VOLUME XVIII
Pages 3713-3928
{3713}
FRIDAY MORNING
SESSION
April 8, 1977
Pursuant to
adjournment as aforesaid, at 9:00 o'clock, a.m., on Friday, April 8, 1977,
the Court met, present and presiding as before; and the trial proceeded as
follows out of the presence and hearing of the jury, the Defendant being
present in person:
THE COURT: Are
there any matters to be brought before the Court before the jury comes in?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, your Honor, there are. Does the Government have any?
MR. HULTMAN:
Go ahead.
MR. TAIKEFF:
We wanted to report, as we said we would, on the subpoenaing of Clarence
Kelly. We have decided we would not subpoena Clarence Kelly. Therefore, I
notify the Government accordingly.
We do have
some information I would like to communicate to the Court concerning
witnesses for whom we have asked subpoenas, but for whom we do not need
them. I don't know that we need necessarily to take the time of Government
counsel and the jury to do that.
We would like
an opportunity sometime today, when it is convenient to the Court, to
report to the Court on that subject as a continuation, so to speak, of
yesterday's 5:00 o'clock conference with counsel.
THE COURT:
Very well.
{3714}
MR. TAIKEFF:
At the same time we have decided what we would ask of the Court in
connection with the Myrtle Poor Bear matter. We believe that we are
entitled to take that up with the Court on an ex parte basis and make
application at this time to do so when we report to the Court on the
subject of subpoenas generally.
I would
delineate the scope of that by saying that we seek the Court's assistance
in finding the witness, and in that regard we think it essentially
constitutes an investigative effort of the defense.
We think we
are entitled to make our application on that limited subject on an ex
parte basis.
THE COURT: And
what others?
MR. TAIKEFF:
We believe that a subpoena on Special Agent Norman Zigrossi, subpoena
duces tecum was served within the past couple of days.
I would ask
whether the Government is aware of his presence and whether or not he
produced the object which was subpoenaed. If they have no knowledge, we
will make other inquiry.
MR. HULTMAN: I
didn't even know he was subpoenaed until this very second.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
also wish to note that it has been called to my attention that there was
an obligation on the {3715} part of the Government to make a more formal
response with respect to the subject of electronic surveillance.
I am wonder
whether the Government thinks that it has done so, and the reason I am
speaking with some uncertainty is that certain papers were exchanged about
two weeks ago, and because of other pressures those papers have not been
reviewed by me; and so I am sort of calling upon the Government to help me
as to whether that was their response in that particular regard.
MR. SIKMA:
Yes, your Honor, I think I filed items in that regard and have given the
defense a copy of it.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
did receive it.
The only other
thing I have, your Honor, is in relation to a letter, a copy of which was
handed to me within the last 10 minutes. I don't know whether the
Government has seen it.
THE COURT: I
have instructed the bailiff to hand the Government a copy.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
see.
THE COURT: Are
you referring to Mr. Eagle?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. I am wondering if your Honor would hear briefly from counsel on that
subject?
May I just say
one or two sentences on it because I think the letter is very misleading
and your Honor should know a fact or two.
{3716}
THE COURT:
Yes, you may speak on it.
MR. TAIKEFF:
It was pursuant to an arrangement made through the Court that counsel,
that is to say, Mr. Lowe and myself, had an interview with Mr. Eagle at
the jail in Moorhead; and it was supervised by a Marshal, although he was
not present in the interview room.
The
prospective witness voluntarily spoke with us, and I would say that we
spoke at least an hour. It was a very compatible discussion. He was very
easy going, answered all of our questions, at the end of which time we
told him that we anticipated we would call him as a witness and we left.
There was no
acrimony, there was no tension and I don't know what is the basis for the
statement or statements made in this letter because as far as I know there
was no other contact; but one contact at Mr. Eagle's request, he asked
that Mr. Ellison call him on the telephone and assure him -- apparently
Mr. Eagle knows Mr. Ellison because Mr. Ellison works and practices in
Rapid City which is close to the Reservation; and he wanted Mr. Ellison to
assure Mr. Eagle that Mr. Lowe and I were sensitive to his needs as a
person, as an incarcerated person, that we were not out to harm him in any
way; and so when Mr. Lowe and I left the jail, I got in touch with Mr.
Ellison, and I told him of Mr. Eagle's request, and {3717} I said that --
I suggested he call Mr. Eagle and give him whatever assurances Mr. Ellison
thought were appropriate under the circumstances because Mr. Ellison has
worked with Mr. Lowe and myself in various ways in the past.
I do not know
that that telephone conversation occurred. I assume it did because Mr.
Ellison generally takes care of the matters that he has to attend to.
As far as I
know, those are the only contacts that we have had with Mr. Eagle. I do
not believe that there is any sound basis for the statements made in this
letter.
MR. HULTMAN:
The Government has no knowledge concerning the matters your Honor.
{3718}
THE COURT:
Would counsel approach the bench for a moment on the Eagle matter.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
THE COURT: The
bailiff informs me that, I don't know whether he secured this information
through defense counsel I or from Jimmy Eagle's grandmother, that
apparently one of his primary concerns is that he's about, or he feels
that he's eligible for probation now or in the near future and he's
concerned as to whether or not his testimony at this trial would in any
way jeopardize his opportunity for probation, or would subject him to
possible future prosecution on some alleged wrongdoings on which he has
not yet been prosecuted. I
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I might state for the record, Your Honor, that first of all the
appearance of a witness certainly would not, and I think Mr. Eagle would
be the first one to indicate that our relations between counsel and his
counsel have been nothing but the most honorable from beginning to end.
And I certainly would indicate on the record that that would not be the
case.
However, if
the testimony were such that I felt that he was not being honest,was not
being fair, and so forth then I would likewise on the record indicate that
that certainly would indicate any recommendations and so forth that I
might have in the future because I think that would be an inappropriate
{3719} matter.
But I only say
that in response to the Court. The thought never entered my mind until the
Court asked the specific inquiry. I would indicate, though, in the general
matter that's concerned evidently with this letter, Your Honor, is a
problem and it's not Mr. Taikeff certainly that I'm now going to address
the remarks to, and I would want that very clear on the record, that one
of the problems the Government has had from the very beginning of the
events that concern this case, in fact there will be evidence even of
certain witnesses that are in this case, maybe yet even testimony that
will yet come, that all of the persons who were possible witnesses to the
events that were nonGovernmental employees, to-wit: I'm saying all of the
Native American witnesses, have all been represented literally from the
very beginning by one group which has made it, if not impossible,
extremely difficult for the United States at any time to secure
information and to secure witnesses.
And even in
the course of this trial one attorney has represented four, four witnesses
on the record, Mr. Tilsen. The Wounded Knee Offense-Defense Committee has
been used quite often, even from the beginning providing a letter to any
possible witnesses even though they were not had, not been personally
contacted and asked to represent them they were. They on their own
provided a letter which certain individuals {3720} then presented to the
Government indicating that they were, they refused to talk in any way and
that these particular I people or groups are going to represent them, even
though it hadn't been solicited by them.
So I just
would want to put that on the record at this time because I think the
letter then is indicative of that kind of a problem that has arisen quite
often in the course. And as I say I certainly want to again relate that
this has nothing to do with counsel, and I would make that very clear that
Mr. Taikeff has not been a part to what I'm now talking about. It has to
do with other individuals and other matters. Maybe Bob might have
something further on the specific issue
MR. SIKMA:
When the investigation was in its early stages I was assigned as a special
assistant in South Dakota, in October of last year after Jimmy Eagle's
indictment. And his grandmother and relatives of his obtained a court
order at that time requesting that he not be contacted by the Wounded Knee
Legal Defense-Offense Committee. And the reason for this was because their
belief was that since all the witnesses, all other witnesses were
represented by the Wounded Knee Legal Defense-Offense Committee that there
was a conflict of interest between many of the witnesses and the
defendants themselves. And so the Court entered an order ordering the
Wounded Knee Legal Defense-Offense Committee not to contact Jimmy Eagle on
the basis of his grandmother's {3721} request, and he also I believe
signed the application.
So he was then
represented by a man from Birmingham, Alabama. I could not recall his
name, but at the time we made an agreement with him with regard to the
time of his trial and he made certain representations to us at that time
about his theory of the case and indicated that under certain
circumstances the charges against him would be dismissed. And although
those circumstances have not fully come about because they included an
instance if the jury verdict went against the Government in the case of
Robideau, Butler and Peltier that the case would be dismissed. And I think
under some of the circumstances of things that he indicated to us it
depends what his testimony would be, that might possibly be consistent
with what he has thus far indicated to us and as far as his involvement or
his theory in the case.
THE COURT: You
are suggesting that he is still subject to indictment?
MR. TAIKEFF:
It has been dismissed I understand.
MR. HULTMAN:
Yes, we dismissed the indictment.
MR. SIKMA: But
it was not dismissed with prejudice, and I think that there is certainly,
we have no idea what his testimony is going to be. If he claims, you know,
if he states I was not there, something like this --
MR. TAIKEFF:
That is his position by the way.
MR. SIKMA: We
were provided with a number of other {3722} inconsistent statements, not
by him but other people.
MR. TAIKEFF:
He is, as far as I can tell from the interview, I have no reluctance in
telling you he is going to claim that he was not there, not at the scene.
MR. SIKMA:
Well, so far no witnesses have placed him at the scene.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Okay.
MR. SIKMA:
Although his own, he has made statements to a number of people that, you
know, describing the scene and describing the incident stating that he was
there. So, you know, whether he was or not is a factual question.
But I think
that under those circumstances there are possible issues where he should
be made aware of his rights and should be made aware of the possibilities
in order to protect his own interests in this regard.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I ask Your Honor whether the Government would be willing in some
written form, letter or memorandum, giving us in detail what are the
conditions and understanding with respect to Eagle so that we may evaluate
that in determining whether or not we should call him and what position we
should take in connection with any matter that may come up at the time we
call him.
I assume that
Mr. Sikma having revealed as much as he has that it need not certainly
remain confidential.
MR. HULTMAN: I
think another matter between counsel, {3723} I don't think, Elliot,
there's anything in it that in any was is other than basically what
counsel has not represented on the record, and I don't think there's
anything in any way that could possibly harm you in any way.
If there was I
would certainly be the first one to mention it to you. Our position, let
me relate a little bit more, the basis as indicated by counsel for his
indictment, at least I assume that the grand jury, what they concluded was
the basis for a number of statements made by Jimmy Eagle. Now, the truth
and veracity of those of course ultimately have to be tested by the normal
tests. But on the basis of his own statements to other people was the
basis for, and was the proof for his indictment.
Later as
indicated here by this record other than his statements basically and
maybe one other item, it was determined in our mind that through his
counsel's representations to him primarily to draw the conclusion
ultimately which we then drew and was the primary basis for that
negotiations then.
But I don't
think there's any possibility that there's anything of knowledge, what I'm
saying, or information that would be other than what literally counsel
knows right now. I can't even imagine it would be anything else.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Mr. Hultman's first response to Your Honor's inquiry about any
difficulties that Mr. Eagle might encounter if he testified concerned the
necessity that he {3724} testify truthfully. I hope the Government and the
Court realize that we anticipate and expect that he will testify
truthfully, specifically that he was not there and in the main that's the
bulk of his testimony.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, the reason for my response, Counsel, was the fact as I say that
because of a number of earlier statements made by him, which was the basis
then of certain evidentiary matters, is why I raised the issue because
obviously what he has later said is different from what he had earlier
said.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
understand. I was reminded by something that Mr. Hultman said to report an
additional fact to Your Honor. In the conversation Mr. Lowe and I had he
did express concern about his release, but only in this respect: He said
that he expected it shortly to be eligible to go to a halfway house as
part of his release on parole, and he wanted to make sure that he was not
going to held here in an excessive amount of time because they thought
they would not make the release of him from here but would have to return
him to a regular institution. But we assured him that we would get him on
the stand and off the stand in a short time and that's the only concern he
expressed to us about his parole status.
THE COURT:
Well, that seems to corroborate to some extent at least what the bailiff
has reported to me. And apparently his grandmother is here.
{3725}
MR. HULTMAN:
Oh, I see.
THE COURT: In
the courtroom, and has indicated she wants to represent him. And the
bailiff advised her that she would not be permitted to do that.
MR. TAIKEFF:
You mean the local rules don't allow Prohogmicha of grandmothers?
THE COURT: I
guess I refer to Mr. Nelson as the bailiff, but of course he 's my second
law clerk. But he did advise her that she would not be able to do that, to
represent him. And I gather that there is one additional request that he
has then, or that she has on his behalf, is that he be permitted to talk
to his counsel apparently in Birmingham, is that what it is?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Somewhere in the South, Atlanta or Birmingham.
MR. HULTMAN: I
think he ought to be able to talk with his counsel.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's another point you just reminded me of. We spoke with him about
contacting his counsel and asked him whether it was possible for him to
make a phone call from the jail. And he said "Yes." And we recommended to
him that the next morning, I think we saw him last Wednesday night, I
don't remember exactly the day that he called his counsel and discussed
the matter. And we assume that he did, but we did encourage him to make
contact with his counsel.
{3726}
THE COURT:
When do you intend to call him?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Today.
THE COURT: I
know. When today?
MR. TAIKEFF:
If there is no compelling reason to do otherwise, after we finish with
Stoldt he would be the next witness. But there's another witness from
Oregon who's anxious to go back. But we've run into a problem concerning
whether he has all the documentation necessary to testify, and so we may
not be able to call him as planned. Your Honor may recall we called his
name first before Stoldt, then he disappeared, then we called Stoldt. Now
we find out he doesn't have all the documentation. But I think Eagle will
be next.
MR. SIKMA: I'm
trying to think of the lawyer's name. It seems to me it's Burke.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Robert Bryant.
MR. SIKMA:
Bryant.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And Mr. Ellison tells me that Your Honor's law clerk has been given his
telephone number by Mr. Nelson.
THE COURT: Mr.
Nelson, would you come up here.
(Mr. Nelson
approached the bench.)
THE COURT:
Would you contact the marshal and tell him that I would like Mr. Eagle to
be able to have an opportunity to visit with this attorney of his, or
where is it, Birmingham?
MR. NELSON:
Either Alabama or Louisiana.
THE COURT:
Apparently you have the telephone number?
{3727}
MR. NELSON:
Right.
THE COURT: And
I would like him to have that opportunity to visit on the telephone with
his counsel before gets called to testify. So why don't you give the
message to the marshal at this time and I understand you have the number.
MR. NELSON:
Right.
THE COURT: And
I'm sure that he can call him FTS I would expect at least.
That completes
the bench conference.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you, Your Honor.
{3728}
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom without the hearing
and presence of the jury:)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I have a matter, too, I would like to take up before the jury
is called, if I may.
THE COURT:
Very well.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, the first item is I'd like to ask Counsel if he is not going
to use the agents he doesn't plan to today, I'd like to be able to release
them in order they might be able to go home for the weekend, other than
those he intends to call. If he does intend to call all of them, I will
certainly keep them here today; if he doesn't intend to, I would like to
be able to release them so they can catch a plane. Otherwise tonight they
would not be able to.
THE COURT:
Just a moment before we go into the other thing.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Could I have a moment to confer? I might be able to accommodate them
immediately.
Your Honor, we
believe we have enough witnesses on our own, so to speak, to occupy the
day's activities. However there is one possibility and that is for the
appearance of Agent Coward. I'm wondering whether the government would be
agreeable to releasing all the FBI agents except Coward. As soon as a
clear indication,comes we don't need Coward or don't have to have him
today, we'd be happy to release him as {3729} well for the day.
