In a Town of 11 People, Mysterious Disappearance Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor(nytimes.com)
nytimes.com
In a Town of 11 People, Mysterious Disappearance Turns Neighbor Against Neighbor
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/11/world/australia/larrimah-mystery.html
119 comments
> sometimes there is a cone of silence which is really strong, and quite at odds with what we think of as "the law"
Reminds me of the plot of the movie Hot Fuzz.
Reminds me of the plot of the movie Hot Fuzz.
Yeah I decided idyllic English villages aren't for me, after watching Hot Fuzz and Midsomer Murders.
“‘It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside.’
‘You horrify me!’
‘But the reason is very obvious. The pressure of public opinion can do in the town what the law cannot accomplish. There is no lane so vile that the scream of a tortured child, or the thud of a drunkard’s blow, does not beget sympathy and indignation among the neighbours, and then the whole machinery of justice is ever so close that a word of complaint can set it going, and there is but a step between the crime and the dock. But look at these lonely houses, each in its own fields, filled for the most part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and none the wiser. Had this lady who appeals to us for help gone to live in Winchester, I should never have had a fear for her. It is the five miles of country which makes the danger.’”
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, 1892
‘You horrify me!’
‘But the reason is very obvious. The pressure of public opinion can do in the town what the law cannot accomplish. There is no lane so vile that the scream of a tortured child, or the thud of a drunkard’s blow, does not beget sympathy and indignation among the neighbours, and then the whole machinery of justice is ever so close that a word of complaint can set it going, and there is but a step between the crime and the dock. But look at these lonely houses, each in its own fields, filled for the most part with poor ignorant folk who know little of the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on, year in, year out, in such places, and none the wiser. Had this lady who appeals to us for help gone to live in Winchester, I should never have had a fear for her. It is the five miles of country which makes the danger.’”
Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, 1892
I hope you're not assuming Midsomer Murders bears much resemblance to real life. :)
(Source: until a couple of years ago, we lived in one of the Oxfordshire locations where it frequently films.)
(Source: until a couple of years ago, we lived in one of the Oxfordshire locations where it frequently films.)
> I hope you're not assuming Midsomer Murders bears much resemblance to real life. :)
Unlike Hot Fuzz, which is basically a documentary.
Unlike Hot Fuzz, which is basically a documentary.
Uhh, I thought it was an over-the-top comedy film...
Seriously. There is a scene in Hot Fuzz wherein a handful of policemen are toting - in the modern day in a first-world country - Sten Guns, SMLEs, double-barrel shotguns and a pump-action with the price-tag still on it, and as they move from cover-to-cover all of their movements are punctuated by somebody checking their chamber (except that that's only sound effects). It even has a "Gilligan's Cut".
How does that scene belong in a film that is even slightly outside the realm of (attempted) comedy!?
How does that scene belong in a film that is even slightly outside the realm of (attempted) comedy!?
You weren't downvoted because you were wrong - of course Hot Fuzz is significantly a comedy film. You were downvoted because you missed the sarcasm.
Let's encourage that belief. I'd like house prices to fall there
Has that worked for you before?
Thanks, yes, I'd love to live there. I was just joking.
recommend any other such films? I'm all over that small town lawless stuff
In Galicia (NW region of Spain) there is a TV series called "Serramoura" which elevates this to ridiculous levels. The series is supposed to take place in a very small town (maybe 20 people or so) but the series' death toll is probably like 50 by now (they are in season 8). At the beginning I think there were only sawmill enterprise conflicts for land, but now the viewers have seen arms trafficking, drugs trafficking, Russian mafias, mass kidnapping... and probably more (I don't even watch it, this is what I have picked up just from looking at parts of chapters from time to time).
When I see my partner watching it casually, I always joke that I don't understand how there are still survivors in Serramoura and how people still go live there, it would probably be less dangerous to go to a city in war.
I wouldn't exactly "recommend" the series and don't even know if it has been translated to any other languages than Galician, but just wanted to share because I find it funny.
