Huron Expositor, 2000-03-29, Page 3News
Truscott to tell his side
By Cort Stavros .
Clinton News -Record staff . _
After over 40 years of silence,
Steven Truscott will finally tell his
side of the story.
The CBC's Fifth Estate will be
• airing a one-hour special tonight
(March 29).at 8`p:m. on the Truscott
Harper murder story.
But. unlike the countless books
• and media stories already produced
on the.case. tonight's program will
feature an exclusive interview with
Truscott himself,'
"No one has heard'Truscott's full
side of the story in his own words."
said Fifth Estate producer Julian Sher
in an interview from Toronto.
Truscott was convicted . and
sentenced to death. later changed to a
IO -year jail sentence. for the murder
of 12-year-old:Canadian Forces Base.
"Clinton resident Lynn Harper in.
1959. - •
But. man's,pcople.beliieve..the
•conviction of Truscott- was.a travesty._
Of justice: which has fueled,
speculation_ as -to the true perpetrator
and to the exact happenings of that
-.fateful June evening decades ago. -
"It is -a tragic story. The horror of
•• what happened to Lynn Harper shook
Clinton and the -country. But the trial
and the decision to_hang a 14 -year-.
old also had grave: consequences for
' the Canadian justice' system." Sher
said when explaining his rationale for
.pursuing the story. -
Sher stated that Truscott is finally
speaking out due mainly to the fact
that .his children are now. grown up
and he and his familydecided now is
a good limeto come forward:-.
"My kids arc all -grown up. We've
discussed it. asa family and we
figured it was time to come out,"
Truscott told- Fifth Estate's Lydon.-
Macint►reduring the show.
And through his trial. 10. years in
prison and life under an assumed
name. Truscott has maintained his
innocence.
The following dialogue is from -a
transcript provided to The Clinton -
News -Record, by •Fifth Estate.
TRUSCOTT. It is important to me.
i know they got the wrong person:...
Lynn Harper came over to the bike
and -more or less -asked me what i
was doing and i said well, I'm going
down to the river to see if any of the
kids are down • there. And she asked
me if she could have a ride •
down to the .highway. So 1 said well,
I'm going down there anyhow:
MACINTYRE: A tiny little
moment, eh?
TRUSCOTT: Yeah. A tiny little
rnomenr that kind .of changed.
everybody's life. • - = '
NARRATOR:. He -says. that Lynn
told hi,n that she'd squabbled with
•: her parents at supper time. She
wanted 10 go to the main highway..
and from . there she was going to a
place where there were ponies.
Along the way they passed a
wheat field, and a grove of trees
known as Farmer Lawson's Bush. A
couple of minutes further they
crossed the bridge spanning the little -
river.
• 'He says he dropped her at
Highway 8.. Then he rode back to. the
bridge where he stopped to watch the
other kids playing- in the water. He
glanced back to the highway once
and saw a car pull up._
•• TRUSCOTT: It was a '59 Chev,
grey. And as it swung in and it
started to. pull back out, there was
something orange or yellow on the
back of it. i couldn't tell whether it
was a licence plate or a sticker, or
w/attever. That was the first year that
Chet= changed the style of their car .
and they had large fins going out like
wings. and the tail lights looked like
cats' eves. And. there was no other
car arotindlike that.
MACINTYRE: The police cane •
here during the investigation, they
did tests and they later testified that
you just couldn't see a car from that.
distance, let alone an orunge'or
yellow sticker on the back of it.
TRUSCOTT: That was what I saw
and I maintain that today. •
Through the course of the
interviews, Sher said. Truscott
displayed a surprising lack -of
bitterness and anger. . "He was calm and relaxed but
insistent on his innocence and the
need to see justice done for both his
family and for the Harper family."
Sher explained.
-According to the transcript
provided to the .News -Record, the
investigation conducted by the Fifth
Estate contacts several witnesses that
claim .to have -seen Truscott.-and
Harper. - • =
They inciude•Doug Oates- who
claims to have seen them cross the
bridge, over the Bayfield River and
Philip Burns who saw. them ride past
him on the road near what is no -w'
Vanastra Community School.
After, more than two years cif
research, filming and interviewing.
Sher Stated that. the investigative
team at the -Fifth Estate has been able.
to shed new Tight on the case. .
"We have .uncovered many little
known documents ... tracked down
some of the key witncsscs and have
uncovered new leads." explained
Sher. As .for the nature of those
documents.- 'you will have to. wait
and see." - -
Sher stated that although he is
leaving the judgement of guilt or
innocence entirely up to the viewers.
"at least for the first time they will
be able to make up theirown minds
by seeing Truscott speak and by
hearing some -of the witnesses."
ParrLine ladies head to Halifax
to play for national broomball title
By Dave Emslie
Clinton News -Record Editor . The ParrLine ladies
hroomhall team is planning a
trip to Halifax. where they
will play for the national title
in mid-April.,
The Elite. team. which
An -eludes .• players from
1Se•aforth. Clinton. Blyth.
Kitchener, Goderich.
Woodstock; Mt. .Forest.
Fleshenon and Stratford. aged
,20 to 52. plays in the
Scaforth-Ed mondville
•hroomball league. which is
part of the Central West
Region. "
According to team member
Tanya Merner. the team
'earned the right to play for
the national -title by winning
theprovincial silver last year.
Despite winning the silver
last year, the team was not
guaranteed of a birth at the
nationals, to be held in
Halifax from April 11;-16.
However, a gold placed team
dropped out of the nationals,
making room for ParrLine.
Merner said the team was not
informed that they would be
playing in Halifax until
January of this year.
"Usually, you are told a
year before, or at least sirs
months before," Merner said,
adding that the'team.is now
hard..at work raising money
for their trip cast.
As it will cost about $1,000
per team member .to attend
the national finals, the
ParrLine squad has been
holding raffles and selling
50/50 tickets. They have also
sold candles to raise funds for
• the trip, and Meurer said team
meMbers nowhave chocolate -
bars for sale. Also in the
works is a_volleyball
tournament to he held April 1.
The team, Merner said,
would welcome donations of
goods or cash to help them on
their way to Halifax: Anyone
interested in helping out can
reach Merner at 482-9021.
BRONZE MEDAL
The team, after winning a
qualifying tournament in
Lefroy, competed in this
year's provincial finals, held
in Windsor over the weekend,
and after two wins and two
losses, returned to Huron
County with a bronze medal.
ParrLine, at the provincials,
began the tournament by
falling 1-0 10 McMillan, a •
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Thcy then won two straight.
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