To Kill or Not to Kill Frank Remington had been born and raised in Sheridan, Wyoming. His father had been a violent man. Throughout his youth Frank was beaten and abused…

To Kill or Not to Kill Frank Remington had been born and raised in Sheridan, Wyoming. His father had been a violent man. Throughout his youth Frank was beaten and abused repeatedly, but he and those around him accepted such treatment as the natural order of things in a manly society. He attended the University of Wyoming. After graduation in criminal justice and serving in the army Frank returned home and got a job as deputy sheriff in a small town in eastern Wyoming. Marriage and two children, a boy and a girl, followed shortly. Like his father, Frank was a violent man. He often beat his wife and children. He continued to wear his service revolver in the house and he had several rifies and shotguns. Frank's children, Dennis, 14 and Diane 16, were paralyzed with fear into good behavior. As the years passed the town became terrorized by the deputy's ways. Young people were subject to rough treatment for the most minor offenses. His view was that if the parents failed to regulate the child's behavior it was up to him to do so. Dennis Remington was a big disappointment to his father. A bookish boy, Dennis hated violence. Unlike his peers he never went out for sports, stay out late or drink alcohol. His favorite pastime was reading. On one occasion Frank found Dennis reading on the front porch. In a nearby field Dennis' friends were playing football. "Hey, Danny! Why don't you go play football?" Frank said. No! I want to read." "God damn it! Go play ball! What are you, a fairy?" yelled the father to his son. "Oh. Dad!" Dennis started to say. But he was slapped in the face again and again. Diane came out onto the porch crying not to hurt Dennis but she got a slap and soon both kids were beaten on their own porch. Barbara, their mother, rushed out to complain but became a victim too. It was clear that Frank was out of control. The group of football players rushed to Remington's house but was met by Frank holding a gun. "What a monster!" Dennis heard from the fleeing boys. That night Dennis lay upon his bed thinking. His father had gone off for a drink. Dennis called Diane into his room. Soon Barbara heard them argue. Around midnight the family was awakened by the drunken noise. Barbara came out to help Frank but only received verbal abuse. Dennis waited till his father fell asleep, called Diane and both children went into the room where Frank lay on the sofa. His service revolver was still strapped to his waist. "This is wrong!" Diane said. "We can't do this! He's our father." "He's a monster! He will destroy us. The town, the family, all hate him. He'll kill one of us some day. It's better that he is gone!" Dennis went to the gun cabinet, brought the gun and aimed it at his father's head. Diane stood a little back with fear on her face and tears in her eyes. Dennis looked at his father who didn't look all that evil lying there. Dennis cocked the gun and steadied his aim. Unable to gaze at the result of his action, Dennis looked up and saw his mother staring from the doorway with disappointment. He squeezed the trigger... Next day-after Dennis had been locked up the coroner's office made an interesting discovery. Frank Remington, indeed had been shot in the head. But that had not been the cause of death. Actually, Frank had died an hour earlier from a massive heart attack. Dennis Remington had shot a dead body.