I'm so appalled and aghast! I was watching a (re-run, I think) episode of 20/20 on T.V. last night, and I learned a new word.

Murderabilia. It's memorabilia about, or connected to, murderers.

ABC claims there's big money being made selling stuff like signatures, and letters from prison. Apparently you can even buy one of Charles Manson's fingernail clippings for $12.99. (Yuck!)

<www.abcnews.go.com/sections/2020/2020/2020_011107_murderabilia.html>

So, would you sell your letters?

I have many letters from murderers, and I would NEVER DREAM of selling them. In fact, I have in the past offered them back to the writer, when their sentence ends, so that they can see the progress they've made since they went in.

To me, each such letter is such a gesture of trust, from men who have no reason whatsoever to trust anyone. I can't imagine a greater betrayal that could be inflicted upon them!

(Of course, ABC was not so concerned about the inmates point of view. They raised the victim's families' POV and such, as well they should have.)

Apparently a few states have outlawed this practice. Thank goodness. It is just too macabre.

Menolly

I would never, ever sell my letters from Billy. They are very personal and private. They are our whole relationship in a sense. No amount of money can compare to the love and trust that we have for each other. Those letters are sacred.

I thought I had left one of my letters at work the other night and I was never so panicked in all my life. I kept thinking about the person who might find it and read it because it had some very personal stuff that my friend wrote because he trusted me and here, someone might read it! I could NEVER think about betraying his trust and selling his letters.

Also, Who the Heck would want a fingernail clipping!!!! Ewwww

Joy

That's true Joy.....who would want someone's fingernail clippings....(yuk)
Isn't it a sad world we live in to know someone would do something like this!

Joy and Sandy; Ditto on the fingernail clippings. I worked hard to get my teenager not to cip his nails and leave those lovely little crescents wherever they landed! I guess that's why women get upset about shavings in the bathroom sink. Some things just seem like the effluents of the human body; not really collectables...

But those aside, I can't imagine a letter suddenly turning up in public, and for sale. When I think of some of the things I have been told over the years (childhood abuse suffered etc.) I couldn't imagine the trust that would be lost forever, not just between me and a "penpal" but between him and the whole world, if I ever betrayed those details at auction!

It would be like publishing someone's diary without their consent.

I can't imagine what kind of prurient interest anyone would have in owning such things.

Menolly

Denise...

Such beautiful, strong words...

Love,
Menolly

I couldn't imagine parting with a letter much less selling it. I've seen web sites where other inmates sold kites from Charles Manson and other "famous" prisoners. What disturbs me is the market for these items. Who are the people creating this market and buying the stuff?

I think that would be crazy to sell your letters, especially to the public. What's wrong with privacy these days? And EWW who would want a fingernail clipping of a mass murderer?

we've had a discussion about a guy who set up a web site with these things...
it's true, who would want fingerclippings...well there are always weird stupid people who pay big money for it. like there are people who paid millions for the penis of Napoleon Bonaparte....

I would never ever ever sell any of my letters or whatever things I have from one of the guys I write with, no matter how much people would pay me for it! the things 'my boys' send me mean a lot to me, are too personal and I would be really sad to miss only 1 page of 1 letter.

Danielle;

I imagine the people brokering andselling such things, feel they are just "businessmen" serving a need on the market.

But the people buying and owning... I'm too scared to even ponder THEIR reasons.

Menolly

Leonda;

Even yuckier is the question of how do they even know the clipping is from Manson?

For all they know, they paid thirteen dollars, for some pimple-faced, bored teenaged hacker's "souvenir", from their second toe on their left foot!

Same thing with the market for hair clippings etc.

Bizarro!...

Menolly

Soraya;

Yeah!

Sometimes the jail censors will blak out a sentence orparagraph, with a giant magic marker. I've also gotten letters with holes in them, where they cut out sections.

I resent this so much. I always feel things like "This is MINE. How dare you touch it." And "Ever heard of freedom of speech?" and such.

The very first time I received such a censored letter, I panicked, because I thought the inmate had sent me a death threat or something. I found out a few months later (from prison staff, that it had merely been a flirtatious comment that referred to sex. That seemed like such a relief, after having the bejeebers scared out of me!

One time, I moved, and couldn't locate my box of inmates letters for a few weeks. I couldn't believe how much that meant to me. And I was shocked at what a loss it would have been. Luckily I located the box finally.

To me they are such gestures of trust!

IMO, anyone who would sell OR buy these type things has some serious issues...

Sherri: I totally agree

Menolly: it surprised me too how much these letters, card, newspaper clipping ... mean to me. I cannot trow anything away..and I mean NOTHING

ALL I CAN SAY, IT'S A VERY SICK SOCIETY WE LIVE IN....

DONNA

Donna;

It always strikes me as somewhat hypocritical that there is a market for OBSERVING crime.

Doesn't matter if its buying a piece of memorabilia, or a true crime novel, or a video of latest crime movie. Society enjoys being spectators to crime. That's why they used to gather at a hanging in the public square, as if it was a village festival. Yet they claim to abhor it.

So why do they keep watching?

Menolly