When I see my partner watching it casually, I always joke that I don't understand how there are still survivors in Serramoura and how people still go live there, it would probably be less dangerous to go to a city in war.
I wouldn't exactly "recommend" the series and don't even know if it has been translated to any other languages than Galician, but just wanted to share because I find it funny.
This is a theme of pretty much everything Stephen King has ever written.
I liked "U Turn"
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0120399/ (set in small town Arizona)
I've heard good things about Shetland and Broadchurch, but I'm yet to watch them.
I've heard good things about Shetland and Broadchurch, but I'm yet to watch them.
Top of the lake, broadchurch, sharp objects. Those are all tv series.
Try 'The Loch' (or 'Loch Ness', the US title). Nice bit of Scottish small town murder.
Also, 'Shetland' - you can't get more 'small town' than that (in the UK).
Also, 'Shetland' - you can't get more 'small town' than that (in the UK).
I loved Top of the Lake. It was a very relatable TV show for me as a New Zealander. That kind of thing does actually happen in rural NZ, although I would've said it's stereotypically more a Northland than a Southland thing.
Trapped, Icelandic TV series, is also very good. Also you may like 'The Fall' (a slightly different genre, but bone chilling)
Hot Fuzz, U-Turn, Dogville (others already mentioned them).
Deliverance (of course)
The Lottery ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116924/ tv movie, based on a great short story)
The Wicker Man
Twin Peaks
Cold in July
Deliverance (of course)
The Lottery ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116924/ tv movie, based on a great short story)
The Wicker Man
Twin Peaks
Cold in July
Also, "The Trouble with Harry", although not the best Hitchcock.
Not a film (though there is one too) but: Twin Peaks.
Death in Paradise (TV series)
dogville : )
I watched a few episodes of Midsomer Murders today. It's a classic.
>in small communities, sometimes there is a cone of silence which is really strong, and quite at odds with what we think of as "the law"
Really? I got the opposite impression from the article. Everyone is happy to talk about who they think did it, and everyone has their own theory.
Really? I got the opposite impression from the article. Everyone is happy to talk about who they think did it, and everyone has their own theory.
I got the opposite impression from the article. Everyone is happy to talk about who they think did it, and everyone has their own theory.
After something got public. Small communities have things non-public for decades or forever as well.
After something got public. Small communities have things non-public for decades or forever as well.
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> “anyone who has read 'hillbilly elegy' can relate to: in small communities, sometimes there is a cone of silence which is really strong, and quite at odds with what we think of as "the law"”
I both read Hillbilly Elegy and also grew up in a small rural Ohio town near Kentucky, very much in the epicenter of the book’s described culture.
I don’t think the book or rural culture has any type of “cone of silence” like that. People do take the law into their own hands more often, but are usual quite loudmouth about it, especially to outsiders and law enforcement.
If anything, I think this type of culture breeds an entitlement complex where people believe their armchair opinions about local justice ought to be treated as serious matters of policy and law, and are more than happy to run their mouths about it and express anger at local law enforcement using accepted standards in an investigation.
I both read Hillbilly Elegy and also grew up in a small rural Ohio town near Kentucky, very much in the epicenter of the book’s described culture.
I don’t think the book or rural culture has any type of “cone of silence” like that. People do take the law into their own hands more often, but are usual quite loudmouth about it, especially to outsiders and law enforcement.
If anything, I think this type of culture breeds an entitlement complex where people believe their armchair opinions about local justice ought to be treated as serious matters of policy and law, and are more than happy to run their mouths about it and express anger at local law enforcement using accepted standards in an investigation.
That book is so full of nonsense. It’s a string of desperate theories that strive to explain present-day tensions in such a way that ignores the context of present-day. The milieus of turbo consumerism and associated economic strife are in conflict with certain less-compatible self-identities, and not others. This underwrites everything the book aims to address with far more cohesion (as is often the case with successful realism) and is an infinitely more fascinating theme at that (also often the case with successful realism). It’s too bad the author was so desperate to avoid it. For whatever reason, the author goes digging where’s simply nothing to dig. The result is boring, hardheaded exoticism.
