FF-9-A
To Whom It May Concern:
Two years ago, David Wise, told me that if I would kill my daughter, Ruth Kerns, that he would “Protect me.”
Also, on this same day, I found him incoherent from drugs he had taken. He was laughing hesterically [hysterically] and could not comprehend what was going on. He also picked up a pencil and said he was going to shove it into his brain.
Ellen L. DuPont
—
FF-9-B-20
[An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
Sandi Cobb Jones
I, Sandi Cobb Jones, being duly sworn, declare:
These are my experiences and observations:
Jim Cobb: (my brother) used to beat on his sisters, who are all younger than he when we were growing up. He talked a lot about revolution, and being a revolutionary, about how he hated capitalism and that he was a communist. He used to say how much he hated white people but he was always with a white girl. He and Terry Cobb used to fight all the time when they were young. She would chase him with knives and he would constantly fight with her. It puzzles me how they are so allied now. Jim Cobb used to have guns with him. He would always try to teach me to aim and shoot. The guns were not registered, as far as I know.
Terry Cobb (my sister) used to molest me when she was 11 years old, and I was only seven years old. She warned me not to tell my mother. She used to kill tiny chickens, saying that they were after her. She also killed a baby kitten for the same reason. Terry used to pinch Wayne Pietla on his penis in front of myself and our younger brothers and sister.
Wayne Pietila – told me that Jim Cobb should be killed for leaving the group.
He said that in one of their meetings that Jim Cobb had conducted, Jim Cobb told them that if anybody was to leave the group, that they were traitors. Wayne said that some day, he might have to kill Jim Cobb for leaving. This was their own teaching, and no one introduced this to them. Wayne said that he and Jim Cobb would make up their own security force.
Dated: July 29, 1977
Witnesses: Sandi Cobb Jones
[signature illegible]
—
FF-9-B-21
[This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-89.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank]
I, Sandra Jones, being duly sworn, declare:
Jim Cobb, Terri Cobb, Wayne Pietla [Pietila] and the others who left the church because we didn’t believe in violence said that someday a situation would come up because of them that would force us into violence. Jim Cobb and Terri Cobb are my natural brother and sister.
/s/ Sandra Jones
Dated July 27, 1977
Witnessed: [illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-22
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-100.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Joyce Parks, being duly sworn, declare:
Jim Cobb stole athletic equipment from the Ukiah High School Department. Included were basketballs, footballs, ankle weights and different assorted clothing items.
Jim Cobb would have what he called “Revolutionary” meetings and drilled on people in guerrilla warfare. He would insist that they call out obscenities about the government and that all “white” people were the cause of black repression. He made multiple references that he would kill the President and all government officials by bombing, murder or any other thing that would destroy the “system.” He would laugh and say it would be so good to kill “Washington, D.C.” and turn the world around. Also, he has been emotionally and physically extremely cruel to several different women. He would have sexual experiences with one woman and say that others came onto him and that he had no choice but to “service” them. He would not work but instead lived off these different people. On many different occasions he stole money out of my purse and would take my car for hours without asking to use it. If you questioned his whereabouts he would threaten to “kick ass” that no one questions him and that he does as he pleases. He would have young women have oral sexual experience with him i.e., Jan Wilsey, Mary Ruth, Sharon Cobb and myself. He, in my case, would make me rub his genitalia and after climax he would insist I spread it over his body with my hands and mouth. He would insist on having intercourse into my rectum and forcefully hold me down to the point of bruising my arms and tell me that I was perverted for not doing these weird sexual practices. I was to the point of losing my mind. He would threaten to beat me and on occasion did if I told anyone what he did. He also would stand over me while I was sleeping like a madman and would laugh hysterically about frightening you. Jim Cobb decided he wanted to go into dentistry. He said he would use his race to get into school. He didn’t have to go through channels but that he would use anyone or anybody to graduate so he could make money off of people.
Joyce A. Parks
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-23
[Editor’s note: An outline form of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-102.
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Larry Schacht, being duly sworn, declare:
Wayne Pietla [Pietila] advocated the violent overthrow of the government of the USA. He taught classes in guerrilla warfare. He idolized Che Guevara and was always quick to say he would perform violent acts for his beliefs. He idolized Che Guevara and was always quick to say he would perform violent acts for his beliefs. He threatened to slap the shit out of Denise Buckmaster and called her a liberal bitch.
