Koresh, page 43
The others were often called: Staff and Wire Reports, “Raised in fear: Life as cult kids,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 5, 1993, and Associated Press, “Children reveal abuse,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 4, 1993.
The screaming resumed: Affidavit of Bruce Gent, undated. Private collection.
Nicole must have reported: Interview with David Bunds.
On another occasion: Affidavit of James Tom, February 23, 1992. Private collection.
He could go to the local music bars: Mark England, “12 children killed in fire Howell’s, ex-member says,” Waco Tribune-Herald, September 5, 1993.
CHAPTER 25: UNREAL COLOSSAL SUPERMARKET
“I’m a real professional”: Kenneth R. Samples, Erwin M. de Castro, Richard Abanes, and Robert J. Lyle, Prophets of the Apocalypse: David Koresh and Other American Messiahs (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), pg. 70.
“You know when an animal’s scared”: Mark England, “FBI list names of children: Howell refutes classifying teen-age girls with others,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 5, 1993.
The reason: Staff and Wire Reports, “Raised in fear: Life as cult kids,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 5, 1993.
he would have a thousand wives: Affidavit of Bruce Gent. Private collection.
Then his widows: Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pg. 74.
“You know, you ever heard”: Interview with David Bunds.
“I said, ‘God, what is love?’”: Interview with Marc Breault.
“I suffer”: Ibid.
“We’re going to the supermarket”: Breault and King, Inside the Cult, pg. 146.
CHAPTER 26: THE NEW LIGHT
“Why did you marry”: Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pg. 161.
“So, Scott, how does it feel”: Ibid., pg. 162.
By the end of the meeting: Kenneth R. Samples, Erwin M. de Castro, Richard Abanes, and Robert J. Lyle, Prophets of the Apocalypse: David Koresh and Other American Messiahs (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), pg. 71.
The only comfort: Breault and King, Inside the Cult, pg. 186.
Vernon screamed: Samples et al., Prophets of the Apocalypse, pg. 64.
“That’s God’s spaceship”: Breault and King, Inside the Cult, pg. 186.
He became obsessed: Darlene McCormick, “Pair refutes reports of child abuse: Howell followers say young had normal upbringing at Branch Davidian compound,” Waco Tribune-Herald, June 27, 1993.
“Sometimes, I just want to have a nice steak”: Grace J. Adams and Poia Alpha, Hearken, O Daughter: Three Sisters from New Zealand Travel to Waco (Pennsauken Township: BookBaby, 2018), Kindle location 1041.
It went on for weeks: Mark England, “Follower ‘integral’ in negotiations: One Davidian emerging as sect’s spokesman in standoff at Mount Carmel,” Waco Tribune-Herald, March 8, 1993.
Steve went to Marc: Interview with Marc Breault.
“Okay, gotta go”: Interview with David Bunds.
CHAPTER 27: MARC AGONISTES
When they entered the chapel: Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pg. 22.
If a follower didn’t strike: Sara Rimer with Sam Howe Verhovek, “Growing Up Under Koresh: Cult Children Tell of Abuses,” New York Times, May 4, 1993.
We’re with Cyrus: Breault and King, Inside the Cult, pg. 179.
“to the god of life”: Grace J. Adams and Poia Alpha, Hearken, O Daughter: Three Sisters from New Zealand Travel to Waco (Pennsauken Township: BookBaby, 2018), Kindle location 540–55.
CHAPTER 28: THE RIVAL
In Australia, Marc: Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is from interviews with Marc Breault and from Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pp. 226–40.
“You say that Vernon”: Marc Breault letter to Steve Schneider, June 21, 1990. Private collection.
CHAPTER 29: DOREEN
Poia and the others braced: Unless otherwise noted, the material in this chapter is taken from Grace J. Adams and Poia Alpha, Hearken, O Daughter: Three Sisters from New Zealand Travel to Waco (Pennsauken Township: BookBaby, 2018), Kindle locations 1067–1200.
“If she gives you any trouble”: Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pg. 248.
“So you want to fuck me?”: Kenneth R. Samples, Erwin M. de Castro, Richard Abanes, and Robert J. Lyle, Prophets of the Apocalypse: David Koresh and Other American Messiahs (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), pg. 73.
