Case 60: Jonestown (Part 1)

Sep 16, 2017

[Part 1 of 3] You may think you know the story, but do you… Episode narrated by the Anonymous Host (https://twitter.com/casefilehost) Researched and written by Milly Raso For all credits and sources please visit casefilepodcast.com/case-60-jonestown-part-1 (http://casefilepodcast.com/case-60-jonestown-part-1/)

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are episodes deal with serious and often distressing incidents if you feel at any time you need support please contact your local crisis center for suggested phone numbers for confidential support please see the show notes for this episode on your app or on our website

this series on Jamestown deals with horrific events the series deals with mass murder and suicide of men women and children as well as other abuses the episodes are graphic and distressing especially episode 3 it will not be suitable for all listeners please use your discretion

how very much I've loved you

how very much I've tried my best to give you the good life

out of all of the I tried

a handful of our people with our lives

of me that life impossible

there's no way to detach ourselves from what's happened today

not only we're in a compound situation

not only are there those we have left and committed the Betrayal of the century

I was stolen jewelry from others and then right now to kill them because they sold their children and we are sitting here waiting on a powder keg I don't think this is what we want to do with our babies

I don't think that's what we had in mind to do is I maybe it was death by the greatest profit from time immemorial no man late takes my life from me I Lay My Life down

during the labor day of her first and only child on May 13 1931 lunetta Jones experience their near-death Mystic Vision the spirit of Leonard is deceased mother appeared before her the spirit prophesized that Leonard is newborn baby Would One Day become a great man

Lynette I never wanted to be a mother but she did believe in destiny the vision convinced her she had just given birth to a messiah the brown eyed black head baby was named a James Warren Jones after his father but everyone called him Jim

Jim Jones was born in Crete a small country town in the state of Indiana crate consisted of half a dozen Farms with a population of only 28 people approximately 80 miles away from the city of Indianapolis Crete was less a village and more stop Place everyone in Crete lived off the land and rarely ventured Beyond The Border residents grew their own vegetables raise their own livestock and picked wild berries

in crate the Jones family lived in a two-story country Farmhouse prior to Jim's birth his parents James and Lynette are tried to grow corn and soybeans and raise hogs for Slaughter on their Farm James Jones had some familiarity with farming but was rarely home he worked a manual labor job in construction to keep his family financially afloat lunetta Jones had no farming experience and she struggled to maintain the property in her husband's absence

a World War One veteran James Jones was caught in a mustard gas attack on the front lines in France the burning gas seeped into his lungs which caused them to deteriorate and he found it difficult to breathe and talk

his voice became a raspy and difficult to understand growl to save himself the pain James avoided talking long conversations with his wife were in possible meaning the couple rarely communicated they struggled with the NeverEnding chores on their farm and as the bills piled up Lynette are often fantasized about escaping her marriage but she had nowhere else to go

Leonard I fell pregnant in 1930 and gave birth to Jim Jones the following year the baby only gave the couple more work to do and put them in an even worse financial situation fatherhood made James and aggressive chain-smoking alcoholic the economic depression finally defeated the Joneses and the bank took ownership of their failing Farmland in Crete

at risk of homelessness James parents stepped in to help they provided the Joneses with a modest home in the nearby Midwestern town of Lynn Lynn was also an Indiana but had a larger population than crate with its bustling Town Center it was a more engaging place for the young family to live located in the scruffy area of Lynn their new home had no working Plumbing

James quit his job due to his declining health so lunetta picked up odd factory work

at home James provided no help with cooking cleaning or looking after their baby gym he suffered multiple breakdowns and was hospitalized for months at a time

townsfolk viewed the struggling family sympathetically but also kept their distance a cold harshness radiated from the Jones family there was no affection shared between anybody and young Jim was rarely shown tenderness from his parents

Tim James spent his childhood fending for himself wandering the streets of Lynn alone he'd sit in Alleyways and play with rats as an adult Jim remarked that being from a poor dysfunctional family was a source of great personal pain at marked his childhood with feelings of neglect loneliness in shame

making friends was difficult for Jones the lack of positive role models in his life fostered a defensive self-centeredness within him in primary school he was an outcast

his principal noted that Jones lacked respect for authority and her to earned it the nickname Dennis the Menace despite this he was considered in nightly intelligent by his teachers a gifted child

the social isolation took its toll and Jones recalled how it affected him quote

I was ready to kill I mean I was so aggressive and hostile I was ready to kill nobody gave me any love any understanding in those days apparent was supposed to go with a child to school functions there was some kind of school performance and everybody's parent was there but mine I'm standing there alone always was alone

King James's elderly neighbor took pity on the line Lee ten-year-old she took him to her local Pentecostal Church to give the isolated boy a sense of community

Jim Jones had this to say about the experience

because I was never accepted or didn't feel accepted I joined the most extreme Pentecostal Church they were the rejects of the community I found immediate acceptance and I must say in all honesty about as much love as I could interpret life

religion sparked a curiosity in Jones Pentecostal worship is believe in Prophecy healing Miracles and speaking in tongues when Jones experienced his first Pentecostal Mass it was loud and intense and featured fanatical Behavior such as yelling crying chanting and cheering bleeding the mass was a charismatic preacher who radiated positivity and power this Mass shaped Jones's understanding of worship being an intensely emotional

earrings to devotees the Pentecostal Church community became a surrogate family for Jones and he couldn't wait for Sunday's to arrive so we could go to Mass

when Jones is parents neglected Church their sinful Disobedience became a local transgression Lynn was a religious town but lunetta Jones was skeptical of religion she believed in spirits reincarnation and Destiny but not in God

Lynette accept a son up like discussing Grand Concepts such as the meaning of life she called Jones and Underdog and reminded him constantly of his great destiny that she had foreseen she called anyone who criticized him oppresses and she often talked about social inequality

Panetta also imparted her Love of Animals onto her son so Jones started Gathering chickens cats dogs snakes and other creatures and kept them in the bar near his home with candles and flowers he built an altar in the barn and preached to his animal flock he also delivered rousing sermons at Mock funerals held for dead animals

one local child claimed Jones killed a neighborhood cat for his ritualistic ceremonies

he also attempted to heal dead animals by performing messy interspecies blood transfusions and limb graphs other children viewed Jones as a weird kid obsessed with religion and death it wasn't until Jones had religious theme to nightmares but lunetta put a stop to his Pentecostal Church visits

as a teenager Jim Jones had no interest in sport or socializing he thought dancing and drinking alcohol is sinful instead he kept his face deep in books and his mind lost in political thought

he studied the strengths and weaknesses of influential leaders revolutionaries and dictators such as Joseph Stalin Karl Marx Mao Zedong Mahatma Gandhi and a Dolph Hitler

from his study Jones began to shape a self-styled theology the combined aspects of an ideal Society with experiences through God

but the mid-1940s Jim Jones created a mock church called God's house he would invite School acquaintances into the Loft above his family's garage to attendees Mass he locked his visitors inside the Loft and refused to release them until he deemed his Mass was complete his sermons would carry on late Into the Night

one night Jim Jones's childhood friend Donald Foreman was at one of these sermons Donald wanted to go home but Jones implored him this day Donald ended up leaving and he walked out the front door and onto the porch when he glanced back Jones was holding his father's pistol and said just stop or I'll shoot you