MR. HULTMAN:
You want then the balance of them back for Monday?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. They will all testify.
MR. HULTMAN:
Thank you.
The other
item, Your Honor, I had this morning filed, and I don't know whether
Counsel has the filing yet, and I don't raise at this time to necessarily
argue it but I raise it because procedurally again I understand that one
of the names given to me, and I think by Counsel even yesterday for a
moment was even going to be called yesterday and may well be today is a
gentleman by the name of Vine Deloria. I wanted to raise it because I do
have a motion which I have filed. I think it's very self-explanatory that
it is the position of the government and will be that this witness
pursuant to that motion has no testimony which would meet the test
specifically in terms of the two rules, 17(b), 12.2(b) that I have
certified and I don't mean to argue the motion, I'm not about to at this
time, but at least I wanted to put both the defense and the Court on
notice that that is the position of the government and that maybe there
ought to be just something argued ultimately prior to the time he does
take the stand.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
only at this time am able to respond very generally. I haven't seen the
government's motion paper. I would like the government to be aware of the
fact that we {3730} understand the position they take, particularly with
respect to the so-called massacre psychology. We have no intention of
offering any testimony along those lines. We are carefully at this very
moment going over the potential testimony of Mr. Deloria and I trust that
the decision to put him on will only be made with respect to those items
for which there has been some indication that the Court will allow the
testimony, and I don't know that it will be necessary to argue the motion.
But in any event, we will be prepared both with respect to his testimony
and to answer the motions sometime later today.
THE COURT:
Very well.
MR. HULTMAN:
That's all I have.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
do have a few other witnesses' names, if the government would like to have
them now.
MR. HULTMAN:
Fine.
MR. TAIKEFF:
We have added to the list Stanley Doremus, D-o-r-e-m-u-s, Della Starr,
S-t-a-r-r. I think yesterday I gave the government the name Jim James, am
I correct about that?
MR. HULTMAN:
Right. Right.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Then Jim Hall, Wayne Curry, C-u-r-r-y, Bambi, B-a-m-b-i, Sanchez,
S-a-n-c-h-e-z, Kevin McKiernan, M-c-K-i-e-r-n-a-n.
THE COURT: The
jury may be brought in.
{3731}
(Whereupon, at
9:35 o'clock, a.m., the jury returned to the courtroom, and the following
further proceedings were had in the presence and hearing of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed, your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
MARVIN STOLDT,
having been
previously duly sworn, resumed the stand and testified further as follows:
DIRECT
EXAMINATION (Cont'd.)
By MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Mr. Stoldt,
have you given any thought to the testimony that you gave yesterday since
you were in the courtroom?
A Some, yes.
Q And is there
any testimony which you gave yesterday which, for any reason, you wish to
either change or correct?
A Not to my
knowledge, no.
Q Would it be
comfortable for you if you moved the microphone a little bit to your right
so that your tendency would be to look at the jury as you testify?
A O.k.
Q Thank you. I
am going to place before you a document which has been marked Defendant's
Exhibit 194 for identification. It is an FBI 302, dated September 11,
1975, based on an interview on September 4, 1975, of you by Special Agent
Coward.
A (Examining)
Can I go through it?
{3732}
Q Yes. In fact
I would like you to do it. I don't want you to read it in precise detail
because it will take a long time.
A O.k.
Q However, if
I ask you any question and you feel it is necessary for you to read any
part or all of that document, please say so and I am sure it will be
appropriate for you to do so.
A Fine, I
appreciate that.
Q By the way,
did you and I speak since you left the courtroom yesterday?
A No.
Q In person or
on the telephone?
A No, I never
saw you any place.
Q Or anyone
from the defense team?
A No.
MR. HULTMAN:
May I ask that you inquire as to the Government?
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Did you speak with anyone from the Government?
A No.
Q O.k.
A (Examining).
Q I notice you
are now reading from the second page. I will interrupt you only to ask you
two preliminary questions; and I am perfectly willing to let you keep
looking.
{3733}
Yesterday you
testified that you did not see Agent Coward for several months?
A Yes.
Q After June
26?
A Yes, I think
I mentioned two months.
Q Yes. Now,
from June 26 to September 4 is approximately two months, a little more
than two months?
A Yes.
Q Is there any
reason why you would doubt the accuracy of a statement, if such a
statement were made that you were interviewed by Coward on September 4,
1975?
A Would you
repeat that again, sir?
Q Yes. This
report seems to be an interview of you by Coward which occurred on
September 4, 1975, which was typed up on September 11, 1975. Considering
your testimony of yesterday do you have any reason to believe that it is
not accurate, in other words, isn't it a fact that on or about September
4, 1975, Coward interviewed you?
A Yes.
Q And was that
the conversation that you talked about when you said you didn't see him or
speak with him for two months?
A That's true,
what I was getting at.
Q O.k. Now, my
second question is, am I correct that between June 26th and September 4 --
we will use the date, September 4 -- you did not speak with him at all
whether on the case or any {3734} other reason?
A No.
Q You did not
speak with him?
A No, I never
saw him again after the 26th of June.
Q But I asked
you whether you spoke with him because I am thinking about the thing
called the telephone. Did you speak with him in between?
A No.
Q Did you
speak with any other agents about the events of June 26?
A No.
Q You are sure
about that?
A I am
positive.
Q O.k. Now,
satisfy yourself to whatever extent is necessary by looking at that
report.
A (Examining).
Q By the way,
did you read that report in Cedar Rapids when you went to testify at the
trial last summer?
A Briefly.
Q And at that
time did you note to the Government or to the FBI any objections about any
serious mistakes you found in there?
A Not that as
I recall.
Q O.k. Please
continue reading. Let me know when you are finished, sir.
{3735}
A O.k.
(Examining).
(Counsel
confer.)
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) What page are you up to, Mr. Stoldt?
A Five.
Q Have you
read everything on Pages 1, 2, 3 and 4?
A Yes.
Q Now, am I
correct that the top of Page 5 begins with events occurring at
approximately 6:00 p.m.?
A Yes.
Q Do you think
it is fair for us to stop looking since I am only asking you about
something which took place during the afternoon?
A Would you
repeat that again, sir.
Q Do you think
it would be fair of me to ask you to stop reading the report which has
numerous additional pages since you have now read past the part of the
activities which we have been talking about?
A That's all
right, if you want me to.
Q O.k. Now,
sometime that afternoon there was a small fire fight, or at least some
firing coming in between an Indian male, a single Indian male and Agent
Coward, is that right?
A Yes.
Q Now, did you
tell Agent Stoldt in that interview which took place on September 4, 1975
--
A
(Interrupting) Would you repeat that again.
{3736}
Q Yes. Did you
tell Agent Coward -- if I said Stoldt I stand corrected --
A
(Interrupting) O.k.
Q (Continuing)
-- in the interview of September 4, 1975, that when he was having that
fire fight or came under fire from that single Indian male, you were
watching through your binoculars with the zoom lens?
A Yes.
Q You told him
that in the interview?
A Yes.
Q Now, when
you were in the house from which you saw the people running --
A
(Interrupting) Yes.
Q (Continuing)
-- why was it necessary for you to use somebody else's zoom binoculars if
you had your own zoom binoculars?
A Well, I
won't elaborate a whole lot, but I think that was the only pair of
binoculars we had and the guys were passing them around the room, you
know.
Q Well, I
don't know. You have to tell us.
A I just did.
I said that was the only pair of binoculars I think that we had, and the
other guys were taking turns using them at this point.
Q But you
didn't tell Agent Coward that you were using the group's binoculars, you
said "my binoculars"?
A Actually
they weren't my binoculars. They belonged to the {3737} Government, some
of the officers had checked out. They were in my vehicle, as I recall.
Q So what you
are saying is that after that episode, you then took those binoculars and
returned them or gave them to somebody else?
A Yes. As I
recall, they were, you know, like I said, I think that was the only pair
of binoculars outside of some rifle scopes, you know, that they were
using, a pair of binoculars to glance the area.
Q Now, do you
recall how much earlier than the sighting of the people at a distance was
this episode where you were using the group's binoculars?
A Would you
repeat that statement again?
Q Yes. I will
break it down into a few questions.
You just told
us that there was an incident where there was a single Indian shooting at
Coward apparently, and you watched it through binoculars, right?
A Yes.
Q That
occurred at a certain time?
A Yes.
Q What time
was that, approximately?
A Oh,
approximately, I would say roughly maybe around 1:00 o'clock, 1:30.
Q And then
there was a time when you were inside the house when you looked up or
looked out to the east, and you saw some {3738} people running?
A Yes.
Q And what
time was that, would you say?
A Like I said,
nobody was looking at watches. It was hard -- it is hard to tell, you
know.
Q
Mid-afternoon?
A It could
have been, you know.
Q O.k., but
there was some time between, at least an hour between that first event and
the second event?
A Yes,
roughly.
Q Do you
remember returning the binoculars to or giving the binoculars to one of
the other members of your team?
A There was a
lot of excitement going on at this time, and as I recall, somebody took
the binoculars from me. I don't recall who it was, but one of the other
officers.
Q Then you
didn't have them on when you were in the house?
A We were all
in the house.
Q You didn't
have them around your neck?
A No.
Q And then
when you made that sighting, you took the binoculars from a person near
you, is that correct?
A Yes.
Q Well then,
tell me whether or not in the interview of September 4, 1975, you told
Agent Coward that while you were inside the Pumpkin Seed house, you were
sitting by the window {3739} which was open, located on the east side of
the house, watching the Jumping Bull house for any activity with your
binoculars?
A I was?
Q I am asking
you whether you ever told that to Agent Coward on or about September 4,
1975?
A It is
possible I did, yes.
Q Well, did
you lie to him when you told him that?
A Why should I
lie to him?
Q I can't
answer that question, sir.
The question
to you, sir, is: Did you lie to him when you. said that?
A I have no
reason to lie to Agent Coward.
Q Well then,
let me ask you whether it is true that while you were inside the Pumpkin
Seed house, you were sitting by the window which was open, located on the
east side of the house, and at that time you were watching the Jumping
Bull house for any activity with your binoculars?
A Where are
you getting this?
Q Don't look
at the document, please. Put the document down Turn it face down, please.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I object, your Honor, to the procedure counsel is now using. He has
established the fact earlier that the man didn't have any --
MR. TAIKEFF:
(Interrupting) I would like to go to the side bar so the witness doesn't
hear the colloquy.
{3740}
THE COURT: You
may.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I object to the procedure on the grounds that he is trying to
entrap the witness when he has established first he didn't have any
independent recollection of these events.
The only basis
on which he can recall is one by specifically looking at the document. He
has now let him look at the document, but when it comes about to a
specific and the man in effect wants to renew his memory, counsel is
depriving him of his opportunity.
I would say
that is an unfair method in procedure and use in examining the witness.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
am going to let him refresh his recollection, but first I want him to
exhaust his memory. I have no intention of preventing him from looking at
the document. I want to first have testify as to his independent
recollection. Then he may refresh his recollection after he has exhausted
his memory.
MR. HULTMAN: I
am going to object to that. This matter was gone into in great detail. The
man did establish what his independent recollection was. Now, we are back,
after showing him the document, we are back to a series of more questions
that concern themselves only {3741} with binoculars; and that's the reason
for my objection, alone, that it is repetitious, but two, that with the
procedure that is being used, he ought to be --
THE COURT:
(Interrupting) I am a little uncertain as to what defense counsel is
attempting to do here. This your own witness. What are you doing?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
am impeaching him, your Honor. I am now --
THE COURT:
(Interrupting) Impeaching him for what?
MR. TAIKEFF:
His earlier statement.
THE COURT:
Earlier statement where?
MR. TAIKEFF:
He made a statement yesterday concerning the events of June 26. On
September 4, 1975, he made another statement concerning the matter.
THE COURT: You
are attempting to impeach Coward, it seems to me.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No, I am not. I am impeaching his statement made yesterday concerning what
occurred on June 26th, and I am doing that with a subsequent statement he
made which is inconsistent.
THE COURT:
Well, he will be permitted to use the document.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
will let him use the document, but I want to ask him questions to
determine what his independent recollection is.
{3742}
THE COURT: You
did that yesterday.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No. His independent recollection concerning September 4. I am not on the
events of June 26. I am on the events of September 4.
THE COURT: His
independent recollection as to September 4 is totally irrelevant.
MR. TAIKEFF:
As to what he said on September 4. I want to establish what his statements
were on September 4 because I am trying to authenticate his statements.
Now, he didn't write the document.
Your Honor has
ruled consistently that the person who is not the author of a document
cannot be responsible for what is in the document.
THE COURT:
That's right.
MR. TAIKEFF:
So I am asking him what he did and what he did not say to the agent. If at
a point he needs the document to attempt to refresh his recollection,
that, of course, is not objectionable, but in the meantime he cannot now
rely upon the document as if it is authentic, inconsistently with your
Honor's ruling that he is not responsible in any way for what is in the
document.
I want to know
his independent recollection as of September 4 before he uses the
document.
THE COURT: It
seems that you are following the procedure that is going to result in
total confusion as {3743} far as this witness is concerned, because first,
you show him the document -- first you have him testify yesterday without
a document. Then you show him a document.
Now, under the
pressure of being on the witness stand, you start taking the document away
from him and asking him for his independent recollection.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Of what he said, not of the events, only what he said on September 4th to
authenticate the contents of the document. Otherwise the document --
otherwise, don't you see what happens, your Honor, when he gets off the
stand, I am in the following problem position: He didn't write the
document so he cannot be responsible for what it says until he certifies
to it, and if I put the Agent Coward on concerning this subject, Coward
can say what we expect him to say, he wrote only what the person said.
If I don't get
from him what he purportedly said, however he gives that to me --
independent recollection or refreshed recollection or a combination of the
two, then when I get Coward up there, Coward merely says, "Look, that's
what the guy said, I wrote down what the guy said. I can't explain why he
told me that."
I have lost
the opportunity to find out why he said what he purportedly said. I have
to take these things in that particular sequence.
{3744}
THE COURT:
Well, proceed, but I am going to --
MR. TAIKEFF:
(Interrupting) I am not going to be unfair to the witness. I only want him
to exhaust his independent recollection, and then he can use the document
to whatever extent he needs.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, again I object. This is irrelevant.
The issue is,
first, it has been established by counsel and very carefully, as to what
his posture of remembrance was. He went in detail as to the extent he
could yesterday.
Secondly, now
counsel gave him a document, let him read part of it and then it was taken
away from him, and is now asking him in effect, "What is it that you said
to Mr, Coward?" -- not "what you remember"; and I say one simple question
would resolve that issue very quickly. If I were given an opportunity just
to voir dire that with one question really --
THE COURT:
(Interrupting) What is the question?
MR. HULTMAN:
That question is: If you read this document on any given item, is this
what you recall saying to Agent Coward at the time you gave the interview?
MR. TAIKEFF:
He has actually said "yes" to that.
MR. HULTMAN:
That's what I am saying. That's the reason for my objection.
{3745}
MR. TAIKEFF: I
am now specifically making inquiry of him as to certain very relevant
isolated items, to make sure that there was no question about his earlier
general testimony after reading five pages. I am entitled to get that from
him.
MR. HULTMAN:
Again I say it is on the basis of irrelevancy, the ultimate issue of fact
is: What did he see and what did he observe?
MR. TAIKEFF:
We are past that. We are talking about a subsequent statement.
