Julia Saley

CLP4392
4/23/14
Final Paper

Donald Pee Wee Gaskins The Meanest Man in America

How to describe Pee Wee in five words Brutal, detached, pedophile, cannibal,
psychopath (1). Donald Gaskins was a Southern American serial killer whose murderous
lifestyle began at an early age, with his first attempted manslaughter conviction at the young age
of 13. He consistently lured young women into secluded areas by offering rides or other favors,
then raped and murdered them. He was a brilliant and manipulative man who used his charm to
convince people to trust them, so he could use and employ them for help with his horrible
crimes. It was one of these trusted accomplices, Walter Neely, who finally sold Gaskins out to
local authorities after watching him murder two men in cold blood. Pee Wee ultimately
confessed to over 180 murders before he was sentenced to death in his home state of South
Carolina.
In March of 1933 Donald Henry Gaskins Jr. was born the last illegitimate child of
Ms.Molly Parrott and her neighbor, a wealthy man named Mr. Gaskins in the rural county of
Florence, South Carolina. He was consistently mistreated and verbally or physically beaten by
his various step-father figures. These men were usually alcoholics, and would engage in sexual
acts with his mother in front of his as well as mistreat Donald in front of his mother. His mother
displayed very little interest in him or his well-being. In fact, Donald cites the first time hearing
his real name being the first time he was called to court when he was 11 years old. Even once his
mother married Hinnant Hanna and a consistent father figure was introduced, Donald was still
mistreated and given strict rules to follow with violent consequences for misbehavior. Pee Wee
was given his nickname for his small stature as a child, and constantly teased and taunted in
school. He began displaying violent and unmoral behavior from a very early age, leading to

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conduct problems in and out of school. He was a consistently found guilty of smaller crimes such
as petty theft, burglary, and fighting, and he eventually dropped out of school to work part time
as a mechanic in a local garage. Although Hanna soon forced him to quit so he could help work
in the fields, it was at the garage that he was introduced to two other young men about his age
that also had dropped out of school and had a penchant for miscreant behavior. The three began
to call themselves The Trouble Trio and committed various violent crimes together like
soliciting prostitutes, burglary, and rape. Many times they would threaten their victims with
murder if they chose to speak out against them, especially the young men they raped. One of the
trio members, Danny Marsh, had a younger sister named Julie whom the boys decided to gang
rape so they could experience sex with a virginal female. The gang was caught, however, and the
parents of the Marsh girl beat the boys until they were bloody. The other two members of the trio
and their families moved away soon after. It should be noted that when asked about these
incidents, Gaskins has said he felt no remorse for his actions, only for being caught, and that
these experiences were both pleasurable and fulfilling for him.
The next big criminal event occurred in 1946, when Pee Wee was 13 years old. He and a
new partner in crime named Walt were burglarizing a home when a young girl he knew
interrupted them. After she attempted to attack him, he attempted to murder her by hitting her
twice with an axe she had brought along, once in the head and once in the arm, nearly killing the
girl. While Walt escaped unnoticed, Pee Wee was charged with assault with a deadly weapon and
intent to kill. He was found guilty and as a result was sent to The South Carolina Industrial
School For Boys, a reform school in Florence. There he was approached by an older male called
Boss Poss who demanded that Pee Wee be his sweetheart or sexual toy. When Pee Wee did

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CLP4392
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Final Paper

not willingly comply, Boss Poss and 20 of his followers raped and sodomized Pee Wee. For the
next year each night Boss Poss would rape him and occasionally trade Pee Wees sexual favors to
other boys in exchange for cigarettes or small items. Because of the abuse, Pee Wee attempted
run away with four other rape victims, but the boys were caught and Pee Wee was given
punishments that included solitary confinement. Although he normally enjoyed socializing, he
later said he was glad for the solitude because it meant Boss Poss could no longer torture him.
His next attempt to escape was more successful, as his aunt agreed to let him stay with her in
exchange for help with chores and good behavior. After three months, she convinced him to
return to the reform school and finish his sentence. Upon returns, the guards began to mistreat
him, which led him to punch one of them in the face. He was sent to a state hospital for mental
evaluation, but once he returned to the school he again experienced abuse by guards and the
older boys, leading him to run away yet again and join a traveling carnival where he met is first
wife Mary. She convinced him to finish out his sentence so they would not have to live on the
run.
When his sentence was finally finished Pee Wee and Mary went to live with her family,
and Pee Wee got a job in construction. When Mary became pregnant they moved to Georgetown,
South Carolina where Pee Wee began a government contract job. His friend Slick from reform
school then offered him a job on a tobacco farm with benefits, so he and Mary moved yet again.
Unfortunately, this job did not last long as Pee Wee and Slick devised an insurance fraud scheme
that involved stealing tobacco crops from other farmers, then burning their farms so the owners
of the fields would receive insurance money for the damages. When Slick was arrested he chose
not to indicate Pee Wee in the crimes, so Pee Wee continued the work and earned the title of The

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Final Paper

Barnburner around the area. When Slicks replacement took over ownership of the field, the
owners daughter became suspicious of Pee Wee and threatened to turn him in for his crimes. Pee
Wee retaliated by hitting the girl on the head with a hammer knocking her unconscious. A few
days later, after attempting to flee the scene, Pee Wee was picked up by local authorities and
sentenced to 5 years in the South Carolina State Penitentiary on charges of assault with a deadly
weapon, and arson. He was given an extra years time for insulting the judge during his trial.
While in prison, Pee Wee was again solicited for sexual favors, but after 6 months he decided to
take a stand and gain dominance the only way he knew how. In the prison system, whoever is
understood to be the biggest, meanest, most dominant inmate is considered the one to beat in
order to gain the respect of other inmates. Pee Wee used this knowledge to determine Hazel
Brazille would be his target. He worked hard to gain Brazells trust, and within a week he got
close enough to slice Brazells throat, killing him in cold blood. This earned him 6 months in
solitary confinement, but it also earned him the title of Power Man. Because of his new
respectability, he was given a weaker inmate, making him able to switch roles from the rape
victim to the rapist.
I have walked the same path as God, by taking lives and making others afraid, I became
God's equal. Through killing others, I became my own master. Through my own power I come to
my own redemption.

Julia Saley
CLP4392
4/23/14
Final Paper

Gaskins, Pee Wee., and Wilton Earle. Final Truth. New York: Windsor Pub., 1994.
Print.