Scary stories

Dog Boy

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  Once thought to be an urban legend, research into the archives of local newspapers and tracking down a few local residents revealed that the 'Dog Boy' of Quitman, Arkansas actually existed.

Floyd and Alline Bettis moved into the large house in the early 1950s. The couple, childless for many years, had a son, Gerald Floyd Bettis, in 1954, according to a local historian and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazettearchives.

Gerald was a difficult child from early on, reported those who knew of him. "His parents were good people, but Gerald was a brat, vicious and cruel," states local Mary Nell Holabird. Bettis also developed some unusual habits early on, including collecting cats and dogs, leading to his nickname, "Dog Boy."

"He would catch stray animals and torture them. We could hear them howl, "said Holabird.

Long-time resident Nelda Kennedy agreed with Holabird's assessment of Bettis. "I had almost forgotten about all those cats and dogs he had, but he even added onto the house so he could keep more of them," she said.

Kennedy also confirmed that Bettis had difficulties at school. "Kids would pester him and take things away from him. It was like he wanted to be aggravated to get attention," she said. She cited one instance in which there was a large family reunion at Quitman City Hall. "Gerald took one of those old chaise lounges over there. You know, like the ones that the Romans would lay back on? He got some grapes and laid down on it to eat them in front of everyone, "she said.

Bettis' actions allegedly turned more sinister. "He kept his parents virtually imprisoned in the upstairs part of that house," Holabird said. "He would feed them, but only when he decided it was time for them to eat," she said. By the time he was an adult, locals say Bettis towered over his elderly parents at 6'4', and weighed close to 300 pounds. It was also regularly reported that he beat up his father and even threw him out of an upstairs window one time during his teen years. Although he was in his 70s at the time, the elder Bettis hung onto the ledge until the local police showed up, Holabird said. According to the Heber Springs Sun Times, Floyd Bettis died in 1981 after an illness at his home. Others say he was pushed down the staircase and died of a broken neck.

"I was afraid of Gerald, " Kennedy said. "If you had ever seen his eyes, they seemed to glow at night. One time he came over here and got onto us because we had trimmed a magnolia tree that overlapped into his back yard," she said. "And when they started cleaning that house up, one of his uncles came to my house to borrow a gun, because he was afraid that Gerald would get riled up," she said.

In the early 1980s, Alline Bettis fell and broke her hip, requiring a trip to the hospital. A retired nurse, Holabird witnessed Bettis' treatment of his mother. "He was slapping her around, and telling her, 'I'm going to have you arrested if you tell anyone what I did.' Not long after this incident, Alline Bettiswas placed in adult protective services and removed from the home permanently.

A little later, Gerald Bettis built a sunroom on the back of the house, and sold the plants he grew, including marijuana, Holabird said. Authorities arrested him based on this and his mother's testimony of her abuse. Bettis was put in prison in the late 1980s and died of a drug overdose, Holabird said. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette archives confirm Gerald Floyd Bettis death in May 1988 at age 34.

When Alline Bettis died in 1995, Holabird's niece, Reba Carter, inherited the house. Not long after, there was an estate sale at the house.