Roxborough Review, 1989
Added 2023-04-19 03:00:55 +0000 UTC"'My father (Samuel Cowell, whom Dr. Dorothy Lewis had described as a demented, extremely violent and frightening individual who had a lasting influence on Bundy) was a very loving man. He loved Ted very much, and was truly broken up when he and my sister (Louise) moved west to live with one of my father's brothers. He had a temper, as many of us, and at times could be feisty, but he was never violent,' she said about Cowell. 'He never even spanked his children. He was a gentle man. We had pets, both cats and dogs, and he never mistreated any of them...'
'The family had a terrible time with Dr. Lewis. My sister (there were three Cowell daughters) who lives in suburban Philadelphia says she is sorry that she ever spoke with Dr. Lewis. That nonsense about Ted slipping knives into her bed was completely twisted. The youngster happened to be in a rambunctious mood and had deposited a number of things from a kitchen cabinet drawer upon her bed, including an egg beater. There was nothing sinister at all involved.'"
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A collection of 1989 articles and letters to the editor in the Philadelphia local newspaper, The Roxborough Review. The Cowells (Louise's family) lived in the Roxborough neighborhood, as did Ted before he and his mother moved to the west coast in 1951. Ted Bundy's Aunt Audrey wrote to the newspaper shortly after Ted's execution in hopes of "setting the record straight" about the Cowell family and her father, Ted's grandfather.
(Originally found by Leto MK, and shared with me by the Roxborough Review archivist).
Comments
Interesting that Louise attempted to contact Ted’s Father—
Joe Ulam
2023-04-28 00:08:06 +0000 UTCMy father grew up in Roxborough and I'm very familiar with the neighborhood
Evan Brown
2023-04-22 18:59:46 +0000 UTCMe too. Same with the stuff about his eyes. Just send like an attempt to otherize Bundy. He wasn't some otherworldly creature, alien, or demon. He was a human, and human eyes don't just "turn black." Outside of the use of color contacts I've never seen evidence of such a thing.
Nunya consoin
2023-04-19 20:42:38 +0000 UTCWho knows what the truth is? I was raised by a man that would have had just as many glowing reports as this guy. However, he regularly beat me and my older brother. It's hard to know what the truth is and who knows whether something happened to Ted or he was just born with a penchant an appetite for killing....
Carey
2023-04-19 14:58:06 +0000 UTCI've always suspected the 'knives in the bed' story was bunk.
OverTheRhine
2023-04-19 03:14:41 +0000 UTCWe see that event so often quoted supporting the "killers are born, not raised" - toddler Ted wanted to kill his aunt. Very interesting find!
Ian McKinnon
2023-04-19 03:07:57 +0000 UTC
