A young girl caught in despair had to conclude her life as a child to obtain her mother's role in raising her younger brothers and sisters. Penny was just 13-years of age and the oldest of nine children. The large deprived family resided in a small 4-room house in Abbeville Alabama. She was bind with the responsibilities and authority in managing the home while her mother labored outside the residence as a housemaid and due to her father's affliction hindered him in seeking any kind of employment and became extremely furious. Discontentment and grief consumed him when he began to lash out towards the sweet, loving, innocence of his helpmeet fused in matrimony for 13-years. His brutal temper tantrums and severe outburst against their mother angered the children but the one who had the most bitterness and vigor was Penny when she often declared, "I Should Have Killed You!"