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also told the victims he had wtitten several well-known country-western songs.The victims said Carmody would begin telling of his Mafta connections each time a new member joined “the family.”“The first time anyone would come, they would usually have been invited over for dinner,” one said. “After dinner, Carmody would put the guns outand start the Mafia story. _.___“Now that It’s all over, it sound incredible that we could have believed any of It. But at the time, you're so afraid — all the guns, the big car, all the telephone calls, his stories about flying his private plane to Chicago for Mafia meetings.“After he started the story, he'd tell the new member she had to join because she already knew too much... that If she didn’t join, she’d be kitted. It became a desperation, survival type of thing,”Brother*, StatersOne victim said she at first told Cart mody “the Mafia can go ahead and kill me then, because I'm not joining.” She said Carmody snapped back, “I know your brothers and sisters. I can just have someone pick them up alter school some night.”Another victim said “at first, I thought it was a big joke. But no one laughed. Everyone there waa giving this big, 'Yes, it's true... you better do what he says.’ You think of everything you see on TV about the Mafia, and you begin to think it really could til true.“He's a very smart man. He knows a lot of psychology, and he uses it”He also used current events.“You remember they (the Moroccans) were having that march in the desert into Spanish Sahara?” said one victim. (The November, 1975, march by tens of thousands of people on the African continent was played promi-bendy by the press.) ----------“Well, one night we were just starting to watch the TV news, and Jack said something like, *We catted the march off ... told them to stop.’ 1 asked what he meant, and he said the Mafia had told the people to stop It.“The next thing, there it was on TV that the march had been halted. At the time, I wasn’t thinking'clearly enough to realise that he’d probably picked up an early newspaper and seen a story about the inarch. I just believed him, and God did that ever make the situation I was in seem scary!”The victims Interviewed also told of a “funeral announcement' card” that Carmody carried, showing that a young woman had died of a blood clot in the
Newspaper Details
Des Moines Register
Des Moines, Iowa, US
Sun, May 30, 1976
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
University O.
IA, USA 06 Feb 2024
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