W-b Police Crime Prevention Captain Leaving The Station

Anna Mclaughlin

STEVE CORBETT
 Thursday, November 29, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 11A 





Youth eventually overtakes us all. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But, despite the punishment of time, few people find themselves caught in
the whirlwind and left battered on the sidewalk. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Helen Folchetti, 84, saw life's mad rush pass before her eyes Friday as she
became afraid, stumbled and hit the cold concrete outside the bank at Kingston
Corners. A pack of youngsters on bikes had shot by her at breakneck speed,
causing her to lose her balance as well as her sense of security. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``They went by me like the hammers of hell,'' she said from her Dan Flood
Towers apartment last week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``The hammers of hell,'' she repeated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Looking up from the ground that day, Helen said she saw a few of the six or
eight youngsters turn around and gawk. Not one returned to see if she was all
right as she lay bleeding from a gash on her head. At that moment, Helen could
not be faulted for thinking no one cared. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Of course, people came to her aid. An ambulance arrived. And police took
the information for their report. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 But life is no longer as easy as the spry days when she, too, was young and
each day held adventure. A few years after high school, she left Larksville
for New York City, where she met her husband, Alphonse, and lived in the
Ridgewood section of Queens for the next 40 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Growing up all over again in the big city is an experience she will always
value. Maturing and learning and seeing sights she only dreamed of as a girl
made her heartfelt fear of leaving home almost seem silly. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After her husband's death, though, she returned home to the Wyoming Valley,
where she has lived for the past 20 years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 All that's left of her once grand family that included nine children is her
sister, whom Helen visits in the nursing home every week. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Plenty of people DO care &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Despite her cherished losses, her character remains noble. One woman
described Helen as `` humble, quiet and caring.'' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``She is quite a good-natured person,'' the woman said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Helen's faith in human nature is as bruised as her bones. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No witnesses have come forward and Helen doesn't expect to wait up for one
to arrive. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 No matter what happens, though, Helen should know that - naive as it sounds
- most people do care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The overwhelming majority of the 210 people who average 70 years of age and
share her building care. All Dan Flood Towers staff with whom I spoke
Wednesday - including the building manager and the telephone operator - care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Workers at the bike shop who came on the scene after the accident care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Kingston police care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Anybody with any sense who saw or heard about Helen's accident cares. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Had the hit-and-run team stopped, helped, apologized and taken
responsibility for their foolishness, they, too, might care. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 They also might have felt some of the pure determination that caused a
19-year-old young woman to strike out on her own during the Depression - to go
``down to New York,'' work in restaurants and even take the train to a party
in Brooklyn. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Alphonse was on that train that night, sitting across the aisle, nudging
his buddy in the ribs with his elbow while whispering that he would marry the
girl across the aisle. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It took Alphonse 30 years to confess his boast to Helen. But he mustered
the courage to come clean with what he had done. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One day maybe some of the younger generation will exhibit that same kind of
heart. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Call Corbett at 829-7215 or e-mail stevec@leader.net. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Youngsters Lack Courage Of Their Victim