MR. HULTMAN:
You are seeking to impeach him.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
don't deny that.
MR. HULTMAN:
It is an improper way.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
think the Federal Rules of Evidence say that I can do that.
THE COURT: You
can impeach him by that statement?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Right. I don't have to hand it to him so we can read it and refresh his
recollection. I don't have to sit there and let him testify with it in his
hand as if it were a script.
MR. HULTMAN:
So far, your Honor, there has been no showing in any response to any of
the questions that counsel has asked there has been any impeachment. His
response is --
MR. TAIKEFF:
(Interrupting) Fine. What are you {3746} worrying about? Relax.
MR. HULTMAN:
It is unfair.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
am not going to treat him unfairly, I I assure you.
MR. HULTMAN: I
know where we are going, it is obvious.
THE COURT:
Proceed.
{3747}
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
THE WITNESS:
Is this water for me?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
think possession is nine-tenths of the law.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) My question to you, sir, was: Whether in fact the statement you
made on September 4th concerning your own activities that you're in the
house, looking at the open window watching the Jumping Bull house for
activity with your binoculars was true.
A Yes.
Q Is it a fact
that on September 4, 1975 you told Agent Coward that a short time later,
at approximately 4:30 to 5:00 P.M. you observed four individuals running
from the rear of Harry Jumping Bull's house towards an open plowed field?
A Yes.
Q How much
time later was that after the time you were just sitting at the window
looking out with your binoculars?
A Well, we
moved from window to window, you know. It was, it's hard to say, you know.
I couldn't give you a specific time.
Q On that day,
June 26, 1975 were you assigned to a BIA S.W.A.T. team?
A Yes, I was.
Q Were you out
on maneuvers that day?
{3748}
A Yes, I was.
Q What kind of
weapons were you and your colleagues carrying?
A We were
carrying Smith and Wesson .38's.
Q Sidearms?
A We were
carrying AR-15 rifles and I think somebody was equipped with an M-79.
Q What's an
"M-79"?
A It's sort of
like a grenade launcher, you know, where you can launch smoke with it.
It's canister rounds.
Q How BIA
people were out on maneuvers that day with you?
A Well, there
was two teams of us. It was only S.W.A.T. team and then we had, we were
the assaulting team and it was sort of a mock battle we were having that
day.
I don't recall
how many were on the other side, or who was on the other side, but I do
recall the S.W.A.T team that I was with.
Q And what
kind of weapons was the other team equipped with?
A Basically
the same as we had. I would say AR-15's .38's with blanks.
Q And --
MR. HULTMAN:
Would the reporter read the last answer back? I didn't hear it.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And .38's with blanks.
MR. HULTMAN:
With blanks?
MR. TAIKEFF:
And .38's with blanks.
{3749}
MR. HULTMAN:
Okay.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) And did the members of those two groups that were out on
maneuvers all come to this area and participate in the events around
Jumping Bull Hall?
A No. We were
at this time approximately when this thing was going down we had come in
from lunch, we had finished our maneuvers, when I received a call on my
radio to assist an officer.
Q Were you the
only one of those two groups to respond?
A As I recall,
yes. Since that was my district.
Q Do you have
any quarrel with the fact that the sighting took place between 4:30 and
5:00 o'clock?
A How was that
again? Would you repeat that?
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, now, Your Honor, again I don't have any objection if counsel will
read what the entire sentence said. It said "approximately between 4:30
and 5:00" and that is different than between 4:30 and 5:00.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right. I'll amend my question accordingly.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Do you have an quarrel with the statement that the sighting you
made of seeing the people running across occurred at approximately 4:30 to
5:00 P.M. on that day?
A It's hard to
say. Like I said, you know, nobody was watching their watches, you know.
Nobody was checking time or taking statements or anything like that, you
know. It's hard to say.
{3750}
Q Well, when
you spoke with Agent Coward on September 4, 1975 how did it happen that
you told him that it occurred approximately between 4:30 and 5:00 o'clock?
A Maybe I told
him because that's what I thought the time was, you know. Maybe it wasn't.
Like I said nobody was looking at watches, you know.
Q Well, that's
what I'm asking you, if nobody was looking at watches how did you happen
to state a specific time within approximately thirty minutes?
A It may have
been, you know, that's what I thought the time elapse had been, you know.
It could have been more, it could have been less.
Q Now, is it
accurate to say that when you -- when did you first make any mention of
sighting Jimmy Eagle?
A I don't
recall.
Q Well,
yesterday I showed you Government's Exhibit 195 which is a 302 of Agent
Coward, one page, date of transcription 6/28. You read that yesterday, did
you not?
A I glanced
through it, yes.
Q Now, might
it be possible that you made that statement to him on June 26th and that
there's a typographical error there when it says that you were interviewed
June 28th?
A No. I don't,
I think that's highly impossible because of the fact that we were involved
in so much. It wasn't time for anybody to sit down and give statements,
you know.
{3751}
We'd, we were
out chasing these four males around the hills, you know. There was no time
for anybody, you know, to make any kind of statements or anything.
Q Well, how
about the possibility that instead of making a formal statement, in a car
ride later that day or perhaps on your way home with Agent Coward you may
have just casually mentioned to him the sighting of a person who appeared
to you to be Jimmy Eagle?
A I think
that's highly improbable also because I and Coward did split up, you know.
I don't recall
seeing, well, recall seeing him, but we were all walking on foot up this
big hill, you know, and he was quite a ways from me.
Q Well, can
you offer, if you have any basis to do so, any information about how
Defendant's Exhibit 195 came into existence?
A Maybe he
overheard somebody else say that and thought it was me.
I mean, there
was a lot of excitement going on.
A guy could
make a mistake.
Q But it does
so that, it does say your name, doesn't it?
A Yes. It does
say my name.
Q It says your
name four different times, doesn't it? Five different times.
A It's
possible it says that, my name five different times.
{3752}
Q Well, this
document does say your name five different times?
A Do you want
me to count them?
Q Yes just so
we don't have any dispute there.
A All right.
Okay. Correct, it says it five different times.
Q Now, is it
accurate or fair to say that your sighting of Jimmy Eagle on the 26th of
June, 1975 was not a positive identification? That the person appeared to
be Jimmy Eagle to you?
A It's
possible to say it appeared, yes.
Q Well, didn't
you tell us yesterday that it was not a positive identification? Isn't
that your phrase I'm using?
A Would you be
-- restate that again. I can't put your meaning between appear and a
positive.
Q Did you tell
us yesterday in words or in substance that your identification was not a
positive identification?
A Yes. I
probably said that yesterday, yes.
Q Okay. Now,
what does that mean in other words that it wasn't a positive
identification?
A It could
mean that it wasn't exactly certain, you know. Maybe characteristic squat
or run or something, you know.
Q Could it
also mean that the person appeared to be Jimmy Eagle?
A If you want
to put it that way, yes. It's possible.
{3753}
Q That would
be inaccurate,would it, if I chose to describe it that way?
A I don't
think so, no.
Q Okay. Now,
when you spoke with Agent Coward on September 4, 1975 you told him you
thought you recognized two people that afternoon?
A Yes, yes.
Q And the
second person you mentioned was Leonard Peltier; isn't that right?
A Yes. I was
pretty sure it was Leonard.
Q When you say
"I was pretty sure it was Leonard" are you saying that on June 26, 1975
you were pretty sure it was Leonard, or are you saying that you are pretty
sure that you said that the second person was Leonard when you were
interviewed on September 4th?
A Would you
restate that. You are confusing me.
Q All right on
June 26, 1975 were you pretty sure it was Leonard?
A On June
26th, 1975, yes I was pretty sure it was Leonard.
Q And when you
told, when you spoke with Agent Coward on September 4, 1975 did you tell
him you were pretty sure it was Leonard Peltier?
A Yes. I had
two months to think about it, you know.
Q Didn't you
tell Agent Coward on September 4th that you thought that the other person
that you saw was Leonard Peltier?
{3754}
A Come again.
You know, would you restate that again.
Q On September
4, 1975 when you spoke with Agent Coward didn't you say, concerning your
sighting of Leonard Peltier, that you thought that the person you saw up
on the hill was Leonard Peltier?
A Up on the
hill? I don't recall him mentioning the hill.
Q Well,
forgetting the hill for the moment, did you say that the person you saw
you thought was Leonard Peltier?
A It's
possible I said that.
Q Did you in
your interview with Agent Coward make any mention at all about the use,
either of the telescopic sight or binoculars when you were looking at
these individuals?
A I think I
mentioned, as I recall, I was using binoculars at this time, a scope and
binoculars.
I had borrowed
the scope from somebody, glanced through it; and it wasn't sufficient, you
know, to give me magnification. I grabbed my binoculars as you recalled
them earlier.
Q Now, when
you read the first five pages of the report, those five pages included
your discussion with Coward about the sighting, right?
A Yes.
Q When you
read them earlier this morning?
A Yes.
Q Did you
notice anything in those five pages about your using {3755} either a
telescopic sight or binoculars to make the sighting?
A I think I
did mention it, yes.
Q No, that's
not my question, sir.
My question
is: This morning when you read the first five pages of this report did you
notice anywhere in that report concerning the subject of the sightings any
mention of a statement by you that you used either a telescopic sight or
binoculars to make the sighting?
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, Your Honor, I object to this again now as an attempt on the part of
counsel to -- after showing a document taken away from the witness.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll give it back, I'll give it back.
MR. HULTMAN:
If counsel wants to indicate whether it does or doesn't the Government
will have no objection.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right. I would indicate that it does not say one word about it. Does
the Government concede that fact?
MR. HULTMAN: I
haven't read it with that great a detail. If counsel indicates that, I
accept it, I accept it, I accept it.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
represent that that is true.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no reason to disbelieve that.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Is it then fair to say that as to your identification of Jimmy
Eagle it was not a positive identification
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I object. This question {3756} has been asked and answered.
It's repetitious.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's foundation for the next question.
MR. HULTMAN:
It's been asked and answered about four times now
THE COURT:
Sustained. It's been answered.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Did you tell Agent Coward on September 4, 1975 that your
identification of Jimmy Eagle was positive?
MR. HULTMAN:
Again, Your Honor --
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's a separate question, Your Honor. Subsequent statement.
MR. HULTMAN:
And I again rise and raise the same objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT:
Sustained.
MR. HULTMAN:
That I previously raised.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may I come to the sidebar, please.
THE COURT: You
may.
{3757}
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may I come to the sidebar.
THE COURT: You
may.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
THE COURT: For
the life of me I do not understand what you're trying to get out of this
witness.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'm afraid, Your Honor --
THE COURT:
Just a moment. He's your witness. You appear to be getting him up to make
certain statements and then you're trying to knock him down on those
statements and apparently what you're trying to drive at is trying to
through this witness impeach the credibility of Coward.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No. I am impeaching his citing of which we have heard testimony. That's
what I'm doing. I'm impeaching his observations with his own statements.
Even he says that he was positive that Jimmy Eagle was the individual that
was running behind the person who appeared to be Leonard Peltier.
THE COURT:
Then you will be permitted to show him that statement ant have him read it
and ask him if that's what he said.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll do that, Your Honor.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
{3758}
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Sir, I'm showing you page 4 of Defendant's Exhibit 194 for
identification. I call your attention to the second paragraph on the page.
I want you to read the entire paragraph to yourself but pay particular
attention to the last sentence, but to yourself.
On or about
September 4, 1975 did you tell Agent Coward that you had or have
continuously thought about what happened on June 26th, 1975 and at that
time, meaning the time of the interview, you were positive in your own
mind that Jimmy Eagle was the individual that was running behind the
person who appeared to be Leonard Peltier? Did you make that statement in
those words or substance to Agent Coward? Yes, or no?
A Can you give
me a little time to think about it?
Q Absolutely.
A All right.
Q You can have
all the time you want.
THE COURT: The
witness may be advised that you do not have to answer the question yes or
no. You can also answer it whether or not you remember.
A Then in that
case I'll take the alternative, I'll say I don't recall.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) I see.
If we would
have offered four options do you think you might have chosen the fourth
one?
{3759}
A It's
possible.
Q I think it
is.
One last
point, sir.
A Okay.
Q When you
testified before the grand jury you told them, did you not, that you
recognized Jimmy Eagle and Leonard Peltier and made no explanation about
whether you were positive or not, isn't that a fair summary of what you
said to the grand jury?
A That's
possible.
Q Now you may
be happy to know I have only one other area of inquiry for you.
A Good.
Q I'm going to
put before you again Defendant's Exhibit 194 for identification. You did
say that when you read it in Cedar Rapids you don't recall having any
disagreement about what you read, correct?
A Come again.
Q When you
read Defendant's Exhibit 194 in Cedar Rapids last summer you told us
earlier this morning you had no quarrel with what you read, is that right?
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor.
A I don't --
MR. HULTMAN:
The record might be clear. I think in all fairness the testimony of this
witness earlier was that {3760} he glanced through some papers. He didn't
say he read this document or read it in detail, he said he glanced through
some papers.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) To the extent that you looked at this document, do you have any
quarrel with what you saw last summer?
A I don't
recall. YoU know, that was last summer, awhile ago. I don't recall.
Q When you
read this document this morning, the first five pages, you didn't have any
quarrel with anything you read in there, did you?
A I didn't see
anything; no.
Q Tell us what
if anything you said to Agent Coward on September 4, 1975, concerning your
interview with him a few days after the shooting. And if you cannot
recall, look at page 4, second paragraph. But first tell me whether you
can recall. Do you recall independently?
MR. HULTMAN: I
object to the form of the question because I think it is a misstatement of
what it says in that paragraph.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right. I will withdraw every question on that point and start new.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Don't look at the document yet. Tell me whether from your
independent recollection before you look at the document, did you say
anything to Agent Coward concerning any discussion with him about the
sightings a few days after {3761} the shooting of the agents?
A As I recall
telling you yesterday, I never saw Fred Coward after the 26th of June,
1975, until sometime in September.
Q Now take a
look at page 4, paragraph 2, which starts with the words, "Stoldt stated
that."
A What
paragraph was that again?
Q Second
paragraph.
There's no
question. I just asked you to look.
Have you
looked?
A Yes. I've
looked.
Q Now I'll put
the question to you. On September 4, 1975 did you say to Agent Coward in
words or in substance that during the first statement you had given to the
FBI a few days after the shooting of the agents that you told those agents
then, one of the agents being Agent Coward, that you saw Jimmy Eagle in
the group, did you make that statement?
A No.
Q On September
4, 1975?
A I don't
recall that; no.
I'm telling
you I never saw Fred Coward again after the 26th of June, 1975, until
September 4 or thereabouts.
Q Then what
you're saying is that that statement is not accurate, if it appears in the
report?
A It could be
a mistake on somebody else's behalf.
Q I didn't ask
whether it could be a mistake, I'm asking if {3762} what you're saying, if
such a sentence appears in the report, whether it's factually incorrect,
is that what you're telling us?
A It is
possible.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I offer those portions of Defendant's Exhibit 194 in evidence
which pertain to the aspects of the September 4 interview which covered
the sighting and the related activities.
MR. HULTMAN: I
object, Your Honor, on the grounds it's previously been stated now and
that could be cumulative. The matter's been asked and answered and it's
part of the record. Not the best evidence.
THE COURT:
Counsel will have to specifically identify the portions of the statement.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
can do that very briefly, Your Honor. It's on page 3. I'll give the
document to the clerk so Your Honor will have an opportunity to study it.
