Opinion/Letters: Lady of the Dunes a victim of domestic violence. That should haunt us.
To Our Lady of the Dunes,
At last, we know what you have always known: who you are and who killed you. You were the oldest, unidentified homicide (and femicide) victim in Massachusetts until you were identified in 2022 — after you were first found on the Provincetown dunes in July 1974. Your name was Ruth Marie Terry, from Tennessee, and you were 37 years old when your hands were severed, and nearly your head, so we would not know who you are and who killed you.
But we now know who you are and who he is. Your killer’s name was Guy Rockwell Muldavin and he was your husband. And he may not have killed just you, but also a second wife and her daughter in the 1960s, only to swindle a third wife before choosing you as the next victim.
Your tormentor was never held accountable, and he died in 2002. He got to watch his life flourish, his dreams materialize, and his family and friends grow up. Except for you, his loving wife. He did not let you be the daughter, sister, aunt, mother, or person you should have been when he crushed your skull.
Has the news of uncovering your identity and that of your killer given your spirit the peace that she seeks? Can you now find justice? What can justice mean for you who was not allowed to watch your life flourish, your dreams materialize, your family and friends grow up? What can justice ever mean for women whose lives are cut short by the men closest to them?
My dear Lady Ruth, can your torment lay to rest? Or will your spirit stray from the earth because men continue to threaten the lives of women and girls? Will you haunt us until not one more woman perishes at the hands of their partner? Will your phantom come to rattle those abusers and those who protect them?
May your memory remain alive. And may not one more woman die.
Sincerely yours in truth,
Murylo S Batista, Mashpee
Be respectful, clean up your dog's poop
We love our dogs, pet them, feed them, pet them again, take them to the vet, pet them again, and again, as we love them. But we don’t love their poop. Still, it’s important that we pick it up. Yes, no one wants to step in it, so in the park, on the bike path, at the beach, on a walk, have a baggie in your pocket and clean up after your dog poops. This isn’t rocket science. It’s just a courtesy. End of story.
Lee Bartell, Eastham
Devon Harris was a motivated, talented student
Thank you for the wonderful article on one of my former students, Devon Harris. (Sept. 26) I smiled when I saw the article, remembering him immediately.
Devon did not attend Osterville Elementary through Grade 5 as the article stated; in 2009 Osterville Elementary, Cotuit Elementary, and Marstons Mills Elementary (on Route 28) closed, and the five remaining Barnstable elementary schools became K-3 schools, while the former fifth- and sixth-grade Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School in Marstons Mills became "BUES", a fourth- and fifth-grade school, making Barnstable Intermediate School in Hyannis a sixth- and seventh-grade school, with eighth graders moving to the high school.
At Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School, Devon was my student in the program for gifted and talented learners in his Grade 5 year, 2009/2010. He was a motivated and talented student who came to my classroom three periods each week, and also studied advanced math with a gifted volunteer, the late Mr. Fred Bommer. I was thrilled to read the article and impressed at where Devon is today!
Diane Mandeville, Marstons Mills
Trump denigrates military veterans
Trump defamed a war hero named U.S. Sen. John McCain. He informed military organizations not to allow disabled war veterans to be shown at his rallies. He now suggests Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley should be executed for treason. All this coming from a man who is not eligible for membership in the American Legion.
All veteran organizations should denounce these accusations and never support his election for president of the United States.
Al Fitzgerald. Brewster
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Letters: Ruth Terry one the thousands of women killed by their partner