Donald walked quickly to the tree-lined sidewalk James fired the gun the bullet pierced the tree Donald had passed just seconds earlier Donald Duck and ran when he was out of sight he stuck a look back Jones was standing on the porch watching with the gun hanging at his side

from birth Jim Jones witnessed firsthand the Discrimination segregation and isolation of the African-American community in his hometown he related their plight to his own feelings of being a social outcast at 16 years old Jones created a makeshift Church ministers robe out of bed sheets and began preaching on street corners in mixed-race neighborhoods his message break down the social constructs that divide such as race gender and age and unite all people lie

Willie

it was known that James Jones Jim's father associated with the extremist white supremacist group the Klu Klux Klan when Jones came out with his message of racial equality his father was Furious and declared that people of color were not permitted into their family home

Jones refused to speak to his father and during his late teens his parents separated Jones moved with his mother to the city of Richmond in East Central Indiana Richmond was a racially segregated town when Jones arrived preaching his views of racial equality he was a welcome surprise for the local black community and he was quick to make friends with them

between school hours Jim works part-time as an orderly at Richmonds read Memorial Hospital

during one shift 18 year-old senior nurse in training Marceline Baldwin called for an orderly as a young pregnant woman had just thought the orderly who arrived was only a high school senior but his tenderness empathy and maturity was beyond his years he genuinely cared for the deceased woman's family and Marceline was impressed by him the orderly was Jim Jones

Marceline made Baldwin nicknamed Marcy was a gentle and giving person she inherited her parents kind and loyal conviction with the date compassion for others also came and unflinching sense of honesty and at times a firm hand she spoke her mind if she thought it would help and her honest words could comfort and sting at the same time

when Marceline met Jim Jones She was drawn to you he was handsome with his dark eyes square jaw and slicked-back hair is reassuring intellect ambition and Brilliance Shone brightly from his personality they shared an empathetic view towards the ill aged and socially disadvantaged

muscling recalled quote Jim made me know the importance of finding each Injustice as you came to it whether it was one person or a hundred people

at the time they met Marceline believed in God attended church in participated in prayer Jones had become agnostic he didn't disbelieve the existence of God but he didn't worship one either to Marceline Baldwin Jim Jones was an open book he spoke of climbing a ladder to Perfection by basing decisions on the manager of saying no to selfishness and yes to love he told her that life was made up of decisions that we may choose others or

self love or hate life or death

Jones graduated high school in Richmond with honors in December 1948 afterwards he attended Indiana State University and earned a straight A average during this time his old personality traits reappeared he became an outcast amongst his university peers his roommate Kenneth lemons record Jones was a loner he said everyone in the dorm got along beautifully except for Jones who didn't have one friend from the time he moved in until the time he moved out

one day Jones witnessed an impressive speech given by X first lady Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor spoke passionately about the plight of African-Americans in American society the speech complemented Jones's desire for equality and reignited his passion to enact positive change Jones quit a basketball team when his coach was racist towards black players he defiantly walked out of a barbershop when the barber refused to cut the hair of a black man a man who picked a Jones up hitchhiking started talking about African-Americans in a derogatory manner so Jones demanded he stopped the car and let him out

in 1949 18 year old Jim Jones married 22 year-old Marceline Baldwin together they moved to Bloomington a city in the southern region of Indiana

the newlyweds visited their parents during the summer during one visit Marceline's mother started talking about how it wasn't Christian for races to intermarry Jones was offended by the comment and he packed his things and left he ignored Marceline's family afterwards and to left any room they were in there was no compromise in Jones this went on for months until Marceline's mother apologized Marceline's mother's comment fuel Jim Jones to attack the entrenched racism that

that in Christian churches in 1952 despite still being agnostic Jones became a student Pastor in Indianapolis for four years he focused on integrating the local church congregation but he failed

what families would leave when black worship is entered the church Jim Jones quote it was one thing for white Believers to not impassive agreement when their preacher said that all humans were created equal in the eyes of God it was quite another to stand shoulder to shoulder with a black person

when complaints from the congregation about Jim Jones's integration attempts reached the church board they decided not to invite the radical student Minister back to their Church

Jim and Marceline Jones started what they called their rainbow family by adopting children of non-caucasian ancestry they first adopted three Korean American children blue Suzanne and Stephanie then they adopted Agnes who was of Native American descent then they adopted Tim who was Caucasian they had one biological child together a son Steven

then they adopted an African-American baby boy named James Warren Jones jr.

human Marceline were the first white couple in Indiana to adopt a black child when Marceline walk the street with her baby a local white woman spat at her Marceline was afraid of a violent public backlash and beg to Jones to move their family away but he refused he told Marceline how could his children learn what he believed in if they didn't live it

Jones helped racially integrate churches restaurants a telephone company the police department a theater and amusement park and a hospital one Minister later remarked quote Jim was breaking new ground in race relations at a time when the ground was still hard against that

what supremacist took action to maintain racial segregation and perpetrate fear in the black community swastikas were painted on homes of African-American families afterwards Jones walked to the neighborhood comforted frightened locals and encourage them not to move away he wrote letters to American Nazi group leaders and too late to their malicious responses to the media to publicly shame them

one Sunday afternoon Jones visited a church in Indianapolis the church's Pastor was a personal friend the church was packed for the service and Jones noticed African-American worshippers were seated at the back of the church Jones called them forward and let them sit on the preacher stage

this radical action caused conflict between Jones and the church board not only did they not want black people sitting on the pages stage they didn't want them attending their church at all however charismatic and caring Jim Jones was a membership and financial drawing card for the church board and they didn't want to lose his support

as a compromise they offered him the opportunity to establish his own church in an African-American neighborhood

Jones replied there will be no church in the black neighborhood or not be a pastor of a black church or a white church wherever I have a church all people will be welcome

Giants despised the hypocrisy in local churches in one Church Auditorium Jones was vocally displeased with The Minister's elegant Cadillac parked out front when poverty was so evident in the community especially amongst the church's own congregation Jones reflected on his childhood and disavow God for allowing poverty and Injustice to exist quote when I was five years old I was laying on Springs with no covers and the rain was pouring through the roof of my old ramshackle house

they told me to pray to God there was no God that came the rain kept pouring I then had a beam of Consciousness I said there shouldn't be any poor there shouldn't be any private property when I looked inside of me I found the power of socialism in me and I quit praying

