A Street Corner Crusade
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Paula advanced with her class, married as soon as possible and left home.

She lives now north of Donora in McKeesport, Pa. She has three children ages 18, 21 and 22, and credits them with helping heal the scars of her own childhood.

"I made a vow after I had my first child that I would never, ever treat them like I was treated," she says.

"I had to put it to rest because it was destroying my life," she says. "See, I learned to put it to rest, and (Paul) hasn't.

"We did live through a nightmare," she says.

"Paul and I may have gone through hell, but I also feel what Paul is doing is helping other children, waking up the world to what child abuse is all about. So many adults have problems today because they were abused as children and never were able to deal with it."

She and Paul don't see each other often and clash when they do.

"Maybe it's because he's had no children to work out his problems through," Paula says. "I've had to work out my problem. He's held on to all of that hate and fear. If I raise my voice to my children or get upset with them, he lays into me."

(father) is dead; he was "crazy" - talking to furnaces - at the end. (older sister) lives in South Carolina. (older brother), the oldest boy, lives in Donora but rarely visits his mother.

(father), now in her 70's and living by herself in Donora, is said to be childlike in her ways. Her voice over the phone takes on a little girl's lilt when she's asked about Paul. She acknowledges punishing him but says it was for the "things he did." She said he "messed his pants" and smeared it on the wall, then she says, "Lord knows I regret everything I did to my children. I am broken-hearted about it.

"I punished him, yes," she says, her voice breaking. "I didn't try to kill him, and I didn't try to kill her. He was in a stroller...I would have never killed none of them, no matter what they did. My husband was very mean. Now he's resting in peace in heaven.

"Everybody's blaming everything on me," she says, crying. "If they want me to take the blame, I'll take the blame. I even had a son that was retarded because my husband beat me up when I was carrying him."

Paul says he's asked his mother to explain why she abused the children.

"She always says God and her know the answer," he says.

"Has she given us a sign that she's sorry? Not really," Paula says. "No, she's never given us a sign.

The other day we were having a graduation party for my son, and my mother was doing something and I asked her not to do it, and she turned around and slapped me in the face. I lost it, I said, Don't you ever hit me again.' She started crying and tried to hug me."

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