Jonestown Cultists Dying; Shrieks of Agony and Gunshots,

The full-page lucky 13 from the Dec. 8, 1978, edition of The Free Lance-Star, which carries the fifth installment from Marshall Kilduff and Ron Javers' instant book The Suicide Cult, which was more snap-judgment, then truth in non-fiction. There is a short AP piece by Susan Ager, on Laura Johnston, called 'We weren't looking for trouble,' and indeed, Laura is seen in an unusual, but still fetching, seven-sixteenths profile. And while you may not be looking, you couldn't help but overhear. When the ranting doesn't work on your teenagers, go ahead and try shrieks of agony---It should work like the spray bottle with water does on the puppy.

I don't want to get into a harangue about the death tape, so I''ll  reduce a must-read a list from 35 to two:

"Survivors of the Jonestown killings and suicides say that Rev. Jim Jones, the cult's leader, was meticulous in recording all of his activities, either on tape or on paper."

Then why all the switching on and off of the recording machine, which should have run like a sex tape--turned on and forgotten about. But here, someone clicks it on and off so many times, it sounds like Rosemary Woods on water pills

December 9, 1978, New York Times, page A11, Guyana Says It Belatedly Received Tape of the Jones Cultists Dying; Shrieks and Gunshots, by Nicholas M. Horrack, [Blog]

December 9, 1978, Boston Globe - Washington Post, Jones on tape: 'If we can't live in peace, let's die in peace', by Leonard Downie Jr., 986 words [Text]

 The tape should have had the energy and flow of Robert Altman's opening sequence to his movie Nashville--a 19-minute , continuous, unbroken tracking shot involving all 24 of his stars. This trailer clip captures that energy.

The Peoples Templars weren't committing suicide because they were depressed--that's reactionary yellow dog suicide.

 Jack Galinas, director of a New York City public relations firm, did the shadow work for what normally is handled by the  Guyanese Minister of Information

When you have a NBC news crew present to record your terminal moments, but still you're forced to come up with post-mortem sound recording to explain your fundamentally bizarre behavior (and why wasn't the closed circuit PT-TV running?) then in all other like things you should remain circumspect--and avoid drawing attention to your weakest areas of argument.  Perhaps a professional photographer tell us what lens to use so that the bright afternoon tropical sun will light a representative's buttocks, and Bouquette's paque.  This is Rep Ryan's penultimate image will be remembered.

Copyright Infringement!

"The photo was discovered in a camp darkroom by Guyanese officials attempting to identify victims."

It looks like the burning of Atlanta behind them, unfortunately illuminating this spiteful, mean-spirited moment



I'm practicing a new way to blog which I hope will make things swifter, and more legible  for the reader by using small thumbnails, which will spring open like handsome men with bouquets of lilies popping out of your computer screen  to carry the full text into straight into your arms---that's the idea at least, or I can link directly to the original source.


What unthinking editor chose to fill out the remaining space on page13 with Dr. Paul Ruble's medical column, 'To Your Good Health,' when the topic this week was headlined, 'Rupture of naval is rare in adults.'
I bet even confirmed hypochondriacs didn't linger long on this one.