Jim Cobb had no regard for others. Set off a firecracker in the dining room without warning while I was sitting there. I was making A’s until Jim Cobb forced me and others to stay up all night and we couldn’t study for tests. He destroyed the morale in the dorms with these encounter sessions. Jim always lied to us and said that the college students were the vanguard of the revolution that he proposed to lead. He organized and led militaristic maneuvers in the hills around Ukiah. He organized a lot of divisions from school work when I lived in Oakland. Jim had weekend parties and was very aloof from the rest of the group. At a dormitory meeting in 1972, Jim Cobb pulled down his fly and flopped out his penis and said to all of the boys in the meeting, “see I have a little dick.” One of the other students said “Jim why do you always expose yourself like that.” His patterns were very sloppy. He slept in the living room, left his dishes on the floor and books scattered about. Once when walking to the bus stop we were behind Mickey Touchette. Jim Cobb turned to me and said indicating to Micki’s rear end, “something is wrong with her pussy.” He made sexual overtures to almost every female student in the dorms.
Mickey Touchette was very irresponsible. She wrecked several cars including Wayne’s. She would aspirate air into her vagina and expelled. She demonstrated this for groups of other students.
Jim Cobb stole library books from Sonoma State College and bragged to us about his technique of deception. He told several of us new church members that he was really turned on by a female student before he came to the church who stuck her boobs into his back while he was at his locker. This kind of talk was not a good example for us.
/s/ Laurence E. Schacht
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-24
[This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-101.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Paula Adams, being sworn, declare:
I heard the group of persons who left because of their belief that violence was the only cure for the ills of the United States and that if Jim Jones and Peoples Temple didn’t start a violent course for social change that they would force us into violence. This group of terrorists included Mickey Touchette, Jim Cobb, Terri Cobb Pietla [Pietila], Wayne Pietla, and a few others.
/s/ Paula Adams
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-25
[An early draft of this affidavit appears on this page at FF-12-A-79]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Anita Kelley, being sworn, declare:
Beatrice Lawson – Atty at Law – Los Angeles – Beatrice is a cousin of mine who works for a law firm in Los Angeles, California. I was visiting in her room one night in the Spring of 1977 when I saw the remains of a half smoked marijuana cigarette lying on her end table in the living room. This was also witnessed by Lee Ingram and Gene Chaikin.
Elsie Victoria Moore – LVN – is my natural sister. She used to have a “massage parlor” in Indianapolis, Indiana, which was raided by the police and she was arrested because she and her employees were giving sexual favors to the customers.
Faith Kice, LVN – I was acquainted with Faith during the time I was dating my former husband. Faith is to offer us condoms and encourage us to have sex. This was early in our relationship.
Jim Cobb – He organized groups of young people between the years 1968-1971 and taught classes and tactics in guerrilla warfare and violent revolution. He constantly promoted the idea of a violent overthrow of the government. One day, Jim had spent the night as a houseguest in our home, and he got into my bed uninvited and tried to have sex with me although he did not succeed.
/s/ Anita C. Kelley
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-26
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-90.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
Evelyn M. Eichler
I, Evelyn M. Eichler, being duly sworn, declare:
Ruth Kerns used to stay in my home for a year. At first she seemed to be a very nice person. Later I found that she was a person engrossed with sexual deviation and her temper became violent when she was mad about something. She used to tell me how she would have oral sex with her boyfriends and how she would cheat on each one. She tried to encourage me to do these types of things with her, but I was totally shocked with her behavior and refused to participate. We started to get into many arguments. She got mad at my sister Erin Eichler, who was only 11 years old, and pulled a sharp knife on her, threatening to cut her and said that she would kill her. Those of us at the house stepped in and she backed off from the argument. That night she packed her things and left in her car. I had a bicycle at home which she used to ride a lot. Ruth and her brother Philip came back to our house several days later in the evening pounding on our door demanding the bicycle, which was mine, and shouting all kinds of obscenities at me when I wouldn’t give it to her. My mother, Tish Leroy, was very ill in bed at the time, and Ruth’s brother Philip pushed his way through the door demanding to talk with her. I told him she was sick, but he went into her room and accused her of stealing Ruth’s check from her job at Hacienda Convalescent Hospital. She told him that we had nothing of Ruth’s and had to argue with him until he finally left after making all kinds of threatening remarks, like she would “get it” soon, he would “get us” for taking this check. Later we ask the hospital and found that Ruth had personally picked up all of her checks, that none had been sent in the mail, so we couldn’t possibly have taken a check which she received after leaving the house. Ruth is a sadistic person who doesn’t know how to stop lying.
