One time that I can remember listening to Paul Harvey "The rest of the story", was him discussing about of you wanted to get away with murder there was only two places in the world. The one place was someplace in Europe and the other one was Belcourt on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation which was like yeah I can see that happening especially since the area is mostly woods and hills with lots of cover. I was having a discussion with a couple coworkers told them what I heard and they did not believe so I Googled it and what came up was Paul Harvey urban legend he actually had named a lot of towns through the years, which I was quite gullible.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, COUNTY IS NOT ALONE
Saturday, July 05, 2003 Page: 3A
Finish this quote:
If you want to get away with murder, go to ...
Brownwood, Texas? Clarksdale, Mississippi? Boulder, Colorado?
Oh, admit it. If you remembered the quote at all you figured the answer was ``Luzerne County'' or ``Wilkes-Barre'' or ``Hazleton'' or some other local town - most likely the one you live in.
You may even be convinced someone famous - Walter Winchell and Paul Harvey are common names dropped - said it.
Problem is, a lot of people think their city was special - or notorious - enough to be cited in this quote. Examples:
In a February 2001 Austin Chronicle article regarding hate crime legislation, a restaurant owner in nearby Brownwood offered the quote ``There is a saying that many in our community frequently express - `if you want to get away with murder, come to Brownwood.' ''
A story from March in the Clarksdale, Miss., Press Register starts out ``A running joke in the Delta - `If you want to get away with murder, come to Clarksdale' - isn't funny for District Attorney Laurence Mellen. ... ''
A piece in The Daily Camera of Boulder, Colo., quotes a murder victim's mother: ``You have heard so many people say, `if you want to get away with murder, go to Boulder' - and it's true.''
Down on ourselves and justice
Writers confidently assert that radio personality Paul Harvey originated the phrase - about them, of course.
In a letter to the Southwest Daily Times of Kansas, the writer notes ``It's just like Paul Harvey said on his show several years ago: `If you want to get away with murder, go to Liberal, Kansas.' ''
Funny thing, though, the man renowned for telling ``the rest of the story'' is credited with mentioning other locales. One Internet posting I found insisted Harvey said ``go to Browning, Montana.'' Another contends he said ``
go to Belcourt, North Dakota.''
I e-mailed the Paul Harvey folks and asked if he takes credit for the quote, but got no response. If I do, I'll let you know.
A few in our newsroom believe Walter Winchell said it - about us, of course. I admit my research was far from exhaustive, but for all the Winchell witticisms - ``Nothing recedes like success,'' ``Hollywood is a place where they shoot too many pictures and too few actors'' - I could find no reference about where to get away with murder.
Of course, none of this will stop locals from citing the quote as if it were scripture. Being down on ourselves comes as naturally as ethnic food around here, and events re-enforcing that sentiment fall like cow chips in a crowded pasture.
Unequal justice is a big part of that perception. The courthouse and/or the police frequently seem to favor the wealthy and well-connected - county commissioners, sheriffs, members of prominent coal families come to mind.
They are people who sure look like they got away with something, even if it wasn't murder.
So go ahead, use the ``get away with murder'' quote. But remember, as you start with ``You know what they say'':
``They'' is really us.
Read more:
http://archive.timesleader.com/2003...R_NOT__COUNTY_IS_NOT_ALONE.html#ixzz48amrPIbk