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AD-Alaska Weekly, April 29,15 83age 3The Tragic Nail Day ThatChanged the Face of McCarthyDonHastings Ur the leg. With only stacked in the bedroomsmall, stockings on his feet, Richards sight of those who mightisolated village, mailday is special. No matter bow relaxedthen randoor, fully up later. Stackedexpecting to be shot in the back, landsMaxineand uncomplicated your lifestyle may be/ it cannot help but be altered by the arrivalbut managed to escape to the Edwards who alonghercabin of another resident about husband. Jim. had workedtrailairplatfeTim and AmyMcCarthy homestead for 30world*”; and the gathering Nash. Tim and Amy hadrecently returned from a tripyears.That morning Maxine pulled a small sled to thehadoccasionOutside. They had been married lands to pick up her mail andresidentsat Christmas time and hadCarthy, life in the remote honeymoonedneighbors, Rick andformer mining town would be Day when they retumeBonnie Kenyon. The Edwardsand the Kenyons lived at oppoaltered for all time before mail McCarthy cabin owned by Tim. site ends of a private airstripday MarchSeeing Richards* need for immeshared. BonnieSix ofnearly diate medical attention, thea third of its winter population, would be dead of gunshot wounds. Another two residentsNashes took him to the aim ip“going to mail*’ that morning but Maxine had stoppedbyThere they contacted localand saidGreene tookdied alongwould be in the hospital in for Glennallen with Richards, Heglands.Glenn alien recoveringand once airborne, notifiedvictim was Harleygunshot wounds, and one man incoming mail plane pilot, Lynn King. Harleywould be held in an AnchorageAir Taxi, whowas a retiredcommercial fisherman and hunt-jail charged with six counts of first-degree murder, onenotified the Flight Service ing guide who had huntedStation at Glennallen of theback in the 1950s alongcount of attempted murder and situation and activated troopers, side another guide, Jay Hamone count of first degree assault.In custody is Louis D. Hastings, an off-and-on McCarthy resident and property owner. Held under $300,000 bail, Hastings was originally set for trial on May 31, but the trial has nowbeen postponed.Remote Alaska villages are not exempt from crime. Many are isolated in the wintermonths. Most do not have lawflightHarley andTim Nash hadhomeresidents Lester andHegland, located, abouthalfway down the runway andlived at Long Lake, 15from McCarthy sincemorning Harleyback in the trees. Nash was alerted when he entered theMcCarthymail. According to Jopopular residents was early. Usually, he likedwhen he “smelled gun smokedayand saw bloodcould be sure the mailapparently surprised Hastmorning he decidedCrime is not ramings whoinside andearly. It was his lastpantexchanged shots. Nashrideis not unknown wounded in the leg and he fled Donna lyram, another local resieither. If it can’t be handled the scene back to the endDonna rode the sled bethemselveselectedhind Harley’s machine. Whentroopers can be summondedthanthey reachedairstripmass murderalien for medical aidspotted blood on the snow andof thing that one associates not wish to leave his wife alone, tried toHarleybushNashes waited on the end could not be heard over theAlaska has noted a riseVrunwaynoise of the snowmachinecides, a 37 percent rise last year over the previous year, violent crime and multiple murders are generally associated with the large population centers. That’s why as the events of March 1 in McCarthy began to unfold in the days following, the moreresidents, but Hastings, appar- Donna was shot in the armaround fromHarley tried to get awayHegland house through the thebrush and trees, shot them bothsnowmachine, but in hishe crashed thefrom ambush. Timeagerness, machine into a snowbank, breaknewprocessbride a few feet away.Harley was unableThe Heglandasdifficult they became to com- gathering place of the village.prehend.Especially on mail day. Everythey spotted the gunman running toward them. Donna could not lift him onto the sledMail days generally start village has one. It’s the place and she yelled, “Harley, he’spretty early. For one thing, where all gather to see their going to kill us. Haileyoperatorsneighbors on that specialingHarley repliedengine aircraft try to planexchange the latest gossip anditgrinningflying done in the dayready to run for the airport Harley told Donna,itlooklight hours because most remote when the mail plane gives itsneedareas do not have lightedwarningbuzzand see if Les (Hegland)ways. In the winter months, this is a limited number oflandinghas a gun. I’ll distract himThe Heglands had lived inAs Donna ranhours.Alaska for 27 yearsheard Harley holler, “Here Iresidents, mail dayparents and advisorsamAccord ingmeans a trip to the landingresidents.state troopers, Harley Kingseveralailpreparationsvillagers. They had donatedwas shot point blank head.in thetrip must beporch of their cozyDonna did notwarmed cabinHegland house. Insteadand readied. The villagers rise useplace to keep packages behind a greenhouse buildingearly and shift into mail-daymode.warm andterrifiedHasting walkedcould arriveIt the runway. She remained therefirst victim of the shootalso their cabinwounded andnaturalfor several hours until troopersarrived. She recalled hearingChristopher day morningRichards. Richards was up earlyTheir bodies were found—Continuedmorning, and abouta.m. saw Hastingscabin. Hastings hadthe night before when theySTATEWIDE OPEN HOUSEtalked and passed the timeing a board game. Richards hailed his friend inside for aFRIDAYcop of hot coffee. But as he0000reached for a cup Hastingsaccording to Richards, pulledYou’re invited to learnhandgun and began shootingabouthim. Richards was hit twice,services provided by theandlegislatureheadRichards struggled with hisTeleconferencingBills and Informationassailant and screamed for himto stop,said HastingsSearchcontinuedPublicone point “Look, you’re alreadyFor details, call your localdead. If you’ll just quit fighting. I’ll make it easy for you. Richards grabbed a knife froiOfficeAnchorageand
Newspaper Details
Fairbanks Pioneer All Alaska Weekly
Fairbanks, Alaska, US
Fri, Apr 29, 1983
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Sean M.
USA 23 Sep 2019
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