Pennsylvania Oddities

  Every Halloween, children's thoughts turn to black cats, goblins and ghouls. For most, it is a joyful occasion, a chance to indulge in all things delightfully wicked. From magic potions to witches on broomsticks, the imagery is often lighthearted and playful. because Halloween monsters are just make-believe. But tragically, in October of 1954, one little girl discovered that some monsters are real. On the evening of October 28, a little blonde-haired girl joined her friends for a night of trick or treating in the borough of Conemaugh, just east of Johnstown. When nine o'clock came and went, the parents of 6-year-old Karen Mauk grew concerned. It was the mother, Mrs. William Mauk, who called the police, though she could not recall the names of the other children Karen had gone out with that evening. Earlier that afternoon Karen had been playing with a cousin of the same age, Paul Lindenberg, but Paul had returned home hours earlier. Refusing to take any chances, the authoritie