I know he claims the subjects are his own family, but I’m not buying it. The subjects are his agenda.
I know he claims the subjects are his own family, but I’m not buying it. The subjects are his agenda.
I grew up in the same part of the country around the same time as the author. While I agree not everything in the book is a fully realistic depiction, it is honestly highly accurate in many regards. It goes in depth with the type of inconsistent, moralistic and tribal decision making and thought process in Appalachia in a more detailed and accurate way than I’ve seen in almost any other account.
I’d suggest to also read the book Dreamland about the opioid and prescription drug epidemic in Appalachia.
Between base knowledge of how tribal morals work there, how skills gap unemployment had hit that area, and how the addiction crisis has hit them, it helps dramatically to understand why it creates a conservative-leaning voting bloc that feels scared of modern progressive politics and would generally vote modern Republican despite having deep historical roots in voting Democrat as a worker solidarity signal.
I’d suggest to also read the book Dreamland about the opioid and prescription drug epidemic in Appalachia.
Between base knowledge of how tribal morals work there, how skills gap unemployment had hit that area, and how the addiction crisis has hit them, it helps dramatically to understand why it creates a conservative-leaning voting bloc that feels scared of modern progressive politics and would generally vote modern Republican despite having deep historical roots in voting Democrat as a worker solidarity signal.
wow. this is so po-mo it's beyond criticism, into conspiracy theory.
are you literally saying he "made it up" or are you projecting something else here?
are you literally saying he "made it up" or are you projecting something else here?
Haha, I guess this is a fair response, but you're misinterpreting my point. I'll explain.
I don't think he "made it up", and I don't want to accuse him of blaming somebody, but I don't know how else to put it. In so many words, he basically says that, at the end of the day, the culture he's writing about is riddled with it's own shortcomings and needs to be brought to an end. Whether he alludes to historical economic strife or not (he does some), his ultimate assessment is that it's too late to do anything but save these poor souls. He communicates this idea with a lot of contention, because otherwise he would have been dismissed much sooner. A lot of the issues he writes about are legitimate, but he takes a mistaken turn towards accusing the traditions and personalities of his family.
It's not a 2-dimensional issue. Those traditions and parsonalities exist, but they are far more principled than the neoliberal traditions he promotes. And for whatever truth there is to his historical explanations, there is loads more that he avoids. His insistence on attributing present-day tensions to something like "outdatedness" is extremely ignorant.
The word for this turn that he takes is just hopelessly congruent with neoliberalism, and, unfortunately, it does serve his agenda quite well. He's got a partnership with a VC who aims to capitalize on techish business deals in the rust belt. Presumably, the VC aims to play savior and ultimately rip a lot of people off.
I don't think he "made it up", and I don't want to accuse him of blaming somebody, but I don't know how else to put it. In so many words, he basically says that, at the end of the day, the culture he's writing about is riddled with it's own shortcomings and needs to be brought to an end. Whether he alludes to historical economic strife or not (he does some), his ultimate assessment is that it's too late to do anything but save these poor souls. He communicates this idea with a lot of contention, because otherwise he would have been dismissed much sooner. A lot of the issues he writes about are legitimate, but he takes a mistaken turn towards accusing the traditions and personalities of his family.
It's not a 2-dimensional issue. Those traditions and parsonalities exist, but they are far more principled than the neoliberal traditions he promotes. And for whatever truth there is to his historical explanations, there is loads more that he avoids. His insistence on attributing present-day tensions to something like "outdatedness" is extremely ignorant.
The word for this turn that he takes is just hopelessly congruent with neoliberalism, and, unfortunately, it does serve his agenda quite well. He's got a partnership with a VC who aims to capitalize on techish business deals in the rust belt. Presumably, the VC aims to play savior and ultimately rip a lot of people off.
Steve Case bankrolled the fictional accounts in Hillbilly Elegy so that he would have a sympathetic figure head for his Rise of the Rest movement. Is J. D. Vance even his real name?!!