Jim Jones started attending Gatherings of the Communist Party USA supporters of Communism believe it leads to True equality critics judge communism by its failed implementation throughout history whenever communism has been in effect it has caused mass killings crimes against humanity suppression of Human Rights and power imbalances

communism was that the time prominent in places like China Cuba North Korea Vietnam and Russia areas that were deemed enemies or Allies of the enemies of the United States therefore American Communists were viewed as anti-American and Traders

Jim Jones considered ways he could convince American people to accept communism and that's when he got his light bulb moment

infiltrate the church

in 1954 Jones bought a small church building in Indianapolis located in a neighborhood that had been issued a court order to desegregate he named his church Community unity and went door to door inviting members of the African-American Community to the first interracial Church in town Jones boasted our door is open so wide that all Races Creeds and colors find a hearty welcome to come in relax meditate and to worship God

a childhood spent learning and replicating religious Showmanship now served a purpose for Jones

his sermons were filled with the same dramatic pauses shaking hands shouted and repeated words and pointed fingers that featured in the sermons he witnessed as a child he used the traditions of Pentecostalism to create a dynamic and engaging Church experience that people would come back to with his thick dark hair slicked back in the hip rockabilly style reminiscent of Elvis Presley a Charming grin a pair of aviator sunglasses that he wore even in church and his use of street slang

Tim giant stood out as a modern Progressive pasta his Mass featured update hymns Jazzy organ music and dancing down the aisles

soon after starting his church Jim Jones witnessed the faith healing service

Faith healing uses prayer and gestures to elicit divine intervention to cure sickness Believers claim a heel up with a spiritual connection to God can heal physical ailments paralysis and disorders

Medical Science considers Faith healings a psychological phenomenon attributed to endorphins creating a placebo effect

James observed that Faith healings attracted vulnerable desperate people these people would donate their life savings for an opportunity to heal themselves or their loved ones so Jones or faith healings as a means to achieve his own goals at the time he was struggling financially Marceline's full-time nursing work barely cover the essentials for their family Jones realized the money he could make by performing healings could be used to propel his socialist dreams of equality into reality

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ready to grow his congregation 24 year old Jim Jones was ordained as a minister the now Reverend organized the religious convention to take place in Indianapolis from June 11th of June 15 1956 to draw a crowd Jones invited popular healing evangelists Reverend William Branham to headline the event afterwards Reverend Jim Jones went public with his own healing powers to prepare for healings

and Jones discreetly investigated his congregation he'd eavesdrop on conversations and use overheard information during mass to assert his mind-reading powers during mass Jones would call forward injured or ill people from the pews with a touch of his Healing Hands he claimed to remove cataracts cure cancers growths and headaches and replace broken hips Jones had a group of loyal aides who disguise themselves as Church visitors to spy on other guests together

toe let's sift through the garbage of congregation members visit members homes to Snoop around and call homes pretending to be conducting a survey on behalf of an agency this allowed Jones to know the personal details about churchgoers from what medications they were taking to what brand of mayonnaise they ate all this data was noted on paper that Jones hit on his preachers podium

Jones paraded meaty foul-smelling cancerous lumps he claimed to have removed from sick bodies back stage two of his aides guarded the bag of cancers where the lumps was thought the lumps were actually chicken gizzards the people fell for it during one public show Jones ordered an elderly woman confined to a wheelchair to stand and move forward she doubted herself and shook her head he told her bless your heart and take that step

she stood shakily at first the old woman then shoveled down the rows of pews to Jones his encouragement then she ran the crowd hooted and hollered at the miracle

Jones healed this woman of nothing she was his personal secretary and was never confined to a wheelchair

throughout his life Jones performed this miraculous healing on the same woman multiple times

word of the Miracles performed by Jim Jones spread throughout the city and Beyond his healings were aired on television and local radio people arrived at Jones's church at 2 p.m. just to get a seat for his 7:30 Mass others climbed through the windows of the overcrowded buildings to witness his gospel his performances became so popular Jones moved to a larger church building to accommodate the enormous crowd he renamed his church peoples Temple Full Gospel Church commonly

two as peoples Temple

Jones only performed healings at the end of his sermons meaning his audience first had to sit through his speeches on improving rights for women minorities and the poor then came his most impressive healings yet churchgoers who defied Jim Jones or doubted his power dropped dead during mass these people weren't actors in on Jim Jones's deception they were real people who doubted him

unbeknownst to everyone but Jones and his aides each victim had been drugged with potent sedatives moments prior to their death only they didn't really die they only past there and as they came to Jones pretended he brought them back to life

drugs became a useful tool throughout Jim Jones's career as a Healer an elderly woman was drugged after one service she woke up afterwards with a cast around her leg Church staff told her she had fallen and broken days later she attended Jim Jones's Mass he singled her out placed his hands on her leg and claimed to have healed her the cast was removed and to the woman surprised she stood and walked without pain it was as though her leg was never broken

and that's because it wasn't

once he had followers Jim Jones directed attention from his healing powers towards his communist agenda healings of individual people became less common instead Jones said he wanted to heal Society he told his congregation that living a life of God required something of them they needed to feed the hungry take care of the sick and donate their possessions to create economic equality

only then would I become more Godlike quote I represent Divine principle total equality a society where people own all things in common whether his Know Rich or poor where there are no races wherever there are people struggling for justice and righteousness there I am into their I am involved

it became clear a large percentage of his audience were only interested in his healings worshippers were hesitant to give away their possessions and live a life of Charity they began abandoning Jim Jones's church as quickly as they joined

what remained was a group of loyal devotees who wanted to go on and reach Perfection by living the life Tim Jones instructed of them Marceline Jones stated that when the audience numbers dropped after the healings quality was gained

people's Temple became a small devoted church family they spoke of a bond stronger than blood however the massive and sudden desertion hurt Jones when it came to followers he cared about quantity more than quality a small group with little funding could not achieve his dreams of a socialist Eden Jones blamed himself he had not done enough to force the disenfranchised people to stay

a mistake he would never make again

in 1961 Jim Jones had a vision of an explosion from a nuclear bomb so devastating it annihilated everything the threat of nuclear war was very real to Americans at the time Fallout shelters were built children were taught bomb survival drills and people were warned to avoid looking at flashes in the sky

Jones wasn't the only preacher to have a nuclear apocalypse vision of the future many preachers use these haunting Visions to pressure flocks of people back into the church Jones read an article in Esquire magazine titled nine places to hide the article listed locations that could survive a global nuclear war the location that appealed to Jim Jones the most was Belo Horizonte in southeast Brazil

in 1962 Jones convinced his family to pack their belongings and trouble with him to Belo Horizonte he wanted to investigate the location and determine if he could relocate people's Temple there this big move would make abandoning the church far more difficult for people's Temple members in the future

life in Belo Horizonte was not ideal the language difference was a problem and Jane struggled to get work and provide for his young family

by mid 1963 Jones fool his family to Rio De Janeiro where he got work helping people in the poverty-stricken slums

