Welcome Back!
Sorry that it has been a while since my last post, but it was the first week back to work since my staycation.
It was rough, to say the least.
Jumping right into it, I bring you the story of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple.
(Source: Encyclopædia Britannica)
This is a pretty well-known story; at least I have known about it for quite some time. If you need a refresher, think of the phrase "don't drink the Kool-aid" and where it came from; buckle up for this depressing story.
Jim Jones. Who or what was he? Why did thousands of individuals blinding follow this man to Guyana?
Answers to follow.
Jim Jones was a white minister who sought to reach a diverse congregation. Equality was number one on his list, and being the 1950s, this resonated with people. He seems like a great guy, right? He preaches acceptance, was very involved in the community, helped the less fortunate, and everything — a real pillar of the community. If you are familiar with true crime, you will know this is a red flag. Let's go back and take a look at Jones' childhood.
It was dark, to say the least.
Raised in Indiana, Jones was described as a strange fellow with an obsession with religion. Oh, and Adolf Hitler. I found that odd because Jones was so inclusive. The aspect of Hitler that he admired the most was how Hitler committed suicide rather than be taken captive. Foreshadowing!
Hobbies of young Jim Jones; experimenting on animals, killing animals, aaaand holding funerals for those animals. Creepy. I couldn't find any more information on that, but I found that interesting. It is common for serial killers (yes, I would classify Jones as a serial killer, and you will find out why in a bit) to hurt and kill small animals. It is becoming a serial killer step 2, behind wetting the bed, which I don't know if Jones had that issue. The funerals are what get me and how did people know about them. Was he just that open with them?
Now, why did he do all that? I think it was for control, and it progressed to beginning a church. Those people will follow him anywhere if he is convincing enough and that he was. This was also why he created so many projects; to reach more people, all for control.
Fast forward to 1955, and Jones started the Peoples Temple of the Disciples of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Peoples Temple for short. To grow his congregation, Jones befriended Father Divine, the founder of the Peace Mission Movement. Father Divine seemed to possess the same allure over people like Jones, and for that, Father Divine's followers saw him as a god. The two shared the same basics, they preached about racial equality, possessing mixed congregations, and were firm believers of the abstinence of sex.
(Source: New York Times)
Not long into their friendship, Father Divine dies; 1965, to be precise. That was when Jones tried to make a move, and that was to take over the Pease Mission. That did not fly with Mother Divine.
Apparently, she was had enough of Jones and kicked everyone out, forcing Jones to regroup. He was able to persuade a few followers of Father Divine to join him.
Throughout the 1960s, Jones grew paranoid. Perhaps this was always a trait of his, who knows, but he scared easily. For example, after reading an article in Esquire Magazine about the nine safest places to be during a nuclear war, Jones convinced his followers to move to Eureka, California, with him.
How did he do that? Well, he told them that on July 15, 1967, the United States would be under nuclear attack, and California was the safest place for them. And they bought it; 140 members followed to Jones to California, Redwood Valley to be specific, which is 150 miles south of Eureka. Interesting. Why so far away from one of the safest places in the world? No idea.
Regardless, Jones' following grew, and people from San Francisco and Los Angeles flocked to Redwood Valley by the 1970s despite their leader struggling to follow his own teachings. For example, Jones was arrested for lewd conduct at a movie theatre in December of 1973. What was he doing? He was masturbating, of course, despite his teachings against sexual pleasures. And what happened when confronted about his inappropriate behavior? He showed his wiener to the cops and continued to masturbate.
His followers remained devoted. Why? Well, Jones was a miracle worker, he staged cancer healings and other acts to reach the status that Father Divine had.
With media coverage, his numbers grew to 20,000! But this caused Jones to become even more paranoid. He began to wear dark sunglasses and traveled with bodyguards. That wasn't enough, and thus he began to plan his next big move, Guyana.
In Guyana, Jones formed Jonestown, not conceded at all, mind you. At this point, I would say that Jones' true colors came out to his community. He was married to Marceline Jones since 1949, but he was also involved with several of his followers. He also saw his followers as his children, so that's gross. Oh yeah, and don't forget he preached zero-tolerance for sex. Upon joining his cult, couples were no longer married but merely the children of Father Jones; yes, he took the title, Father. That's not all, though. Jones also believed that he was the only heterosexual on earth, and everyone else was homosexual. Shouldn't he label himself has bisexual or pansexual then? Or were those identifications not out there yet? Oh yeah, and Jones said he didn't like having to sleep with men and women but that he had to. Okay, dude.
Along with strict rules regarding relationships in Jonestown, followers also had to give up the custody of their children. They now belonged to Jones. Beatings and threats of punishment were other things that the followers had to deal with, and we are talking public beatings, and Jones would giggle through them. His laugh is super creepy, just look it up.
Moving on.