In this case they're pointing fingers for outsiders to watch.
Does this strike anyone else as a real-life version of Clue playing out?
> Mr. Laurie killed Mr. Moriarty with (gardening tools?) at the Tea House
> Mr. Laurie killed Mr. Moriarty with (gardening tools?) at the Tea House
Lost in Larrimah Podcast https://www.theaustralian.com.au/podcasts/lost-in-larrimah/n...
This reminds me of the Alan Addis case, where a Royal Marine went missing in the Falklands.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Royal_Marine_...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Royal_Marine_...
Google Maps of Larrimah, fwiw: https://goo.gl/maps/h4xiyGcRAeA2 (the Street View car apparently decided to skip going into town)
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Looks like local openstreetmappers also decided to skip it: https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=17/-15.57428/133.21534
That's because Katherine is just around the corner, and has a better pub
I like the `Rubbish Dump` street.
Here's a link without a paywall:
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/in-australia-town-...
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/in-australia-town-...
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Was he fed to a crocodile? Is he in a meat pie? Will the reviews for the meat pies improve if a man with failing livers is added to the mix? So many mysteries. I love this article.
You love this article about the possible murder of a 70 year old alcoholic labourer who lived by himself with no family in the whole country?
I think it's sad.
I think it's sad.
You can comment on the qualities of the writing without passing judgement on the content.
I agree with your thoughts too. If the article speculated on the awful experience if any of those things happened, or if I had just taken that logical step on my own, I should be ashamed or at least contrite. It left those things up to me and I took the bait and just enjoyed the characters in the story that remained. It happens that I'm reading Sapiens right at this moment and it pulls you into a different perspective on the importance of a single human life as compared to the massive extinctions occurring and the incredible sad reality that we humans create for domesticated livestock. It is sad, this man who probably died, indeed.
I’m more amazed that a town of 11 people has a bar and a hotel.
But also that so much drama exists in such small community.
But also that so much drama exists in such small community.
That's because the town is on the Stuart Highway [1], the main road connecting Darwin with the rest of Australia. There's also very little other habitation in these parts, meaning any pitstop will get some passing traffic.
Also, it's worth noting that in Australia, a "hotel" is a bar/pub that may or may not have accommodation.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Highway
Also, it's worth noting that in Australia, a "hotel" is a bar/pub that may or may not have accommodation.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Highway
Also true in Vietnam that a “Hotel” can mean a bar/restaurant. Not so strange really, in the US many bar/restaurants go by “Inn”, which of course even today can refer to a hotel (and historically even more so).
I’m more amazed that a town of 11 people has a bar and a hotel.
According to Big G and OSM, it also has a post office, a museum, and a Devonshire tea house. You can't miss the tea house. It's across the street from the road marked "Rubbish Dump."
Also be sure to check out the six-foot-tall plaster Pink Panther in the lawn chair next to the 20-foot-tall beer bottle.
http://ttnotes.com/larrimah-museum.html#gal_post_21157_larri...
Small towns are the same everywhere.
According to Big G and OSM, it also has a post office, a museum, and a Devonshire tea house. You can't miss the tea house. It's across the street from the road marked "Rubbish Dump."
Also be sure to check out the six-foot-tall plaster Pink Panther in the lawn chair next to the 20-foot-tall beer bottle.
http://ttnotes.com/larrimah-museum.html#gal_post_21157_larri...
Small towns are the same everywhere.
"But also that so much drama exists in such small community."
As a lover of small communities ... this part is bad.
In a vacuum, every bit of news is inflated. So the smallest thing becomes something to talk about.
I find European small communities are the right size - but also the right distance i.e. there are others close by, and usually a city not too far off.
In Midwest North America and Australia it's really very isolated.
As a lover of small communities ... this part is bad.
In a vacuum, every bit of news is inflated. So the smallest thing becomes something to talk about.
I find European small communities are the right size - but also the right distance i.e. there are others close by, and usually a city not too far off.