Jones associate preachers back in Indiana contacted him and warned him that he's peoples Temple Church was close to collapsing Mass services that once attracted to thousand people now barely attracted 100

Jones felt he had abandoned his congregation and given up on the American Civil Rights struggle

by December 63 Jones was back in Indiana and a back behind his lectern in church his return reinvigorated peoples Temple and to the empty pews began to refill

upon Jones has returned to America swastikas were painted on the outside of his church a stick of dynamite was left in his car pal a dead cat was thrown at his home rocks were thrown through his windows his car tires were slashed and he received threatening phone calls

whilst visiting a friend Jones was alone in a front room when a rock shattered the window beside him he blamed the attack on racists however the window glass shattered outwards from the inside the pile of broken shards were resting on the front lawn not in the room

some called into question the legitimacy of these attacks rumors swirled outside of the church that Jim Jones had orchestrated some if not all of the attacks against him

inside his church Jones was using the attacks as proof to his congregation that Indianapolis was too racist for them to be free and safe he pitched the possibility of relocating his church to somewhere more socially Progressive the apocalypse was still a hot topic for Jones He predicted Russia would launch missiles at the United States on July 16 1967 a nuclear war would follow that would engulf the world

Jones convinced his followers that it was time to move people's Temple somewhere that would withstand the nuclear war but Belo Horizonte was ruled out and church members were relieved most were reluctant to abandon their homes Comforts and families to relocate to the unfamiliar third world nation another location listed as a nuclear war safe spot in the article nine places to hide was Eureka California and in 1965 Jim Jones made the

spend that he was relocating his church to California

this move to rural California would make abandon the church far more difficult for peoples Temple members then be isolated from Outsiders far from retrieval embedded to Jones and invested in a long-term socialist goals of the church

most people's Temple members follow Jim Jones to California some wanted to grow the church community and make a positive impact elsewhere others were invested in the church community and didn't want to be left behind some had nothing in Indiana but the church

outside is called peoples Temple members crazy for abandoning their lives family and belongings to follow Evangelical crackpot Jim Jones to California they believe he's end-of-the-world Omen was a lie used to manipulate his followers through fear

in response Jones sent members of his congregation to a psychiatrist certified letters from the doctor stated that peoples Temple members were of sound mind

non Temple members watched helplessly as their friends and family drove away in Jim Jones's California Convoy

the Convoy consisted of 15 cars with Jim Jones's car leading the pack it was a two-day drive from Indiana to the wine country of California in the West

Jones purchased 60 Acres of rural property in Redwood Valley about a hundred and fifty miles south from nuclear Safe Haven Eureka in Redwood Valley dark-colored grapes grew in lined Vineyards over Rolling Hills large acreages of thick Woodlands were full of looming oak trees brought Bluebell flowers bloomed across Meadows creating a blanket of soft blue across the landscape

it was a beautiful and sprawling Place ideal for Jim Jones who decides base and remoteness

Temple members build a church out of Redwood near Jones's home it had floor-to-ceiling Windows bathing the interior of the church in natural light a window behind the preacher stage featured a colorful stained glass dove in Flight several Administration officers were built near the church Temple members purchased nearby homes so they could visit the church often to attend mass or meetings and to do chores

on the Redwood Valley Property named The Ranch they raised animals grew and harvested fruits and vegetables baked cakes and crafted knickknacks to sell it markets to satisfy the religious Temple members Jim Jones continued religious Traditions such as baptisms and healings but he constantly reminded his followers that the highest worship of God was service to one's fellow man

peoples Temple was a positive influence on the local community they ran soup kitchens homeless shelters adult education classes free legal aid clinics food banks and an animal Refuge they manage job placement services for the unemployed they sponsored disadvantaged young people to attend college and donated money to the local sheriff's department

peoples Temple purchased and took ownership of several care homes for the elderly the mentally ill and disabled people residents were asked to sign Life Care contracts the contracts allowed the temple to keep their Social Security checks in exchange for board Healthcare and a positive living and social environment

the state of California paid the temple almost 300 dollars a month per resident in their care the temple offered free blood pressure tests free anemia testing and free childcare for working parents

it was important for people's Temple to maintain a wholesome Public Image at all times when they came across the occasional opposition or critic they never resorted to violence or aggression

during his career Jim Jones met multiple times with an African-American preacher father divine

father Divine was the leader of the religious group peace Mission based in the city of Philadelphia in the east coast US state of Pennsylvania peace Mission members believed to Divine was The Reincarnation of Jesus Christ divine's teachings were that he was God heaven was a state of consciousness property ownership is communal goods and services must be donated and sinful Pleasures were prohibited

like Jim Jones father Divine was a charismatic engrossing men he also promoted racial and gender equality peace Mission had an impressive Congregation of thousands of followers

when Jim Jones first met father Divine in Philadelphia during the mid 50's he described the preacher as a repulsive man who was incredibly controlling of his congregation Divine ordered that his congregation remained celibate live communally call him their father and sign their wages and property over to peace mission

his devotees eventually built and lived in an agricultural commune called The Promised Land

as years passed and peoples Temple membership grew Jim Jones began to adopt the practices of Father Divine that he wants the tested

Jones his followers were made the call him father or dad and his wife Marceline mother or mum

another Rule Jones adopted was being sex he explained that sexual relationships were selfish and distracted people from the focus of the church sexual energy needed to be re channeled into their course

James told his church that he didn't agree with gay relationships but he was arrested and charged with soliciting a male undercover police officer for sex in a movie theater in Los Angeles Jones was quick to defend himself to his devotees he explained that he only engaged in gay relationships for the adherence own good and to allow men to connect with him symbolically

Jones claimed everyone was gay except him and that he was the only true heterosexual on the planet

the charges against him were eventually dropped but the event was a turning point for Jones by acting recklessly on the outside he almost destroyed his entire church he promised his inner circle no more sex with strangers

instead his church became his outlet for sexual gratification Jones prayed on multiple members of the temple and indulged in multiple sexual relationships his sexual deviancy was an Open Secret amongst his inner circle but was intentionally kept from the general Church population

Deborah lighten was a temple member who was a victim of Jim Jones quote team was not celibate nobody knew that until perhaps it was their time to find out what he spoke from the pulpit wasn't what he did behind the scenes

Jones told church members that he preyed upon my love will not reach you if you put a piece of Flesh between you and me Jones explained that sex with him would help you relate to the cause of the church it was a sacrifice for him one that he said he didn't enjoy making