/s/ Evelyn M. Eichler
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-27
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Carol Kerns, being duly sworn, declare:
My natural sister Ruth Kerns has always been very mean to me all through our childhood together. She used to tie me up and hit me with switches that would leave welts all over my legs and arms. She and Phillip used to gang up on me, holding me down and spit in my face. My mom would go out and leave Ruth home to babysit with me. Ruth would leave me alone in the house to go off with her boyfriends, I was just ten years old. When I was in fifth grade Ruth taught me how to kiss. I told her I didn’t want to but she told me I had to or else boys wouldn’t like me. Then she would kiss me on my mouth for a long time and feel on me. When her boyfriends would come over, who were much older than she was, she would have me watch while they “practiced” love-making. Ruth used to brag about smoking and her first cigarettes she had smoked in Sacramento. One time she put me in a room alone with this boy and encouraged us to have sex together. We just talked, but she wanted to know everything we did. She used to stand in front of the mirror and jump up and down, telling me how beautiful her breasts were and how ugly mine were. She messed around with many guys but she got pregnant from Danny Pietila and got an abortion. She was supposed to be Robin Wages’ best friend at the time this happened. Robin and Danny were going together. She used to go into stores and steal clothes, cameras, bathing suits, food, and a coat. When I was in the tenth grade, Ruth accused me of having an affair with Rev. Jim Jones. I had never even been alone in the same room with him, he is the most principled person I have ever met, and it really burned me up when she said this. Ruth has always been a very violent person. She used to say that the only way to get rid of your enemies and would be to kill them. She thought of herself as a revolutionary out to change the world. Ruth was a very hardcore person who couldn’t care less about older people. When she worked at Hacienda Convalescent Hospital in Ukiah, she left an old crippled man in the bath alone and said she didn’t care if he drowned.
/s/ Carol Kerns
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-28
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-86.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Carol Kerns, being duly sworn, declare:
Jeanette Kerns is my natural sister. When she was in college in Santa Rosa she asked Deborah Evans one of the church’s other students if it would be all right if she had sex with her husband. She told Debbie she should be willing to share him. Jeanette used to always tell me how awful men were and that I should hate them. When I was 5 years old and my natural brother Philip Kerns was 11 or 12 years old he raped me. He did this on several occasions. He told me never to tell anyone. He tried to get me to have sex with our dog when we lived in Sanger, California. Philip used to get cats and throw them into big bonfires. He used to tie cans to their tails and light them on fire and enjoy watching them run and scream. Philip used to have a paper route and whenever he wanted money he would go collect from the customers and spend it. He used to take me with him. He taught me how to hot-wire my Grandpa’s truck which he used to take several times. He told me when we lived in Sanger he wanted to kill me for telling on him. The only reason he joined the Army was so that he could clear his record. He had spent several years in boys homes and Sacramento Youth Authority. He was supposed to have gone to San Quentin but he escaped from the Youth Authority. He went AWOL from the Army while he was stationed in Germany. As far as I know he is still AWOL.
/s/ Carol Kerns
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-29
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-87.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Maria Katsaris, being duly sworn, declare:
Jeanette and I were both living in the church-sponsored dorms in Santa Rosa. This was in 1975. Jeanette was always talking about her lesbian experiences and fantasies and how much she hated men. One day she told us (myself and some of the other students at the dorms) that she would often masturbate with cucumbers and carrots wrapped in saran wrap. She got them out of the refrigerator and returned them to the refrigerator. She found it very funny that we would then eat the vegetables without knowing it.
/s/ Maria Katsaris
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-30
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Christian Leo Rozynko, being duly sworn, declare:
I know Wayne Pietla [Pietila], Mickey Touchette, Jim Cobb, Lena Flowers, Tom Podogorski, Terri Pietla, and Ava Biddulph from personal experience while going to school at the Santa Rosa Junior College. These people lived in the church-provided dormitories where I also lived. I remember many instances where they spoke of revolutionary and terrorist activities such as taking over Ukiah California, a small town in Northern California. They spoke often of violent acts. One time I remember they spoke of blowing up a bridge. At other times I remember Wayne Pietla and Jim Cobb talking about how we would like to shoot the president of the United States. Che Guevara in fact was Wayne Pietla’s and Jim Cobb’s personal idol. Aside from this they had anti-social sexual habits. Jim Cobb who was married began having sexual relations with Mickey Touchette. Tom Podogorski began having sexual relations with first Lena Flowers and then Vera Ingram. Wayne Pietla then began having sexual relations with Lena Flowers. John Biddulph a close friend of theirs began having sexual relations with Terri Pietla. Terri Pietla was at that time married to Wayne Pietla. These eight were changing wives and husbands freely.
In addition, Jim Cobb was motivated one night at the Santa Rosa Dormitories to revealing his penis the guys at the dorms.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-31
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-32
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
/s/ [blank signature line]
I, Jeffrey J. Carey, duly sworn declare:
I observed Jim Cobb taking his penis out of his pants and dancing on his study desk in front of other males and boasting of his homosexuality. He in fact seems obsessed with this sort of behavior, because on another occasion he exposed his penis to an even larger group of males and bragged about how small it was. He often spoke of wanting to kill the president then, former president Nixon, and about espousing violent revolution.