_______________________________________________________________________________

December 8, 1978, Chicago Tribune, page 2, Tape reveals children's shrieks in cult deaths
December 8, 1978, The Baltimore Sun, Jones' Suicide Calls, Gunshots Heard on Tape Recording Found at Jonestown,
December 8, 1978, The Baltimore Sun, page A1, Jones's suicide calls, gunshots heard on tape recording found at Jonestown,
December 8, 1978, New York Times, page A1, Rubble of Commune Yields a Tape Of Cultists Dying, Jones Exhorting, by Joseph B. Treaster, [Blog]
December 8, 1978, Prescott Courier - AP, page 8A, Tape records last moment of Jonestown,
December 9, 1978, Boston Globe - Washington Post, Jones on tape: 'If we can't live in peace, let's die in peace', by Leonard Downie Jr., 986 words [Text]
December 9, 1978, New York Times, page A11, Guyana Says It Belatedly Received Tape of the Jones Cultists Dying; Shrieks and Gunshots, by Nicholas M. Horrack, [Blog]
December 9, 1978, New York Times, page A28, Dispute with Jones Said to Be On Tape; A Source Familiar With Recording Says That Some at Commune Opposed Plan for Deaths, by Anthony Marro, [Blog]
December 21, 1978, The Baltimore Sun, page A7, Jonestown   said to reveal most were pressured into dying,
December 21, 1978, Chicago Tribune, page 6, Tape backs suicide view in cult deaths, by Timothy McNulty and Michael Sneed,
December 21, 1978, The Sun Reporter, Jonestown tape said to reveal most were pressured into dying,
January 3, 1979, New York Times,Murder Trial Ordered for Suspect in Ryan Slaying, [Text]
January 4, 1979, New York Times,Court Ruling Stalls Inquiry in Rep. Ryan's Slaying; Another Declines to Testify; Death Tape Described,
January 4, 1979, Los Angeles Times, page B11, Tape of Jones' Suicide Call Described as 'Eerie',
January 25, 1979, The Washington Post, page A18, Guyana Tape Raises Questions on Lane, by Charles Krause, [Weisberg Collection]
March 14, 1979, NBC News, Jonestown Tapes Provide Insight Into Last Few Hours Before Mass Suicide, Stock Footage, 7:45,
March 14, 1979, St. Petersburg Evening Independent, page 3-A, Guyana Death Tape: The Last Minutes of Jonestown Suicide Revealed,
March 15, 1979, The Baltimore Sun, page A1, Tape hints early decision by Jones on mass suicide, [antitrust]
March 15, 1979, The Washington Post, page C11, Tape Has Jones Urging Suicide Upon Followers,
March 15, 1979, Los Angeles Times, page B10, Suicides Planned Early, Tape Indicates,
March 15, 1979, New York Times,Copy of Jonestown Tape Reveals How Jones Persuaded 900 To Die, by Joseph B. Treaster,
March 15, 1979, New York Times,Excerpts From Transcript of Tape Describing the Final Moments at Jonestown; 'They'll Not Take Our Death in Vain',
February 28, 1980, Los Angeles Times, page B22, Slain Couple Mentioned on Cult Tape, by Russell Chandler,
April 18, 1981, The Washington Post, page A2, Tapes Replay Vows of Death In Jonestown, 554 words
April 19, 1981, The Washington Post, page B1, Jonestown's Last Days: NPR Replays the Tapes and the Terror, by Richard Harrington,
April 20, 1981, St. Petersburg Independent - AP, page 11A, Cults; Jonestown Tapes Revealed, [Blog]
April 23, 1981, New York Times,Radio: Jonestown Tragedy Documented on Tape, by John J. O'Connor,
May 6, 1981, The Age, page 10, The Jonestown Tapes: Horrific Visitation, by Barry Hill, [Blog]
August 9, 1984, Union Democrat - UPI, page 14, Jury Won't Be .Allowed To Hear Last Hour' Jonestown Tapes,
August 9, 1984, Gainesville Sun, page 8C, Judge: Jim Jones Tapes Admissible In Court,
July 30, 1985, Boston Globe - AP, page 12, Guyana Tape Ruled Too Inflammatory,
July 6, 2001, Jonestown Audio Tape Primary Project: Commentary on Q 042, by Fielding M. McGehee, III,





December 8, 1978, The Free Lance-Star - Los Angeles Times, page 13, Suicide Cult; No escape from rantings of Jim Jones, Fifth in a series, Next: Death in Paradise. From: The Suicide Cult, by Marshall Kilduff and Rom Javers,
December 8, 1978, The Free Lance-Star, "To Your Good Health, Rupture of naval is rare in adults, by Paul E. Ruble, M.D.
December 8, 1978, The Free Lance-Star - Los Angeles Times, page 13, Suicide Cult; No escape from rantings of Jim Jones, Fifth in a series, Next: Death in Paradise. From: The Suicide Cult, by Marshall Kilduff and Rom Javers,
December 8, 1978, The Free Lance-Star - AP, page 13, 'We weren't looking for trouble,' by Susan Ager,







There are particular qualities I find present in papers like The Free Lance-Star, of Fredericksburg, Virginia (similar to qualities I find in its near namesake--The Fredericks Post. I just squared away both of their relationships to the capital beltway with Google Maps below. So I clicked on a link, totally at random, and this is what came back, above an below the fold:

A hunch is confirmed, I think, that these papers appeal to the tastes and world view of  a segment of American society I had little familiarity with before---with the Virginia paper reading more military, and the Maryland paper more upscale intelligence services. The coincidence of having two dark, side-lite images to compare being quite eerie to me, although Jesus' sentiment, "My God, my God, why has thou forsaken me?" is utterly foreign to my relationship with Him--to whom I want to say, "Stop tickling now, or I'm going to
tell mom!"




I don't care to read and see how learned the Rt. Rev. James A. Pike could be while explicating the cry, Eloi, Eloi lama sabachtthani? (But I did count the letters.)  I know that Rev. Pike, like most Americans, could never sit down in his saffron robes into a perfect posture, and, in a process of self-immolation, galvanize an entire world, one way or another. Christians should start appreciating other cultures, and stop invading, other countries. Even widows jumping on the funeral pyres of their departing mates can have a strange spiritual beauty if done for the right imaginary motivation, like adoring life and whatever comes next.

But there is nothing, nothing, deep or on the surface, about what the powers-that-be transacted upon powerless people in the Guyanese jungle. As for the venality and stupidity of the so-called "survivors," I guess I can identify--we all have to scamper and clutch at meal tickets when we get very, very hungry.