Marceline Jones was suffering chronic back pain and Jones felt she could no longer fulfill his sexual needs so he participated in to long-term romantic Affairs in the summer of 1969 just after his 20th wedding anniversary with his wife

when Jones confessed to his wife about the Affairs Marceline demanded a divorce Jones threatened that she would never see their children again Devotion to her children made Marceline stay

publicly she spoke of lovingly of her adulterous husband and remained a loyal and devoted to him if anyone spoke ill of him Marceline would be the first to remind them of the good is done internally Marceline struggled with depression and found herself torn between accepting and hating her husband's lovers

Carolyn Layton fell pregnant to Jones Jones told his followers Carolyn was sent to Mexico on a secret mission for the church when she returned nine months later with a baby boy Jones claimed Carolyn had been raped during her mission to Mexico she named their son Jim John

change the sexual activities reached frantic proportions a member of his inner circle was given the task of discreetly maintaining his calendar of sexual appointments with Temple members Jones referred to the calendar as he's fuck schedule

in Redwood Valley peoples Temple purchased and fixed up 18 buses a banner reading Brotherhood is our religion was hung on the sides or rear of each bus Jones would take the buses on tours Across America to spread his beliefs about socialism integration communal Lifestyles and to actively Recruit new Temple members

the boss has traveled to Philadelphia Chicago Detroit Cleveland and New York Faith healings were again orchestrated to draw in a crowd advertisements promoting Reverend Jim Jones and his miraculous abilities were printed in the local newspapers Jones boasted of his ministry in Redwood Valley I've got Acres of fields of greens and potatoes and strawberries and pear and tomatoes I've got grapes I've got the Harvest on a hundred hills take me

up on my offer and come to California coming out there in those beautiful fields of Eden see what we're doing out there for freedom and I'll tell you you won't want to come back 700 Temple members were crammed onto the buses to bolster Jones's campaign the troops could take upwards of three weeks at each location Jones stated there is indeed hope for our troubled Nation for in this single spirited Church there is a live the type

of dedication and commitment to Brotherhood and fundamental human cooperation that may well be the best solution to the problems that beset our land this group is demonstrating what religion should be we would not have wars if everyone thought and lived as these people do

people from all walks of life were attracted to the positive lifestyle and optimistic worldview promoted by the temple and Jones kept membership demographics balanced and equal

to complement the large number of working-class Jones recruited younger college educated people to balance the out the traditionally religious group you brought from the Midwest he recruited Progressive atheists Jones melted these separate often conflicting groups into one cohesive group of supporters not under God but under socialism homes were sold and jobs were quit in return the recruited were moved to California into Temple own buildings

presidents received small living quarters communal meals and an allowance of $5 per week for necessities

Jones also reached out to the homeless alcoholics sex workers the drug-addicted the unemployed and to single parents he intentionally targeted the desperate he promised to care for them to protect them and to cleanse their addictions he offered them jobs a bed a home and a welcoming Community all they needed to do was get on the bus and many of them did

as peoples Temple membership grew so did the work by 1973 there were 2570 peoples Temple members across America

some members became full-time workers for the church to help with the endless duties and chores required to maintain their growing Community it wasn't unusual for full-time Temple workers to work upwards of 20 hours a day

workers compared and bragged amongst themselves over how little they slept due to their commitment to people's Temple

the mentality of Temple workers was explained by member who forced and Junior quote being in an environment where you're constantly up you're constantly busy and you're made to feel guilty if you take too many luxuries like sleeping you tend to not really think for yourself and I did allow Jim Jones to think for me because I figured he had the better plan I gave my rights up to him as many others did

those who couldn't work full-time for the church were asked to donate 25% of their paychecks in an act called the commitment

Church stuff ask members to donate their sentimental riches such as jewelry before meetings Temple staff wrist members for valuables their shoes were even emptied in case they tried to hide anything

the money collections taken from the congregation during mass reach several thousand dollars per week but Jones deceived his followers and told them the total of their offerings was much less this encouraged more donations

he took text from the county to help those in his care but he only offered those people canned foods and second-hand clothes in return

30 homes belonging to Temple members were signed over to the church who sold the properties and kept the Prophet The Prophet was recorded as gifts

Jones was earning around $20,000 per week the excessive amounts of money and Profit the church accumulated was kept hidden in various bank accounts maintained by the church's financial and legal teams

to justify constantly asking Temple members for money Jones explained that he was planning to build them a commute somewhere they could all go where fascists couldn't destroy them

of the growing Community 100 long-standing peoples Temple members were chosen to form the Planning Commission the majority of those chosen were young attractive white females the temple and its members were run under their leadership but Jim Jones retained final decision making Authority

David Parker wires was a pastor and a long-term friend of Jim Jones he was offered a position on the Planning Commission David recalled quote the great respect that I had from the other in a staff ended later when I was asked to join the Planning Commission which ruined everything Jim told me that the Planning Commission could learn from my great honesty however I learned that Honesty was not really welcome I was expected to be an attack dog or to be attacked

self and decided not to play ball as a result human I became more alienated from each other and he began to perceive me as a threat frankly I thought his behavior in the Planning Commission was insane and absurd I was especially worried that he contradicted himself all the time it was around that time that I found him better means in his pill back

to keep himself awake alert and energized Jones were secretly taking amphetamines this prolonged and frequent drug consumption Amplified Jones's paranoia he began rambling about enemies who were after him

on one Sunday afternoon boss the congregation milled about in the church's parking lot they heard the Swift crack of gunfire panicked they look to their leader blooming from the center of Jones's shirt was a large soggy red-stained Jones clutched his chest and fell his aides quickly lifted his limp body into the church

fear gripped the congregation they believed Jim Jones had been assassinated

half an hour later the doors to the church opened their leader emerged wearing a new shirt Jones explained he had healed his bullet wound and the crowd cheered

the bloody shirt was hung in the church as a reminder to followers that Jim Jones was in constant danger members chose not to question why there wasn't a bullet hole through the fabric

attacks on Jim Jones and his Temple became regular occurrences Molotov cocktails were thrown at church property that animals were left on front Lawns Jones found broken glass in his food sniper dots constantly tracked him a bond was found under his bus and a needle filled with poison was hidden in his folded underwear

block his faith feelings these dramatic events were orchestrated by Jones to trick his followers he perpetrated the fear by surrounding himself with armed bodyguards and by making his Vehicles Bulletproof

guard stood at the entrance to the church and questioned and searched everyone who entered familiar faces and strangers alike some guards carry guns why are you here that would ask visitors suspiciously what do you think about Jim Jones

fear of outside enemies embedded itself deep within Temple membership and Temple members became fiercely defensive and loyal towards their church and leader which is exactly what Jim Jones had intended

outside the church Jones is paranoia attention-seeking and fear of rejection manifested in bizarre behavior around his family Jones would feign sickness that would cultivate in dramatic scenes he collapse grasped his chest ways for air and choke on Words moments later once everyone was worrying over him it seemed perfectly fine

his son Stephen Jones would later look back on his father's Behavior quote it was losing its luster it seemed like we were always fearing for our lives or his or both and I was growing tired of it

inside the church change his controlling behavior manifested in other ways

still harboring bitterness for those church members who had abandoned him in the past Jones came up with some nefarious ways to ensure his new followers could never leave him

