The Londons

Sofy Dzhanashvili
02/19/09
English 211W
Professor Henkle

Explore Missouri Magazine, Volume XVI, Issue 8
Sunday, December 18th, 1966


"How saddening the tragedy of good men, how disheartening the fate of lovely friends."- J.R. Thompson, novelist and friend of Trace London, as excerpted from his best-seller Neighborhood Mysteries[1]

They were an odd pair. Unlikely, to be sure, but many would even argue that they were straight-down incompatible. Trace, with his slow, Southern slur and gap-toothed grin, sitting on the porch as his wife Sal, a fiery red-headed New Yorker, tiptoed around him bringing a pitcher of water or a cup of pudding or doing some other insignificant domestic chore. Yet, as peculiar a match they were, no one had would anticipate what would happen to them. The lovely couple from 384 Pine Lake Road[2] always came to church on Sunday mornings, always wrote inside the lines and kept the most outstanding garden, which Trace took care of himself. He was last seen bent over his shrub of Honeysuckle. Sal was sweeping the front steps, periodically checking on the freshly baked batch of homemade corn bread[3] that was cooling inside. It was reported that the front-porch was left only half-cleaned, with the dust still drifting mid-air. The corn-bread sat on the kitchen counter, untouched, waiting.
Trace was the son of honest, industrious, blue-collar Americans who believed that the perfect man was created with hard-work and discipline. He knew which tools fixed a pipe leak. Sal's parents were immigrants, arriving from Hungary in the winter of '36 and settling in the West Side, where the success of their leather company[4] set them to become an affluent upper-middle class family. Indeed, Sal was a city girl and knew nothing of suburban life, but she soon learned to fold laundry perfectly. They married in the early Spring, shortly after the blizzard of '58 had subsided, at St. Luke's church where Trace had been christened 27 years before. It was noted by all guests to be a touching wedding and a delightful evening. Father Harvey attended.

Police Report #7865B[5]
Welmington, Missouri
Issue of Missing Persons: London, Trace; London, Sally
Last seen mid-afternoon, October 23rd, 1964
Case Pending

The Londons simply disappeared. There were no signs of forced entry.[6] No ransom note. No evidence of struggle. Indeed, gossip had loomed amongst the inhabitants of Pine Lake Road that the Londons had their share of domestic problems, but this was no reason to jump to conclusions. It was no secret that Sal was often subject to Trace’s emotional outbursts, as his violent screams were sometimes heard in the middle of the night, when everyone’s curtains had already been drawn.[7] It was not uncommon to see Sal smoking a cigarette outside the downstairs bathroom window, silently weeping. Yet, most days she seemed happy, and she regularly attended the town’s Women’s League meetings.
Two years after the London’s disappearance, the community is still in shock about the heartbreaking turn of events, yet has come to cope with the tragedy. A small bronze[8] statue stands at the corner of Pine Lake Road, dedicated to the memory of a much-beloved couple.[9]




[1] Available by order from Starwood Publishers, Starnum, Missouri, 26899.
[2] Newly renovated town-house now stand there, available for purchase. Please contact Glory Day Realtors for further information.
[3] As reported by Barbara Simons, 386 Pine Lake Road, Mrs. London’s corn-bread recipe included the following ingredients:
1/4 pound butter (softened)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (cream by be substituted)
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour

[4] Donath Hinds still remains the top seller of fine leather goods in the East Coast.
[5] Printed with permission of Missouri State Police, license #9874.
[6] Retrieved from article in the Missouri Oak Times, October 26, 1964- "MISSING: Wholesome Missouri Couple Disappear; Community in Shock”.
[7] Police report dated January 17th, 1962, documented domestic violence. Anonymous called received from 386 Pine Lake Road. Charges were soon dropped as of mistrial.

[8] Let it be noted that the metal has not yet begun aging, although a green tint has slightly tinged the bronze.
[9] If you hold any information regarding Trace or Sally London, please contact Lt. Sanders of the Missouri State Police, District12. Reward is likely.