The last two lines on page 3 to the end of the second full paragraph on
page 4, which paragraph ends with the words, "the individuals were gone."
That is a total of three paragraphs, two lines of which appear on page 3.
All the rest appear on page 4.
I have no
further questions, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You
may cross-examine.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no questions.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
{3763}
THE WITNESS:
Are you finished with me?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. May the witness be excused, Your Honor?
MR. HULTMAN:
You may.
THE COURT: You
are excused.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Defense calls Jimmy Eagle.
JIMMY EAGLE,
being first
duly sworn on the sacred pipe, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Mr. Eagle,
have we ever met before?
A Yes, we
have.
Q How many
times?
A Once.
Q Where was
that?
A In county
jail.
Q County jail
in Moorhead?
A Yes.
Q Make sure
you speak into the microphone.
A Yes.
Q Was I with
anybody else?
A Yes, you
were.
Q Do you know
that man's name?
A John Lowe.
{3764}
Q John Lowe.
For how long
did we speak?
A I don't
know. I'm not quite sure.
Q I'm sorry?
A I don't
know. I'm not quite sure.
Q
Approximately an hour?
A Possibly.
Q Now is it
your wish that an attorney be here to represent you in connection with
these proceedings?
A Yes, I do.
Q Do you have
any money to hire an attorney?
A No.
Q Do you ask
the Court to appoint an attorney for you?
A No.
Q I beg your
pardon?
A No.
Q You do not?
A I have got
my own attorney.
Q You have an
attorney. Will that attorney come here?
A Yes, he
will.
MR. TAIKEFF:
On that basis, Your Honor, I believe it is not appropriate for me to
proceed at this particular time.
THE COURT:
Where is your attorney located?
THE WITNESS:
I've got two of them. One's in Birmingham, Alabama and the other one is in
Pine Ridge and none {3765} of them knew I was supposed to be here today.
THE COURT:
Pardon?
THE WITNESS:
None of them knew I was supposed to be here today. I guess at this time
one of them is trying to get ahold of one of the defense attorneys.
THE COURT:
Counsel approach the bench.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, on the record, first of all, I want to object that this is
totally improper in line of our previous discussions. I think now we have
posed before the jury an opportunity for jurors to draw some conclusions
that would be adverse to the government. I think that this should have
been determined by Counsel prior to putting the witness on the stand and
making the inquiries that he made.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I think under the circumstances it is perfectly sensible and
appropriate for him to ask for an attorney.
MR. HULTMAN:
That's not what I'm saying.
MR.TAIKEFF:
When the government had a witness on the stand, and this occurred at least
once, my memory may be incorrect and it might have occurred twice, I'm
sure it occurred once, the government witness indicated his desire to
confer with his counsel and so the government didn't seem to be
particularly sensitive about it to the jury that one of its {3766}
witnesses had counsel in the courtroom and I frankly took the lead from
the government's conduct.
MR. HULTMAN:
We had established the fact prior to the time while we were here at the
bench that the man had some inquiry and so indicated to Counsel that he
wanted possibly to talk to a lawyer before he was ever on the stand.
That's the only thing to which I'm referring.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's the same thing this witness said. He wants to talk to a lawyer.
MR. HULTMAN:
That's what I'm referring to, this incident right now.
MR. TAIKEFF:
The other case, before he was willing to answer the next question was he
wanted to consult his lawyer He could have come back and said he --
MR. HULTMAN:
It was determined ahead of time, one, he would not testify and two --
THE COURT: Why
do you think this is prejudicial to the government?
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I think, Your Honor, for the reason that there is now by the very
fact that the questions have been asked, it's indicated that he wants to
talk to Counsel before he proceeds with any discussion of any kind. The
only discussion, the discussion on the record with defendant's counsel and
he may decide ultimately now not to testify at all. That leaves an
impression of some kind before this jury that {3767} there is something
going to be withheld from them, the postulate, because it's been indicated
by the last testimony in great detail concerning Jimmy Eagle that this man
does have something to testify to that the jurors are going to be denied
that's important to the defense, and, thus, it's prejudicial to the
government. That's my basis.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, a party is entitled to show the jury that a witness who is
available to him to be called was in fact called and his refusal to
testify was not of his own making. That is precisely why it is appropriate
to adduce the testimony I just adduced.
THE COURT: I
expect that we could get a local lawyer appointed. Do you think Maring
would be willing to?
THE CLERK:
Maring having represented Brown, do you think it would be appropriate to
represent --
MR. TAIKEFF:
Mr. Hultman, do you think there is any possibility of appearance of
conflict to represent both Brown in this instance?
MR. HULTMAN: I
don't think, without any question, it should be the same one. I think it
not be.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That is correct. I think Norman Brown testified Jimmy Eagle was not there.
THE CLERK: I
suspect I could have an attorney over here within 15, 20 minutes.
THE COURT: Do
you have another witness to go forward {3768} with?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, Your Honor.
THE CLERK:
Maybe I could swear in the witness and then leave and obtain counsel for
him and get the two together.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Fine.
MR. HULTMAN:
Very good.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in he courtroom in the hearing of the
jury:)
THE COURT: Mr.
Eagle, you may step down.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
Your Honor, the defendant calls Wayne Carter.
{3769}
WAYNE CURRY,
being first
duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
May I question, your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR.
ENGELSTEIN:
Q Would you
state your name and your occupation?
A Wayne Curry.
I am an office machine salesman.
Q When you say
"office machines", does that include typewriters?
A Yes, it
does.
Q How many
years have you been in this occupation?
A Be five
years in June.
Q Five years
in June. Would you explain what is meant in your business by a type face?
A Type face is
the style of print on a typewritten document.
Q Well, what
would be the features of the type face, the kinds of features of a type
face that would distinguish one kind of type face from another kind of
type face?
A Just the
appearance of various size.
Q When you say
the "appearance", for example, would it be the shape of a line or the size
of a line or what?
A The shaping
of a letter, most notably in most type styles is the difference in
numbers.
Q Would you
say there were many types of type face?
{3770}
A Absolutely.
There is well over a hundred different type styles.
Q
A hundred
different type styles?
A Certainly.
Q And is it
also true that with any kind of type face there are variations of that
type face?
A Right.
Q For example,
a pica type face might have a hundred variations within the pica class of
type, right?
A Right. Pica
is a style spacing in a ten pitch spacing. There would be maybe a hundred
different variations.
Q Would you
say that in order for you to do your job properly as a salesman, you would
have had to become familiar with most of these type faces?
A To a certain
extent, yes.
Q So that if
you were shown several pieces of paper covered with typewritten material,
would you be, by virtue of your experience with type faces, be able to
decide whether all the pages had the same type face or not?
A Certainly.
Q I now show
you a document which has been marked Defendant's 83 which is Special Agent
Waring's 302.
Have you and I
met and discussed this document before, Mr. Curry?
A Yes, we
have.
{3771}
Q Where was
that?
A At my place
of business.
Q When was
that?
A Yesterday.
Q And how long
was our meeting?
A A matter of
maybe five minutes.
Q Maybe five
minutes.
Now, I ask you
to tell us, first, how many pages are there in the document you are
holding?
A A total of
eight.
Q Eight pages.
Would you look
at the top page, Page 1, and tell us whether it is covered, completely
covered with typewritten material except for standard margins on the top
and bottom, and left and right?
A Yes, it is.
Q Is the same
true for Page 2?
A Yes, it is.
Q Is the same
true for Page 3?
A Yes.
Q Is the same
true for Page 4?
A No.
Q What would
you say about Page 4 with respect to the amount of space that is covered
by the typewritten material?
A The page is
only typed maybe one-third of the way down.
{3772}
Q One-third of
the way down?
A Right.
Q And the rest
of the paper is blank?
A Yes.
Q Page 5, is
that completely covered with typewritten material except for the margins?
A Yes, it is.
Q Page 6?
A Yes.
Q And Page 7?
A Yes.
Q And Page 8?
A A little
larger margin at the bottom, just about completely covered.
Q That's the
conclusion of the document, Page 8?
A Yes.
Q For purposes
of simplifying the rest of the examination, I will now refer to Page 1
through Page 4 as Part 1 of the document; and as Page 2 of the document, I
will call Pages 5 through 8.
When we
discussed this document in your office yesterday, you examined the
document to see whether the type face in Part 1 was the same as the type
face in Part 2, is that correct?
A Yes, I did.
Q Did you use
any special magnifying glass or instrument or {3773} microscope, or
whatever, in your examination?
A No. The
difference was pretty apparent.
Q What
conclusion did you come to with respect to whether the type face in Part 1
is the same as the type face in Part 2?
A The first
four pages all correspond. The Part 2 all correspond. In Part 1 and Part 2
there are definite differences.
Q Part 1 and 2
are definitely different?
A Right.
Q Are you
saying then that the type face used for typing the material from Pages 1
through 4 was different from the type face used in typing the material on
Pages 5 through 8, is that correct?
A Yes, lt
could not be the same type.
Q When I
showed you the document for the purpose of making that determination, how
long did it take you to arrive at that conclusion?
A Just a
matter of glancing over it.
Q I am sorry,
I didn't hear you.
A Just a
matter of glancing over it.
Q Just a
matter of glancing over it?
A Right.
Q Would you
say a few seconds or certainly less than one minute?
A Yes.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
I would like to have this document {3774} marked for identification.
MR. HULTMAN:
May I see it so I know what we are talking about?
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
Mr. Curry, I show you Defendant's Exhibit marked for identification 197,
and ask you whether you recognize it?
A Yes. It is
one, a couple of numbers that I drew for you a little earlier today.
Q (By Mr.
Engelstein) You say there are a couple of numbers on there that you drew
for me earlier today?
A Yes.
Q What
numbers?
A The number
"7".
Q How many
numbers "7" are there on that page?
A Two.
Q There is one
number to the left, and one number to the right, is that correct?
A Correct.
Q Now, when I
asked you to draw two numbers on that page, what specifically was my
request of you so that you drew those two numbers in those particular
shapes?
A The number
on the left corresponds with the number "7" as typed on the first four
pages, and the number on the right corresponds with the number "7" typed
on the last four pages.
Q So you drew
an enlarged number "7" to represent what the {3775} number "7" of Part 1
looked like, and then a large number "7" next to it to represent what the
number "7" of Part 2 looked like, is that correct?
A Right.
Q Now, would
you look at those two large number "7's" and tell me with respect to the
number "7" on Part 2 which is to the right of that sheet, how many strokes
of the pencil are necessary without changing the direction of your stroke,
are necessary without changing the direction of your stroke to make that
number "7"?
A Just a
matter of two straight lines.
Q Two straight
lines. Now, with respect to the number "7" which is on the left of that
page, which corresponds, I think, to the number "7" of Part 1 of the
document, how many strokes of the pencil were necessary to make that
number "7"?
A Three
strokes.
Q Three
strokes.
Now, with
respect to the first number "7", are those two strokes that were made
straight lines or curved lines?
A On the first
number "7" the line is curved, and it has a tail on the top part of the
number "7".
Q That's the
number "7" of Part 1?
A One.
Q The number
"7" of Part 1 has a tail on it and one curved {3776} line, the number "7"
of Part 2 has --
A
(Interrupting) Two straight lines.
Q (Continuing)
-- two straight lines.
There was no
question in your mind about the fact that those two numbers represented in
Part 1 and Part 2 come from different type faces?
A Definitely.
Q You are
certain of that?
A Absolutely.
Q I direct
your attention to the table where Government counsel sit and the gentleman
in the middle, Mr. Hultman who is the gentleman who is chief counsel for
the Government in this trial; and ask you whether you are certain those
two "7's" are different and come from two different type faces, as you are
of the fact that Mr. Hultman and I are not identical twins?
A There are
definite differences.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
Thank you. No more questions.
MR. HULTMAN:
May I examine?
CROSS
EXAMINATION
BY MR. HULTMAN:
Q Mr. Curry,
you and I have never seen each other before, that's why you make the
comparison between Mr. Engelstein and myself, is that right?
A Correct.
MR. HULTMAN:
Could we use the document, counsel, {3777} since it has been referred to?
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) First of all, you are a person who deals in this area all the
time, that's your livelihood, is it not?
A Absolutely.
Q And you have
some degree of expertise that somebody who merely dictates maybe and does
not type would not have, is that a fair conclusion for me to draw?
A Yes, it is.
Q I notice --
I notice that you refer just to the "7's" in comparing the two. Is there
any reason for that rather than all of the rest of the typing that is
involved in those two different parts of those documents?
A It is very
easy to distinguish the difference. Number "5" varies. Number "2" varies.
There are definite other differences
Q If you had
not analyzed this document as an expert but a layman, just looking at it,
would you see any great difference between the typing, the general typing
on the first section and the second?
A The
formations of the letters, they are very, very similar.
Q And in fact,
the letter "7" and the letter "5" are the only two differences that even
an expert could sit down and distinguish, isn't that right?
A On the
document that I went over, on a copy of a copy, yes, at that time it is
hard to distinguish.
{3778}
Q I just have
one other question: It wouldn't be unreasonable to conclude at all, would
it, that if somebody dictated the whole thing, that possibly two
secretaries on two different typewriters typed the two parts, would that
be something that would be unusual to conclude?
A It could
easily be done, be actually done on the same machine.
Q The next
question: It could be done by one individual on the same machine, could it
not?
A It could
have been, sure.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no further questions.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
No questions, your Honor.
We would like
to submit the two documents into evidence.
MR. HULTMAN: I
object, your Honor, on the grounds that, one, of relevancy, and two, not
the best evidence, and three, it is cumulative, no probative value.
THE COURT: For
what purpose are those documents being submitted?
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
If the expert's representation of two numbers go into evidence, it will
give the jury an opportunity to assume how obvious it is -- since they are
non-experts -- to make the determination the same as the expert.
THE COURT:
What probative value does that have in (no other text here in the
transcript)
{3779}
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
The incident with respect to Special Agent Waring's 302 has to do with the
authenticity of the document. In fact both parts of the document could
have been written at different times for the purpose of re-telling the
story or other objectives. This would go to prove that on some other
typewriter and some other type face another story was told in the 302.
MR. HULTMAN: I
object. There is no showing -- I object on the further grounds there is no
showing to that effect, and furthermore, your Honor, that this witness
himself indicated in response to my question that anyone, a layman looking
at the general type, but for the letter "7" and "5" would come to the
conclusion he has come to.
{3780}
THE COURT: The
exhibits are irrelevant, they are without foundation, the record will show
that Mr. Waring testified that he dictated to two separate secretaries.
This witness states that the typewriter that the documents could have been
typed on the same typewriter and I presume, just by changing the little
ball on the typewriter, and I think it's a waste of time to offer that
exhibit in this case.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
Your Honor, there's another issue, there's another question at issue, and
that is the credibility.
MR. HULTMAN:
May we approach the bench?
THE COURT: I
have ruled, you may not approach the bench. The objection is sustained.
You may step
down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
The defense calls Jimmy Durham. JIMMY DURHAM, being first duly sworn on
the sacred pipe, testified as follows:
THE COURT: I
think before we proceed with the testimony of Mr. Durham court will recess
until 11:15.
(Recess
taken.)
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in chambers:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I would like to report something which came to my attention
within the last ten minutes. We subpoenaed a person by the name of
Jeanette Tallman, T-a-l-l-m-a-n, who lives in Allen, South Dakota which
{3781} is on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She is a cousin of Myrtle Poor
Bear. And I authorized the issuance of a subpoena for her because I was
told that she was with Myrtle Poor Bear on June 26, 1975 and would be part
of the proof that Myrtle Poor Bear in fact could not have been at the
Jumping Bull Compound when the agents were killed.