Wayne Pietla [Pietila] is an admitted child molester, also openly espouses violent revolution, he says that his hero is Che Guevara, he even used to call himself Che. I waited outside while Mickey Touchette embezzled money from Motel 6 in Santa Rosa California. She also (Mickey Touchette) openly espoused violent revolution.
Lena Pietla openly espoused violent revolution and the overthrow of the U.S. government.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-33
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-34
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
North West District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
/s/ [blank signature line]
I, Thomas Kice, duly sworn declare:
On Labor Day of 1973 Wayne Pietla [Pietila] ask me if you could borrow my 30-40 Craif rifle; he stated that he was going on a camping trip and maybe do some hunting. That was the last time I saw him for more than a year and he has never returned the rifle, which is valued at over a thousand dollars.
The same day Wayne Pietla borrowed my rifle, he cut my telephone line and left, owing me two months’ rent of $120.00.
I, Thomas Kice, swear the above statements are true and factual.
[2 blank signature lines]
Dated August 2, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a Commissioner of Oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-35
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-36
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here.]
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
North West Region
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit /s/
Charles Touchette and
Joyce Touchette
I, Charles & Joyce Touchette, duly sworn declare:
On Labor Day weekend of 1973 Mickey Touchette told us that she wanted $50 to purchase school supplies. Mickey asked her mother to leave the amount open so she could fill in the amount so she could be sure of having enough money and she also said that the amount would not exceed seventy-five dollars. Mickey took the check and fraudulently made the amount of the check for three hundred dollars.
Mickey Touchette disappeared from us until the following Thanksgiving weekend; on the Friday night of that weekend we saw and spoke to Mickey at the Thrifty Drug Store in Ukiah, California and at this time we asked Mickey for the money and she refused to pay it back to us.
I swear the above statement is true and factual.
[2 blank signature lines]
Dated August 2, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a Commissioner of Oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-37
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-38
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
/s/ [blank signature line]
I, Sharon Rose Cobb, duly sworn declare:
Janet Phillips and Faith Kice stole drugs and supplies from General Hospital in Ukiah, California while they worked there as nurses.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-39
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-40
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
/s/ [blank signature line]
I, Sharon Rose Cobb, duly sworn declare:
Jim Cobb, Mickey Touchette, Lena Flowers, Wayne Pietla [Pietila], Terri Pietla, Tom Podogorski, Vera and John Biddulph planned to blow up a bridge in Ukiah California approximately five years ago. The same people were actively participating in learning guerrilla warfare.
I heard Deanna Mertle say publicly the only way she could enjoy sex was if she heard a child cry.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-41
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-42
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
/s/ [blank signature line]
I, Stephanie Lynn Jones, duly sworn declare:
I heard Sandy Rozynko say that she was going to help find a revolution against the US government.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-43
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B, 44-45
[Editor’s note: An earlier unsigned draft of this statement appears here.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of
Anita Kelley
I, Anita Kelley, duly sworn declare:
- “Deanna Mertle” stated that she was sexually attracted to Sandy Rozynko, a minor.
- One night “Deanna Mertle” called Peoples Temple and stated that there were certain children in her home that she no longer wanted there, and she brought them to the Temple – clothes and all – and left without speaking to anyone about the care or welfare of these children. Among the children she dropped off were three of her own: Linda Faye Mertle, Steve Mertle, and Eddie Mertle. Deanna kept three children at home: Sandy Rozynko, Diana Mertle and Lillie Victor, a black teenager whom Deanna kept out of school at the 11th grade level and made her stay home and do the housework and watch the youngest child, Daphene Mertle. Lillie expressed resentment later to me about this because the white children in the home were allowed to go to school, while she was deprived of her education and made to serve the others. Lillie later left the Mertle household on her own after she became 18 years old.
- Linda Mertle reported to me that she observed her dad, “Elmer Mertle,” having a sexual affair with Sandy Rozynhko. who was a minor.
- Mike Kelley constantly used drugs – anything he could get hold of. He used to tell doctors that he couldn’t sleep, and he would persuade the doctor to give him narcotics for fictitious chronic headaches, and barbiturates for sleep. Mike then shared these drugs with others that he had persuaded to take them with him. Mike also told me that he sexually molested a 15-year-old girl in Los Angeles. He was 28 at the time.
- Jim Cobb, Terri Cobb and Wayne Pietila imposed strict rules and heavy mental stress on the other students in the dorms provided for students being sponsored in college by Peoples Temple. Yet they took special exceptions for themselves, excusing it because they were “leadership,” in the Temple. Not only did they berate the light-skinned people to degrade themselves, but they also harassed the black people to get them to express racism.
