Afterward
I was given this manuscript in January, 1980, shortly after Donald Towner was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. He had given up the machine gun business for good and had gone back into consulting. His story was he was on a job in Buffalo, New York, in December of 1979. He had a cold that he couldn't seem to shake and he seemed to grow physically weaker every day. He complained of a dull ache between his shoulder blades in the center of his back. He went to a Chiropractor but that did no good. He discovered that when he walked, his right heel would drag.
On the Friday two weeks before Christmas he told me he awoke and the entire left side of his body below mid chest was numb. On the following Monday he was admitted to the hospital. He underwent some tests and finally met with the Neurologist in his hospital room.
The Neurologist took his shoulders and looked in his eyes and told him that it was certain he had MS. Towner was about to ask what that would mean when the doctor's beeper went off. The doctor immediately called the number, leaving Towner to fret while repairs on a Mercedes were discussed.
Towner listened for maybe two minutes and then took the receiver from the doctor and replaced it on the phone. He then took a metal ice water pitcher and smashed it into the doctor's face. The police came but decided to do nothing when they heard the circumstances.
I do know that he was in hospital for some weeks and then was discharged. From that time on, I have lost track of him. The doctor, whose name, comically enough, was "Rude", lodged a civil suit but, by that time, Towner was long gone. I do not know his condition upon discharge as I was not there. I do know, however, from two visits to the hospital while he was admitted, that his condition was grave and he needed assistance to go from bed to chair.
I've kept the manuscript now for seven years. I have kept it with a Colt Python pistol that belonged to Towner. Whether that pistol is the one from the story, I do not know. "Donald Towner" contacted me in 1979 to do the simple job of paying his bills while he was on the road. He deposited three thousand dollars with me and asked me to receive his credit card bills and pay them because he was going to be traveling almost constantly and would have no real address, only a succession of hotels. He gave me the manuscript and the pistol as security in case the money ran out. For some months, I received a check drawn on a New York bank that was sufficient to cover most of the monthly credit card expenses.
Suddenly the checks stopped. I was told that if I didn't hear from him I could do with the pistol and manuscript what I wanted. Since he owes me a thousand dollars from bills I paid but did not receive money for, I feel as though both the manuscript and the gun are mine. I don't think he would contest this. I have tried to contact him to no avail. If he is still alive, he maintains no contacts at all.
I have discovered that most, if not all, of the names in the manuscript are fictitious. Those things which could be checked out, the "Family Assistance Plan" of Richard Nixon, for example, actually was a real program. But there is no record of a Donald Towner anywhere in the few records of that enterprise that exist, which are few. No consulting companies I've talked to have ever heard of a Donald Towner.
I've tried to track a former London "policeman who is married to a movie star" and I have come up with one candidate. Unfortunately, this person is a well to do investor and, basically, bears no relationship to the "Mouse" described in the manuscript, not even in physical description.
I think that we can assume, in fact, I can assure any potential reader that nothing in this manuscript ever happened. I, personally, am sure that none of the stories about the famous or near famous are true and are pure fiction. They are made up. I am equally sure that none of the other characters in the manuscript have any basis in real life, perhaps not even Donald Towner, as I am beginning to believe might not even be his real name. Should this manuscript be published as a book, I, obviously, do not want to be involved in its promotion.
There was a cassette tape with the manuscript but I discovered it to be blank and I discarded it.
Jack Wright, CPA
1987
Second "Afterward"
I "inherited" this manuscript in 1994 as part of a settlement deal on a bankruptcy. I consider it utterly worthless. I, like this "Jack Wright" of whom I cannot find any trace, by the way, cannot verify anything written in this manuscript with the exception of the existence of the obvious historical figures. I am absolutely sure that no events depicted in this manuscript ever took place. Any attempt to represent this fiction as fact should be severely sanctioned. In some cases, the fictional depiction of actual people should be considered libelous could the perpetrator be identified. Obviously, I do not want to be a party to this, thus, I must assure any reader that every scene depicted is totally fictional.
The one added bonus to attaining this manuscript was that a very nice pistol that came with it. Ive kept it clean for 2 years. It's a hell of a nice gun. I still believe that there might be a buyer for the manuscript. I have tried to sell it, off and on, for some time but have not succeeded. I can assure any potential buyer, however, that there is no "Donald Towner". His persona is clearly a work of fiction. I spent a year trying to track down this mysterious person and I can assure the reader that he does not exist.
As to the implications of global jihad, this is spurious libel against the peaceful religion of the Koran and, except for the dubious benefit of a bad example, should not be tolerated. I feel that the loathsome caricatures of Moslems, church and government officials, not to mention other celebrity persons, is deplorable.
Be that as it may, the basic story may provide some amusement for the casual reader, assuming that he or she understands that nothing in this story is real or factual.
"Donald Towner" is a figment of someone's twisted imagination. If he is real he is obviously a loathsome person. Apparently, and luckily, if that person were real, that person is no longer among us to distort the facts and misrepresent history. I know that this manuscript has been bandied about from publisher to publisher for some time. It is my hope that it might some day be published. The story is mildly entertaining, absent the deplorable language. One would hope that the casual reader would accept it for what it is, mild entertainment, and not read any real meaning into it.
Erin Kelly
1996
Third "Afterward"
I came across this manuscript in a gun shop in Virginia in 1998. There was a very nice four inch Colt Python in the case with very little wear. Since it was from the fifth year of manufacture, I took a second look and wound up buying it. After the paperwork was completed, the manager of the shop handed me a package containing the manuscript and he told me what he knew about it, which turned out to be pretty much what you see in the first and second "Afterwords". And that's nothing.
It took me a couple of years to get around to reading the damn thing. A lot of it is tedious and boring. The gun went into the safe and, frankly, I forgot about it and the manuscript for a while. Then last year in the middle of some family issues, I came across the gun and pulled the manuscript out and read it.
Now that we have the internet, it's a whole lot easier to research things than it was almost twenty-five years ago when this thing was written. For example, almost all of the information about the three secrets of Fatima was just a mystery when this was written Nobody knew Anthony Blunt was a traitor. And, it was only since Holy Blood, Holy Grail in the 80's was published that any information about the bloodline of Jesus Christs family was known at all. Now, of course, there are dozens of books. Finally, there has been some rather sensational information published about the death of Pope John Paul I which might indicate that "Donald Towner", whoever he was, had some inside information when the book was written.
Also, just as a sideline, I got a look at the penthouse in the building next to the Dakota. I could not find any information on the ownership of the apartment but it is a dead ringer for what is described in the book, right down to the maid's quarters across the roof. So, like so many people in the book say, who knows?
Now that we seem to be entering into a new era of terrorism, particularly involving the Middle East, some of this, written twenty fiveyears ago, might be of interest. In any case, the book is as much a mystery as any mystery talked about in it. If anyone wants to pursue this information there's plenty to look at.
I have had the manuscript retyped, or rather, put into a Word Document so it is easier to deal with. Since it seems the jihad is upon us, maybe now is the time. Good luck to everybody.
Roy Perdue
2002
Conspiracies "R" Us
