How ironic that on the 50th Anniversary of Charlie's execution, I was in Lincoln, and while trying to find his dad's grave (which isn't easy to find) found out that Farrah Fawcett died. and while at Charlie's grave (which is very easy to find) got the news that Michael Jackson died. Everyone in Lincoln knows the anniversary in late January, but no one there knows the significance of June 25th. Last year I hit Southeast Montana and saw the Little Bighorn Battlefield. Creepy thing, on June 25th 1876, a soldier named August Meyer died at Custer's last stand. And of course another August Meyer's killer died on the same day in 1959. And Charlie's last victim, Merle Collison's only living relative has the same first name as me (and it is a very uncommon name). This case just gets creepier!
From the recent trip last month, I found where most people involved in the case are buried. Judge Harry Spencer (who sentenced Charlie to death) is also buried at Wyuka, he lived to be almost 104! So is his attorney William Matschullat, Mayor Bennett Martin, Governor Victor Anderson, Governor James Exon (who paroled Caril). Caril's father, William Fugate is buried in the same section as Charlie, but in an unmarked grave. At Lincoln Memorial Park, which is known for where murder victim Teena Brandon is buried, I have found: Sheriff Merle Karnopp (his widow is still alve at 100!), County Attorney Elmer Scheele (who in 1961 became a district court judge, replacing Harry Spencer, who became a Nebraska Supreme Court Judge), Deputy County Attorney Dale Fahrnbruch, Governor Ralph Brooks (who signed Charlie's death warrant), Charlie's other attorney T. Clement Gaughan, Caril's attorney John McArthur, and Nebraska State Penitentiary Deputy Warden John Greenholtz, who oversaw Charlie's execution (and told people afterwards that it was quite gruesome. He was violently ill for days and had nightmares for years).
The only people left to find are Lincoln Police Lt. Robert Henninger (who got the confession from Charlie about Robert Colvert's murder, Lincoln Police Chief Joe Carroll (both died in different cities and aren't at either Wyuka or LMP), Dr. PE Gerscher (who pronounced Charlie dead), Rev. Robert Klein (the prison chaplin who officiated over Charlie's funeral), and one of the biggest names that no one knows what happened to, Charlie's very own mother! The next trip in a year or two should be a doozy!
www.nwa-wrestling.com
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