[page 2 of affidavit]
/s/ Anita Kelley
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-46
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-85.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of
[blank signature line]
I, Carol Kerns, being duly sworn, declare:
I was a house guest at the Mertles for a few weeks during the summer vacation of school. I was about fourteen years old. I knocked on the door and was told to come in. Elmer Mertle was standing there completely nude. I was embarrassed and started to walk out of the room. I was told not to go, that it never bothered any of the other girls, meaning his own two daughters. I still walked out since I was not raised this way. I was really young and it made me feel real bad.
/s/ Carol Kerns
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-47
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-92.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Laura Johnston, being duly sworn, declare:
Mertles – I remember hearing Deanna Mertle state that she got sexual pleasure when she heard children screaming from pain.
I remember seeing Elmer Mertle lying under the bus while on one of the Peoples Temple summer trips with his two teen-age daughters Linda and Diane. When someone else got under the bus to sleep he physically threw them out of the compartment (I think Joe Wilson).
Rick Cordell – When I was new to Peoples Temple and suicidal often messing myself up physically and mentally on drugs, Rick purposely tried to set up a sexual relationship, even though he was married and had many children.
Jack Arnold Beam – During my first 6 months living in Redwood Valley, I was very confused from my preceding experiences with drugs. After specifically being exhorted by Rev. Jim Jones not to pursue me because of my emotional state – Jack Arnold Beam was involved with me and as result I had oral sex with him in a truck in front of his house. He was 7 or 8 years my senior but took advantage of me when I was near suicide, and very unstable emotionally. Jack Arnold has initiated a sexual relationship with 2 minor girls at least – Mable Cordell and his wife Cindi Ponts (Beam) though he was at least 10 years their senior. He often talked about how he was very grateful that Pastor Jones had helped get him off of drugs and into a productive life. Then, again, when he was leaving the Peoples Temple Community his ethics again washed out and he beat his foster child cruelly.
/s/ Laura Johnston
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-48
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Shanda Oliver, being duly sworn, declare:
Micki [Mickey] Touchette stated that she worked in the offering room, which was true. I, Shanda Oliver, also worked in the offering room at that time. She said we would write the count of the offering on a piece of paper and send it up to the Pastor. That statement is not true. We never, ever wrote the count down. We’d send one person usually the same person to tell the count. I can’t ever recall Micki taking the count to him. Then again Pastor Jones doesn’t say how much the count is, just makes an appeal when necessary.
My sister, Silvia Upshaw, called me Monday evening July 25th, she told me that she had been harassed on her job and wanted to know how the Mertles knew where she worked. She said Diana Mertle, Mert [Elmer] Mertle, Linda Mertle and Ruth Kerns came to talk to her trying to make her come to their side. Since she was a former member and left the church. They said they were trying to recruit everyone possible. They told her about beatings, faith healings and all sorts of things she stated. She said they offered her protection, if she [would] say Jim Jones had personally beat & tortured people. They warned her that the temple would have violence there. She said she didn’t know if they meant a bomb or shooting? They also stated that they were getting larger in size and knew so much about the temple than she can imagine. Silvia no longer wanted her son there at the Temple, not because of Jim Jones but because they said “violence will be done to the temple” (those are her words). She told him she didn’t want to speak for them, because she didn’t want to get involved. She also said “she didn’t leave the temple for reasons they were telling her. She left only for personal reasons.
/s/ Shanda M. Oliver
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-49
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here.]
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
North West Region
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
Lemuel T. Grubbs II
I, Lemuel T. Grubbs II, being duly sworn declare:
Stephan Mertle stole the following items from Peoples Temple Christian Church. 1) A Sony 4-track reel to reel tape recorder, 2) One AC-DC multistep voltage converter, 3) Four speakers with L-pads and volume potentiometers.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn before me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-50
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B, 51-52
[This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-98 – A-99]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
Paula Adams
I, Paula Adams, being duly sworn, declare:
From the time I entered into the Santa Rosa Junior College (Peoples Temple sponsored) dormitories, I came under the viciousness of the so-called leadership of the dormitories: Jim Cobb, Terri Cobb, Wayne Pietla [Pietila], and Terri Cobb’s protégé Mickey Touchette. Myself, along with several others, were new in Peoples Temple. We were kept up night after night by these people for counseling. We were screaming at and called “honkies” or “uncle toms” or “aunt janes” all night because we were not revolutionary. Terri Cobb got one of the girls so incited in revolutionary fervor that she play-acted out a scene where she was demonstrating what she would do to me if I betrayed and pretended to hold a gun to my head and pulled the trigger. If we defended ourselves when being “confronted”, as they called it, we would have to stand up in the middle of the room for hours usually until daybreak four until we confessed to being a honkie or uncle tom or aunt jane. When different ones of us started reacting to this terrorism and fascist dictatorship, we were told that Jim Jones knew everything that went on, which was absolutely untrue we found out later. They threw Jim Jones’ name around whenever they wanted to throw in some inhumane rule. We were told that we would get into a lot of trouble if we went to Jim Jones about this because it showed that we didn’t trust him (Jim Jones). I would have left if I hadn’t gone to church services during the weekends and midweek because I would see that Jim Jones was a sensitive compassionate man who preached about egalitarian living, and that concern for others was the essence of living. This was not the same Jim Jones that Jim Cobb, Terri Cobb, and Wayne Pietla showed me, and I would return to the dormitories confused and yet terrified at what new mental torture we would be put through an our all night meetings.