CHAPTER 30: JERUSALEM LOST
In Australia, more followers: Unless otherwise noted, the material in this section is drawn from interviews with Marc Breault and from Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pp. 224–40.
“The countdown to Armageddon”: Marc Breault, “The Psychology and Theology Behind David Koresh and the Branch Davidians,” Marc Breault Ramblings (blog), April 30, 2018. blogspot.com/2018/04/the-psychology-and-theology-behind.html.
He also wanted to eliminate: No author, “Newspaper says Koresh had ‘hit list,’ Madonna obsession,” UPI, June 8, 1993.
CHAPTER 31: WACO
The Davidians did over 90 percent: J. J. Robertson, Beyond the Flames (San Diego: ProMotion Publishing, 1996), pg. 199.
When asked why: Interview with David Bunds.
“When [William] Travis”: Jan Jarboe Russell, “David Koresh and the Myth of the Alamo,” Texas Monthly, June 1993.
War films were David’s favorites: Kenneth G. C. Newport, The Branch Davidians of Waco: The History and Beliefs of an Apocalyptic Sect (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006), pg. 241.
“This is what it’s going to be like”: Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pg. 184.
The Davidians acquired: Brad Bailey and Bob Darden, Mad Man in Waco (WRS Publishing, 1993), pg. 156.
They installed “hellfire switches”: Kenneth R. Samples, Erwin M. de Castro, Richard Abanes, and Robert J. Lyle, Prophets of the Apocalypse: David Koresh and Other American Messiahs (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1994), pg. 14.
They even started a line: Dick J. Reavis, The Ashes of Waco (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998), pg. 27.
“Peter jumped the gun”: Ibid., pg. 184.
“You just brought me”: Cathleen Decker and Mike Ward, “Koresh, Bright and Dark,” Los Angeles Times, March 2, 1993.
CHAPTER 32: THE TRIAL
And he knew that Steve: Interview with Marc Breault.
In January 1992: Unless otherwise noted, the rest of the chapter is drawn from Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pp. 1–14.
The Current Affair piece aired: Martin King, “You’re not leaving alive,” 9news, Australia, January 31, 2018.
“There will be blood”: Sue Ann Pressley, “Witnesses Say Waco Warnings Went Unheeded,” Washington Post, July 22, 1995.
followers installed: Mark England, “Cult on alert for assault: Sources, government papers indicate group expected ATF raid,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 24, 1993.
David wanted him back: Dick J. Reavis, The Ashes of Waco (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998), pg. 184.
“I don’t know when”: “Letter to Mum,” July 18, 1992, Texas State University, Texas collection, Mark Swett Collection, Box 1.
“Grandma, it’s coming”: Sam Howe Verhovek, “‘Messiah’ Fond of Bible, Rock and Women,” New York Times, March 3, 1993.
“Bring your family”: Mark England, “Cult on alert for assault: Sources, government papers indicate group expected ATF raid,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 24, 1993.
In England, the brother-in-law: Mark England, “‘No one wants to help’: Troubled brother-in-law wants to clear cult member’s death,” Waco Tribune-Herald, January 23, 1994.
Other Brits got in touch: Unless otherwise noted, the rest of the material in this chapter is drawn from BBC Radio 5 Podcast, End Of Days, 2018, Episodes Three and Four.
They would go up to David and say, “When is something going to happen?”: Teresa Talerico, “Prophecy came true, cultist says: Defendant’s FBI Negotiation tape says Koresh foretold apocalyptic attack; prosecution rests,” Waco Tribune-Herald, February 16, 1994.
They weren’t afraid: Reavis, The Ashes of Waco, pg. 185.
CHAPTER 33: THE INVESTIGATION
Larry Gilbreath was a driver: Emily Wichik, “An Untold Story of Waco,” CBS News, December 29, 2017.
“The situation with respect to this cult”: Marc Breault and Martin King, Inside the Cult (New York: Signet, 1993), pp. 290–93.
He began by looking: Lee Hancock, “How the 1993 Waco standoff began with a bloody gun battle that federal agents now regret,” Dallas Morning News, February 25, 2018.
