The Violence and Villains of Little Orphan Annie
The Revenge
This incident though, does not discourage either Pinchpenny the elder or
younger. In fact, it whets their appetite for greater plans of treachery.
Undaunted
Gray adds a little more fuel to the villainous fire. The elder Pinchpenny,
it turns out, is the hit and run driver responsible for crippling Pete
Pincher's son years back. Not only does Elmer Pinchpenny run over defenseless
dogs, but his father cripples little children with his car. As the deeds and
actions of these two get worse, they begin to rise further and further
above the realm of simple widow evictors. It's clear that Gray is out to make
murderers out of them.
The last leg of the "Cosmic City" story begins in March 1933, when Gus Pincher,
the crippled son of Pete Pincher, gives Annie a rusty old knife which was
found on the scene of the "accident" which crippled him. When Pinchpenny
sees Annie with the knife, he turns to jelly, bending to her every whim.
Though Annie doesn't realize why the sudden change takes place, she figures
to become friendlier with her seemingly generousity-filled "friend."
