While trying to identify the perpetrators, I searched the Charlestown Patriot newspaper, which was owned by the Charlestown Boys Club and used by them to showcase the members. The first person I identified bore a strong resemblance to one of the actual perpetrators but, in fact, was not him. Larry Hardoon was a former prosecutor in the Middlesex County Sexual Assault Unit dealing with children and he was helping me at the time. He sent the following letter to the person I identified. In the letter, he asked the alleged perpetrator for his help in providing the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston for the proof they were demanding. But he was not involved.
The only bad thing that came out of this correspondence, aside from the bad feelings I had after misidentifying someone and causing him undue stress, was that the Boys and Girls Clubs attorney, Judith Malone, disclosed my name and address to the man’s attorney, thereby disclosing my whereabouts to someone whom I suspected of having perpetrated a vicious assault on me. That left me thinking that the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston really did not care what happened to me. But it would get much, much worse.
August 7, 1997
Dear [name of alleged assailant redacted]:
My firm represents Mr. James Chester. l am writing you about a matter of very grave concern to my client.
Thirty-four years ago, when Mr. Chester was 11, he was a participant in the summer camping program operated by the Boys & Girls Club in Charlestown. He participated in the program for a few weeks that summer. You were Mr. Chester’s group leader in the program. You were 18 years old at the time and you were on the swim team.
During that summer of 1963, there were 65 campers in the program and my client has found at least 46 of them. Many are still living in Charlestown.
My client tells me that you and another individual were responsible for an extremely brutal and sadistic sexual assault upon him. In addition, he described how you forced him and other boys to participate in embarrassing and humiliating behavior in an office that adjoined the gym at the Boys’ Club in Charlestown. I will not detail these acts at this time.
Mr. Chester has expended considerable money and effort locating you and other participants in the program that summer. He is very determined to see this matter through to a conclusion as it has become an extremely important issue for him to resolve with the Boys & Girls Club.
At this precise moment in time, my client has instructed me to inform you that there is a very brief window of opportunity for you to cooperate with me in this matter. If you are willing to do so, he is prepared to offer you an assurance that he will not pursue litigation against you personally nor do anything that might cause your name or his claim to become public.
He believes the Boys & Girls Club is responsible for enabling you to perpetrate the harm you did to him. He is looking for some measure of justice to deal with what he has suffered with for many years.
I suggest you arrange to meet with me to discuss this whole matter. You can bring someone with you to the meeting including an attorney if you wish. I will promise you that any conversation we may have will be strictly confidential until you agree otherwise.
My client is incredibly determined and I have no doubt whatsoever that he will pursue his claim to the end. Consequently, I believe you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by exploring the question of cooperation.
This is quite an unusual proposal for this type of case, but one my client wants me to present.
I will need to hear from you by August 22 if you wish to discuss this with me.
Very truly yours,
[signed]
Laurence E. Hardoon
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