In Midwest North America and Australia it's really very isolated.
An Australian outback community needs three things to sustain and survive: a doctor (GP) a bank and a pub. Well.. in the final analysis, a pub will do.
BTW, colloquially a "hotel" is a pub. Its not impossible town has two watering holes... not one. This is not that dissimilar to a situation I've seen in small Italian rural communities: one drinking hole which the left wing sit at, and one the right wing sit at. (or greece, or half a dozen other rural economies)
BTW, colloquially a "hotel" is a pub. Its not impossible town has two watering holes... not one. This is not that dissimilar to a situation I've seen in small Italian rural communities: one drinking hole which the left wing sit at, and one the right wing sit at. (or greece, or half a dozen other rural economies)
And in many cases in Australia, they might be lucky to have a nurse and a fortnightly visit from the Flying Doctor. In many areas of Australia, without the Flying Doctor, medial treatment is a 2+ hour trip down a dirt road that is regularly cut for weeks on end during the wet season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Doctor_Service_of...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Flying_Doctor_Service_of...
> An Australian outback community needs three things to sustain and survive: a doctor (GP) a bank and a pub. Well.. in the final analysis, a pub will do.
Last time I drove through it was more like a pub, a service/gas station and a crystal/woo shop.
Last time I drove through it was more like a pub, a service/gas station and a crystal/woo shop.
>Last time I drove through it was more like a pub, a service/gas station and a crystal/woo shop.
I'm not sure why that combination is present in so many Australian towns.
I'm not sure why that combination is present in so many Australian towns.
Easier for drama to escalate when everyone knows everyone and the town is so small you can't escape each other.
You get into an argument with someone in NYC and you can go your own way and never see them again even if you live in the same city or even the same neighborhood. Get into an argument with someone in a small town and everyone knows about it by the time you get home and battle lines get drawn.
You get into an argument with someone in NYC and you can go your own way and never see them again even if you live in the same city or even the same neighborhood. Get into an argument with someone in a small town and everyone knows about it by the time you get home and battle lines get drawn.
What if they’re all in on it?
Then they'll have to get Hercule Poirot to investigate.
(For those of you who don't read classic mysteries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_on_the_Orient_Express)
(For those of you who don't read classic mysteries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_on_the_Orient_Express)
Makes me think of this case from the early 80s: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_McElroy
("Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary." ... "McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street. He was struck by bullets from at least two different firearms, in front of a crowd of people estimated as between 30 and 46. To date, no one has been charged in connection with McElroy's death.")
("Over the course of his life, McElroy was accused of dozens of felonies, including assault, child molestation, statutory rape, arson, hog and cattle rustling, and burglary." ... "McElroy was shot to death in broad daylight as he sat with his wife Trena in his pickup truck on Skidmore's main street. He was struck by bullets from at least two different firearms, in front of a crowd of people estimated as between 30 and 46. To date, no one has been charged in connection with McElroy's death.")
Given the victim's name, Sherlock would be more appropriate
I had the same thought, thinking immediately of "Murder on the Orient Express"
I'm glad I'm not the only one reading these. :)
This phenomenon of trust shattered in a tightly knit community reminds me of Truman Capote's description of Holcomb, Kansas, in his book "In Cold Blood".
This was a Twilight Zone episode.
Slightly off topic but this reminds me of the movie Identity. Maybe this can be a great material for a documentary style movie (after the case is resolved).
Adding to this offtopic chain, there's a game based on a group of people in town and one or more evil doers.
http://www.blankmediagames.com
http://www.blankmediagames.com
A public inquiry where people actually point fingers seems pretty wild / dramatic.
>A three-day search by foot, on four-wheel-drives and from the air ruled out death by misadventure. To date, the police have found no trace of Mr. Moriarty or his dog.
I'm kinda surprised that this ruled out something. Particularly in a rural area. I grew up in rural areas and there are often stories of massive searches, and the body didn't turn up until it was stumbled upon surprisingly close to civilization.