Temple members older than 11 years old were made to sign the bottom of a blank piece of paper referred to as an attendance sheet if members were to leave or threatened The Temple at damaging message could be typed in the blank page above the signature a false confession incriminating statements suicide notes threats or power of attorney their signatures and the fear of what he could do with them bound members to Jim Jones indefinitely

during Temple meetings the Planning Commission handed out pens and paper and told members to write down confessions to imaginary crimes

these pages of false confessions to murder terrorism rape molestation theft and fraud were kept by Jones to further ensure Allegiance

at other meetings members were told to write what they would do to people who might hurt the cause or hurt Jim Jones explicit and violent details were encouraged despite objections members were forced to write that they would kill anyone who harmed their movement

Temple members were encouraged to spy on one another and were rewarded for doing so anyone heard talking negatively about Jones or making plans to leave the church were reprimanded

it seemed impossible for Temple members to willingly leave they were committed financially homes stocks and belongings had been sold and paychecks handed over socially they were also committed their friends and family were members and most wouldn't consider abandoning their loved ones

the implicating false documents they all signed also kept them bound within the church

with the fear of not knowing who to trust as even friends and family members were turning each other in Escape couldn't be planned without Jim Jones finding out

Jones himself would often say you cannot escape this movement

it was the cause that motivated peoples Temple members they all still believed in doing good work and helping others to bring about equality but with Jim Jones's overly paranoid and controlling Behavior the church lost its enthusiastic and contagious joy that once made it so intoxicating to further compel members to stay in the church families were divided couples parents children siblings and relatives were intentionally separated amongst Temple

the Jim Jones breaking up traditional nuclear families was key to maintaining control of individuals he didn't want groups of people to have loyal tires to each other just to him

parental Authority was given to the Planning Commission as most children did not reside in the same building as their parents the church Community raised children members were ordered to divorce partners that refused to join the temple the relationship committee took control of Intimate Relationships by pairing off permitting Affairs and marrying couples of their choosing and forcing other couples to break up

throughout the 1960s there was a sense of optimism amongst US citizens who believed change could occur through social movements anti-vietnam War protests the sexual Revolution the Civil Rights Movement second wave feminism and gay rights were movements that gave power to the people

peoples Temple had spent five years in Redwood Valley before Jim Jones moved the temples headquarters to San Francisco in 1970

San Francisco was the center for activist movements at the time people's Temple was unnoticed in the rural Hills of Redwood Valley so Jones decided to head into the heart of a major political City to propel and promote his socialist movement

in San Francisco peoples Temple purchased the narrow multi-story building as their new headquarters Jones and his family lived in an apartment on the third floor Temple members lived in shed cubicles on the floors above when these became overcrowded members slept in the sanctuary downstairs where sermons and meetings were held

multiple apartment buildings were purchased around the headquarters the house more members it was rare to find a temple member living outside of the communes life in San Francisco was rough for Temple members members pets were killed and buried in Mass Graves as there wasn't enough space for them to live in a communes the church also tightened internal budgets low nutrition mass-produced the cheat meals were always on the menu often members were served the same blend meal throughout the day

complaints were rarely aired in fear of being labeled selfish

armed guards were placed out the front of the San Francisco peoples Temple headquarters the front door was kept locked and only those with express permission from Temple staff could enter and leave written communication to Outsiders was heavily inspected scrutinized and censored by Temple staff and only positive statements about the church and Jim Jones were released

with in San Francisco Jones work to have people's Temple become politically influential members were used to bolster campaign crowds for politicians who were friends with Jones Jones ordered Temple members to support politicians who worked for the temples interests to Outsiders it appeared these politicians had massive support from a diverse section of the community

peoples Temple members were tailor-made for political rallies due to the variety of cultures genders ages and skin tones

without Jim Jones these political rallies would have nowhere near the amount of supporters and at the time it was understood that it was impossible to win office in San Francisco without the support of Jones and peoples Temple to Outsiders Reverend Jim Jones was the epitome of a selfless Christian he was seen as down-to-earth witty and effective it was highly respected and admired for his boldness to take on Injustice and Corruption

in 1975 Reverend Jim Jones was named one of the most influential clergyman in the country in 1976 he received the Los Angeles Heralds humanitarian of the Year award one newsmen set of Jones quote you were truly an affirmation of all that is best in the human race

Jones concealed the truth that the social gospel principles he preached were actually the principles of Communism Jones Blended religion and socialism for years to ensure the progression from one to the other seemed natural to his congregation he told his followers if you're born in the capitalist America racist America fascist America then you're born in sin but if you're born in socialism you are not born in sin

the Bible served no function in his long-term socialist goals and he wanted his religious followers to give up on God he said those who remained drugged with the opiate of religion had to be brought to Enlightenment socialism

Church meetings became intensely antibody ball Jones called Christianity a fly away religion and labeled the Bible a tool used to oppress he denounced the sky God in one sermon he said you're going to help yourself or you'll get no help there's only one hope of glory that's within you nobody's going to come out of the sky there's no Heaven up there we'll have to make Heaven down here

people are not saved through reading the Bible

networks refused to air Jones is controversial anti-bible sermons proud religious people began a campaign of harassment targeted at Jones's family Jones didn't stand down he continued his crusade to discredit the Bible

during one Mass he accused his Christian members of being hung up on the Bible he explains the book and held down black people for the last 200 years and he would show them it had no power he threw the Bible across the church

the thumb when it hit the wooden floor echoed up into the tall Hollow roof Jones look back and forth and he's shocked audience

now he said did you see any lightning coming out of the sky and strike me dead

Like Father Divine before him Jones referred to himself as God he began a sermon saying for some unexplained set of reasons I happened to be selected to be God and you may not believe it but I'll tell you there was never a miracle done in the world less I did it I am the god Messiah

in 1973 a college students left people's Temple they were the children of original Indiana peoples Temple members and were considered by Jones as he's best and brightest they didn't trust anyone else and only spoke to each other about their plan to escape they didn't even tell their families as they felt they would fight them and try and make them stay they came to be known as the eighth revolutionaries or the gang of eight

the gang of eight had every reason to be concerned one of them said quote at one point we had been told that any college student who was going to leave the church would be killed not by Jones but by some of his followers

in a letter to Jones the gang of eight explain to the reasons for their abandonment they detail the hypocrisy rampant in Temple staff Jim Jones demanded celibacy but he's in a circle had sexual affairs with each other Jones preached Racial equality but the church leadership was predominantly white