It was
reported to me shortly after the recess began that you had responded to
the subpoena, that she was very nervous, on the verge of hysteria, and
that she would not speak with anyone. I arranged to speak with her in one
of the rooms of our office alone and learned the following information
from her: Her present state of mind is as a result of a threat which was
made to her. I didn't press her for details because she was very reticent.
But my impression was that it was a threat made directly by Myrtle Poor
Bear that if she came up here to testify that Myrtle Poor Bear, they would
get some guys to take care of her. I asked her whether in fact she was
with Myrtle Poor Bear on June 26, 1975 and she confirmed that our
investigative information was correct, that she was with Myrtle Poor Bear.
And that she was a cousin of hers and that they both live in the same
community, namely Allen, South Dakota.
She also told
me that the last time she saw Myrtle Poor Bear, but did not speak with
her, was Wednesday night, less than two days ago. And she saw her in the
vicinity of {3782} Allen, South Dakota Now, she continues to be very
worried in spite of my assurances to her that she's here for a legitimate
purpose, and all she has to do is testify and testify truthfully. And I
told her that I would report the matter to Your Honor.
I did not tell
her that it was within the realm of possibility that at the appropriate
time and under the appropriate circumstances Your Honor could provide some
sort of marshal protection for her. But in view of her present state of
mind, both considering how she feels personally and what impact it might
have on her willingness to testify, I thought I would immediately bring
the matter to Your Honor's attention, and perhaps Your Honor would wish to
see her and give her some assurance, not necessarily including the
possibility of marshal protection, but at least to assure her that you are
cognizant of her condition, and maybe that will calm her down because she
might have to wait until Monday to testify. She's apparently in a state of
terror.
I don't
specifically press Your Honor to do it. I thought it might be the best way
to ease her concern, and if Your Honor feels it's inappropriate I'll abide
by Your Honor's decision in that regard.
THE COURT:
Well, when are you now going to call her? On Monday?
MR. TAIKEFF:
We expect that we will call her on Monday.
{3783}
THE COURT: But
not before Monday?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
don't think so. I think otherwise she would be taken out of turn in such a
way as to make her testimony meaningless.
THE COURT: I
will be glad to see her. But I don't see any reason, if you're not going
to call her before Monday, I don't see any reason for me seeing her right
now.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll have one of the attorneys advise her that at whatever time Your Honor
thinks he'll see her, that the Judge will see her, and in the meantime she
can stay in that office.
THE COURT: Why
don't we, why don't we set, oh, 12:45.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, Your Honor.
THE COURT: And
then she can come to the office here at 12:45 and I'd be glad to visit
with her.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you, Your Honor. I appreciate your seeing her.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom without the hearing
and presence of the jury:)
THE COURT: The
jury may be brought in. (Whereupon, the following proceedings were had in
the courtroom in the hearing and presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Defense would now call Jim Hall, Your Honor.
{3784}
JAMES R. HALL,
being first
duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Your name is
James Hall?
A Yes.
Q Have we ever
met as far as you know? My name is Elliot Taikeff.
A I don't
believe so, no.
Q Have we ever
spoken on the telephone?
A I think so,
yes.
Q For how
long?
A Just a
minute or two to tell me I should be coming here.
Q Okay. Where
do you live, sir?
A 2414 10th
Street North, Fargo.
Q And what is
your occupation?
A Retail store
manager and sporting goods, firearms, scopes, reloading.
Q Where is
your place of business?
A West Acres
Storeping Center.
Q For how many
years have you been involved in such matters, Sporting goods, guns, et
cetera?
A About two
years before I went in the service, and about four years after. Last four
years.
{3785}
Q So that's a
total of six years?
A About that,
yes, sir.
Q As a result
are you familiar with firearms and telescopic sights and things of that
sort?
A Yes.
Q Do you
personally use firearms?
A Yes.
Q Do you
personally use telescopic sights?
A Yes.
Q In the past
week sometime you had occasion to use a rifle which had a telescopic sight
mounted on it; is that not correct?
A Yes.
Q Do you see
anyone in the courtroom who provided that rifle with telescopic sight to
you?
A The fellow
in the green jacket there.
Q All right.
Was he accompanied by anyone else?
A He was. I
didn't notice him real carefully. I don't --
Q Do you know
whether that was Special Agent Munes of the FBI?
A He was an
FBI agent. I don't recall his name.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Will the Government stipulate at this time that the rifle in question was
an FBI rifle with a variable power two to seven standard issue telescopic
sight on it?
MR. HULTMAN:
Yes, Your Honor, I believe if counsel {3786} so indicates.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And would the Government further stipulate that was the rifle allegedly
used to make the sighting with the very same telescopic sight on it that
we've heard testimony about?
MR. HULTMAN:
Yes. The Government so stipulates.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Would you explain to the Court and jury what you did, everything
that you did in connection with making, or attempting to make a sighting
through that telescopic sight without saying what the result was, just
your preparation steps?
A We first
went to a spot on 13th Avenue South in Fargo starting at about the Union
State Bank; and we paced off with the odometer on the car going west one
half mile.
Q What time of
day was it?
A This was
just a little bit after noon. Just around lunch, 12:30, 1:00 o'clock.
Q Was it done
one day this week?
A Yes, it was.
Day before yesterday.
Q And could
you describe the weather conditions at the time you did this work?
A They were
humid, sunny, chilly.
Q Was the
light bright or dim?
A Quite fairly
bright. Not a real clear sky, but quite bright.
{3787}
Q Was
visibility to the naked eye good?
A At the first
location on 13th Avenue visibility was only fair.
Q Did you do
anything about that?
A We tested it
at that location. men we went to another location where visibility was
better.
Q All right.
Tell us briefly what you did at the second location where the visibility
was better to the naked eye.
A We went down
to the, there's a gravel road going south of West Acres Storeping Center
paralleling the freeway, Interstate 94, where there was more grass area,
and it was over a gravel road.
Conditions
were the same except for the visibility was much better due to better
mirage, or less mirage I should say.
Q You mean
mirage effect?
A Well, it's
the condition of moisture boiling out of the ground or obscures vision.
Q Now, the
ground that you were looking over, when you looked, did not have any
foliage growing on it; is that correct?
A First
location had a little of dry grass as we were standing along the road near
a ditch. Second location, very little.
It was over
grass, dry grass, a little bit to the south. And then we looked mainly
over plowed field.
Q Now, did you
measure off a half a mile at the second location?
{3788}
A It came to
just a little bit short of a half a mile, but it was on an angle which we
had to walk out a little bit beyond what we actually measured. So it would
be very close to a half a mile.
Q Before we
get to the test itself I want to go back to the first time you were
contacted by anybody concerning the possibility of your conducting this
test. Were you asked whether in your opinion, looking through a 7 power
scope through approximately a half a mile would reveal the features of a
person's face or something to that effect? Do you recall being asked the
question?
A One time,
maybe a week, maybe a week or ten days ago, I was, by somebody who
identified himself.
Q Was it Mr.
Engelstein?
A He
identified himself, the first person.
Q All right.
Now, at that time did you express an opinion was to what the result would
be?
A At that time
I can't actually recall if I made an opinion on it or not. I don't think
so, but I might have.
Q Do you
recall whether you said you thought that could be done?
A Oh, if I
made an opinion at all it would have been to the effect that I probably
could not have made an actual identification.
Q All right.
Now, were there other people present besides Mr. Gilbert and the special
agent from the Federal Bureau of {3789} Investigation?
A I had one
customer in the store. You mean at the time when we made the test?
Q When you
made the test at the second location.
A We had.
There was one customer in the store that I had been familiar with for
about a year that accompanied us out to the test site.
Q Is he a
person you would recognize if you saw him from forty or sixty or eighty
feet away?
A Yes.
Q Now, what
did that person do in connection with the test?
A He simply
stood at the approximate half a mile away and to see if we could identify
him.
Q Then what
did you do?
A After we put
him at this plot where he was going to stand we went back to the original,
or we went back to the half a mile point so that to use the rifle and
scope mounted on it to see if we could actually look at him and see him
and identify him.
Q Now, did you
look through the telescopic sight?
A Yes.
Q Did you hold
your eye in such a position that you got the nearest possible image in the
scope?
{3790}
A Yes.
Q Were you
looking at an object which you believe to be the body of the person whom
you knew for about a year?
A Yes.
Q Did you
recognize that person?
A I would not
be able to recognize him not knowing who he was.
Q Did you see
any features on his face?
A I could not
determine facial features; no. I could determine the fact he had white
skin in the second location versus dark skin because the sun coming
sightly from the west was shining on his face. I could determine he was
either light skin or Caucasian, the dark hair, a white collar and dark
jacket.
Q As you
looked in that telescope, could you say, even knowing who it was to begin
with, that it was the particular individual who you sent out there? Yes or
no?
A No.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions.
CROSS
EXAMINATION
BY MR. HULTMAN:
Q Mr. Hall,
have you done a test of that kind before?
A Have I
which?
Q Have you
ever done a test of that kind before?
A Not at that
distance; no.
Q You did it
at a half mile, is that right?
{3791}
A
Approximately a half mile.
Q That's 880
yards, isn't it?
A Yes.
Q You don't
know what it would have been if you had done it at 700 or 750, is that
fair?
A As the
distance would decrease, it would become a little more easier to identify
a person.
Q Now in order
to make an observation of that kind, first of all there are many variables
involved, are there not?
A Yes.
Q First of
all, the variable of who is looking through the sight, isn't that a fair
conclusion?
A Yes.
Q What if you
were looking through the sight with your other eye?
A I wouldn't
be able to see him at all, anything.
Q That's
because you have a different capability in one of your eyes than the
other, is that right?
A Yes, I do.
Q And that's
similarly true with many other people is it not?
A Virtually
everybody I would suppose.
Q Secondly,
the condition, the conditions and terms of many factors surrounding the
viewer makes a great difference, does it not, in viewing through a scope?
A Oh, yes.
{3792}
Q For example,
if you're looking through, have you ever done any hunting?
A Yes.
Q Do any deer
hunting?
A Not actually
big game hunting.
Q All right.
If you're
looking through a scope at an object where the background is contrasted
with the object, there is a fair, far greater opportunity to conclude what
that object is than if the background is similar or the same, isn't that
true?
A Yes.
Q In other
words, for example, if we were looking at a background of the white object
behind you right now from a distance and the object we're trying to
discern likewise was white, it would be difficult, would it not?
A Yes.
Q Kind of fuse
into the background?
A Yes.
Q On the other
hand if the object contrasted in any way, with the greater contrast would
be black, if the object were black or red, any contrast, it would be much,
much, much easier then to discern what that object is, is it not?
A Yes.
Q Now there's
another factor which I think you even mentioned because you even changed
the location, or at least there was a {3793} difference in the location
and that if, and I don't know what the exact word was that I believe you
used, but mirage, was that the word you used?
A Mirage. Yes.
Q There are a
number of climatic conditions that have a real impact on what you can
discern and see through a scope, isn't that a fair conclusion?
A Yes.
Q And if you
have, for example, heat rays coming from the ground, that is an
interference factor, is it not?
A Yes, it is.
Q The same
with moisture?
A Yes.
Q That is an
interference factor, is it not?
So that there
are a number of variables that go into ultimately deciding whether
somebody could or could not see an object at a given time and place, isn't
that a fair conclusion?
A Yes.
Q Let me ask
you one that I think it may be more significant and more important than
any of those we've talked about. Have you ever stood with a rifle with a
scope and tried to look at something offhand? Is that what you were doing
that day?
A Yes.
Q That's the
way you did the test, is that right?
{3794}
A Yes. Yes.
Q Now if you
would compare that situation, I'm not holding 41A just for the only reason
it does have a scope, no other significance for the record. If you would
look through this scope as you have on occasions at an offhand position,
is this somewhat the manner in which you made the test (indicating)?
A Yes, it is.
Q There is a
tendency of body movement that it makes it difficult, does it not, to hold
it at the greater range, specially on any given object?
A Yes.
Q It's quite a
different test if I happen to be in a window and I have this weapon in any
way in a fixed position where it's not offhand, isn't that a fair
conclusion?
A Yes.
Q In fact,a
difference almost between day and night what you can see ant not see,
isn't that true?
A Depends a
lot on the ability of the person to hold the gun steady offhand.
Q It depends
whether or not how steady the individual holds it offhand. Isn't that why
we have some expert shooters and some that can't hit the broad side of a
barn?
A That's
right.
MR. HULTMAN:
No further questions.
{3795}
REDIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q How was the
subject that you looked at standing, facing you or in profile?
A Facing me.
Q Did that
give you a greater or a lesser chance of making the identification than if
you comparatively had looked at him in profile?
A Probably in
favor of making identification with this particular person.
Q Now you
spoke about a number of factors, climatic factors that would make it less
likely that you could see a particular object at a particular distance and
I think among them, or perhaps describing them all you used the word
mirage.
A Yes.
Q Now that
would include factors such as moisture in the air?
A Yes.
Q The amount
of moisture coming out of the surface?
A Yes.
Q The
temperature?
A Definitely;
yes.
Q Now as to
those things, gravel road versus land on which grass or foliage is
growing, which gives you the higher mirage effect and therefore the lesser
chance to see?
A I never
actually tested the two, one against the other under similar conditions. I
really couldn't say. You'd have to have {3796} all the other conditions
exactly the same to test that condition.
Q Wouldn't the
availability of moisture in the surface be important?
A Yes. If
there is a lot --
MR. HULTMAN:
Well --
A -- of
moisture in the surface and the sun is hitting it, the mirage is a lot
higher than a cloudy day or dry soil condition.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) So within a particular locality, a piece of ground, part of which
was covered with gravel and part of which had grass and bushes on it, same
temperature, same general circumstances, at which or over which would you
expect to get a greater mirage effect and hence a lesser change to make a
sighting?
A If the
moisture is coming out of the foliage, I'd say you'd probably have a
little more difficulty, green, wet moisture with the sun hitting it. If
it's dry ground --
Q Well,
assuming both parts of the ground that was talked of, the gravel part and
the other part adjacent had been subject to the game exposure to moisture,
where would you expect to get a greater amount of moisture immediately
above the ground, above the gravel or above the growing grass and foliage?
A It would be
very similar actually.
Q How about
the temperature, the higher the temperature, the greater the mirage
effect?
{3797}
A Depending on
if the sun is hitting it or not. The actually warm would make a difference
but you'd have a tremendous mirage factor in the wintertime and a
tremendous mirage factor in the summer. Sun makes more of a difference.
Q Suppose the
day in question were June 26th, that was almost cloudless, that it was in
mid-afternoon and the temperature above 90 degrees.
A I would say
you would have a very high mirage factor.
Q Which means
a very low chance of making a sighting at a half mile with a seven power
scope?
A In my
opinion.
Q Now, sir,
one final point. Mr. Hultman gave us a demonstration when he was holding
that .22 caliber rifle with telescopic light and he asked you to compare
the probabilities of being successful in looking when you held the rifle
to your shoulder versus when you rested it on some solid object like a
window frame and I think your answer was that when you rest it on a solid
object you have a better chance of making an identification, am I correct
about that?
A Yes.
Q And was the
basis of your opinion that when you hold it in its free form, when you
hold the rifle in the free form there is a tendency for the body to move
or your arms to move and as a result you're moving the scope relative to
the object?
A Yes.
