Post by Angela on Apr 19, 2009 10:49:15 GMT -5
This post too is from the old message forum.
Q: I have always wondered what Arthur Lawson had to say about the murders/suicide. No one ever goes into any sort of details about him. If you can shed some light on this, that would be great.
A: I don't think we can ever know what Arthur Lawson went through when he realized what had happen to his family. First of all you have to study history and realize that the father of a family was the one who was over that family. His word was the law. He was the leader, the guide and what he said was what everyone in the family did. Also in a farm family everyone had work to do. We will never know for sure what Arthur went through, except what people have told us and what we read. For Arthur to have to live through this and know his whole family was gone, he must have asked himself, why didn't he kill me, why was I left. He must have felt guilt, hate, anger, and he was hurt. Yo have to remember there were no counselors or groups, to meet with who could help him get over what had happened. He had to live, knowing people looked at him no matter where he went, and I am sure he knew it. People were afraid of him and I am sure he knew they whispered behind his back. He had not done anything, but people are people, and we are judged a lot of times by our families. I cannot imagine what Arthur went through. Also Charlie's mother was alive and Fannie's parents, they had to live through this terrible thing. They lost their children and Grandchildren. We will never know the effect this had on them. Broken hearts, depression and always wondering why. I want to thank all the family members for everything they have ever done to help Arthur and his family. I want to thank the members of the Lawson, Manring, and the Bibey family for staying the strong people they are. I know that they have always been faced with the question, "are you kin to Charlie Lawson?" But, they have faced whatever came their way and have stayed the good family that I know they was from the first, before anything ever happen. They are the kind of people we hear referred to as the "Salt of the earth. " I am a better person for having met the ones I have met. They are strong for talking and letting this documentary be filmed. They didn't have to, but I think they knew it was time to let people know what they knew and felt about what happen. Esther Johnson
I think one thing we can say, truly, is that a lot of people's lives were profoundly affected by the tragedy. It changed the lives of the family members, friends, and neighbors in ways they never could've been ready for. Today we call that trauma.
When we made the decisions on what to include in the film, we didn't want to put any of the survivors on display. We let the audience consider for themselves what it would be like to deal with the death of 8 loved ones with thousands of onlookers and media.
At that time, families "didn't air their dirty laundry" and talk to those outside the family, while at the barber shops and country stores news and gossip was swapped all day. The result of this was that the surviving victims and their families were the only ones who couldn't talk about the tragedy, while knowing full well that was what everyone else was talking about. This is how it lived on, and these hurts are passed from generation to generation.
I had a lot of compassion anytime I heard a story of anyone close to this story who struggled to live a normal life. Trying to bring some good out of this dark moment in our history, I'd like this film to help people be aware that there are ways to cope with trauma. One thing making this film taught me is that you can't bear pain alone, if you hold on to it it'll touch everyone you do.
Q: I have always wondered what Arthur Lawson had to say about the murders/suicide. No one ever goes into any sort of details about him. If you can shed some light on this, that would be great.
A: I don't think we can ever know what Arthur Lawson went through when he realized what had happen to his family. First of all you have to study history and realize that the father of a family was the one who was over that family. His word was the law. He was the leader, the guide and what he said was what everyone in the family did. Also in a farm family everyone had work to do. We will never know for sure what Arthur went through, except what people have told us and what we read. For Arthur to have to live through this and know his whole family was gone, he must have asked himself, why didn't he kill me, why was I left. He must have felt guilt, hate, anger, and he was hurt. Yo have to remember there were no counselors or groups, to meet with who could help him get over what had happened. He had to live, knowing people looked at him no matter where he went, and I am sure he knew it. People were afraid of him and I am sure he knew they whispered behind his back. He had not done anything, but people are people, and we are judged a lot of times by our families. I cannot imagine what Arthur went through. Also Charlie's mother was alive and Fannie's parents, they had to live through this terrible thing. They lost their children and Grandchildren. We will never know the effect this had on them. Broken hearts, depression and always wondering why. I want to thank all the family members for everything they have ever done to help Arthur and his family. I want to thank the members of the Lawson, Manring, and the Bibey family for staying the strong people they are. I know that they have always been faced with the question, "are you kin to Charlie Lawson?" But, they have faced whatever came their way and have stayed the good family that I know they was from the first, before anything ever happen. They are the kind of people we hear referred to as the "Salt of the earth. " I am a better person for having met the ones I have met. They are strong for talking and letting this documentary be filmed. They didn't have to, but I think they knew it was time to let people know what they knew and felt about what happen. Esther Johnson
I think one thing we can say, truly, is that a lot of people's lives were profoundly affected by the tragedy. It changed the lives of the family members, friends, and neighbors in ways they never could've been ready for. Today we call that trauma.
When we made the decisions on what to include in the film, we didn't want to put any of the survivors on display. We let the audience consider for themselves what it would be like to deal with the death of 8 loved ones with thousands of onlookers and media.
At that time, families "didn't air their dirty laundry" and talk to those outside the family, while at the barber shops and country stores news and gossip was swapped all day. The result of this was that the surviving victims and their families were the only ones who couldn't talk about the tragedy, while knowing full well that was what everyone else was talking about. This is how it lived on, and these hurts are passed from generation to generation.
I had a lot of compassion anytime I heard a story of anyone close to this story who struggled to live a normal life. Trying to bring some good out of this dark moment in our history, I'd like this film to help people be aware that there are ways to cope with trauma. One thing making this film taught me is that you can't bear pain alone, if you hold on to it it'll touch everyone you do.
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