money doesn't exist in a socialist society but Rich Temple members were propelled into positions of power

they complain that Temple staff had become more concerned with castrating members than about working on advancing the Socialist movement

when Jim Jones read the letter he didn't care for its contents he was just furious that despite all these tricks and traps people had abandoned him yet again

a threatening campaign to harass the gang of eight began notes made out of chopped newspaper lettering was sent to them the pages were smeared with poison oak to irritate the skin of the unsuspecting handlers we know where you live the letters read we're watching you all the time keep your ass clean and your mouth clamped up no pigs

the gang of eight were bombarded with untraceable threatening phone calls obituaries were written in newspapers under their names rented versus were left idle in front of their homes these actions were enough to keep the defectors silent

after the gang of eight left life changed in people's Temple Jones said my love isn't working I guess I'll have to start getting hard on people they seem to respond to a better

up until this point correcting negative behavior within the church involved private meetings with Troublesome members they were counseled offered self-criticism and gently reprimanded

but that all changed once people started defecting

Jones started calling forth troublemakers from the crowd to get up on stage he would speak highly of the individual before cutting the flattery with a harsh statement whether caught committing a defined Prime such as smoking or a less tangible crime such as being selfish all punishments were equal hundreds of Temple members would berate and shame the Troublemaker on stage and these verbal attacks became more menacing over time there were loud threatening and personal

the victim stood silent before the crowd which usually contained their friends and families who will join in on the vicious verbal assault

this disciplinary process was labeled catharsis Temple leadership stayed at re-educated the self-centered elitist and capitalist Temple members and turned them into selfless autonomous communists

one night as a transgressor stood before the crowd for their catharsis Jim Jones change things again he silenced the congregation asked for a belt and then whip the victim with it

once Giants introduced physical punishments to catharsis they eventually became normal

victims were lined up on stage and whipped one after the other parents were made to with their children to if parents whipped gently to protect their child Jones called them disloyal then the parent was whipped

once the belt became predictable and less effective it was replaced by something known as the Board of Education

a 1 by 4 inch board two and a half feet long the board was used up to a hundred times in one catharsis if a child refuse to stand still and accept their beating two adults would hold them down

children often collapsed after woods and needed to be carried off stage

during one meeting Jones ordered sixteen-year-old Linda myrdal on stage Linda stood before the crowd of 700 Temple members including her parents her crime was that she was seeing greeting a female friend with a hug and a kiss

Linda was hit 75 times as the crowd yelled scathing words at her the beating was so severe Linda couldn't sit for a week and a half afterwards

younger badly behaved children were subjected to the blue eyed monster the child was left in a dark room where a frightening voice told them I am the blue eyed monster and I'm going to get you puddles of an electroshock therapy machine where pressed to the child's chest a sharp jolt of electricity prickled through their body and the traumatized child was then used as a warning to others adult punishments progressed into boxing matches

multiple assailants be troublemakers before the congregation it was considered cowardly if the victims defended themselves or fought back if knocked unconscious the victims face was splashed with water to wake them up then the beating would continue

after punishment Reverend Jim Jones would wrap his arms around the victim and say

I realized that you went through a lot but it was for the cause father loves you and you're a stronger person now I can trust you more now that you've gone through and accepted this discipline

the victim was required to respond into the microphone

thank you Father

the abuse continued outside of the catharsis sessions during Temple meetings doors would be locked and no one was allowed in or out members were not allowed to talk go to the bathroom or sleep guards carrying guns walked through the sanctuary threatening and separating stalkers they roughly woke up worshippers who fell asleep

some Temple members wet their pants during the meetings unable to hold on until the end if caught chewing gum members were thrown into the churches swimming pool when one child through up Jones ordered the child to eat their vomit a misbehaving three year old boy was forced to stay up all night scrubbing floors with a toothbrush

teenagers will make the pickle in tough carpet floors for hours members were stripped naked in meetings and their bodies criticized one exhausted man was vomited and urinated on when he accidentally fell asleep

these meetings would go on all night with several meetings held per week

some followers dismissed concerns about the abusive Behavior within the temple is they believed the ends justify the means others were scared into silence no one wanted to be called up on stage and beaten for criticizing the church they stripped members of Free Will and thought eventually even the most shocking acts became normal

one night Jones ordered an urgent meeting with the Planning Commission after the deflections Jones wanted to determine how loyal is remaining followers were Jones claimed that if his followers were loyal they should be willing to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge for the course he suggested filling buses with Temple members and driving them off the Golden Gate Bridge after a long silence Jack beam had been alongside Joan since Indiana yelled

go ahead and kill yourself if you want but leave the rest of us out of this

no Jones responded he would be the only Survivor he'd remained behind to explain to the world why the temple chose to commit revolutionary suicide

revolutionary suicide was coined in the late 1960s by Huey Newton

Newton was the leader of the Black Panther Party Newton spoke of revolutionary suicide in relation to assassinations of black panther members by police and Public Enemies Newton said these murders were a consequence of challenging the system standing up against the power of the man the man will shoot you down death is a sacrifice for the cause it was revolutionary suicide

Jim Jones's interpretation of revolutionary suicide was completely different According to Jones revolutionary suicide was a voluntary act committed by members of a cause to make a political statement Newton never considered revolutionary suicide a choice Jim Jones did

on New Year's Day 1976 the people's Temple Planning Commission were in the church Sanctuary celebrating Jones was on stage and beside him were dozens of glasses sitting in neat rows on a tray purple colored wine was poured into each class

Jones had permitted the Planning Commission members to consume alcohol for the special occasion H partygoer took a glass and within seconds the glasses were empty

Jones his voice boomed over the happy chatter you just drank poison

people were stunned eyes wide and shaking elderly people felt faint

should anyone leave to seek a doctor they'd be Traders Jones enhanced

one woman ran to the door but was forced back by armed guards as Panic swept through the sanctuary Jones watched with staunch indifference