{3798}
Q Now is there
any difference between a scope moving a little bit and the object staying
still or the scope staying still and the object moving?
A Both factors
would complicate identification.
Q So if you
now had that same telescopic sight on a sunny, hot summer afternoon in an
area that was covered with foliage and grass and the person that you were
looking at was seen in profile while that person was running, what do you
say of the probabilities based on your own test of making an
identification of a person whom you may have seen only once or twice in
your lifetime?
A Very, very
difficult if not impossible.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No further questions.
RECROSS-EXAMINATION
BY MR. HULTMAN:
Q I just have
a question or two, Mr. Hall.
Let's just
assume that we changed the circumstances of your test to a condition where
you are standing on high ground and looking to an object across a valley
on a similar high ground. Would you be able to without anymore changes of
any kind in terms of what the background may be, what the factors may be
with reference to mirage or anything else, assuming all the other things
are equal but you are looking from a high ground point to a high ground
point with a valley in between, would the conditions and the capability
and the opportunity probably be better for you to draw a conclusion that
would be {3799} more comprehensive and accurate than under the conditions
where you were making your test?
A It would be
easier to, you'd have clearer view because of less mirage. The higher up
you go the visibility increases.
Q And you have
no obstructions of any kind in between, do you?
A Right.
Q Or any real
possibility?
A Right.
I have no
further questions.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Nothing further.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May the witness be excused, Your Honor?
THE COURT: Any
objection to this witness --
MR. HULTMAN:
No objection.
THE COURT: You
are excused.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I believe the witness has been sworn. May he take the stand?
THE COURT: You
may.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I inquire, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may.
JIMMY DURHAM,
being
previously sworn, testified as follows:
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Mr. Durham,
would you state your full name.
{3800}
A Jimmy
Durham.
Q And where do
you live, Mr. Durham?
A In New York
City.
Q Are you a
native American person?
A Yes. I'm
Cherokee.
Q And what is
your present occupation?
A I an the
Executive Director and United Nations representative of the International
Treaty Council, Organization of the American Indian Movement.
Q Where does
it have its offices?
A An office on
Pine Ridge, an office in Standing Rock, South Dakota and an office in New
York City at the United Nations.
Q Do you
travel in connection with your work?
A Pretty
constantly.
Q And what are
the kinds of people by terms of their occupation that you come in contact
with in connection with your work?
A I travel to
a lot of Indian reservations and communities and deal with the traditional
people there and I go through the country and talk to governments, to
international organizations.
Q Does the
International Indian Treaty Council of which you're the executive director
have any standing or status of an official kind at the United Nations?
{3801}
A Yes. We have
what is called by the United Nations consultative status.
Q Could you
briefly advise the Court and jury as to what the meaning or significance
of that is?
A The
consultative status that the United Nations granted to the international
organizations that have specific things to contribute to the UN that can't
be contributed to the other people in legal affairs, human rights affairs.
Q The
organization of which you're the executive director has a Board of
Directors, does it not?
A Yes. It has
a Board of Directors presently of 108 people who are mostly traditional
chiefs, medicine men and other leaders in the Indian community.
Q Have you
prepared, published or had received by the United Nations any books,
pamphlets or documents?
A In the past
two and a half years we have prepared approximately a dozen different
documents for the United Nations on Indian affairs in the Western
hemisphere. We're presently preparing a very comprehensive document on the
affairs of American Indians for conferences that the United Nations is
holding on American Indian affairs.
Q Where is
that conference to be held?
A In the
United Nations in Geneva in September of this year.
Q For how many
years have you been doing the kind of work or related work that you do
now?
{3802}
A I started
doing international work with the Indian affairs in 1971 and I joined the
American Indian Movement in 1973. Before that, back home, I was doing
community organizing with an idea towards getting into international
affairs.
Q For how many
years in totem has your work been oriented around the circumstances of
Native American people?
A Since I was
born almost. My family is an Indian family that has had to struggle for
their rights so I grew up in that situation.
Q Although
what I was really asking you in particular was with respect to your adult
life and your adult work. How many years of such work have you done
altogether?
A As long as I
have been an adult except I served four years in military service.
Q Of the
United States, I assume?
A Right.
Q Army?
A Navy.
Q I would like
to inquire of you in two areas. The Pine Ridge Reservation is a
reservation for which native American people?
A It's a
reservation of the Oglala and Lakota.
Q Also known
in English as what?
A The Oglala
Sioux.
Q And in
connection with matters that may concern events on that reservation, can
you explain whether it is usual or {3803} unusual for Indian people of
other tribes to come there or be there for such purposes?
A Well, it's
completely usual. We see ourselves as nations of people but we see
ourselves as one people at the same time as part of our philosophy of the
sacred circle of life and we see ourselves as Indian people. Historically
we have traveled to reservations, to each other's country and are always
welcome.
Q I don't know
whether you call them nations or tribes or bands or whatever word you use,
how many such Indian entities are there in the United States?
A If you're
talking about nations of people such as the Cherokee or the Lakota or
Navaho, there are approximately 95 around.
Q 100
different --
A Reservations
in the U.S., there are about 260.
Q 260
different subdivisions?
A
Reservations.
Q Is there any
common aspect amongst those people other than the fact that they are all
of the red race? Is there some cultural or historical commonality between
them all?
A You can see
how racially mixed I am. It's not a question of race. It's a question of
vision and the idea of this vision is centered around the pipe for almost
all Indians and the idea of the sacred circle of life which the pipe
represents.
{3804}
Q Are you
saying then that all the Indian peoples of North America in their
traditional religion respect and recognize the power of the pipe?
A Yes.
Q The other
area that I want to inquire of has to do with the so-called traditional
Indians and in this particular instance I'm asking you about the
traditional Indians on the Pine Ridge reservation. If there are any
differences elsewhere, please say so. Is there any reason that you know of
as a result of your work, your expertise why the traditional people on the
Pine Ridge Reservation should have any conflict with any other groups or
forces on that reservation?
A The
traditional people which are the legal government, the traditional council
of chiefs, the legal government of Pine Ridge.
Q Under what
authority?
A Under their
own authority and recognized by the U.S. through the 1868 Fort Laramie
Treaty. Different congressional acts have tried to pretend this treaty is
not valid to the extent that those congressional acts say it is not valid.
That is not constitutional in our vision and so there is a constant
conflict of what amounts to a colonial government, the United States
taking over our land, giving us the form of government on every
reservation that is not our form of government setting up different
economic factors that pit Indians against {3805} other Indians. The
government uses every way that it can, the only way I can frankly say it,
to harass us and to divide us.
MR. HULTMAN: I
would object to this as not being responsive and further that it's not
relevant and no proper foundation and it has no relevancy as far as it's
too remote.
THE COURT:
Sustained.
{3806}
THE COURT:
Sustained.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Would your focus your attention then on the ways of the
traditional people on the Pine Ridge which, by the way, you have visited
how many times in your work?
A The first
time I went to Pine Ridge was in 1974, and I have been there approximately
seven or eight times since then for the past few years.
Q Can you
relate what it is about the particular existence of the traditionals on
the Pine Ridge, as they actually exist now, and in the past recent years?
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I am going to object to this and anything further on the
grounds of relevancy, of remoteness, and that this witness, if he is
offered as an expert, I don't think he is qualified as one by the showing
that has been made the few times that he has been there; and if it is
being offered to elicit testimony as to the state of mind, I don't believe
then that there has been compliance with Rule 12.2(b); and it is for all
those reasons that I am going to object to any further testimony
concerning this witness.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I believe I have qualified this witness as an expert.
THE COURT:
Will counsel approach the bench?
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
{3807}
THE COURT: I
have asked you to come to the bench so that you may state for the record
why you feel this testimony you are now going into is relevant.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes.
First I would
like to advise primarily Mr. Hultman, this was the last point of inquiry
so that he would understand the scope and extent of it.
Secondly, your
Honor, there has been testimony concerning the need of the traditional
people in the White Clay District for the assistance of the AIM people and
the cross examination of the Government tended to indicate a number of
things which this witness has been called to counter, one of them being
the unusual nature of the facts that the Indian people who came there were
not Oglala Sioux people. I think that has already been covered by this
witness' testimony.
MR. HULTMAN: I
think it has.
MR. TAIKEFF:
In addition to that, there has been a suggestion by some of the cross
examination that there is not the tension or the violation in the lives of
the traditional people --
THE COURT:
(Interrupting) There is not what?
MR. TAIKEFF:
The kind of tension and conflict which has been asserted by the defense
because certain witnesses themselves have not experienced personally these
assaults {3808} or acts of violence. This witness is called to give an
overview of the situation and an explanation of its origins and genesis so
that the jury will not have to rely solely upon the testimony of those
traditionals who testified and can determine whether or not they are
exaggerating something.
This is a
witness who has a rather objective overview of the situation and an
explanation, not only of what does exist but the reasons underlying it so
that its genesis can be understood, and hence the fact can be believed.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I am going to object on the grounds that it is very clear now
that this is an attempt on the part of counsel through somebody who is
clearly not qualified to determine or to lend evidence as to what the
state of mind of this Defendant was when on that particular day that these
events happened.
THE COURT:
Just to interrupt you for just a second.
I am not sure
that he is offering it to show state of mind of the Defendant. It seems to
me that what -- if I understand Mr. Taikeff correctly -- he is offering it
to show a reason why the American Indian Movement group was asked to come.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I think the best evidence there has already been put in, that this
man has by what he has {3809} indicated from foundation, has no special
knowledge or peculiar knowledge as far as those very events.
We have had
the individuals who were specifically involved on the stand as to those.
The testimony of this man is only going to be very general in nature, and
I say that goes ultimately though to the issue I have addressed the Court
and that's the real ultimate reason for which counsel is going to use
whatever testimony now this particular witness will give.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I think that I am bound to respond to that by saying that Mr.
Hultman is correct in part that it does touch that other issue. It touches
it in a way that has nothing to do with the direct conclusionary testimony
that this witness will be asked to offer because if he explains a
condition that is prevalent and obvious and the reasons for it, and the
jury then, on the basis of that and other testimony, chooses to find that
indeed that condition (a) exists and (b) is rather prevalent, then it is
appropriate for counsel to argue that people who were there in response to
such a call obviously themselves must have known what was going on because
they weren't living in a vacuum.
So to that
extent I must say that Mr. Hultman is correct, but as to the specific
evidence to be adduced from this witness, it is not going to be general.
It is {3810} going to be very specific. Right now he is prepared to
explain in relatively brief form -- I don't expect this to be a prolonged
bit of testimony -- exactly what it is about the way of life that is
followed by the traditionals which puts them in an extreme conflict with
those forces who think another way of life should exist on the
Reservation, and he has some very specific enlightening explanation of it.
He doesn't take any position on the merits of it.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I object, your Honor, on the matter of relevancy.
THE COURT: How
is this relevant as to whether or not this Defendant committed the crimes
alleged in the indictment or as to any of the evidence produced by the
Government?
MR. TAIKEFF:
To the same extent that any proof concerning why they were there and the
quasi-official nature of their invitation is relevant because it shows
that they are not an odd renegade band that just happens to be roaming the
countryside.
THE COURT: I
have allowed that in as to why they were there. I do not grasp the
relevancy of going beyond what you have in the record already.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right, I can perhaps answer your Honor's question by posing a question
for the Government to answer, whether they are prepared to stipulate that
{3811} the testimony that has been received concerning the conditions
which gave rise to the invitation are in fact true, and that is the
general condition which existed in the White Clay District.
If the
Government is willing to do that, frankly, I don't need this testimony;
but I think the Government will not be willing to stipulate and will argue
the contrary.
THE COURT: And
what is this witness' expertise that he can testify as to the conditions
that existed in the White Clay District?
MR. TAIKEFF:
That is a combination of his work as an international expert in connection
with native American matters, treaty matters, his understanding and
involvement in the religious and cultural aspects of the native American
peoples, and he provides the underlying explanation for why there is that
conflict which must be positive to a jury in determining whether they are
going to believe that the conditions we assert existed actually existed,
unless the Government is willing to concede that those conditions actually
existed.
THE COURT:
What is this witness' exposure to -- is it the White Clay District?
MR. TAIKEFF:
That is a prominent traditionalist district on that Reservation as per the
testimony of Mr. Trimble.
{3812}
THE COURT: All
right, and what is this witness' exposure to that District?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
myself do not know specifically, I would have to ask him -- but I am
prepared to ask him -- except that he knows the Reservation. He knows that
particular Reservation generally, and as a result knows the problems of
the traditional people. Mr. Trimble provided the evidence that the White
Clay District is one of the prominent traditionalist Districts, so what
conditions exist for traditional people would exist in particular in the
White Clay District.
THE COURT: You
have Mr. Trimble's testimony in there I am not going to permit any
additional testimony from this witness unless you can show something, some
personal familiarity on his part with this White Clay District.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
will attempt to do that with nonleading questions, your Honor.
MR. COURT:
Very well.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom, in the presence and
hearing of the jury:)
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Mr. Durham, does the phrase, "White Clay District," mean anything
to you?
A White Clay
District is a district of the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Q And does it
have any qualities or uniqueness as far as {3813} you are concerned?
A Well, it is
like a stronghold of the traditional people, traditionalism on the
Reservation.
Q Have I ever
put either of those questions to you before this moment?
A No. You
asked me at one time I knew the Reservation and if I knew about White
Clay, and I said "Yes, I know about White Clay."
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed then, your Honor?
THE COURT: You
have not brought out what the basis for his information is, what the basis
is, from what basis his information arises.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) All right. Do you understand what his Honor would like to know,
from what his Honor just said?
A No.
Q All right. I
will try it with some questions.
You have told
us something about White Clay, based on your understanding.
What is the
basis of that understanding about the White Clay District?
A Going to
meetings weekly and going to other parts of the Reservation, traveling
around the Reservation.
Q When you
went to the meetings of the White Clay District, was that for social
purposes?
A No. Those
were treaty council meetings, meetings of the {3814} traditional people.
THE COURT: You
have nothing in the time frame.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right. I am seeking guidance from the Court.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Could you tell the Court and jury when you made these trips,
attended these meetings and learned whatever it is that you learned?
A Well, over
the past three years, the last time I was there was in March of this year.
I was there once in -- two or three times in '76. '75 is vague.
THE COURT: I
didn't hear the last part.
A 1975 and '74
get vague because it is a long time ago. '75 I was there in February or
March, and perhaps later the next winter, '75.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Excuse me one moment. May I have that document?
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I am going to renew my objection at this time.
THE COURT: The
objection is sustained. This witness testimony as to his knowledge of the
White Clay District in 1974 and 1975 is vague.
MR. TAIKEFF:
He didn't say that the number of times is vague. It was that long ago. He
gave us the specific number of times that he was there in '75.
MR. HULTMAN:
May we again approach the bench?
{3815}
THE COURT: You
may.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
THE COURT:
Just a moment. Look up the answer that the witness gave.
(Record here
read by the reporter was as follows: "ANSWER: Well, over the past three
years, the last time I was there was in March of this year. I was there
once in -- two or three times in '76. '75 is vague. THE COURT: I didn't
hear the last part. ANSWER: 1975 and '74 get vague because it is a long
time ago, '75 I was there in February or March, and perhaps later the next
winter, '75.")
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, your Honor, I renew my objections for all of the reasons that I have
objected to earlier. It is indicative that this man is going to primarily
put into the record matters primarily based on hearsay, but beyond that
are matters to which are not the best evidence.
