Subject: Ronald Opus
From:
Alan Of Australia
Date: 14 Jan 98 - 09:44 PM
G'day,
This story obtained from The Fortean Times was reported in an Aussie newspaper as the weirdest suicide of 1994:
On March 24 in San Diego, Mr Ronald Opus wrote out a suicide note, climbed to the edge of a 10-storey bulding and jumped.
As he passed the ninth floor, an elderly man who had been threatening his wife with a shotgun, fired, missing the woman. But he blasted Opus in the head as he passed, killing him instantly.
TWIST number one:
Opus was the son of the man who had fired and had loaded the gun knowing his dad's tendancy to wave the unloaded gun at his mother. Opus, it seems, had been angry with her for cutting off his financial support and had hoped his dad would accidently kill her and take the blame.
TWIST nimber two:
It was when the loaded gun scam failed to kill his mum that Opus grew so depressed that he decided to throw himself off the building in the first place.
TWIST number three:
Because window washers were working on the building, a safety net had been strung around the eighth floor - if not for the shotgun, Opus wouldn't have died at all.
What a lovely family! Well of course I had to write a song:- RONALD OPUS
by Alan Foster
I've had to sell my Porsche he wrote in his note of suicide
Since Mother cut my income off I might as well have died
I thought perhaps I'd slash my wrists or try some cyanide
But I've climbed up to the tenth floor roof to leap right o'er the side.
I know that Father waves his gun at Mum when in dispute
So I put a bullet up the spout in hope that he would shoot
In vain I've waited many days for this accidental death
He'd take the blame and I'd rejoice at Mother's final breath.
But little did young Ronald know as he passed the ninth floor
His mum and dad were in the loungeroom fighting tooth and claw
The old man grabbed the gun and said, "My dear I wish you dead."
But his shot missed Mum and passed outside and hit Ron in the head.
The shot killed Ronald instantly and so he'll never know
The window cleaners left a safety net one floor below
And in this net his body fell and gently it did sway
And if he'd left the gun alone he'd be alive today.
The tune is a variation of "The Old Palmer's Song" or "Ten Thousand Miles Away".
MIDI file: RONOPUS.MID Timebase: 480 Name: Ronald Opus
TimeSig: 4/4 24 8
Key: C
Tempo: 160 (375000 microsec/crotchet)
Start
1440 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 60 127 0478 0 60 127 0002 1 60 127 0478 0 60 127 0002 1 64 127 0478 0 64 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0238 0 72 127 0002 1 74 127 0238 0 74 127 0002 1 76 127 0478 0 76 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 69 127 1438 0 69 127 0002 1 71 127 0478 0 71 127 0002 1 72 127 0718 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0238 0 72 127 0002 1 71 127 0478 0 71 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 69 127 0478 0 69 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 64 127 0478 0 64 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 69 127 0478 0 69 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 65 127 0478 0 65 127 0002 1 64 127 0478 0 64 127 0002 1 62 127 1438 0 62 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 60 127 0718 0 60 127 0002 1 60 127 0238 0 60 127 0002 1 64 127 0478 0 64 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0238 0 72 127 0002 1 74 127 0238 0 74 127 0002 1 76 127 0478 0 76 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 69 127 1438 0 69 127 0002 1 71 127 0478 0 71 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 71 127 0478 0 71 127 0002 1 72 127 0478 0 72 127 0002 1 69 127 0478 0 69 127 0002 1 67 127 0478 0 67 127 0002 1 64 127 0478 0 64 127 0002 1 60 127 0478 0 60 127 0002 1 62 127 0478 0 62 127 0002 1 64 127 0238 0 64 127 0002 1 65 127 0238 0 65 127 0002 1 64 127 0478 0 64 127 0002 1 62 127 0478 0 62 127 0002 1 60 127 1438 0 60 127
End To download the November 10 MIDItext 97 software and get instructions on how to use it click here ABC format: X:1
T:Ronald Opus
M:4/4
Q:1/4=160
K:C
G2|C2C2E2G2|c2c2c2cd|e2c2c2G2|A6B2|c3cB2c2|
A2G2E2G2|A2G2F2E2|D6G2|C3CE2G2|c2c2c2cd|e2c2c2G2|
A6B2|c2c2B2c2|A2G2E2C2|D2EFE2D2|C6||
Here is another view of The Fortean Times. Cheers,
Alan
| 
sj
