I have been a Southampton resident for 16 years. Sunday was my 70th birthday. Saturday evening my wife and I realized that our jigsaw puzzle had kept us up past midnight. My wife wished me a happy birthday and we headed for bed. Suddenly, we heard loud voices in our yard followed by pounding on the door that sounded like the Gestapo. I ran to the door yelling appropriately. Whoever it was had run, there was no reply. We headed to bed only to have the pounding recur at 1 a.m. This time my wife called the police, while I stepped outside only to be called names (which I can’t/won’t repeat in print) from the bushes. The unknown visitors kept well hidden. I didn’t leave my porch and watched as a cruiser went up and down our road. As soon as the cruiser was well out of sight, there was a third pounding at the door. We called the police again. This time two cruisers were up and down the road, and two officers came to the door. They were professional and courteous and we all acknowledged there was little they could do in the dark on a heavily wooded rural road.

We were left on edge for the rest of the night. The only political thing we have is a small “In This House” banner on our mailbox post. Evidently, even fair treatment for all offends some people. It would seem that good, honest (quiet) folks need to be prepared. Have a plan in place. A lot can happen in the time it takes the police to arrive in a rural setting. We are left asking ourselves, should we buy assault rifles? Or get pistol permits and wear them on our hips? Were they drunken kids or want-to-be militiamen? We don’t know and probably never will. Not an incident we would have anticipated in this area in our lifetime.

Alex Gray

Southampton