First of all,
if they were admissible, that there are individuals who live on that
Reservation, been there, that's been the testimony which has already been
elicited and placed into the record; but I am still back to my basic
objection, that it is irrelevant as to any issue or any probative value of
the issues in the ultimate issues involved in this case, and that is as to
this Defendant and the alleged acts of this Defendant on that particular
{3816} day. I just -- the relevance is beyond me.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Well, the Government makes two separate points.
As to the
first point it makes, this witness is not going to testify about hearsay,
concerning specific events. He is going to attempt to explain the genesis,
the origin of the problem from specific cultural factors and historical
factors as an expert. He is not going to refer to one beating or one
shooting or one incident. He is only going to look at certain aspects of
the traditional life and explain how the insistence upon following that
cultural and religious track has placed these people in severe conflict
with other forces on the Reservation, without ever referring to a specific
incident.
MR. HULTMAN: I
will say that's still a collateral issue and doesn't provide any basis of
relevancy for a killing that took place of two FBI Agents serving a
warrant on that day. That's my objection, plain and simple.
THE COURT:
Again I will ask you, specifically what do you intend to bring out from
this witness now?
MR. TAIKEFF:
He is going to point out that the nature of the cultural life, the
traditional life and the religion which are closely intertwined, is such
that the relationship to the land is primary and their attitude about and
their religious belief in the significance of {3817} the land is such that
they as an outgrowth of that must be in conflict with any progressive
changes on the Reservation in terms of modernization and other things
which occur on the Reservation which interfere with their ability to live
the traditional life because of the things which have been brought upon or
done to the land on the Reservation; and that it is their struggle to
prevent those things from happening because if those things happen, the
cultural existence is terminated. It is a thing which has been happening
increasingly and incrementally over the last hundred years. It is their
very problem that these things have been happening, and they are totally
inconsistent with the continuation of their ability to live the
traditional life; and that is the source of the conflict between the
traditional people and the other people on the Reservation.
That explains
why, as asserted by other people who had a very narrow view of it, because
of their only isolated personal experiences, why you have Indian against
Indian on the Reservation, fighting with each other; and if that
explanation is satisfactory to the jury, they take a very easy step in
believing what the other witnesses who have testified to the actual
day-to-day existence is true; but without that the Government is in a
position to argue that these witnesses are just not believable or that
{3818} this whole thing is super-fantastic; but this person provides ar
expert rationalization of why the fact finder should believe those
witnesses, that those conditions were as severe as they said they were.
MR. HULTMAN: I
would still argue, your Honor, that I fail to see the relevance between
events between Indians and Indians, that's not the issue in this case in
any way.
MR. TAIKEFF:
It certainly is one of the sub-issues in the case because your Honor has
already ruled that it is relevant to show why that group was there and
armed, and this is part of proving and satisfying beyond any doubt that
explanation.
THE COURT: I
will let you go to this extent, and that is to simply have this witness
express an opinion as to whether there did exist in 1974 --
MR. HULTMAN:
(Interrupting) '75, your Honor.
THE COURT:
(Continuing) -- 1975 a conflict, ideological or other type of conflict
between the traditionalists and non-traditionalists on the Pine Ridge
Reservation, and No. 2, if such a conflict did exist, what did this
conflict arise out of, just general terms. That is as far as you can go.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right. I will do that. I will ask those two questions.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the presence and
hearing of the jury.)
{3819}
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Mr. Durham, I am going to put two questions to you. First, I ask
you for your expert opinion as to whether or not in 1975 there existed on
the Pine Ridge Reservation a conflict between the traditional Native
Americans and the nontraditional Native Americans?
A Yes, there
was.
Q The second
question is: Would you summarize, based on your expertise, what in your
opinion are the underlying causes for this Indian against Indian conflict?
A The
traditional vision of Indian American Indians with the pipe centers around
a harmony of a circle, harmony of every part of life with out animal
brothers and sisters and with our human brothers and sisters and a
harmony, and a reference for the sacredness of life. And this seems to
come in direct conflict with white people's mentality.
The only way I
can see it, and the situation on Pine Ridge is that the nontraditionals,
the mixed-bloods, have accepted the white man's money, the white man's way
of life and that is the difference.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no questions, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I have a witness who I expect {3820} will be here in a
relatively short time. May I call an additional witness now?
THE COURT: You
may.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Defense calls Bambi Sanchez.
BAMBI SANCHEZ,
being first
duly sworn on the sacred pipe, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF
Q Can you look
this way, please. Are you nervous?
A A little
bit.
Q All right.
Try to stay close to the microphone so that everybody can hear you.
Have you and I
ever spoken about your testimony?
A Yes.
Q How many
times?
A Once.
Q For how
long?
A About five
minutes.
Q Where do you
live?
A Alamosa,
Colorado.
Q Alamosa,
Colorado?
A Yes.
Q Were you
ever in a place called Boulder, Colorado where the name of Leonard Peltier
came up?
{3821}
A Yes.
Q Where were
you in Boulder?
A With, at a
friend's apartment.
Q How many
people were there?
A There was
three people including myself.
Q Including
yourself?
A (No
response.)
Q And tell us
what happened.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, could we, Your Honor, at least get a time.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'm sorry.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Could you give us an approximate time when that took place?
A I believe it
was around September 10, 1975.
Q All right.
MR. HULTMAN:
Could we find out, Counsel, who the people were?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, I will get to that.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Now, can you tell the Court and jury what happened from the
beginning of the episode to the end concerning the name Leonard Peltier?
Speak slowly and make sure that you speak loud enough for everybody to
hear you.
A It was
towards the evening and LeRoy Kosata and myself and another friend were
all sitting around watching television and we heard a knock at the door.
And the woman that owned the {3822} apartment just said, "Come in."
And there was
this call and she went to the door to open it. Then all of a sudden about
seven agents just rushed in with weapons and they put a gun to my head --
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, Your Honor, I haven't had a chance to object yet but I'd like to
approach the bench.
THE COURT: You
may approach the bench.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, first of all I'm totally surprised because, one, I never even
heard of the person before and two, I have no knowledge as to what
possibly the testimony could be. And I would request at this time that
there be some type of an offer of proof of showing as to what this witness
is going to indicate in order to, I might interpose an objection before
there be anything to come before the jury about an agent putting a gun to
somebody's head. That's already before them. Even without the small
possible relevance it may have.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I'm torn between two impulses here. One is to answer Mr.
Hultman as a matter or professional courtesy, and the other is not to
because the defense was not aware of everything that every witness was
going to say. And that surely did not provide the basis to come to the
sidebar every time there was a question that the defense didn't know
{3823} the answer to. And I don't think it's appropriate to set that kind
of precedent in this case.
The Government
has appropriate tools, cross-examination, which is the greatest engine
ever invented for the ascertainment of the truth, the continuance if
necessary. I don't see why I have to tell --
THE COURT:
Just a moment. The problem you've got here is that she's starting to
describe the incident relating to Leonard Peltier.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's correct.
THE COURT: In
September of 1975. In Boulder, Colorado which is probably three, four
hundred miles away from Pine Ridge Reservation. And she's starting to, she
makes a comment that there's a knock on the door and seven agents come in
and put a gun to her head. Now, that, my imagination may not be too
fertile, but it's, I'm having difficulty seeing what that might lead to
that would be relevant to the indictment.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
believe Your Honor is incorrect concerning the statement of fertility, but
notwithstanding I will respect the Court and provide some fertilizer.
The defendant
unquestionably traveled from Pine Ridge Reservation through the western
part of the United States into Oregon and into Canada.
THE COURT: I
assume so.
{3824}
MR. TAIKEFF: I
think that's crystal clear.
THE COURT:
Right.
MR. TAIKEFF:
One of the things we have to counter is the suggestion of the Government
that the only reason he was going was because he feared successful
prosecution and that that was a reflection of his knowledge of guilt.
That's been clearly the position that the Government has taken on the
basis of all of our objections about certain collateral and prejudicial
evidence.
We will prove
incrementally obviously there is no one, in fact there are not even three
witnesses who can paint the whole picture that the defendant had good
reason to believe that the effort being expended by the FBI was of such a
nature as to concern him, that if he were ever confronted by them he would
be gunned down, he'd never have a trial,
Now, Jean Day
has provided some of that testimony in connection with what she saw on the
reservation in early July and her conversation with Leonard and his
expression of concern. This witness will corroborate the reasonableness of
his concern because of what occurred at her apartment when a person was
misidentified as Leonard Peltier.
Now, I admit,
before anybody says anything, that there is going to be no proof that that
specific incident was communicated to him. But when we prove actual events
and sightings made by people who saw these things or experienced {3825}
these events and we argue to the jury that that means that Leonard Peltier
has reason to fear for his life that he would never have a trial before
judgment was entered against him.
THE COURT:
Specifically what is she going to testify to?
MR. TAIKEFF:
She's going to testify that an agent thought that one of the people there
was Leonard and told the other agent to shoot that person even though
everyone had put his hands up and submitted to their power. And the fact
that such a thing occurred corroborates the legitimacy of his belief
predicated on the things which he in fact learned which we will prove he
learned as he went along the way.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, that is so remote and so prejudicial, and as counsel has even
indicated it is something that was even within the knowledge of this
particular defendant. It's an isolated instance that any time -- in fact
the testimony already before it -- in order to rebut any such testimony,
first of all the Government is now forced, and we've talked about many
trials within trials, that was an issue raised by counsel, the Government
will now have to go secure whatever individuals and that have no idea as
to time, place or anything else, who they are, in order to come back and
rebut that testimony. And I say that testimony, when it's tested by a
relevancy versus prejudice, there's no question that that testimony is not
relevant here.
{3826}
That's a
collateral matter that is so far out that --
THE COURT: The
objection is sustained.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions.
THE COURT You
may step down.
Court is in
recess until 1:30.
(Recess
taken.)
{3827}
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in chambers without the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, this is Jeanette Tallman from Allen, South Dakota.
THE COURT: How
do you do. Just have a chair.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I told Your Honor before about the concern that this person
had. This is a person whom we have subpoenaed as a witness and in the
course of asking her about the reasons for her concern she revealed what I
think is an important fact and I'm wondering if I could put two short
questions to her.
THE COURT:
Sure.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Would you tell the judge first when you last saw Myrtle Poor Bear and
where that was.
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: You mean the last time?
MR. TAIKEFF:
The last time you saw her.
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: That was Wednesday.
MR. TAIKEFF:
What time of day?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: About 3:00.
MR. TAIKEFF:
In the afternoon?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yeah.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And where was that?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: At Allen.
MR. TAIKEFF:
When you say "Allen," you're speaking of Allen, South Dakota?
{3828}
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes. Allen, South Dakota.
MR. TAIKEFF:
On Pine Ridge Reservation?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: On Pine Ridge Reservation.
MR. TAIKEFF:
The other thing I want to ask you about is the fact you were very upset
yesterday afternoon I was told and when I spoke to you earlier today
before I took you into the private office you also appeared to be very
upset and you said you were, is that correct?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Would you tell the judge what you were upset about?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Well, this Myrtle said that before I testify against her, she
said she was going to get some men after me.
THE COURT: If
you testified against her?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yeah. If I come up here and testify.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'd like to add one other thing. Are you related in any way to Myrtle Poor
Bear?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Tell the judge what that relationship is.
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: She's my second cousin.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And perhaps so that the judge will understand the reason why you're here,
were you with her on June 26th, 1975?
{3829}
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And how can you pinpoint that date: based on something you heard?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Uh-huh.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And what did you hear?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Turned on the radio and came on the radio that the FBI agents
were killed on Pine Ridge Reservation.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you very much.
THE COURT: You
were with her at that time?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yeah.
THE COURT: And
you are fearful that if you take the stand here that something may happen
to you?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
THE COURT:
What kind of relationship have you had with her? Has she been friendly?
Have you been friendly to her? Has she ever done anything to you, before?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: No.
THE COURT: Has
she ever made threats of any kind to you before?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: No.
THE COURT: Has
anybody else?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: No.
THE COURT:
Where were you when she said this to you? Were you in her home or was she
in your home?
{3830}
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: We were in Gordon, Nebraska.
THE COURT:
What were you talking about?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: She was asking me if I was subpoenaed in here, you know, Fargo. I
told her, I told her that I didn't get anything. This was about a month
ago and I just got my subpoena Tuesday, Tuesday afternoon.
THE COURT:
This happened about a month ago?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
THE COURT:
That she said this to you?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
THE COURT: Did
you see her again last Wednesday?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: I seen her but I didn't talk to her.
THE COURT:
When is the last time you have talked to her?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Wednesday.
THE COURT:
When is the last time you talked to her?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Oh, that was same time.
THE COURT: You
did talk to her last Wednesday?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yeah.
THE COURT: Did
you tell her that you were going to come testify?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: I didn't know then so I didn't tell her anything.
THE COURT: But
she told you about a month ago if you testified she'd get somebody to do
something to you?
{3831}
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: (Witness nods affirmatively.)
THE COURT:
This bothering you as far as testifying?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: (Witness nods affirmatively.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I might indicate if it has any bearing on Your Honor's view of
the matter that the witness toward the end of our conversation, the
earlier conversation I had with her indicated to me and apparent
willingness to tell what she knows because she gave me the name and
address of a very important witness concerning this aspect of the case and
she volunteered that so I think her attitude is one of a neutral witness
and I don't think she has any particular ax to grind.
THE COURT:
Well, if it's determined that your testimony is proper, then of course it
will be necessary for you to testify. By that I mean if it's determined
that you have something of importance to the case to testify on, it will
be necessary for you to testify.
Now what is
that going to do to you? Does it frighten you?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: (Witness nods affirmatively.)
THE COURT:
Very much?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Uh-huh.
THE COURT:
What do you think that should be done to help protect you?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: I don't know.
{3832}
THE COURT: Mr.
Taikeff, do you have any suggestion, any assurance I could give this
witness?
MR. TAIKEFF:
It might be possible if she testifies and after she has come off the stand
if she feels the same say that the marshal service might make it possible
for her to stay somewhere at a distance from where she presently lives
until she feels that the mutter is no longer as sensitive as she thinks it
is now or might think it is when she gets off the stand. But I think if
Your Honor would indicate to her that there are facilities for providing
her with some protection over a certain period of time and that if
necessary those facilities would be taken advantage of, perhaps that would
ease her mind.
THE COURT:
Where do you live?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: No response.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
don't think she knew Your Honor was speaking with her.
THE COURT:
Where do you live?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Allen.
THE COURT:
Pardon?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Allen.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Allen, South Dakota.
THE COURT: Do
you have a family?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: Yes.
THE COURT: Do
you live alone?
{3833}
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: I have two children.
THE COURT: You
have two children. Do they live with you?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: (Witness nods affirmatively.)
THE COURT: If
you testify I will bring this matter to the attention of the marshals and
the FBI. Would that bother you if I bring it to the attention of the FBI?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: No.
THE COURT:
Because, and then we'll see what can be worked out for you.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Do you feel better about that?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: No.
THE COURT: Not
really?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
would like to indicate to Your Honor that the information given to me by
this witness concerning the existence of another witness is such that if
we can locate and subpoena that witness I might feel sufficiently secure
about that aspect of the factual picture that under the circumstances I
would seriously consider releasing this witness.
THE COURT: Why
don't you inquire.
Were you
planning on having her testify this afternoon?
MR. TAIKEFF:
No, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Why
don't you look into that possibility.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Do you understand what I said to the judge? {3834} If you wait outside,
perhaps I can make arrangements with you to help me find that other
witness and get that witness subpoenaed and when I have interviewed that
witness, then I think because of your very special circumstances I might
let you go without testifying. I'm not promising that you will but I
promise to give it serious thought. Is that all right? Does that give you
some relief at the moment?
