealed that he had done sub- stantial library research on the crime, calculating the average Prison sentence to be seven years and fixing at $500,000 the amount that would justify his risk in tak- ing the teen-age son of an Atlantic City businessman. + In December, the U.S. Postal Service in San Diego offered its seventh annual Christmas Tour for $25 per person. The first 200 Patrons who reserved seats could watch their Christmas mail being Processed and eat a buffet lunch. * Even though financially strapped, California officials turned down the bid by an uniden- tified San Luis Obispo business- man who offered to help raise money for the Department of Cor- rections by installing “900” phone lines in the cells of the state's most famous criminals so people could talk to them at per-minute rates (1-900-DIAL-SIR(HAN), 1- 900-DIAL-MAN(SON)). Mother of All Weirdness + A United Nations translation from Zaire, and ean: ing a rare Iraqi apology. ie ¢ After the ground war be, a captured Iraqi soldiers said any af them caught by superiors wearing a white T-shirt would be executed because of the ease with which the shirts could be used as surrender flags. Some Iraqi soldiers carried bleach with them to make their dark shirts white. fe + Among other direct casualties of the war: John E. Taylor, 32, was sent to intensive care with stab wounds from his brother in St. Louis because he opposed the war; Mohammad Hanif. was hacked to death by his father, Siraj Mia, 50, with a cleaver near Chittagong, Bangladesh, in Jan: uary because he expressed the view that Saddam. Hussein's chances to win the war didn’t look good. ny « Fashion designer Andre Vatt Pier revealed his spring collectiont of “war fashions" in New York inf Febmary, including a fluorescent camouflage dress and coat and: olive camouflage pantsuit (price, $1,200). Optional bulletproofing was available. i (Send your Weird News ty chuck Shepherd, P.O. Box 5714 latest ity: milk ch error on a February speech by ho intend D.C. 20037.) Hy Iraq’s amb wi and nutmeg in a large bowl. Stir to mix. Beat egg and milk together and add to dry ingredients with mashed sweet pota- toes, melted butter, and nuts. Stir just until all flour is moist- ened. Batter should be lumpy. Grease muffin tins or line with a large cupcake papers. Fill cups 2/3 full. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp. sugar over batter in each cup. Bake at 400 F. for 18 -20 minutes. Turn out of pans immediately. Makes 12 muffins. charged with housing a loaded, -22-caliber revolver and a key to a pair of handcuffs, wrapped in plas- tic and revealed during X-rays of prisoners’ intestinal tracts. 5 - 6 PERSON ACRYLIC SPA °5 JETS * 220 VOLT HEATER * 1.0 HP * FOR BUILT IN APPLICATIONS $24145° The Entrepreneurial Spirit ¢ Michael Caesar, 48, self- described “Pope of Pot.” was arrested in New York in Novem- ber for allegedly running a mari- juana delivery service with 12 bicyclists and and 800 number (1- 800-Want-Pot). According to a colleague, Caesar ran the “Church of the Realized Fantasy,” in which People could pop in to his Green- wich Village loft during the day, smoke dope, seek the pope’s blessing and have sex. ¢ Officials in Moundsville, W.Va., ordered a $13,000 feasibil- ity study in November to deter- mine whether the 124-year-old State. penitentiary (due to close next year) could be tumed into an outlet mall. . * The Collins Funeral Home in Jackson, Miss., expanded its ser- vices in November to include Do A Number On Your ee »» Sweet Potato Cake A moist, spicy cake that keeps-well. 1c. cooking oil 2-3/4 c. sugar 2 eggs . 1c. cooked, mashed sweet potatoes or yams (candied is OK) 3-1/2 c. flour 2 tsp. baking'soda 1 tsp. EACH cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg 3/4 tsp. baking powder 3/4 tsp. salt : 1c. water Combine oil; sugar, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Beat in sweet potatoes. Mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, _ cloves, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt. Add to potato mixture’ : alternately with water,-beating after each addition. Turn batter | into a greased and floured -13x9x2-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 F. for 45 to.50 minutes, until cake tests done. Cool in pan on wire rack, the frost with SAME UNIT IN CEDAR SKIRT * SUBJECT TO STOCK ON HAND snurnses || BEAVER FALLS MACHINING L GENERAL MACHINING & FABRICATING __ CWB Certified Welders. bo Driveline Parts & Repair ‘ : wer : » Steelin Stock ele ee uick Butterscotch Frosting Garbage. Member of Steelworkers Union: 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed For information on how, é 3 \) What and where to recycle 0 Minto Road | slg 4190 Mint # Melt butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Add milk /> In Greater Vancouver call R-E-C-Y-C-L-E LOCATED IN THE ELECTRO DOHMEN BUILDING:; ei {| and blend, Beat in icing sugar until sinooth, Beat in vanilla. - Call.Greg or Gary Ferg Se ; Will frost the top Of a 13x9x2-inch cake. 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