45 minutes after drinking The Poisoned wine everyone remained well

the party suspected they had been fooled

Jones said that wasn't poison you drank I had my staff watching each of your 30 faces to determine if you were indeed ready to die

anyone seen clinging to life was chastised it was a privilege to die for your beliefs the idea of his followers dying for his course became an obsession for Jim Jones his sermons were suddenly peppered with ominous statements about killing his congregation when Jones boasted of his love of socialism he added I'd be willing to die to bring it about but if I did I'd take a thousand with me

he also said the last orgasm I'd like to have his death if I could take you all with me the day is coming when I'm going to issue an order that will shock you with his hands deep in politician Pockets Jim Jones and his Temple were able to live and prosper in San Francisco without government intervention or questioning

one politician who oh Jim Jones was George Moscone Jones had Temple members campaign on behalf of Moscone leading to him getting elected as the mayor of San Francisco

mosconi rewarded Jones with the role of chairman of the Housing Authority

the Housing Authority City Hall meetings were previously uneventful Affairs but when Jones was appointed chairman meetings turned into bizarre spectacles Jones wore his trademark sunglasses and arrive to meetings with an Entourage of AIDS bodyguards and his own audience when Jones spoke is planted audience would erupt in loud Applause and standing ovations these unruly meetings caught the Curiosity of the media and people's Temple suddenly found themselves under constant media scrutiny

journalists began investigating people's temple one journalist watch Jones Faith Hill the same person of the same illness twice in one day Jones had once admitted publicly to being an atheist he didn't believe in God but his church was exempt from paying tax by claiming to be a religious institution journalists expose this hypocrisy suddenly journalists were receiving dozens of calls a day from Temple members telling them not to criticize

as Jones members even picketed the officers of journalists and pressured advertisers not to buy space in these Publications however the temples threats had the adverse impact that compelled journalists to keep digging which led them to the discovery of seven suspicious deaths of peoples Temple members

Maxine harp was found hanged in her garage in March 1970 the death ruled a suicide Maxine new Temple members had infiltrated government agencies including the welfare department the temple were purposefully disbanding families and putting their children into Temple owned Foster Care Homes this made the children eligible for welfare support which the temple collected on their behalf Maxine confronted Jones who told her why don't you just kill yourself get it over with

Jones predicted the day before Maxine's death that bitch is going to die

after her death Maxine's three children were put in the temple foster homes the temple collected ten thousand dollars in welfare support checks on their behalf as well as the three thousand dollar trust fund their mother left for them

Chris Lewis shot Rory Health dead in November 1973 during a heated argument in a roomful of Temple members Lewis was later acquitted on the grounds of self-defense rumors spread that Jones had ordered the killing that were motive remains unclear Chris Lewis himself was shot dead outside a temple owned Thrift Shop

police concluded the crime was drug-related Lewis was a personal bodyguard to Jones two different people shot him twice in the back the killers were never identified Jones blamed the murder on enemies of people's Temple but Temple staff used Lewis's death as a threat to what might happen if they didn't comply with temple demands

truth heart died of congestive heart failure in July 1974 truth was the next piece Mission member who joined peoples Temple shortly after father divine's death truth turned against Jim Jones once he started disrespecting the Bible days prior to the event Jones predicted the sixty six year olds death he also directed a temple nurse to order a drug known to induce heart attacks

James used truth death as an example to others of what happens when people left father's protection

John head was found dead on a Los Angeles Street in October 75 his death was ruled a suicide

the 22 year old suffered depression and was a patient in a mental health hospital where several Temple members worked

John had recently collected a $10,000 insurance settlement from a motorcycle accident in which he was the victim Temple members convinced John to donate his settlement to their Church afterwards the temple relocated John to their communion Los Angeles within three weeks John called his old neighbor from a pay phone he was unhappy in the temple and wanted to leave but they wouldn't let him

the following day John fell to his death from the roof of a three-story Warehouse

as re Hood vanished without a trace of was never found people's Temple were pressuring her to relocate from her home in Texas today Redwood Valley commune as re refused to move and suspected she was being followed and that her phone had been tapped one night as we received a phone call from a temple member who offered to pay for her to fly to Redwood Valley again as we refuse to move within hours of the call as re Hood disappeared and was never heard from again

Bob Huston was found dead at the train depot where he worked in October 76 his death was ruled an accident Bob was a youth counselor contributing two thousand dollars a month to the temple when Bob question Temple policy Jones said Bob was too smart for his own good

Bob received a phone call from his defect that ex-wife convincing him to leave the church and rekindled their relationship the next day Bob's body was found crushed by a train car in the San Francisco Rail Yard where he worked

his death was reported as a workplace accident Bob's co-workers took issue with this ruling Bob wasn't wearing gloves at the time of his death he was a musician who took great care of his hands and he only took his gloves off at work when he went to shake someone's hand

Jones's lawyers fought hard to keep the media's negative press at Bay Publications were threatened with lawsuits as a result stories were scrapped and Publications were forced by Temple lawyers to print redactions

Giants use the negative press to further perpetrate the sense of imminent danger he told his congregation that outside forces didn't want them to succeed doing the good that they were doing lies were being published to hurt the cause in late 1976 New West magazine started researching The People's Temple and Jim Jones For an upcoming article as soon as peoples Temple heard about it the magazine its editors and advertisers were bombarded with

50 calls and 70 letters a day from Temple members and supporters

unbeknownst to the temple several Temple defectors were contemplating speaking out together about the abuses within the church the defect is contacted the writer of the new West article and the greed to be named and interviewed about people's Temple and Jim Jones

the new West magazine article titled inside people's Temple was written from the interviews with 10x Temple members the ex-members explained how Jim Jones was initially a compassionate person but slowly the atmosphere inside the temple changed to one of Cruelty and punishments the new West article detailed the horrors within people's Temple a life of recommendation fear and self imposed humiliation advance and behavior were orchestrated and nothing

real Temple members were prepared beforehand whenever dignitaries or guests visited everything that would say and do was scripted and rehearsed creating an illusion that the temple was a safe welcoming and happy place

the article described the forcibly signed false confessions that incriminated members in bogus illegal activity the humiliating catharsis beatings were revealed and Jones has Faith healings were exposed as a sham the harassment defectors received from the temple was detailed along with the fact that those who had left feared being murdered

the article loci revealed that the people's Temple Redwood Valley Properties were up for sale as where the Los Angeles Temple buildings and three Care Homes they own

the article stated property sales were evidence that Jim Jones and his Temple were in the final stages of orchestrating a mass Exodus to avoid prosecution

the article read quote several former Temple members believe Jones and a few hundred of his closest followers may be planning to leave no later than September of this year the ex-members we interviewed had the ability to walk away from the temple once they found the courage to do it

whether the church WIll permit those who move the option of ever leaving is questionable

on August 1st 1977 six hours before the article was to go to print New West Magazine's editor Rosalie right made a phone call

on the other end of the line was people's Temple leader Reverend Jim Jones

Rosalie offered to read the article to Jones personally

she had no idea that Jones was with five members of his inner circle who were discreetly listening in on the call

Rosalie read out the detailed accounts and delegations revealing Jim Jones to be an egotistical perverted fraud the article was critical of the temples financing recruitment political influence and work practices in the room with Jim Jones during the call was Deborah Layton she recalled quote as right continues to read this article Jones is looking around the room at the five of us and you can tell he's becoming more and more anxious and his mouth becomes dry

and he realizes this article is going to be hugely damning

whilst on the phone Jones reached out for a pen and paper

he scribbled a short message and handed the note to each person in the room at Red we leave tonight

to be continued in part 2