Power HungerCalled Drivin By HENRY BAILEY entourage as they left for the airplane that critics say — attorney for , Press-Scimitar Staff Writer was to take them away from the area; Lane convicted assassin of the Rev. Martin Lu- said. • Now, even four days after the insanity in ther King, Jr., arrived back at his home at the Guyanese jungle, attorney Mark Lane And it was Jones who voiced a grisly 1177 Central late Tuesday. four-step program for his fanatical follow- wonders how it really came about. He and another ettorney, , ing that included the killing of "defectors" famous for his defense of the Black Pan- "I haven't been able to figure that one and the of government offi- thers, had accompanied the Ry out," he said quietly. "I just don't know." cials "to politicize" their actions, he said. in the hope of serving as counseloh He brushed his steely gray streaked hair "All this seems far-fetched,". Lane says. tween the lawmaker and members of the with a handiwhose fingers were dotted "But so does mass murder and it hap- religious sect who considered Ryan "an with bandages. ,pened.,:rhe government should take these enemy, an outsider" there to incite betray- So was the-other hind, mute reminders threats seriously"' • ' ' als. Ryan, accompanied by several staff of his desperate run into the briars, "' thirst for absolute power members and newsmen, had gone to the branches and spikes of a tropical rain for- was so incredible," said Lane, his voice South' American country to investigate est to escapellse death by poison and bul- echoing a tone of bitterness tinged with first-hand — as was his custom — reports lets meted odrto more than 400 members disbelief. "I guess the ultimate proof is that American citizens were being abused of the People's Temple cult at the word of somewhere here: when Hitler died, he at the jungle commune in . their leader,' the Rev. Jim Jones. Jones, took Eva Braun a few others with him. •When did Lane.khow that disaster was now dead, is a man Lane calls a tyrant, When Jones died, he said he was going to imminent? • whose obesslon with power bordered on take 1,200 people with' him, voluntarily. k the obscene. `When Jim Jones told me over the radio I "But even that was like the way he sup- he was going to put a hector in the middle It was Jones who ordered a knife-wield- y healed people _on TV," Lane said. of the airstrip, and there is only one, so we ing truck driver named Don Sly to murder 'It was all a . It was no mass would't be able to land, end he wanted me U.S. Rep. , D-Calif., he said. suicide, as the medjaAas already been sold to be on the plane, I knew, something ivas wiling in that attempt, it was Jones who on it. It was Insaskjawriler,,, Those babies wrong. ordered several members of the cult, this Who had poison: iikarree Whin their throats "I told' him these two conditions were time armed with shotguns and semi-auto- didn't take a 1.?iste.N• . , mutually exclusive," said Lane, a wry matic weapons, to gun down Ryan and his Lane, the famed -7 or notorious, as some smile barely evident..

MEMPHIS PRESS-SCIMITAR, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23,' 1978 nGuyana Deaths "He (Jones) said, 'I don't want those peo- rest of them to get back on the plane.' " ple there,' but I told him, 'Look, it won't be Lane said he took Jones aside and told so bad.' him this type of reception "was the worst "Jones said, 'They'll just say it's a con- possible thing" that could be done. The centration camp,' but I told him there was young man was adamant. nothing to worry about. If I know anything "Garry and I got into a truck and were now about Jim Jones, it's that he is clever taken to (a settlement named and deceptive. The kind of person who for Jim Jones), and the others were left would tell you, with someone else nearby behind. On the way, we passed a tractor but unable to hear, that, 'You know, you're pulling a trailer. At the wheel was Harriet the only one I can trust, just:you. But I Traub, a 1977 law school graduate and a don't trust that other person at all.' very crazy lady. "Looking back on it, I don't know wheth- ATTORNEY MARK LANE er I talked him into it (allowing Ryan's "She shouted, 'Stop! The orders have party to visit the compound), or he just been changed,' and the new command was terrible thing. Something will happen.' " engineered that whole conversation, for to bring in Ryan and the rest." He said that Jones and his staff stayed whatever reasons he had," Lane said. Lane said he knew Jones would be upset close together and it seemed that some at least by the presence of a man named members with qualms about the cult were "The next indication I had that trouble Gordon Lindsay, a writer for the National hesitant to talk to them. was coming was when we landed and the Enquirer who supposedly had written a Mane was immediately surrounded by sensational account of the sect, but which "But (an NBC news corre- ome very grim and determined men, had not been printed. spondent) stayed apart from the group, ohn Jones, Jim Jones' adopted black son, Later, finally able to reach Jones by tele- sort of on the outside of the area, and was mong them. There was one policeman phone at the compound, Lane said Jones approached, first by a woman, and later by sere, armed with a rifle, but he just wore still had reservations but he finally was a family of six," he said. Lane said the shirt and slacks, and I thought at the time able to convince the commune leader to family expressed a desire to leave Guyana was another member. admit Ryan and his party. but were afraid to approach Ryan for help. "We all got off, and (John) Jones said, "But Jones told me, 'If one person leaves, lily you and Garry can come. Tell the if there is one act of betrayal, it would be a (Continued on Page 13) 1"1-118 PRESS-SCIMITAR, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 1978 cihei;-RecitStoryls-. Why. Disciples Followed Jones ..(Continued from Page 12)- gressman with the knife occurred, he said. he gave the orders to do so." "Then we'Ifeard small aria fire," Lane