I'm kinda surprised that this ruled out something. Particularly in a rural area. I grew up in rural areas and there are often stories of massive searches, and the body didn't turn up until it was stumbled upon surprisingly close to civilization.
I suppose it depends on the terrain, but I'd agree. Another possibility is that something in the behavior of the townsfolk during questioning does not suggest, to the police, actual ignorance of what happened. Which wouldn't mean the police are necessarily correct, of course.
Altogether such kind of searches are probably more about calming people's mind than actually finding something. Especially in this case where the human AND THE DOG went missing without traces. It's super unlikely that they both had an accident and not one of them was still alive enough to at least try to get help. Dogs and humans, due to different physics, should likely have different patterns of dangerous accidents.
Yeah looking at what photos there are the terrain there is pretty open and you'd think you'd find someone, but "rules out" just sorta doesn't sit well with me there.
It's "impenetrable head high thick scrub" according to the article, which makes it sound like the kind of place a body could be hidden trivially. But that might just be nonsense - I don't believe the Australian desert can support impenetrable anything.
Yeah that got me too, but looking at pics it just looks arid and fairly clear land.
Maybe they meant impenetrable.....as in walking too far off the road won't get you anywhere..... otherwise it seems pretty hikeabke.
Maybe they meant impenetrable.....as in walking too far off the road won't get you anywhere..... otherwise it seems pretty hikeabke.
That stood out for me too.
There is no such thing as impenetrable in an area that dry. Confirmed by the pictures.
There is no such thing as impenetrable in an area that dry. Confirmed by the pictures.
Yes, especially with drownings, where the body would not re-appear for weeks and months.
Yeah and if you live where it is cold and snows, can be even longer.
Reminds me a bit of the Bobby Dunbar story:
> In 1912 a four-year-old boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing in a swamp in Louisiana. Eight months later, he was found in the hands of a wandering handyman in Mississippi. In 2004, Bobby Dunbar's granddaughter discovered a secret beneath the legend of her grandfather's kidnapping, a secret whose revelation would divide her own family, bring redemption to another, and become the answer to a third family's century-old prayer.
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/352/the-ghost-of-bobby-dunb...
> In March 2008, Public Radio International's This American Life featured The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar, a radio documentary about the investigation of the case by Margaret Dunbar Cutright. She expressed her own opinion that the real Bobby Dunbar most likely fell into Swayze Lake during the fishing trip and was eaten by an alligator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Bobby_Dunbar
> In 1912 a four-year-old boy named Bobby Dunbar went missing in a swamp in Louisiana. Eight months later, he was found in the hands of a wandering handyman in Mississippi. In 2004, Bobby Dunbar's granddaughter discovered a secret beneath the legend of her grandfather's kidnapping, a secret whose revelation would divide her own family, bring redemption to another, and become the answer to a third family's century-old prayer.
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/352/the-ghost-of-bobby-dunb...
> In March 2008, Public Radio International's This American Life featured The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar, a radio documentary about the investigation of the case by Margaret Dunbar Cutright. She expressed her own opinion that the real Bobby Dunbar most likely fell into Swayze Lake during the fishing trip and was eaten by an alligator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disappearance_of_Bobby_Dunbar
How was that possible that 4 year old boy didn't recognise his own mother?
What a story that was. Thanks!
> While one (almost certainly fictional) account indicated that the boy immediately shouted "Mother" upon seeing her and the two then embraced
Fake news..
Fake news..
seems like a lot of people down-vote certain keywords without first figuring out context..
I personally think that particular term has been subverted to the point of being absolutely devoid of any meaning or humor and should really just not be used anymore.
[Edit: I was not a down voter, but perhaps the down voters shared my perspective]
[Edit: I was not a down voter, but perhaps the down voters shared my perspective]
Seems the only time my home state makes international news is because of some weird death or disappearance:
[2] https://www.tvovermind.com/entertainment-news/tragic-story-r...
[3] https://www.theage.com.au/national/teens-sentenced-to-life-f...
