Abuse Problem Growing, Panel Says
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Another time, she split his head open by striking him with the spiked heel of her shoe. She had obsession regarding bowel movements that you don't want to know about.

Sometimes the twins ran away. One time Paul ran away by himself, but his parents caught him, brought him home and beat him and beat him.

The Red cross intervened twice, placing the twins in foster homes, but each time they were returned to their parents. Otherwise, no one did anything.

I GUESS NO ONE KNOWS ANYTHING ABOUT BATTER CHILDREN IN THOSE DAYS, the Child Abuse Man wrote.

(father) McLaughlin died years ago, but (mother) McLaughlin is still alive. In a spooky interview five years ago, she acknowledge punishing the twins but denied the brutality.

"I didn't try to kill him, and I did not try to kill her," she said, crying. "I would have never killed none of them, no matter what they did bad."

The Child Abuse man has forgiven her, but he will never understand her. Ask him why his mother beat him, and his innocent bewilderment breaks your heart.

He grew up shattered and slow. He was 21 when he graduated from high school, and he had to go through basic training twice to make it into the Army.

In 1975, on his birthday, he began to write his story. He finished the 30 page booklet three ears later, again on his birthday.

In 1975 he took to the streets with his sign and his booklet because it was all he could do.

He became well-known after the 1992 article. He was invited to child abuse symposiums and forums, where he gave halting speeches and posed for grip-and-grin snapshots with well-meaning people who clapped him on the back.

He's still at it. He sets up displays in the malls, and he's been in an ad on the side of an LTD bus.

The Child Abuse Man takes it all seriously. He says he is a "media advocate." He writes letters to public officials and proudly displays their form letter replies: "Dear Mr. McLaughlin, I share your concern on this serious issue...." You know how they do.

Paul and his wife, Liz, live in a tidy apartment in south Eugene with a poodle named Nikki. Liz does clerical work at a state office. Paul worked in the past, but he's been on disability since 1989. He's never been healthy, and now he's bothered by arthritis and recurring epilepsy. That's another reason he quit the street.

So he's on the 'Net. A tutor helped him set up a web page. The address is: http://www.acclaimweb.com/bbs/messages/28.html and http://www.efn.org/~scan/

He's all excited about telling his story by computer. He's received e-mail from all over the place, and that's fine.

On the street, with his hand lettered cardboard sign, he was like a fresh scar. Tender to the touch, a reminder of the pain.

Tommorrow is Oct 13. And if you see the Child Abuse Man, wish him happy birthday.

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