But Jones saw this and was determined to Lane, Garry and several other members of He said Sly approached them and, acting Said. Garry and he saw three men approach- do something about it , Ryan's group surrounded the attacker and as a guard, herded the two men down a "Jones talked to them (the family) for quickly disarmed the man, whose blood hill. "We saw eight or 10 men go to the ing from the other side of the road, carry- about an hour, saying if they left it.would stained Ryan's shirt- guard shack and took out a lot of guns, ing a foot locker. mean betrayal and there could be attacks Ryan and his group left for the airstrip including automatic weapons. There was a "I knew there was at least $3 million in shortly thereafter. lot 'of firepower there. cash there, and that locker didn't look on the compound. He suggested, if: they heavy enough to be ammunition," Lane really, wanted to go, to wait a week and "I went to talk to. Garry, and I told him ..:t-,"I.saw two men pick up a heavy case. It that I thought Sly never really wanted to must have been-ammunition;hecituse they said. Not wanting to get too inquisitive, he leave quietly." said, he and Garry went into the jungle. By Presently, Lane said, Jones said the fam- kill Ryan," Lane said: "It just didn't add up, could only carry it a few feet and then had now it was 7 p.m. and dark.. ily had something to say and the son, Dale if he really meant to kill him, he could to stop. They took it all' p to the commun- have done it quickly, one-two-three, in- ity center, where Jones was talking to the "We couldn't tell where we were, so we Parki, asked Lane to write a letter to Jones sat down. We stayed in the brush until on their behalf and they would leave the stead of saying, 'I'm going to kill you, you — crowd about 'the dignity of death' and ,know following week. The attorney said he saw -,' and then holding the knife on his throat 'how great it was to die.' - dawn. About 7 a.m., Charles said 'I no reason why they would not be free to and chest and not doing anything. "He (Jones) was always big on central how to get out" leave at any time and that a note "one way "I believe Jones ordered him to kill the democracy. Well, big on centralization, "I said, 'Charles, obviously you have • or the other would do no good. It was abOut Congressman, but he didn't want to and but weak on democracy." contempt for this brush. 'I do not I have wanted to make it look like he tried." Lane said several men -pointed their been lost in New Hampshire and Vermont.' as good as a subway token in the jungle. weapons at him and Garry and announced, Anyway, I wasn't going to be there the next •At this point, he said, Jones again told But he said he knew the way back to the week. him: "Terrible things are happening and I "We are all going to die." road." The two promptly got lost, he said. will have to take some action. They're go- "We heard people running through the (Dale) asked someone from the U.S. ing to blame me (for the attack). We're "I was interested in knowing if the 'we' brush," Lane said. "We heard them embassy when he was coming back, and he going to have to take action:" 'included me and Garry; but I was afraid to screaming, and we heard more small arms said in three months. Dale got excited and ask, for fear of getting a disappointing an- fire." said, Three months! I'm not going to stay Lane described the leaders of the cult as swer." By 7:45 a.m., after using strips of fabric three months.' almost all white, upper middle-class and He said their guard said this was the as guides to keep from going in circles, he "So I told him, 'Leave now,' and Jones professional people with "a developed only way "to fight ." and Garry found their way back to the heard me say that And I swear I saw a sense of . Anyone who didn't go "I said suicide is the very denial of ev- road. They hailed a passing truck bearing death warrant in his eyes when I looked at along with the crazy things was disloyal." erything they stood for, and that shooting members of the Guyanese national guard him. He said the first thing that came into his children was the act of a fascist. He just and were taken to a local police station. "Around 3 or 4 p.m., Don Harris came up mind was Jones' "mass suicide" fixation. said it was 'beautiful to die.' I thought I, "A policeman told us, 'You are the first and asked me if I had nodded all the weap- "I didn't bring it up," Lane said "I didn't would change the subject," Lane said. to make it out' " Lane said. "We asked ons there. I said yes. But more than that, be want to put the idea in his head. The attorney suggested that he and about Ryan and he said, 'You have not said, he was worried about statements "I think, though, that Jones had already Garry be allowed to write about the ,last heard? And then he told us. It was our first about a mass suicide and asked me if I decided there was going to be mass mur- moments of the commune, and the guard knowledge of the shootings at the airport." knew about that I said yeah, but that I had der and he was going to direct it agreed, telling them they could call for a Lane said he was approached by Larry not heard about, it until recently. Lane said he tied to tell Jones that Ryan plane "as soon as everyone was dead." Layton, 32, a Californian charged with the "But the panic level of the leadership had talked to many persons who said they -But with all those armed Men around, I slaying of Ryan, three newsmen and a (of the commune) was high at this point, love their simple life in the commithe and wasn't about to wait to ask for a. plane," member of the Parks family. and we were both worried. that the lawmaker had assured him his Lane said "I asked him where the road "He asked me to represent him. I said I "Don asked me to go (back with Ryan to overall judgement would not be clouded (back to Georgetown) was." would and asked him what happened yes- the airstrip), but I said no. I wanted to stay by the knifing incident But he said Jones terday. He said, 'I think that in a sense I and work on this craziness. At the time, we responded: 'Those who leave love me so He said he and Garry struck off, first may be innocent' thought the sane thing to do was leave. But much they will do terrible things to the crossing a stream "with flesh-eating pira- "I asked him again what happened and it didn't turn out that way," Lane said. enemy and I will be blamed for that" nha in it, and into some scorpion-infested he said, 'Well, you're too tired.' I assured Harris was one of the newsmen later killed woods." \ him I wasn't and this time he said, 'I'd at the airstrip. , Lane said Garry hugged him "in a cold Lane said he could hear Jones repeating, rather not talk about it' embrace" and told him, "I have proof he is Mother, mother, mother," either in refer- "I decided I would not represent him," It was then that Sly's attack on the Con- going to shoot up that plane. The proof is, enee to his late mother or to his wife. Lane said.