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain
[5] https://www.smh.com.au/national/crocodile-victim-survived-ba...
- Murder of Peter Falconio [1]
- Rod Ansell, inspiration for Crocodile Dundee dies in a police shoot out [2]
- Croc river murders of Darwin sex workers [3]
- Death of Azaria Chamberlain (Dingo ate my baby) [4]
- German backpacker who escaped the Bali bomb blast killed by a crocodile in Kakadu [5]
[2] https://www.tvovermind.com/entertainment-news/tragic-story-r...
[3] https://www.theage.com.au/national/teens-sentenced-to-life-f...
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Azaria_Chamberlain
[5] https://www.smh.com.au/national/crocodile-victim-survived-ba...
Seems that way doesn't it? Just last week I was talking to an old friend of mine who used to work in the TRG (Tactical Response Group) in the NT Police. We were talking about the case of the German tourist sniper who was murdering people randomly around the NT and northern WA area some decades ago [0]. My friend was part of the special forces group sent out to hunt this guy down.
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Schwab
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Schwab
* home territory
(I get corrected on that all the time.)
(I get corrected on that all the time.)
I once knew a fellow who had grown up on a small island in Alaska. He told me there was one man in particular who lived there who was a real piece of work, just a miserable SOB. One day someone shot him and killed him in his home. The guy gave me to understand that everybody on the island knew it was his son but didn't feel that a prosecution would serve any useful purpose. The boy had enough problems.
Can you imagine? The whole fucking island swallowed a fratricide. Who's fit to judge such things?
Can you imagine? The whole fucking island swallowed a fratricide. Who's fit to judge such things?
Reminds me of that famous story:
...the Eskimos have a word, kunlangeta, which means "his mind knows what to do but he does not do it." This is an abstract term for the breaking of many rules when awareness of the rules is not in question. It might be applied to a man who, for example, repeatedly lies and cheats and steals things and does not go hunting and, when the other men are out of the village, takes sexual advantage of many women-someone who does not pay attention to reprimands and who is always being brought to the elders for punishment. One Eskimo among the 499 was called kunlangeta. When asked what would have happened to such a person traditionally, an Eskimo said that probably "somebody would have pushed him off the ice when nobody else was looking." ... It is of considerable interest that kunlan- geta and arankan are not behaviors that the shamans and healers are believed to be able to cure or change.
...the Eskimos have a word, kunlangeta, which means "his mind knows what to do but he does not do it." This is an abstract term for the breaking of many rules when awareness of the rules is not in question. It might be applied to a man who, for example, repeatedly lies and cheats and steals things and does not go hunting and, when the other men are out of the village, takes sexual advantage of many women-someone who does not pay attention to reprimands and who is always being brought to the elders for punishment. One Eskimo among the 499 was called kunlangeta. When asked what would have happened to such a person traditionally, an Eskimo said that probably "somebody would have pushed him off the ice when nobody else was looking." ... It is of considerable interest that kunlan- geta and arankan are not behaviors that the shamans and healers are believed to be able to cure or change.
I'm pretty sure the concept of a hunting "accident" is pretty universal across cultures.
Is that a typo? frater = brother, I assume you meant patricide?
@#$%^&*( you're right, and too late to change it now.
[deleted]
> Who’s fit to judge such things?
One answer would be “a jury of his peers”, and perhaps the islanders decided that would be them?
(Also, I don’t think it was the right solution)
One answer would be “a jury of his peers”, and perhaps the islanders decided that would be them?
(Also, I don’t think it was the right solution)
Quixote: ...que estos pobres no han cometido nada contra vosotros. Allá se lo haya cada uno con su pecado… y no es bien que los hombres honrados sean verdugos de los otros hombres, no yéndoles nada en ello.
A jury of his peers? Seems like they did and found him innocent.
Real life werewolfs
these statements are suspicious:
“Imagine me carrying a dog and a body, I mean come on,” Ms. Hodgetts said.
An inocent person typically just says “i didnt do it”, but this attempt at providing justification is suspicious.
