My family was living in Washington, Maine when Robert Kennedy was assinated.

It was getting close to summer break during the school year of 1968. It was during recess on a warm, early summer day, when us students were told of the death of Robert Kennedy.

I remember how the teachers were walking around the school yard crying. The teachers were comforting each other. I watched the teachers closely. I wondered to my self, what could have happened that was so bad it made all the teachers cry?

Curiosity got the best of me, I had to know what was going on. I walked over to a teacher who was standing with a group of school girls. I can not remember the teachers name. The only thing I remember about the teacher was her dark, short curly hair and her cat-eye glasses. I asked the teacher why everyone was crying? She told me a man had killed Robert Kennedy. I asked, "Who is Robert Kennedy?" The teacher was wiping tears from her eyes as she told me, "Robert Kennedy was a famous man from Washington."

I didn't stop to ask any more questions, I ran to a group of school kids and told them, "Robert Kennedy was killed. I think the man who killed him is hiding in the woods." Someone asked me, "How do you know he's hiding in the woods?" I said, "Because Robert Kennedy lived in Washington."

I decided we needed to help the police catch the killer of Robert Kennedy. I told a few of the kids standing around me to go get some more kids to help us search the woods.I watched as kids ran around the schoolyard gathering up kids for our kidhunt.It didn't take long before there was a pretty good group of kids, standing around me, ready to help track down the killer.

Us kids all had a meeting, and decided the best place to start looking for the man, who we assumed had run from the police, was in the woods which were on the outskirts of the schoolyard.We were all very brave, as we marched side-by-side towards the trees. As soon as we reached the edge of the woods, we all stopped.Everyone was debating on who should go into the woods, to bring the killer out. Each of us tried to coax each other to be the first brave one, to enter the woods.

It surprised me how brave we all were, until we reached the woods. It seemed like as soon as we got to where we might find the man who killed Robert Kennedy, we all chickened out. I knew I did not want to go into the woods. What if he got me too? Everyone else was thinking the same thing. I decided for everyones safety we should stay out of the woods and demand the man give himself up. Again, Us kids got together and came up with a plan.

On the count of three we would all yell to the man to give himself up."One-two-three,"someone counted "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"us kids all screamed. We all waited for a few seconds and waited to see a man come out of the woods with his hands up in the air. After a few seconds, and not seeing anyone come out of the woods to surrender to us, we called out again, "COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!" Still nothing.

Several kids picked up rocks and threw them into the woods. We figured we would probably hit the killer and he would be knocked out, then we could call the police, and have them go into the woods to arrest him.

A couple of teachers had seen us kids over by the trees, and had heard us demanding the man give himself up. The teachers walked over and asked us what we were doing? I told the teachers in a very proud way, "We are going to catch Robert Kennedys killer." The teachers started laughing. One of them said, "The killer is not in the woods." I looked at her and ask, "Where is he then?" The teacher said, "He is in jail." I was confused, "How did the police catch him, I didn't hear any sireens?" The teacher started laughing harder. "Robert Kennedy is from Washington DC, not Washington Maine." She said.

I was very confused. I wasn't asking the teacher as much as I was asking myself, "There's another Washington?" The teacher stood there and gave us all a lesson on different Washingtons around the country.I was so relieved to know there were other Washingtons, and the Washington Robert Kennedy was from was not the Washington I was living in.

After school I got on the school bus to go home. I saw Bobby in the line to get on the bus,but when I got off the bus at home Bobby did not get off with me. I watched as the school bus door closed and the bus started down the road. I looked into each bus window for Bobby, but I did not see him.

I ran into the house and told Mum Bobby did not come home from school. "Where is he? Mum asked. My mind went into overdrive. "HUH,HUH!"I thought to myself,the teacher had lied, this really was the only Washington, and the killer was still on the loose, killing people named Robert and Bobby, because Bobby was a nick-name for Robert." I think the killer got him," I told my mother. My mother looked at me like I was an idiot, "What makes you think a killer got Bobby?" Mum asked. I got all excited as I started to tell Mum the story about Robert Kennedy being killed, and how I thought the killer only kills Roberts and Bobbys', because they are really the same name, and after the man kills them he hides in the woods near the school.

A group was formed to look for my little Brother. I was scared. I kept asking myself why this man was in Washington killing Bobbys'?I was with a group of three-or-four kids. I told them how I thought the teacher had lied about there being more than one Washington. I reasoned she probably lied so us kids wouldn't be scared, but now I was really scared. I didn't think I had anything to worry about, after all My name was George, but if you were named Bobby you had better watch out.

We searched for Bobby for about an hour. I didn't see any sense in looking for my brother, I figured he was dead anyway. I did think we should go back to the woods with adults this time and bring the killer out by force. Of course I knew us kids would be better off waiting outside the woods for the adults to drag the man out, then, if the adults needed help us kids would tackle the man to the ground.

Finally I heard my mother yell, "Here he is, I have Bobby." I ran to the house. yup, it was Bobby, and he was still living.I asked Bobby, "Did the killer get you and drag you into the woods and try to kill you?" Bobby looked at me like I was nuts. "No" Bobby said, "I was in the woods catching frogs. It was then I decided the teacher was right after all, there was another Washington besides the one I lived in.

-- george nh (rcoopwalpole@aol.com), February 11, 2002

Answers

Go pick up a copy of "Double Cross" by Sam and Chuck Giancana, brother and nephew of THE Sam Giancana. It may answer your questions about the Kennedy assasinations, and a whole bunch of other things too.

-- gita (gita@directcon.net), February 11, 2002.

Thanks George, for another great story! You got me giggling pretty hard, there. You remind me of what it was like to be a kid.

-- Debbie in MO (risingwind@socket.net), February 13, 2002.