A MEMORABLE HAPPENING

The following story submitted by JUNE HASH CURRY is guaranteed to make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck as well as give you goose bumps!

"During a period when I was still in Tulsa, about two years ago, I had an experience I will probably never forget. It involved my little toy poodle, Muffin, and my Tulsa newspaper delivery man. Although it will seem to the reader to be a work of fiction, every word of this story is true and can be verified in the archives of the Tulsa World and by my family.

My youngest son, Chris, who moved back to live with me after his divorce, and I were still living in Tulsa where I took a daily newspaper and very much looked forward to reading it with my morning coffee. I had an absolutely dependable newspaper delivery man who never missed leaving my morning paper no matter what the weather conditions or whatever holiday was present. He was as dependable as the morning sunrise. He had sent a note in my newspaper saying that if I ever failed to receive my paper I was to call him directly at the telephone number given—not the newspaper—and he would immediately see that I received my copy. I filed that number in a safe place, never expecting to need it by his faithful delivery performance.

One Sunday morning while preparing for church I went out to get my paper and found it missing. I simply couldn’t believe it, and spent some time looking high and low for it; but no paper was present. I went inside immediately and called my paper carrier. He seemed absolutely distressed by my call and said he would be right over with my newspaper. Very shortly he drove up to my townhouse and came to my front door with the paper in hand. I had the inner door open and saw him through the storm door which happened to be latched. Just as I got to the door to open it and reach out for my paper my little poodle, Muffin, exploded in front of me. She went absolutely ballistic at the man standing in front of my storm door and totally refused to let me get between her and the door. I was astounded at her behavior. I had raised this little dog from a 10-week old puppy, and she had always loved every single person she had ever been around, man, woman or child. She is normally so affectionate that she’s a total pest just making her loving presence known to any visitors. On this occasion, she convinced me that if I had opened that door she would have taken the man’s leg off; so of course I did not unlock or open the door. I just shouted for him to leave the newspaper on the step and my thanks for his trouble. He looked very unhappy but got in his car and left. I spent the next few minutes scolding my little dog and puzzling over such behavior from her.

About three weeks later I was absentmindedly watching the evening news on television when a few words captured my attention about an arrest made on that day. It concerned a Tulsa World newscarrier and showed a picture of the man arrested. I couldn’t believe my eyes and called Chris in to ask him who he thought the man on TV was. He immediately identified our newspaper carrier. This man had been arrested after being identified by the granddaughter of a woman living a few blocks away from us. She had walked into her grandmother’s house and saw a man strangling her in the floor before he saw the granddaughter and quickly fled. Her grandmother was still alive, and they immediately called the police and identified the woman’s paper carrier. After this man was arrested he couldn’t wait to confess to all his crimes, which included two other elderly women in our neighborhood who had been murdered and burglarized, but whose deaths had been pronounced by their doctors as simply death by illness because of their ages and diseases. He said he always asked them to call him if they missed their newspaper, and then on the days he targeted them, he simply didn’t deliver their newspapers. After they called him, he went over with their papers, forced himself in the doors and attacked them before taking anything valuable in their homes he could find.

All these confessions were later confirmed after one of the women’s bodies was exhumed and examined by the medical examiner, although the second woman had been cremated. It seems he had also killed a woman in Arkansas and one in California, and he confessed to these as well. The woman who survived testified against him in court and he was quickly convicted and imprisoned.

I have always believed in guardian angels, and never more strongly than I do today. I know my angel was on duty on that Sunday morning when this deranged individual came to my house and was sidetracked by my normally quiet and loving little dog to keep me from harm. She had never behaved in that manner before and has not done so since that day. My angel used that precious little pet to assure my safety. I thank God for His loving care in whatever form it comes." ~ JUNE

(toypoodles.com)

Having had many loving pets through the years, and one little dog named Fancy who lived to be almost twenty years of age, this story does not stretch my imagination. I agree with JUNE that our guardian angels come in many disguises. They don't have to be very big either!

Thanks for sharing such "good stuff", JUNE. How about the rest of you?

Marilyn