Nation: We Wept Together

Prayers, tears and new fears as clergymen visit the hostages

They had all been readied for display. Their hair was neatly combed, and their clothes were freshly laundered. Though many of them had long been kept in silent isolation, with their hands tied, they now seemed in good physical condition. Several eagerly asked their American visitors which football teams were in the professional playoffs and college bowl games. They were prohibited from talking about politics, but one nonetheless inquired: "Is Teddy Kennedy running for President?" A few muttered defiant wisecracks about their captors, but...

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