ABSTRACT
In the early autumn of 1963 Robert Simpson knocked on the door of a second-floor apartment in the Pruitt part of the project, near the commercial area on Jefferson Avenue. He was greeted by a very large 51-year-old woman, Mrs Annette Madison. It was during school hours, so only two of the seven children who lived in the apartment were at home. Seven-year-old Mark was not feeling well that day, and 5-year-old Timmy seemed to be rather severely retarded. Simpson later learned that the five other children were Bill, 15; George, 13; Harry, 11; Nat, 9; Ophelia, 8. In addition, there was an older son, Paul, 25, who, though still single, lived on his own. Mrs Madison had moved from a nearby area to the project when it opened. The last three children had been born in the project. When she moved into the project, she was separated from her husband, but the family kept in contact with him and when he was able to find work he made contributions to their maintenance. The last child had been fathered by a Mr Vardaman who initially made a contribution of about $41 a month, but this ceased after two or three years. The two next youngest children had been fathered by a Mr Caine, who seems never to have made any contribution to their support.
