On Christmas Eve 1945, the excitement in the Sodder household was palpable.
With nine of the 10 children at home – one was away with the Army – it was a wonder any of them got to sleep.
Three of the younger kids, Martha, 12, Jennie, 8, and Betty, 5, begged to stay up past their bedtime so they could play with the toys their older sister, Marion, 17, had surprised them with.
Night caller
They were all finally asleep when the phone rang in the smart, two-storey, West Virginian house.
When Jennie, the mum, told the woman caller she’d got the wrong number, the caller laughed and hung up.
Before going back up to bed, Jennie noticed all the house lights were on and the doors were unlocked. She…
