b-3-d-6
Statement about Birdie Marable, from Millie Cunningham:
I used to stay at Birdie Marable’s from 7 AM until 2 PM twice a week for free. These are the things I observed.
The patients would beg me to clean them up. I spent all the time doing laundry and cleaning up.
Janie Brown – She couldn’t get up at all, her legs and feet were swollen so badly, she had bedsores out of control, just from the filth. Then she had her leg amputated (her right leg) for diabetes, but the Dr. said that she didn’t keep it clean.
Birdie lied about turning over all the money to PT. She never did that.
Victoria – Birdie finally brainwashed Victoria not to even let her great niece Velma Darnes visit her – Velma being a member of PT.
Mother LaTourneau – Birdie took a lot of money from her, and took her car too. She treated her like a dog.
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[An early draft of this affidavit appears on this page at FF-12-A-49]
Statement about Birdie Marable, from Fanny Jordan:
I am a senior citizen 63 ys. old and I am a member of Peoples Temple. Pastor Jim Jones is my pastor. I have been a member for over 8 ys. I have never I mean never known him to hurt anyone. I know because he has taken me in. He has helped my daughter with 9 children who lives in Louisiana when the Welfare cut her off. He helped her with her children. He has helped people all over the nation, given thousands of dollars to keep people out of jail, who were strangers to him. He took in orphaned children, sent them to school, took them off the street. When the other people wouldn’t take them in, when they were ashamed of them, he took them in. He took in senior citizens when their children were tired of them, and had sent them to homes and forgot them, he had so much love and concern and compassion for the others. What made me so angry when I saw Birdie Marable lie, and the others, that you all take for granted that she was telling the truth, and I wanted to tell you what I know about Birdie Marable. I live with her long enough to know what she is. I can’t see why you all can’t see what she is doing. She’s taking money from seniors. She keeps drinking and she won’t half feed them. She starved Truth Heart, the old lady, to death. She died because one sister wouldn’t take her to the doctor. She had a sore on her leg, she did not take time to take her to the doctor, or see that she took medicine. She bought the food as a front, so that they would say that she did feed them. Then she would give a piece of watermelon and a sandwich, even when they said they didn’t want that. She’d cuss them out then, and tell them that they wouldn’t get anything. They were afraid of her. I have found pints of gin. She would be drunk and they would tell me about how she would do when I was gone. The name of the one dead from starving was Truth Heart, the other was Ella Mae Hoskins. She had to have her leg taken off. Ella Mae told Robert Johnson [balance of line crossed out: “to tell Pastor Jim Jones to send and get her”]. She was being mistreated by Birdie. Birdie didn’t want the seniors, she wanted the money. It wasn’t my business, but she was licensed and I had to tell what I know. Janie Brown’s bladder was weak, and she would wet on herself. Birdie wouldn’t clean her room, and it was stinking so badly you couldn’t go in the room. Harvey Lawson was a senior who Birdie let wander around the street. His mind was bad and people had to bring him home, he’d go downtown and get lost. Someone would have to bring him home, she didn’t miss him.