In total, Koresh had spent: Brad Bailey and Bob Darden, Mad Man in Waco (WRS Publishing, 1993), pg. 153.
That included 104 “upper receivers”: Dick J. Reavis, The Ashes of Waco (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998), pg. 33.
Also on the list: Report of the Department of the Treasury on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Investigation of Vernon Wayne Howell, also known as David Koresh (Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1993), to be referred to from here on in as “Treasury Report.” Part One, Section One: The Probable Cause Investigation.
That November: Ibid.
“John Wayne lied”: Interview with Bill Buford. The rest of the Buford material in this chapter is taken from this source.
Sarabyn didn’t have extensive experience: Mark England, “Colonel: Raid based on old information—Delta Force commander in on ATF review says inexperience, system to blame,” Waco Tribune-Herald, September 19, 1993.
And then there was the specter: Charles Hustmyre, “Waco, Ten Years Later: An Agent’s Perspective,” undated, unpublished manuscript, and Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrants.
Aguilera told Marc: Interview with Marc Breault.
How do I know: Breault and King, Inside the Cult, pg. 302.
When the time came: Interview with Marc Breault.
“They will get their guns”: Sue Ann Pressley, “Witnesses Say Waco Warnings Went Unheeded,” Washington Post, July 22, 1995.
One other thing: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrant.
With his silver wire-rimmed glasses: Tommy Witherspoon and Mark R. Masferer, “Residents, businessmen say Howell not a recluse,” Waco Tribune-Herald, March 4, 1993.
“Forget I asked”: Darlene McCormick, “Agencies rebuffed ATF plan to lure Howell: Bureau unable to arrange meeting outside compound,” Waco Tribune-Herald, October 3, 1993.
Or they could fake: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrants.
In case they decided: Robert Bryce, “Waco’s Drug Buster,” Austin Chronicle, June 23, 2000; “The Tragedy at Waco: New Evidence Examined,” Congressional report, December 28, 2000; Chuck Hustmyre, “Trojan Horse: Inside the ATF raid at Waco, Texas,” undated manuscript. In addition, the 1996 congressional joint report later confirmed that the BATF misled the Defense Department as to the existence of a meth lab at Mount Carmel in order to obtain “non-reimbursable support in a prompt manner.”
If you wanted your men: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrants.
CHAPTER 34: SURVEILLANCE
They also had motorcycles: Ibid.
They looked older: Chuck Hustmyre, “ATF in Waco: An Agent’s Perspective on Planning,” undated manuscript. Courtesy of Chuck Hustmyre.
The pit was approximately: Treasury Report: Part One, Section One: The Probable Cause Investigation.
The agency was now effectively blind: Mark England, “Investigators blast ATF: Five top brass leave after giving go-ahead to raid gone ‘tragically wrong,’” Waco Tribune-Herald, October 1, 1993.
David visited the town: Mark England, “Colonel: Raid based on old information—Delta Force commander in on ATF review says inexperience, system to blame,” Waco Tribune-Herald, September 19, 1993.
The only person: Mark England, “Agents believed cultists wary at start, log shows,” Waco Tribune-Herald, June 21, 1994.
The worst option: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrants.
The planners eventually abandoned: Lee Hancock, “How the 1993 Waco standoff began with a bloody gun battle that federal agents now regret,” Dallas Morning News, February 25, 2018.
On February 17: Chuck Hustmyre, “ATF in Waco: An Agent’s Perspective on Planning.”
“Come on, Robert”: FBI negotiation transcript, tape #25, pg. 17.
He even talked: Treasury Report: Part One, Section One: The Probable Cause Investigation.
The bad guys had been arrested: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrants.
the tactical teams didn’t: Chuck Hustmyre, “ATF in Waco: An Agent’s Perspective on Planning.”
On February 22: Darlene McCormick, “Agencies rebuffed ATF plan to lure Howell: Bureau unable to arrange meeting outside compound,” Waco Tribune-Herald, October 3, 1993.
The memo arrived: Interview with Michael Langan.