She could have an accomplice that helped her carry the body and know a lot about it.
“I’ve had me septic done, me incinerators searched, me house done four times”
Incineration would be a way to make the bodies dissapear in the middle of the countryside, but its the woods they could be buried anywhere.
Again she is providing way too much detail and justifications, its like she knows something.
“Nobody found anything” - suggesting that there was something to be found.
“Imagine me carrying a dog and a body, I mean come on,” Ms. Hodgetts said.
An inocent person typically just says “i didnt do it”, but this attempt at providing justification is suspicious.
She could have an accomplice that helped her carry the body and know a lot about it.
“I’ve had me septic done, me incinerators searched, me house done four times”
Incineration would be a way to make the bodies dissapear in the middle of the countryside, but its the woods they could be buried anywhere.
Again she is providing way too much detail and justifications, its like she knows something.
“Nobody found anything” - suggesting that there was something to be found.
Those statements are picked for journalism effect. Alone they sound suspicious. If surrounded by 20 minutes of conversation on the subject, they wouldn't seem out of place at all.
Innocent people typically dont talk like this.
It does not mean that she did it, but it could indicate deception, like she knows more of what she is letting on.
I couldn’t find other similar suspicious declarations from others, that is why i thought it was worth pointing out.
The fact that the journalist chose to include these statements might indicate that the journalist thinks the same, that there is something wrong with this lady story.
It does not mean that she did it, but it could indicate deception, like she knows more of what she is letting on.
I couldn’t find other similar suspicious declarations from others, that is why i thought it was worth pointing out.
The fact that the journalist chose to include these statements might indicate that the journalist thinks the same, that there is something wrong with this lady story.
>Innocent people typically dont talk like this.
Over the course of a conversation innocent people say all sorts of things that can be used to implicate them when taken out of context. That's one of the reasons anyone with more brain cells than you can count on one hand doesn't talk to cops in an even remotely adversarial context.
Over the course of a conversation innocent people say all sorts of things that can be used to implicate them when taken out of context. That's one of the reasons anyone with more brain cells than you can count on one hand doesn't talk to cops in an even remotely adversarial context.
And over the course of a conversation, guilty people say all sorts of things to persuade others that they are telling the truth.
That is how criminal investigators catch many guilty people, that and body language combined with context.
And saying things like: they even searched my house 4 times, I couldn't have carried the body, they even searched my incinerator, they couldn't find anything, shows an excessive and unnecessary intention to persuade, typical of guilty people.
It could just be her baseline, as an overly justificative person raised in a certain way.
Each sentence in isolation by itself is not indicative of guilt, but these are red flags that indicate a direction where to dig deeper, as there could be some deception going on here.
of course the full interview text would be needed, we cant conclude anything based on a couple of loose sentences here and there.
That is how criminal investigators catch many guilty people, that and body language combined with context.
And saying things like: they even searched my house 4 times, I couldn't have carried the body, they even searched my incinerator, they couldn't find anything, shows an excessive and unnecessary intention to persuade, typical of guilty people.
It could just be her baseline, as an overly justificative person raised in a certain way.
Each sentence in isolation by itself is not indicative of guilt, but these are red flags that indicate a direction where to dig deeper, as there could be some deception going on here.
of course the full interview text would be needed, we cant conclude anything based on a couple of loose sentences here and there.
"But officer, I wasn't speeding! If I was, I'd be going 90mph and my engine would explode!"
"So you were going 89mph and knowingly operating a vehicle with a dangerous engine?"
"So you were going 89mph and knowingly operating a vehicle with a dangerous engine?"
You have very wrong assumptions about a innocent person. Some people are just naturally awkward. Some even try to play detective and pretend to compare themselves to the killer.
Obviously, people know things. But, as a small community, there is a 'hang together, or hang separately' quality here. They are very isolated, and they have strong mutual dependencies even if they don't want to acknowledge it.
So.. sometimes the "best" outcome they work out for themselves is just not to talk to outsiders.