Tower Page #6

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their loved ones,

but for the whole campus,

the whole town, and the state.

- It was not something

you would expect

from our beautiful Tower.

- I just sat there

and watched people gather.

It was something

that I had been a part of

for an hour and a half.

It was done for me.

[sirens wailing]

- The Travis County

Blood Bank

has asked

to please come immediately.

There is an urgent need

for these types of blood--

Type O-positive,

Type O-negative,

Type A-positive.

- I was begging them

not to cut off my dress

because it was

the first day I'd worn it.

It was my first

and only maternity dress.

It was very beautiful.

Tom had helped me pick it out.

- My dad was working downtown

in a shoe-repair shop,

and then somebody

came up to him

and asked him

if he knew what was going on.

My dad said no.

And the guy said,

"Well, there's been

a lot of shooting going on."

- He said, "Yeah, there's

a lot of shooting going on.

"And, oh, by the way,

your son has been shot

and he was killed."

He went home, picked up my mom,

and the two of 'em

rushed over to the hospital.

He-he did not want

to believe that...

until it was something

that he-he could...

that could be confirmed.

Whereas my mother

was responding...

I guess like a mother.

My parents didn't find out for

several hours that I was okay.

- It's a madhouse here

at Brackenridge Hospital.

At least 17 persons are here

undergoing treatment.

We have had unconfirmed reports

that two persons have died.

We have a list of the names.

These names were

just given to us

by the hospital

administrator.

The victims have been

identified as Oscar Royuela,

Billy Speed, Robert Boyer,

Paul Sonntag,

Roy Schmidt, Billy Snowden--

- Joe, hold it.

Hold just a minute.

This is Paul

over at the newsroom.

What was that list of names

again, please?

- One of the people

who came rushing

into our newsroom

to help out was Paul Bolton.

He had gone

into semi-retirement

and I had taken over

his position

as the television

news director.

Paul was working there

in the newsroom

when Joe read

the list of names.

And Paul reacted dramatically

at that point.

- Roy Schmidt, Billy Snowden--

- Joe, hold it.

Hold just a minute.

This is Paul

over at the newsroom.

Everyone is interested

in that list of names.

I think you have

my grandson on there.

Go over that list

of names again, please.

- [sniffling]

"I think you have my..."

[sniffles]

"I think you have

my grandson.

I think you have my grandson

on that list."

Uh...

And Joe said,

"Okay. Okay, I'll do that."

And he went through the--

The list again.

And, yeah, it was his namesake

grandson, Paul Bolton Sonntag.

Didn't know at the time

if he'd been killed,

but he was.

Frankly,

I just broke up now.

I think it's...

[laughs]

I think it's because

I have grandchildren.

- I was in intensive care

for seven weeks.

Rita came to see me

when I was in the hospital.

- How are you feeling?

- I'm...[clears throat]

I'm, uh...

I'm doing better now.

- I made you something.

It's nothing much.

I just...

- She came and brought me

a painting she had done.

I was just, you know,

incredibly touched

by her bringing that

and, um...I think

that's the only time

we saw each other after that.

Only recently I've realized...

How really, amazingly

brave that was of her.

- Are you all right?

Let me help you.

We've heard from all sorts

of people involved in this

how terrified they were.

And yet she came

right up to me.

I mean,

that was very selfless.

Why did you do that,

you know?

What gave you the courage

to come out and do that?

And were you afraid?

Were you afraid that

you were going to get killed?

- For a person

to be so giving,

has to go lay down

on hot concrete

on a 100 degree day.

- Somehow, you know,

that situation

just pulled out

that hero in her.

- There's a special place

in Heaven for people like that.

She's a wonderful woman.

[office bustling]

- As our various reporters

and photographers

were bringing the film

back for processing,

we were getting their stories

and their information.

As we got a fuller picture

of where the damage was

and looked at the film,

it was even more horrifying...

Than you could imagine.

- KTBC Television News

now presents

a special program

on today's mass murder

in the capital city.

Here is KTBC Television

News Editor, Neal Spelce.

- Good evening.

One of history's

worst mass-murders occurred

here in Austin today.

By official count tonight,

49 persons were hit by gunfire.

There are 16 dead

and 33 injured.

It started last night,

when a man reportedly

killed his wife

and his mother.

That same man apparently

rounded up an arsenal

and supplies this morning

and then went

to the observation deck of

the University of Texas Tower.

It was then that terror

rained down from the Tower.

[gunfire]

Charles J. Whitman

was shot down

on the observation deck

by two city policemen.

The policemen were aided

by an Austin man, Allen Crum.

The story of how they ended

the 90 minutes of terror

was told this afternoon

at a news conference

held by Austin Police Chief

Bob Miles.

- Did you guys shoot

as soon as you saw him?

- Did anybody ask him

to surrender

or give up or anything

before all the firing started?

- No. As I said

just a moment ago,

Mr. Crum fired one shot

into the west wall

When Officer Martinez

looked around the corner,

Mr. Whitman had his gun

leveled out and ready to shoot.

Officer Martinez had no way

of knowing whether Officer Day

or Mr. Crum

had already come out

and were in a position

to be shot.

- At the news conference,

of course it was McCoy,

Jerry Day,

Allen Crum, and myself.

- If you don't mind,

I'll do the talking

for the group.

And no. No.

And if I'm wrong,

Mr. Martinez can stop me

and, uh, correct me on it.

- The reporters

asked questions

and Chief Miles answered

all the questions.

We were just there for

show and tell, so to speak,

because he handled it.

- The man here beside me

is Allen Crum.

He was deputized

to go up on the Tower

with the two policemen

who ended the gun battle.

- You got me?

- I got you.

- Mr. Crum, could you

tell us how you happened

to be in the Tower building

in the first place?

- Well I, uh...

[clears throat]

Became involved in this

when I looked out

of the Co-Op window and saw

a boy shot across the street.

I went across the street

to investigate

because I thought

it was a small fight.

And as I stepped out the door,

I heard the sound of shots.

- And you actually

went into the Tower?

- Yes, sir. I couldn't

get back across the street

because of my fear

that I might get shot myself.

So I went to the next building,

and the next building.

I thought perhaps I could help

them when I got over there

so I waited 'till he shot

from the other side of the Tower

and then ran into it myself.

- Mr. Crum,

I know that I speak

for all the citizens

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