Simpson responded: Brad Bailey and Bob Darden, Mad Man in Waco (WRS Publishing, 1993), pg. 167; Michael Langan, “The Next Page: Waco, after 25 years,” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 24, 2018.
They gave Higgins: Interview with John Simpson.
“People are here for life”: Marc England, “Davidians observe Passover,” Waco Tribune-Herald, April 19, 1992.
By early February 1993: J. B. Smith, “Branch Davidian tragedy at 25: How the story overtook the storytellers,” Waco Tribune-Herald, February 24, 2018.
“If the Bible is true”: Chuck Lindell and Ward Pamela, “Howell said to have lived double life: Odd mix of kindness, arrogance charmed some, scared others,” Waco Tribune-Herald, May 2, 1993.
The Trib scheduled: J. B. Smith, “Branch Davidian tragedy at 25: How the story overtook the storytellers,” Waco Tribune-Herald, February 24, 2018.
“We’ve got to, Robert”: Inside Waco, BBC4 documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0jTEzyf1yc
“It’s going to be soon”: Teresa Talerico, “Prophecy came true, cultist says: Defendant’s FBI Negotiation tape says Koresh foretold apocalyptic attack; prosecution rests,” Waco Tribune-Herald, February 16, 1994.
“When we came downstairs”: J. J. Robertson, Beyond the Flames (San Diego: ProMotion Publishing, 1996), pg. 9.
CHAPTER 35: HOOD
But his partner, Todd McKeehan: Interview with Chuck Hustmyre.
Some of the agents wondered: Ibid.
Once the entire property: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Two: The Decisionmaking Process Leading to Forceful Execution of Warrants.
The technique was designed: Mark Wilson, “How failures during the Waco siege changed everything for the FBI, ATF,” Austin American-Statesman, April 19, 2018.
“We’re going to have”: Interview with Chuck Hustmyre.
A few of the agents: Mark Wilson, “How failures during the Waco siege changed everything for the FBI, ATF,” Austin American-Statesman, April 19, 2018.
But the guys: Dick J. Reavis, The Ashes of Waco (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998), pg. 33.
They notified local hospitals: Ibid., pg. 31.
When he got back: Interview with Roland Ballesteros.
In Fort Hood: Ibid.
CHAPTER 36: THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE
Some Army geek: Interview with Chuck Hustmyre.
A supervisor came hustling up: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Four: The Assault on the Compound.
He was worried: Ibid.
All the agents: Chuck Hustmyre, “ATF in Waco: An Agent’s Perspective on Planning,” undated manuscript. Courtesy of Chuck Hustmyre.
Jones turned back: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Four: The Assault on the Compound.
But the agents at the center: Mark England, “Investigators blast ATF: Five top brass leave after giving go-ahead to raid gone ‘tragically wrong,’” Waco Tribune-Herald, October 1, 1993.
“I really have to go”: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Four: The Assault on the Compound.
“This is it for me”: Inside Waco, BBC4 documentary.
At least one Davidian: J. J. Robertson, Beyond the Flames (San Diego: ProMotion Publishing, 1996), pg. 10.
“Did you see any weapons?”: Lee Hancock, “How the 1993 Waco standoff began with a bloody gun battle that federal agents now regret,” Dallas Morning News, February 25, 2018; Treasury Report: Part One, Section Four: The Assault on the Compound.
“What are you going to do”: Lee Hancock, “How the 1993 Waco standoff began with a bloody gun battle that federal agents now regret,” Dallas Morning News, February 25, 2018.
Sarabyn jumped in a car: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Four: The Assault on the Compound.
ATF personnel filmed: Dick J. Reavis, The Ashes of Waco (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1998), pg. 33.
He shouted “Why?”: Treasury Report: Part One, Section Four: The Assault on the Compound.
Witherspoon walked quickly: J. B. Smith, “Branch Davidian tragedy at 25: How the story overtook the storytellers,” Waco Tribune-Herald, February 24, 2018.
“This doesn’t seem right”: Pamela Colloff, “The Fire That Time,” Texas Monthly, April 2008.
“covey of quail”: Treasury Report: Part Two, Section Four: The Flawed Decision to Go Forward with the Raid.
