Up The Creek Without A Paddle
Murder for Hire-
by Terry Toole

Last week, I ended my column with stranger things have happened here in Colquitt, but not to me.

Well, I had promised that I would stop there, for a week, so this is another week.

When my first wife and I returned home Friday after lunch from three days and nights at the beach, I helped unload the vehicles and took off for the office to attempt to catch up.

As I entered the office, Wanda asked, "Did the police or sheriff call you?"

My reply was, "No, should they have?"

"You need to go down to the jail. You didn't do anything. They can tell you," Wanda stated. "They said they would lock me up if I told you anything," she continued.

With all that has been happening since June, a threat to be killed for something I haven't done, a ride-by shooting, again threatening my life, and others, I wondered what was next.

When I got to the jail, Chief Worsley and Sheriff Glass were outside waiting for me. They told me that "someone" had contacted some truckers about a contract on me. They had gone to Florida to interview the truckers and get their statements to confirm the request for them to kill Terry Toole for a price. These two told the "someone" they didn't want to make money that way. There were other truckers in the field.

The long and short of this plan for murder was that the two law enforcement agencies gave me two choices. I was told that I would have an officer with me 24/7 until this was investigated by local and G.B.I. officers.

I told them I didn't want someone watching me all the time, that was ridiculous. My second choice was that I would be locked in jail in protective custody until it was solved. I've never been in jail, so I decided to let the officers eat, ride, sleep and go almost everywhere I went.

Now for someone who has been fairly "free" to go and do as I please, if it is legal, this would be a great change in my lifestyle.

I have worked with and been around most of the officers in this city and county, so it wouldn't be too bad; although I still didn't care for the idea, I agreed.

Don't get me wrong! I do not want to die by the hands of the Miller County Mafia or their hired killers, but if someone wants to kill for revenge, money or whatever the reason, they can. Since no one has spent a day or an hour in jail for the offenses against me since June for the charges or the shootings, what's a killing going to do?

Since my two choices were really only one, I left the jail with a law officer riding shotgun, going with me everywhere except my bathroom and my bedroom. These officers were very professional, fully armed and good companions. In most cases, they were good to have around although they did cramp my going a bit. I didn't back off of anything I did from Friday afternoon until Tuesday evening. I left the Liberal with my body guard going to the first home football game of the season. Most of the game, I had two officers with me on the sidelines. A late game and over 100 photos placed on the web got us to the house around 12:30 a.m.

Saturday was a full day. I worked at the Liberal most of the day, with an occasional wreck. That evening the black tie Academy Awards event with several hundred photos took me through three different officers. After going back to the Liberal after the dinner and show, we finished up processing the photos around 12:00 midnight and went home for the night.

Sunday was business as usual. We went to Sunday School and church with my armed guard. He did go to our Sunday School class, but wouldn't sit in the choir with me during church. After a homemade meal prepared by my first wife of several fresh vegetables and all the trimmings, my guard and I went back to work at the Liberal and got home around 12 midnight. We didn't have church Sunday night, so I got a lot of extra writing done.

Monday, Labor Day, was a real work day at the Liberal. We got there around 7:45 a.m. Tammy and my body guard and "ye scribe" left around 8:00 a.m., making our regular walk. The rest of the day was business as usual. The officer and I got home around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.

We were back at work around 7:45 a.m. Tuesday and left going to the county commission meeting at 9:15 a.m.

We had to leave the meeting around 11:30 to go pick up the newspaper in Bainbridge. When I and my armed guard got to the pressroom, they were having mechanical problems, so we went to eat lunch. We saw some Colquitt citizens while we were eating.

We got back to Colquitt around 1:30 p.m. to get the inserts in the newspaper, address all of the papers to be mailed, get them to the post office and deliver them to the businesses and boxes around Colquitt.

I then went to the chief and sheriff to request that this "protection" be stopped. At 7:00 p.m. Tuesday evening my armed escort was discontinued.

I felt like I had been let out of "time out." For you who have not had children or grandchildren, that is punishment for doing something wrong.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate, and at times enjoyed the young officers who protected our lives with their lives. They are the greatest. Something good comes from everything. As late as Sunday night, I hadn't been killed by Miller County Mafia guns. I got to know, and appreciate some of our finest much better. The G.B.I. and local investigators are working hard to get to the truth of this "hit."

The bad part is that no one has been arrested in this "Murder for Hire" case. There has been another drive-by shooting at the home of the one who told me where the gun was that shot up the Liberal office and the classroom next door. An arrest has been made in that case.

Officers are working on it. Maybe they can get enough for an arrest, so the district attorney will bring it before the Grand Jury and prosecute the criminals. We don't need stuff like this in Miller County. It will all go back to illegal drugs, alcohol and vengeance against those who let the public know what is going on.

It seems this 71-year-old editor might not make my next birthday if the Miller County Mafia can hire a killer.

If something does happen to me, it has been a good life. While I'm here, I intend to do the same thing I have always tried to do - report the news as I can get the information and give my opinions in the appropriate place on these opinion pages.

The vast majority of people in this city and county are the cream of the crop. There are only a few that make the rest of us look so bad.

There is no such thing as a good crook in or out of office. When someone cannot control their actions, whatever the reason they should be removed from society and office.

Pull For Or Pull Out!