I stuck all of the messages into a folder, then went to where the .dbx files are stored on the hard drive.....can delete them there...........but this is a hassle.
This is an odd problem.
There are NO similarities between the messages that stick.
Pretty weird. And I did NOT import messages to OE.........I imported many to Outlook then gave up because I hate Outlook.
I can see no reason why these particular messages resist deletion.