Was Harley a punk or a decent kid? Was robbery the motive or was it stupid teenage curiosity?
Pictures of him seem to be your average, still-growing-into-his-feet, white teen boy. :(
Dec. 20th? Checking how Santa navigates a chimney? How mature was he? Did he still believe? Why in sam hill would he get himself into a chimney on the way to school?
I was 10 or 12, living in an apartment complex in Memphis, in the 50s.
This tree, on the lot of a medical fraternity house on Lamar, was about 50-60' high, and I climbed it because I could. Who doesn't want to climb high into a tree?
As I grasped the topmost part of the tree, Mrs. Butler, who lived a few doors down from my mom and brother and me, stepped out onto her stoop and was sweeping it off.
I yelled out, "HEY, MRS. BUTLER!!"
She didn't know where that yell came from, wondering as she looked around.
I yelled again, and then she spotted me.
So then she yelled, 'GET DOWN OUT OF THAT TREE RIGHT NOW, BEFORE YOU FALL, OR I'M GOING TO TELL YOUR MOTHER!"
As I said, I only climbed up there because it was there, and I could. What kid doesn't want to climb a tree?
Too bad for the youngster.
Horrible incident
No matter what
The police had been at his home several times for calls for an unruly child. He also would go out at night and not return, which resulted in a delay in reporting him missing.