The all-night meetings usually centered around someone being confronted about something as insidious as one of the more studious persons not helping out one of the leadership on a test by cheating for them. They told us to steal also, because to steal from the system wasn’t bad.
Mickey Touchette was a popularity climber. She always like to be noticed, but she was a nothing at the dorms until she started an active lesbian course by having an affair with Terri Cobb. Terri Cobb, who was married to Wayne Pitla, always like to break in new females at the dorms. Terri Cobb and Mickey Touchette had their affair for months and even continued it after Mickey Touchette started an affair with Jim Cobb who was by this time married to Sharon. Jim Cobb had no more than gotten married then he started screwing Mickey Touchette and tried to get me to screw him too.
Jim Cobb took me to a park on our way home from school just to look at the ducks. This occurred after Sharon and he had gotten married. He pulled me over and started kissing me and trying to feel my breasts. I protested that this wasn’t what I wanted, but he insisted that this was how “comrades” got to know each other. Jim Cobb always picked females with blonde hair and blue eyes and called everyone a racist if they didn’t bend to his will.
Guerrilla training became a major emphasis on the college students. We were being trained for the revolution that we were going to start. Wayne Pietla would dress up like Che Guevara and shout revolutionary slogans such as, “Traitors never live”, “we’ll kill anyone who betrays the revolution”, “the ends justify the means”, and he was always saying, “I am a communist.” We didn’t even know what they were talking about, but if we didn’t want an all-night session in the middle of the floor
[page 2 of document]
Affidavit s/
Paula Adams
being screamed at, we had to go along with it. We were drilled in leadership skills in guerrilla warfare; night runs and marches were taken in empty fields to test our ability and doing invasion maneuvers. On one hike that we took, we were being trained in guerrilla fighting and also in abilities to take on leadership responsibilities. Jim Cobb was in charge and beat a girl with a stick because she became too exhausted to keep up with the whole group.
Our meetings in the dorms were not without violence being inflicted on someone who disagreed with the way the fascist regime was ruling there in the dorms. A girl was slapped up against the wall by someone who was caught up in the emotion of proving that she was not a coward, and that she supported the dormitory leaders.
Racial animosity was encouraged as a way of controlling the people at the dorms. The dark complected people were called Uncle Toms or Aunt Janes if they did not call light complected people “honkies” and keep animosity stirred up. The light complected people were never allowed to sit in the front seat of a car unless there was no choice.
The reason this continued for so many months was because of the long distance between the church and our school dormitories.
Paula Adams
Dated: July 29, 1977
Wintessed [Witnessed]:
[2 illegible signatures]
—
FF-9-B-53
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-97.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
I, Michelle Touchette, being duly sworn, declare:
Mickey Touchette is my natural sister. When I was between the age of eight and eleven I was laying on my bed and Mickey came in and violently threw herself and a pillow over my face. I gasped to get my breath, fighting trying to get away. When she lifted the pillow from my face she was laughing hysterically. My face had turned blue from lack of oxygen, I was shaking trying to get my breath. Mickey Touchette stole $100.00 from our parents in September of 1974.
Michelle Touchette
Dated: July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-53
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here.]
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
North West Region
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
Christine E. M. Bates
I, Christine E. M. Bates, duly sworn declare:
In 1972 I was living with Sallie Stapleton at 150 Evans Street, Ukiah, California. Her daughter, Lillie Joe Carr visited her that week, I had $585.85 in my room. I went in the kitchen, and when I came to my room, Lillie Joe was in there, and she ruched [rushed] out right away and left the house, and said she had to go to town. When I looked in my bag, the money was gone. When her mother came, I told her the money was missing. Her reply was Lillie Joe has it, Lillie Joe had gone to town, and bought a lot of new clothes. She went in her room and looked in Lillie Joe’s suitcase and found only $200.. Lillie Joe came to me crying and said she needed a new coat.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn by me,
a Commissioner of Oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-55
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-56
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
[blank signature line]
I, Millie Cunningham, being duly sworn, declare:
I used to stay at Birdie Marable’s from 7AM until 2PM twice a week for free. These are 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 bed sores out of control, just from the filth. Then she had her leg amputated (her right leg) for diabetes, but the Doctor said that she didn’t keep it clean.
