A Sniper in the Tower: The Charles Whitman Murders

7: The Neat Little House and the Swank Apartment

7 The Neat Little House and the Swank Apartment 98 I On the front lawn of 906 Jewell Street, a single sapling struggled to reach the heights of the older trees in the neighboring yards. The front yard faced south, and from the street a narrow concrete sidewalk connected the curb to two steps leading to a small porch. From the edges, thick. grass struggled to grow over the sidewalk.. A screen door kept flying pests outside during suffocating summers when the front door was left open. Various shades of tan brick. covered all exterior walls of the house. Inside were five small rooms; the front door led to a living room, The Neat Little House and the Swank Apartment ------~m In April of 1966 Charlie and Kathy Whitman moved to 906 Jewell Street in sout h Austin. At the time, the tree in the front yard was a struggling sapling. Directly behind the tree is the front bedroom used by the Whitmans, where Charles murdered Kathy on I August 1966. Th e garage to the right and behind th e hous e is where Charlie stored "a whole lot of military stuff. " Gmy Lavergne. which led to a small dining room and finally to a kitchen facing the back yard. On the east side of the house were two small bedrooms and a bath. The back bedroom served as Charlie's study, and on its wall Charlie hung a sign: "Strength Has No Quarter." Charlie and Kathy used the front bedroom. I The neat little house did not hold many possessions. As Whitman's father-in-law later recalled, "there wasn't much; they were just kids .'? Resources went to pay for their college educations. Much like everything else about Kathy Whitman, her home was orderly. The Whitmans universally impressed their neighbors, who considered them a model couple: smart, beautiful, and hardworking. Kathy portrayed an innocent, small-town disposition and was both physically feminine and intellectually tough. She combined the best of two very different places : Needville and Austin. After her graduation and entrance into the teaching profession it became obvious that she supported the household. Whitman, a "massive muscular youth," worked hard, but towards nothing specific. Casual acquaintances considered him articulate and impressive, never seeing his .~------The Neat Little House and the Swank Apartment lack.of direction. More-than-casual friends knew of his ineptitude in dealing with personal and other pressures, some of which he placed on himself. Most people thought him uncomplicated and nice. No one remotely believed him to be dangerous-not even Kathy; And so, on 31 July 1966, shortly after her shift ended at 9:30 P.M., I(at11Y stood at an "employees only" entrance to the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Building at 120 9th Street, turned to Kay Pearce, smiled and said, "Bye." Then she walked along a sloping sidewalk towards a new black Chevrolet Impala parked nearby She entered the car and made herself comfortable for a drive home with her husband. Charles and Kathy arrived home around 9:45 P.M. Kathy had spread a full day's work over a thirteen-hour period and was scheduled to report back at 8:30 the next morning. But she was still awake at about 10: 15 P.M. when her close friend and colleague from Lanier High School, a typi11gteacher named Eva Bayne, called to invite her to a party later in the week, Bayne remembered having a pleasant conversation with Kathy, who seemed in good spirits. Kathy accepted the invitation and the conversation ended between 10:30 and 10:45 P.M. It was Bayne's second attempt to reach Kathy that evening. She had called earlier at about 9:30 P.M. and caught Whitman just before he left to pick up his wife. When Bayne suggested that she would call back in the morning, Whitman insisted that she call again later in the evening because Kathy would be at work the next morning. Bayne detected nothing unusual in Whitman's voice. Shortly before (or after) Bayne's call, Charlie and Kathy called the Leissners in Needville." At 9:15 P.M., Margaret Whitman's shift at Wyatt's Cafeteria ended, and she accepted an invitation to the home of Goldie Harris. At the Harris home Margaret enjoyed the company of a new friend as they sat, talked, and ate ice cream. During the afternoon Austin...