To the Editor:

This past Labor Day (September 7^th) a person was killed at Franklin, Missouri. According to the account in the local paper, law enforcement was notified about 5:00 p.m. I assume a search was initiated of the surrounding area for the suspected killer.

I live approximately 1 mile west of Franklin on county road 342. At no time did any law enforcement personnel contact me to inform me of any precautions I should take, to ask if I had seen any unfamiliar persons, or to check out numerous possible hiding places for a fugitive on my premises.

Circa 9:00 p.m. on the night of the incident a friend called me to see if I was aware of what was taking place. I was not. If he had not called and informed, I would have been totally ignorant of the situation, which I consider a dangerous way to live. As it was there was a 4 hour period between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 pm. when I was not aware and possibly at risk, it is my understanding that the person who notified me had not been contacted by any law enforcement personnel. He had been informed by the grapevine.

The fugitive was apprehended mid morning the following day (September 8^th) a short distance from where I live. Which means there was a possibly dangerous person in the immediate area for several hours and if it hadn’t been for local word of mouth most of us would have been unaware and at risk.

The neighbors I have talked to tell me they were not contacted by anybody in authority either.

I am at a complete lack of comprehension as to why law enforcement did not notify and/or check on people in the immediate area of the crime during their search for a fugitive. It all seems a bit wobbly to me.

John Thompson

Franklin, Missouri