Ella Mae Hoskins – Birdie turned Ella Mae against everybody, she’d cook pies and fill the patients up on sweets. Ella was diabetic and the diet wasn’t followed at all. She later had to have her leg amputated too. Ella wanted to move, and even told member Robert Johnson once on the street that she wanted to move out badly, but Birdie wouldn’t hear of it.
Birdie lied about turning over all the money to Peoples Temple. 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 Peoples Temple.
Mother LaTourneau – Birdie took a lot of money from her, and took her car too. She treated her like a dog.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn by me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-57
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-58
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
[blank signature line]
I, Laura Johnston, being duly sworn, declare:
Birdie Marable: Janey Brown was a diabetic patient at Birdie’s. Birdie used to do the manicuring of the patients to get their money, and she cut Janey knowing that she was diabetic and couldn’t afford to have her skin cut. The cut was infected, and then turned to gangrene before Birdie did anything about it. Janey was first taken to Hillside Hospital, where I remember the nursing staff saying the infection was due to unclean linens and lack of proper care.
Victoria was also a patient at Birdie’s. She is Velma Darnes’ great aunt. Velma has something to say about the poor care that Birdie gave Victoria, who was crippled. As I recall, Velma said that the place wasn’t kept clean and that Birdie didn’t try to meet Victoria’s diet for her condition.
Someone else in the house was diabetic, but Birdie still gave the person the same diet as others, against the doctor’s orders. I’ve forgotten which patient that applied to.
Birdie also tried to run down one of the high school students – I think it might have been Pam Bradshaw, but I’m not sure.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn by me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-59
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-60
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this statement appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-84]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
I, Robert Johnson, being duly sworn, declare:
I previously worked for Birdie Marable in 1974 and 1975 helping with the patients in the care home and with chores around the home. I know how she refused to give allowance to one of her patients Ella Mae Hoskins. Birdie would keep Ella Mae’s money on herself. I know Birdie had money in the bank and different times I was with Birdie when she would buy clothes, food and whatever she wanted. Birdie drank constantly when I would go by in the morning Birdie would be drinking and at night when it was time for the patients to go to bed Birdie would be drunk.
Another lady Annie Washington was a patient of Birdie’s. Annie did not receive proper medical care. Birdie Marable did not take her to the doctor when she needed to go. One fact is that she did not take care of any of the patients like they needed to be. She did not change bedding on time. Birdie talked rough to her patients, especially when she was drunk.
When Birdie’s husband came to visit, she put him in a small cabin at the back of the house. She would whip him with her fists and one time she hurt him bad enough to send him to the hospital.
Birdie told me that she had $300.00 from Mrs. LeTourneau, another patient, which she borrowed to get an abortion. I’m fairly certain she never paid Mrs. LeTourneau back.
A man lived at the care home who was Birdie’s boyfriend. She said she wanted to marry him except she was already married. He used to beat her up when other patients were present.
Another lady, Velma Darnes, had an aunt who was a bed patient at Birdie Marable’s. Birdie let this patient stay wet and dirty. Birdie took money from her. This lady wanted to leave Birdie but Birdie refused to let the woman leave.
/s/ Robert Johnson
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-60 (2nd)
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit of:
[blank signature line]
I, Exia Marie Duckett, being duly sworn, declare:
David Wise in the process of inserting foreign components into the third floor office telephone systems of the San Francisco, California People’s Temple church’s phones. This happened to be during the first part of the second service on Sunday evening. I was on security on the roof ledge overlooking the back parking lot of the church at about 6:30 PM when I observed David walking down Fillmore Street in the direction coming toward the church. I thought to myself what is a white man doing through the Fillmore on Sunday evening – there were no stores open in the direction he was coming from. So it seemed beyond me why he was on the dangerous streets with no purpose in mind but walking. He did say, when asked, that he was coming from the store! In summary, David Wise bugged the Temple phones on the third floor of our church and was observed in the process.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn by me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-61
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-62
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here. An early draft of this affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-82.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Anita Kelley, being duly sworn, declare:
Elsie Victoria Moore – Tommy Ijames her son was living with me during the summer of 1976. Tommy went home to spend some time with Vicky. When he came back, Thomas told me that he walked into a room and witnessed his mother sexually molesting his younger brother.
