Sharon Amos
Barnwell (visit with him by Sharon) 20/10/78 [October 20, 1978]
-Barnwell was extremely friendly (too friendly in a way) but he’s kind of a flirt – I said I hoped he didn’t mind that I had dropped by because I was in the area and so thought I’d drop in (it’s good I did as his phone was out of order) – Jimmy was at an appt with Richard
-I invited him for dinner. He said he could come next week. I said what day and he said Wednesday. (I later thought it might be better for him to come when Marcie [Marceline Jones] comes back if that is next Thursday and told him I’d call back and change it if she is available then/ he said that would be OK
-anyway when I said I hoped he didn’t mind that I had dropped by – he said something about “no darling, I’d much rather you came by” (an older black man came to see him and he was told that Barnwell was too busy) but I was allowed to see him
-he first explained the case to me/ apparently he had been studying the situation/ he said that Sept 5 was an ex parte application for habeas corpus. Jeffrey Haas made that application and only one side was heard. Jeffrey made application to have the infant (John) delivered and the order went to [Judge Aubrey] Bishop on the 6th and the order was granted.
-yet another order was issued in pursuance of that order – that the order be served – Sept 8. They couldn’t find JJ so they couldn’t serve it
-so the judge made another order and the order was to affix 3 copies – 3 different places – the 4th copy was to go to J’s personal secretary – this order stated that JJ was to appear Sept 10 but up to now there were no contempt proceedings
-technically of course service was not right anyway said Barnwell
-Haas went back on the 10th of Sept and made another order and this was that it would be nailed in a prominent place of the project
-this stated that since there was no appearance on behalf of the respondent, there would be a benchmark for the arrest of the infant, who is now in the custody of the respondent.
-then it was stated by the court that “leave is hereby granted to serve proceedings of contempt” The court would then remove to put JJ in prison because on the 8th of Sept he is in default of the court
–however the proceedings of contempt were not served
-on the 14th the judge said that “avocation is coming up for further consideration on this matter. (Barnwell said that this doesn’t make any sense, why would they make further consideration of this matter if they had already agreed to put him in contempt. His interpretation of this is that the proceedings are thus extant (meaning nonexistent – spelling might be wrong) – in other words the judge is admitting he is starting all over on this
-he said you can’t have 6 orders open – if you give permission to serve the order for contempt – then there is no contempt proceedings and in this permission he is saying the court would affix 3 copies – order for arrest of child
-he said that in light of this – he could draft a certificate on closer exam/ this would be “What is now before me is not to execute any proceedings for contempt but to await an order of the court whereby such proceedings will be issued.
-(I said this didn’t sound too good as the court might issue such while JJ is still recuperating)
-he said the order (arrest order) has been removed by necessary implication or repeal
-he said that they failed to bring in the child by service on the tree (he said he couldn’t imagine the judge Bishop putting an arrest order out for the child in the first place. He said this judge is quite weak. You don’t arrest a child/ Barnwell said he would never do that.
-he said the other order saying he gives the order giving permission to serve the order for contempt removes the first order and since the second order was not served/ there is no order out for J’s arrest
-I asked him if there is no arrest order/ can that be put in writing – that there is no arrest order against JJ
-he took time explaining this and I thanked him for helping out/ he said “you are quite an extraordinary woman” – I said “Well I’m learning”
-he said “well we could learn all kinds of things…”
-he said Luckhoo did apply to have all the proceedings dismissed as erroneous but the decision was never made –
-he said that since there are 2 separate orders then it is him the Registrar who has to interpret it – he is the man to obey on this (as he handles the orders)
-I told him that I’d like him to meet Marcie. Told him she was quite a woman/ he’d like her. She was quite attractive I said (thinking he only related on those terms) – he said “All American women are attractive”
-When I asked if he could put it in writing about JJ not being arrested, he told me that I could talk him into anything and that I was pretty as a picture
-he seems to talk in these terms to women in general/ some issue came up on the phone and he was talking about “preserving the flower’s (woman’s) honor – and not allowing this woman to be trampled upon (this was some case (OVER)
-2-
-he was dealing with and sending over to Marshall but he talked in these terms)
-he also got on the phone with Winnie Agard and called her darling
-I asked to call home and he said “don’t tell me, are you missing your husband so much” (I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t deny I had a husband but just said “no no”)
-DICTATION OF THE CERTIFICATE HE WILL WRITE (he had talked to both [Vibert] Mingo and [Harold] Bollers before this)
-“SO FAR AS CAN BE ASCERTAINED FROM RECORDS OF THE SUPREME COURT REGISTRY THERE IS NO EXTANT ORDER OF COURT TO BE EXECUTED FOR ANY CONTEMPT COMMITTED BY REV. JIM JONES. WHAT EXISTS IS AN ORDER GRANTING LEAVE FOR THE APPLICANT TO SERVE PROCEEDINGS OF CONTEMPT AND NO PROCEEDINGS HAVE YET BEEN FILED. (He said to file you would have to go through the whole process) NO PROCEEDINGS HAVE YET BEEN FILED PURSUANT TO THAT ORDER. FURTHER IF IT IS FILED PURSUANT TO ANY APPLICATION WILL HAVE TO BE HEARD BY A JUDGE ASSIGNED BY THE CHIEF JUSTICE AND NO SUCH ASSIGNMENT HAS YET BEEN MADE”
-(the above wording that is capitalized is when he dictated for this certificate.
-I said “can you say that because JJ needs medical care, no order will be made in the future while he is receiving medical care. He said he could not say that (I pushed on this several times)
-but he did say that if the above is not acceptable, we could try to slide something in/ I told him that if he thought of something to add to it please add it – if it would help. I said how would you feel if it were yourself or someone you cared about.
-I asked if I could copy the whole file and he said I could. He let me take it home in a car and sent his nephew with me who is the 2nd Marshall Desmond Barnwell. Desmond came home with me and waited while we xeroxed the whole thing and had a couple of drinks. He took our phone number and flirted with Mary, and Evelyn and told Evelyn he’d call her back. Called Mary and chatted with her. He’s a dumb guy.
-he told me that Barnwell (his uncle) I told him to bring me back with the papers. He said his uncle had the biggest house on the East Coast a real mansion and lives near the PM [prime minister] – he said the house has 12 rooms upstairs and 12 rooms downstairs. He Desmond lives with his brother (or just says that to impress women).
-luckily Reg. Barnwell wasn’t there when I got there so I just left the case with his brother Desmond and left a bottle of whiskey and some cookies for the Reg.
-when I invited the Reg. for dinner, I asked what he liked to eat and said “does he like chicken” – he said he preferred steak so I said we’d have steak (I guess we should try to give the man what he likes?????)
-Reg said he enjoyed putting our heads together (working on this case.) He kept walking over to my side of the desk and asked if I minded that. He touched me on the arm a couple of times and when I left gave me a hug (not too lusty, just friendly). He said other suggestive things like it was enjoyable being in this close contact with me. Then he told me you can never know what will happen. Said he had a clerk working for him that got a phone call, heard this woman’s voice and married her. (I didn’t remind him he’s already married)
-he said he felt very comfortable with me
-dinner: when I first asked him if he could come for dinner/ he said “Well this isn’t a Russian prison system yet” (in other words he wasn’t prevented from having civil rights like in Russia
-Re: Aubrey Bishop: he said this is confidential but the legal system is good but that judge is weak.