Did you know that the Peoples Temple had a mascot? They did, a chimpanzee named Mr. Muggs that they bought by Jones in Indianapolis when he was a door-to-door chimpanzee salesman. It was the 50s, and apparently, that was a thing. Mr. Muggs was used as a punishment for young children in Jonestown. They would be locked in Mr.Muggs' cage for long periods.
(Source: Flickr)
Shortly after the 900 or so individuals moved to Guyana, U.S congressman, Leo Ryan became suspicious of Jones and decided to investigate.
He was not welcomed in Jonestown and was shot to death, along with 40 others, while boarding a plane back to the United States.
As you can imagine, this put Jones over the edge, and he began to plan the mass suicide/murder. I forgot to mention that while in Jonestown, Jones became addicted to pills. He would take it all, uppers, downers; you name it.
He started November 18, 1978, by telling his followers that they were under attack and that suicide was the only option. He mixed up a special batch of, not Kool-Aid, but the off-brand version, Flavor-Aid, and cyanide. They forced the children to drink it first, probably to ensure the adults would follow.
Not everyone drank the punch willingly; syringes were found around the compound, indicating that many individuals were tied down and injected with the cyanide. Was it possible that they injected themselves? Nope. The fresh puncture marks were on the victims' upper arms, making the wound impossible to be self-inflicted.
Jones didn't stop there. He also shot all of the dogs on the compound as well as Mr. Muggs.
Jonestown's nurse, Miss Moore, was also shot. It appeared as though she was trying to get away when Jones shot her in the face with a dum-dum bullet, from the same gun that killed the congressman. If you are unfamiliar with guns (like I am), a dum-dum bullet is known to do a lot of damage. Miss Moore was missing half of her face when the bodies were discovered.
Jones also did not partake of the punch; he shot himself instead. Remember how Hitler was his hero because he committed suicide?
304 of the victims were under the age of 17.
(Source: History)
Tim and Grace Stoen followed Jones to California back in the 60s, but after Jones claimed to be the father of their child, they split from the church. Fearing for their lives, they sought legal actions, but by that time, their son, John, was on his way to Guyana and would become another victim of his madman. John was only 7 when he died.
Not everyone died; several people fled the compound while all of that was going on. Hyacinth Thrash, an elderly woman, slept through the whole thing. She awoke the next morning to bodies everywhere, among them was her sister, Zipporah Edwards. Thrash mentions that she couldn't believe what happened and that she felt betrayed by Jones.
Other survivors didn't last long. Several of them ended up committing suicide in the years to follow, others were murdered, their cases never solved. Al and Jeannie Mills and Paula Adams were a few who were killed after returning to the United States.
Over 900 people died in Jonestown, several more after the event, making this the most prominent mass tragedy next to 9/11. Lastly, over 400 bodies were left unclaimed and then buried in Evergreen Cemetery in California. And that is the story of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple.
(Source: The Insider)
This story was a real downer; it's a true crime, so it is always a downer, but this one really gets me. All of those people trusted Jones, despite how crazy he was, he just had a hold on people much like Father Divine and Charles Manson. It's unbelievable.
I'll try to do a more lighthearted story next week, or at least a tale when hundreds of people don't die.
As always, if you have anything to add, make a comment. If you are enjoying this blog so far, let your friends know.
-Tye
Always Cite Those Sources:
Romero, Simon. “Can Ghosts Bring Life to Jonestown Cult Compound?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 3 May 2010, www.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/world/americas/03jonestown.html.
History.com Editors. “Jonestown.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 18 Oct. 2010, www.history.com/topics/crime/jonestown.
“Peoples Temple.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Jan. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peoples_Temple.
“Who Survived the Jonestown Tragedy?” Alternative Considerations of Jonestown Peoples Temple, jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=37978.
“The Montreal Gazette.” Google News Archive Search, Google, news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1946&dat=19790328&id=xZYuAAAAIBAJ&sjid=haEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2637,1586106&hl=en.
Nicholas. “Some in Cult Riceited Cyanide by Injection, Guyanese Sources Say.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Dec. 1978, www.nytimes.com/1978/12/12/archives/some-in-cult-received-cyanide-by-injection-guyanese-sources-say.html?auth=link-dismiss-google1tap.
Chiu, David. “Jonestown: 13 Things You Should Know About Cult Massacre.” Rolling Stone, 18 Nov. 2018, www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/jonestown-13-things-you-should-know-about-cult-massacre-121974/.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Jim Jones.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 14 Nov. 2019, www.britannica.com/biography/Jim-Jones.
Grimes, William. “Mother Divine, Who Took Over Her Husband's Cult, Dies at 91.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Mar. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/us/mother-divine-dead-peace-mission-leader.html.
Schild, Darcy. “Decades after More than 900 Cult Members Died in Jonestown, the Jungle Village Is Completely Abandoned. Take a Look inside.” Insider, Insider, 5 Nov. 2019, www.insider.com/jonestown-guyana-abandoned-photos.
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