Anita C. Kelley
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-63
[An early draft of this affidavit appears on this page at FF-12-A-83]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Anita Kelley, being duly sworn, declare:
Mike Kelley – I was married to him from June 1970 to Oct. 1974. June 1975, our divorce was finalized. During that time, Mike stole items such as office supplies, a micrometer, a warning horn and electrical supplies from the Masonite Corporation where he worked. Mike left home one day and did not return for two weeks. When he did return, he could talk of nothing else but the homosexual relationships and experiences he had while he was gone. During the time that we were married, Mike had a relationship (sexual) with another man, he told me about it and at the same time encouraged me to have another sexual relationship with a coworker at Georgia-Pacific, where he was then working, although he denied it. In the summer of 1974, Mike began sleeping with a woman who was almost twice my age. Consequently I left him and he moved in with Rose Gieg.
During the time that I was married to Mike, he told me that I was warped emotionally because I did not like certain sexual positions with him, and because I disliked oral sex.
During the last month that I was with Mike, I did not have a job, and was totally dependent on him, yet he refused to give me any money for groceries, gas, or laundry.
Anita C. Kelley
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-64
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this affidavit appears here.]
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
North West Region
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
Ellen DuPont
I, Ellen DuPont, being duly sworn, declare:
Last week Ruth Kerns, my daughter, went to the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to make a statement against Jim Jones and Peoples Temple. She stated that at the age of 13 she was taken away from her mother and forced to live with other people. This was stated over T.V. Channel 9. She had told me on the phone that this was the case and I told her that she knew this wasn’t true, that she didn’t want to live with me but had wanted to live with Houstons and Jack Beams. She was allowed to live where she wanted.
Before leaving the church, Ruth had sex with Danny Pietla [Pietila] and Paul Flowers. She asked Danny to have sex with her and she admitted this to me. She ran away her last year of high school, to see her Dad and then ran away from there. She was on drugs and lived with a guy on heroin. She joined a Jesus freak group whose headquarters are in Eureka and was kicked out of the group for being “immoral.” She got pregnant by one of Jeanette’s husband’s friends and had an abortion. She is now supposed to get married next month to some guy. When Ruth called me last week, I asked to please not try to hurt us anymore. She said she doesn’t want to “hurt” us – that she wants to help “save” a lot of people from Jim. She said. “You think Jim is God don’t you?” I replied, “You know that’s a damned lie, we don’t believe Jim is God. He teaches us to believe in the God within us.” She argued with me. Ruth told Channel 9 that she was in her second year of nursing at Davis. But she told me that she was working as a nurse’s aide and would be going back to school next year.
Ruth was on drugs before we joined Peoples Temple. Jeanette said she was on drugs when she got pregnant.
/s/ Ellen L. DuPont
Dated August 2, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn by me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-65
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this statement appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-91.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Laura Johnston, being duly sworn, declare:
Liz Forman told me numerous times about how she used to be so sick, she couldn’t hold a job down. She relied on her relatives for money to live on, and slept 12-16 hours a day just to escape. She often said that she felt healthy physically and mentally since coming to Peoples Temple. With her personality – deviations and idiosyncrasies – only a tolerant group would have been able to work with her. When she first came, her life was palm reading and stargazing. She couldn’t deal with reality, and just about went into hysterics over the thought of poisoning, or anything not immaculate. Her sexual hangups carried once throughout her personality and her hypochondria.
Laura Johnston
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]
—
FF-9-B-66
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this statement appears here.]
Jonestown, Port Kaituma
Northwest District
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Russell DeAndrea Moton, duly sworn declare:
In May of 1976, Paul Flowers put a letter opener to my throat and told me he would kill me.
[blank signature line]
Dated August 5, 1977
Witnessed:
[2 blank signature lines]
Subscribed to and sworn by me,
a commissioner of oaths for the
Republic of Guyana.
[blank signature line]
—
FF-9-B-67
[duplicate of previous page]
—
FF-9-B-68
[Editor’s note: An earlier draft of this statement appears here. This affidavit also appears on this page at FF-12-A-88.]
Georgetown
Cooperative Republic of Guyana
Affidavit s/
[blank signature line]
I, Rita J. Tupper, being duly sworn, declare:
I used to know David and Donna Conn, and I was formerly married to Lawrence Tupper. David Conn used to live with Elmer and Zoe Mertle and their family’s. They pooled all of their monies and lived communally, in El Sobrante, Ca. with several others. David Conn used to see Donna Black (Conn) while he was still married to his wife, Iris. David Conn and Zoe Mertle had a sexual relationship while they were both still married. Donna Black (Conn) had sex with Elmer Mertle, while he was still married to Zoe. Donna Conn had sex with Lawrence Tupper while he was still married. This took place in Donna’s home on several occasions. The Conn’s used to go to all-night meetings with the Mertles. where a lot of drinking took place. Pairing off occurred after the meetings. Stripping took place on occasion. Donna Conn used to call Mr. Lawrence Tupper up a lot at his home and oftentimes late at night.
/s/ Rita J. Tupper
Dated July 29, 1977
Witnessed:
[illegible signature]