UDJ - Did Temple Members Murder 5 Persons

Headline -
Did Temple members murder 5 persons
in Mendocino County and Bay Area?

Eric Krueger (Ukiah Daily) Journal Staff Writer
(This comes from a newspaper clipping I received in the mail. I don't have the date because it wasn't attached, and some of the words were fuzzy, blanks indicate those gaps.)

Sources familiar with the People's Temple have linked Rev. Jim Jones to several deaths in Mendocino County and the Bay Area over the past seven years, but no concrete evidence has been presented to substantiate the claims.

According to these sources, Temple members, acting on Jones' orders have murdered at least five people.

The sources are firm in their conviction that Jones ordered the execution of Temple members he perceived as a threat to the church.

"I think he is the cause of several deaths around here," a source said.

Jones was said to be responsible for the death of Maxine Swaney who died in a 1976 auto accident on Highway 101 near Gobbi Street.

"Jim said the reason she died was because she was planning on leaving the church," said one source. The source indicated that Swaney's car had been run off the road.

According to the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office files, Maxine Elizabeth Swaney, 52, of Redwood Valley, died when the car she was a passenger in went out of control, ran off the freeway and rolled over five times.

Swaney was crushed by the car after being ejected from it, files note.

Her husband Nathaniel, had been driving the car and was not injured. He told authorities he had apparently fallen asleep at the wheel.

Although the car was registered to Mr. Swaney, Sheriff's files had the People's Temple listed as its legal owner.

Investigators found no evidence of foul play,

Files indicate the Swaney's operated a home care facility in Redwood Valley.

Sources also said the 1970 death of Maxine Harpe could be traced back to Jones.

The 30 year old divorced mother of three was found hanged in a garage near her Talmage residence.

The Sheriff's office listed the death as a suicide. No signs of violence were reported at or near the scene of her death.

But sources said Jones had Harpe killed because she was planning to leave the temple. "She knew too much," said one source.

Sources indicated Harpe's death was staged to look like a suicide. There were "too many accidents like that" involving people planning to leave the temple, a source observed.

Harpe revealed little in her reputed suicide note.

It read: "Call Jim (Randolph), it's very important, if he's not there, try Edith, tell her or Jim I'm not home and they should get here right away. Then stay in the house until they come."

The note was apparently left for one of Harpe's daughters.

Files indicate Harpe was having a relationship with Randolph, also a Temple member and an employee of the county welfare department.

Shortly before Harpe's death, Randolph transferred at least $3,400 of her money to the temple. Files say the money was supposed to go into a fund - set up by the temple - for Harpe's children.

"Maxine didn't want any of this money for herself and wanted the children to have it," Randolph told investigators after Harpe's death.

He said he would sign the official statement for authorities after it was reviewed by Tim Stoen, at the time a Temple member and Mendocino County assistant district attorney.

No signature appears on the statement read by the Journal.

According to the files, Stoen had helped set up the Temple trust fund for Harpe's children. Files also note that former Mendocino County Sheriff Reno Bartolomei was a "custodian of the trust fund."

Around a year before Harpe's death, her sister had reportedly called the local welfare office. Fearing Harpe might commit suicide, the sister asked the office to check on Harpe's mental condition, sheriff's files show.

However, Randolph reportedly tampered with Harpe's file at the welfare office and apparently prevented any action based on her sister's request.

The 1974 death of Leo Bleier was yet another incident sources linked to Jim Jones and the People's Temple.

Sources said the 64 year old Redwood Valley man owned property the temple wanted. When Bleier refused to sell, Jones allegedly used two young girls from the temple to sexually entrap him.

This presumably resulted in the arrest of Bleier on charges of child molesting,

According to official files, Bleir's death was a suicide, involving a self inflicted gunshot wound and slashed wrists.

Investigators believed that he killed himself out of despair over his arrest.

Sources say he was shot on orders from Jim Jones.

Investigators found no signs of a struggle in Bleir's residence. He had owned the Redwood Valley Market.

According to sources, Jones was behind two murders in San Francisco. Jones, they said, had Christopher Lewis around age 35 gunned down in 1977.

Lewis was killed because he knew too much about Jones and the temple said sources. They said Lewis had been a bodyguard _and hit-man for Jones.___ had? ____ Jim ______

Lewis had been sentenced to perceived to and______ and? Jones was afraid he'd start ____ ____ _there, the___ sources said.
(The above paragraph is unreadable.)

The San Francisco Police Department has confirmed that Lewis was shot and that there was an investigation of the case.

An SFPD spokesman said he couldn't reveal more information about the case because the inspector in charge of it was out with an injury.

In a bizarre case, sources said Jones was responsible for the poisoning of young Curtis Buckly in San Francisco some four years ago.

The youth planned to leave the temple and speak out against it, sources said.

Jones reportedly told a congregation that Buckly, who was about 13 would die. A while later, Jones returned from a phone call and announced to his followers "Curtis Buckly just died with rat poison in a Coke," sources recalled.

Jones then told the youth's mother that her son would be reincarnated said the sources.

According to them the death was never investigated.

Neither San Francisco Police nor the coroner's office have any record of the death. The city's health department death registry would not release any information over the phone when called by the Journal