JEANETTE
TALLMAN: (Witness nods affirmatively.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll do that, Your Honor.
Could you wait
outside. I have one other thing I'd like to say to the Judge. It doesn't
concern you.
I don't know
whether Your Honor has had his lunch, but if not perhaps there is a sound
basis for my application, I and that is that the luncheon recess be
extended a half hour. The special reason for it is this: Your Honor may
have noticed that Mr. Ellison became very pale in the course of the
morning proceedings and left the courtroom. He went into 326 to try to
recover. Sometime after the morning recess it occurred and within a half
an hour Mr. Engelstein advised me that he was in terms of the way he felt
apparently seriously ill. He had been dealing with a cold and some
inflation in his chest. Well, I saw him as he was taken out and he looked
quite seriously ill and could not possible stay, even though he's been
here awhile mildly ill. The reason that is of special concern is that he
was the person {3835} who interviewed and was prepared to examine the
witness named Stanley Doremus who is from Washington, D.C. He is a
relatively low level government official but he has certain information
that only he is able to testify about.
I am prepared
to put that witness on perhaps with a somewhat abbreviated version of his
originally planned testimony but I need a short amount of time in which to
eat and perhaps 30 to 45 minutes to prepare myself to examine him. On that
basis I would ask for the extension.
THE COURT:
We'll extend it.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll take the task of notifying the government of the extension.
THE COURT:
Fine.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you, Your Honor.
MR. NELSON:
That means we come back at 2:00 o'clock. Is that enough time?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
think we can do it all within that time.
{3836}
AFTERNOON
SESSION
(Whereupon, at
the hour of 2:00 o'clock, p.m., the trial of the within cause was resumed
pursuant to the noon recess heretofore taken; and the following further
proceedings were had out of the presence and hearing of the jury, the
Defendant present in person:)
MR. GILBERT:
Your Honor, Mr. Taikeff will be here in a moment, sir.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
He will be right in.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
apologize, your Honor.
THE COURT:
Very well.
Are counsel
ready to proceed?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, your Honor.
THE COURT:
Just a moment.
MR. HULTMAN:
Just this one comment. I don't think it will need to delay the jury.
I wanted to
move that the last answer go out, It came in before I had time to
interpose the objection, and now that I have, I would move it go out on
that grounds, the last response of the last witness with reference to a
gun being at somebody's head.
THE COURT: You
are moving that it be stricken from the record?
MR. HULTMAN:
That is right, your Honor.
MR. TAIKEFF:
My position was as stated at the side {3837} bar. I felt that the entire
piece of evidence should be left in.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I am not asking -- so the record is clear -- for any
admonition of the jury. They have heard it. It is only, I am asking that
it be stricken from the record so that counsel would not be in a position
to argue from it to the jury. That's my only reason.
THE COURT:
That is the only request you are making?
MR. HULTMAN:
That is the only request, your Honor.
THE COURT:
Then the record may show that the response of the witness, Bambi Sanchez,
is stricken.
The jury may
be brought in.
(Whereupon, at
2:06 o'clock, p.m., the jury returned to the courtroom; and the following
further proceedings were had in the presence and hearing of the jury:)
(Counsel
confer.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
The defense calls Stanley Doremus.
STANLEY
DOREMUS,
being first
duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I inquire, your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
By MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Mr. Doremus,
what is your occupation, sir?
A I am a
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Department of {3838} Interior in
Washington, D.C.
Q And what
connection, if any, is there between the Department of the Interior and
the Indian lands which we refer to as Indian Reservations?
A The
Department of the Interior through the Bureau of Indian Affairs has the
trust responsibility for the Federal Government and for the Indian people
in managing and caring for those lands.
Q Did you in
connection with your professional activities go to the Pine Ridge
Reservation in 1975?
A I did.
Q For how many
years have you been with the Department of Interior?
A A total of
six.
Q Can you
briefly summarize for the Court and jury your educational background and
the nature of work that you did prior to the beginning of the six years
you just made reference to?
A I have a
Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois.
I was first
employed in the Department of the Interior by the Bureau of Reclamation.
Q What year?
A In 1950. In
1954 I joined the Bureau of the Budget in Washington, D.C., and in 1961 I
joined the Agency for International Development. In the following six
years spent {3839} four years abroad with that Agency.
After
returning to Washington, I returned to the Bureau of the Budget which then
became the office of Management and Budget. In 1974 joined the Department
of the Interior again.
Q Now, when
was it that the trip I refer to to the Pine Ridge Reservation began, or
the events began?
A In early
March of 1975 it came to the Department's attention that there was a high
level of violence, crimes of violence on the Reservation to the point
where the Secretary of the Interior, Roger C. B, Morton wished to gain
some independent judgments of what was going on on the Reservation; and he
designated a commission, Special Secretarial Commission, to go to the
Reservation, observe conditions and report back to him.
I was
designated the chairman of that commission on March 17th, 1975.
Q And how many
other members of the commission were there?
A Five.
Q And were
they all people who were employed by the Department of Interior?
A Yes, they
were.
Q And were
they people who were experienced with matters relating to native
Americans?
A Yes, they
were.
Q For how long
did your commission make a study before it started to compile its report?
{3840}
A The
commission's fieldwork covered visits to the Reservation during March,
April and May of 1975. The last member of the commission left the
Reservation on May 10th.
We then began
to compile our report, and we -- because I was slow getting it together --
filed our report on June 24th, 1975.
Q Would you
summarize for the Court and jury the method or methods by which your
commission made its investigation on the Pine Ridge Reservation?
A The primary
method of the commission was to interview any and all people on the
Reservation who people who lived on the Reservation but wished to be
interviewed off the Reservation. We discussed conditions with officials of
the Bureau of Indian Affairs, members of the commission discussed
conditions with members of the U. S. Attorney's office; but by and large
it was an interview -- I should note that the commission, members of the
commission held public meetings in every district on the Reservation
during the time that we were there, with an open invitation for anyone who
wished to come and talk to the commission about conditions on the
Reservation to do so.
Q Was there
any restriction as to the kinds of people or the political point of view
or the attitude or organizational connections of the people who were
permitted to come to the meetings or contact members of the commission?
A Not at all.
In fact, in many cases we did not inquire as {3841} to the political
attitudes or connections.
Q Can you tell
us the approximate total number of people who the commission interviewed
in the course of making its study?
A Probably
around 200.
Q And could
you tell us the areas in which findings were made without telling us what
the findings are? I just want to know what the categories were.
A Findings
were made in all areas of Bureau of Indian Affair's responsibilities.
Q Can you tell
the Court and jury what your commission concluded with respect to the law
enforcement activities and capabilities on that Reservation in the spring
of 1975?
A Our
conclusion --
MR. HULTMAN:
(Interrupting) Your Honor, I would object to this on the grounds of
relevancy; and further, there is no showing of any kind that this report
and subject matter there, which I have not seen or viewed in any way, has
any relevancy so far as the issues in this case.
THE COURT: I
will allow that question to be answered.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you.
THE WITNESS:
Would you repeat the question, please?
THE COURT: The
reporter will read the question back.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you.
(Question was
read by the reporter.)
{3842}
A To put it as
succinctly as I can, the commission concluded that there was a widespread
perception of a breakdown in law enforcement on the Pine Ridge Reservation
at the time we were interviewing people out there.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Now, one last question, sir: What was the nature of the
violations of law which were not being effectively dealt with?
A I would say
they were principally crimes of violence. There were also -- may I add one
--
Q
(Interrupting) I didn't mean to interrupt.
A I am into a
tricky area from my own standpoint. I am not sure of the legal
interpretation of what I am about to say.
There was
widespread allegations of threats of violence on the Reservation.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No further questions.
CROSS
EXAMINATION
By MR. HULTMAN:
Q Mr. Doremus,
I have never seen the report before. I just want to ask you whether or not
this is the report (indicating)?
A No, it is
not. Those are excerpts from the report. The report is much longer than
that.
Q Well, is
this the conclusions?
A I believe
those are portions of the conclusions dealing with law enforcement.
Q Well, I
would like --
{3843}
A
(Interrupting) They are all of the conclusions dealing with law
enforcement.
Q Take a look
at this page right here (indicating), and don't respond -- I will ask you
a question -- other than the fact to ask you whether or not these are
conclusions that are on this page right here (indicating) -- they come
from the report?
{3844}
A Those that
come from the report, it's an excerpt from the report, that's correct.
Q All right.
And I assume that this is reflective of generally what the report is
supposed to represent?
A Yes, sir,
that's correct.
Q Well, I note
on, under item 3 "Law enforcement" it says, "many people feel that law
enforcement is broken down." Was that the conclusion?
A Yes, sir.
Q All right.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no further questions.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Nothing further, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Defense calls Special Agent Coward. Your Honor, may that witness be
excused for the record?
THE COURT: The
witness may be excused.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May we approach, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
{3845}
MR. TAIKEFF:
There may have been a misunderstanding. Just before 2:00 o'clock, Your
Honor, Mr. Gilbert approached me and said that he had been requested by
the Government, although I now understand it was by Mr. Biner rather than
one of Government counsel, to free Agent Coward to leave because he could
catch a plane and have the weekend with his family. And my immediate
response was to ask what time was his flight, and Mr. Gilbert said he
thought it was at 3:00 o'clock. And I said, "Well, I'm perfectly willing.
I only want him to identify certain portions of Defendant's Exhibit 194,"
and other than that I don't have to have him today. And I'm perfectly
happy to accommodate his personal need.
And so Mr.
Gilbert communicated word to that effect I thought. It turns out that Mr.
Hultman informs me that he is available until 5:00 or 5:30, and I am not
actually prepared to examine him at length right at this moment. And
that's why I called his name out thinking that I was doing something that
would accommodate him.
I would just
as soon withdraw that request at this particular time, and if I need to, I
will call him later in the day. He certainly has adequate opportunity to
get to his flight if his flight is at 5:30. I just wanted Your Honor to be
aware of the misunderstanding.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, my only point is I just don't want {3846} to bring him back if he's
available and we could finish with him. That was my only --
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'm not going to be rushed into examining him if I want to examine him.
MR. CROOKS:
Why do you need him to identify 194? I thought that was, those paragraphs
indicated were already in. Isn't that Stoldt interview?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. He did the interview, and he wrote the report. So he's the only
person who knows anything about the accuracy and validity of the document.
Let me put it to you this way, before the request was made to me I had no
concern about calling him immediately after Mr. Durham and wouldn't have,
say for the fact that I misunderstood the opportunity I had to accommodate
him.
Now that I'm
clear on the subject I just withdraw my request that he be called at this
time.
MR. SIKMA: I
thought that's why we kept him here so that you could call him today.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Not just for this, though. But he's the witness who's going to testify on
numerous subjects.
MR. HULTMAN:
Are you going to use him on Monday then? When am I going to have him back
here then?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
want him to remain here for the rest of the afternoon, and at the break or
the end of the break I will tell you whether I will call him between the
end of {3847} the break and 5:09 o'clock. If I don't call him then I will
surely call him on Monday.
MR. HULTMAN:
Okay.
{3848}
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
JIM JAMES,
being first
duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
If I may inquire, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You
may.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF
Q Your name is
Jim James?
A Right.
Q Where do you
live, sir?
A New
Plymouth, Idaho.
Q What's your
occupation?
A Local truck
driver.
Q And in the
fall of 1975 what was your occupation?
A Same.
Q By whom were
you employed?
A
Hollingsworth, Incorporation of Ontario, Oregon.
Q Do you
recall an incident when you found a handgun, a revolver, in 1975?
A Yes.
Q Would you be
kind enough to tell the judge and jury the details about that?
A I reported
to work one morning and I got in the truck, started for Boise, Idaho to
pick up a tractor. And on my way I went down to the freeway going east and
I seen a gun laying {3849} on the side of the road.
I stopped,
backed up, went back and picked it up, and then I started on towards Boise
to pick up the tractor. And I decided I didn't want to have it in my
vehicle, beings it was the company's, so I went home, which is only about
a mile out of the way, and I left it in my bedroom.
I went on to
Boise, picked up the tractor, came back. I forgot to go by the house to
pick it up. But as I crossed the state line I seen a state patrolman and I
assumed the FBI. They were on the opposite lane which I was on at the
time.
Q Which one
were you on at the time?
A I was on the
westbound lane on the freeway.
Q So the law
enforcement people were on the eastbound?
A Right.
Q Go on.
A Then I
walked over and I told them that I was, I found a pistol. They wanted to
know where and I pointed to, I thought maybe it was the right place, they
wanted to know where it was at. So I told them it was at home.
And they asked
me if I would go get it. I said, well, I had the company's rig, that I had
to get it back to the place of business first. Then he said, "Well, we'll
provide a state patrolman to watch your rig if you'll go and get it." And
they said, "We'll take you."
So the state
trooper and the FBI taken me to my home, {3850} I went in the bedroom,
picked it up, I handed it, went out to the car and gave it to the FBI man.
Then on my way
back to my vehicle, why, he ejected the bullets out of the cylinder. I
don't recall how many. One of them, one of the cylinders had an empty
shell.
Q And the
others were live?
A Yes.
Q Or appeared
to be live?
A Well, yes.
Q Do you know
what caliber that gun was?
A If I recall,
no. I didn't, no. But the FBI man mentioned there's a .357 magnum.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions of this witness, Your Honor. If the Government
has no questions there's a stipulation that both sides will enter into.
MR. CROOKS:
Well, I do have some questions but I prefer you enter the stipulation
first. That was my understanding of the sequence.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Okay. Your Honor, the Government and the defense will stipulate that the
handgun that the witness has just testified about was found three-quarters
of a mile down the road from where the mobile home and station wagon were
first stopped. The location more specifically was near where the mobile
home was found after it took off from its first stopping place. This
stopping place -- withdraw that {3851} phrase, Your Honor. The movement of
the mobile home from the first or initial location to the second or final
location was at approximately the same time as the individual who was
identified to be the defendant allegedly went over the fence.
It is further
stipulated by the defense that the .357 magnum revolver about which this
witness has testified is not the same .357 handgun which was allegedly
found in the paper bag inside the mobile home.
And it is
further stipulated that the Government has possession of this second .357
magnum revolver. The defense has not requested its production in view of
the stipulation.
{3852}
MR. CROOKS: We
will exceed to that stipulation, Your Honor.
THE COURT: The
record may show the stipulation.
MR. CROOKS: If
it please the Court.
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
Q (By Mr.
Crooks) Mr. James, I hand you Exhibit 198 which is a firearm in a plastic
container. Could you examine that and say if you've seen that before?
A I couldn't
say that that's the same pistol because the one I picked up had handles on
it.
Q Had handles
off of it?
A On it.
Q So the
handles now apparently are in the bag with the pistol?
A Yes.
Q So you can't
say definitely whether that is or is not the firearm?
A No, I
couldn't.
Q Was it a
firearm that looked in any way to be similar to that one?
A Yes.
Q And what
about the barrel length, for instance, that appeared to be consistent?
A Yes.
Q And the
approximate description of it appeared to be {3853} consistent?
A I would say
yes.
Q When you
found the pistol, approximately what time of the day was it, if you
remember, Jim?
A Well, I
checked in at work about 8:00 o'clock and it couldn't have been over 8:20
or 8:30 A.M.
Q And this
would have been on the 15th, is that correct?
A I don't know
the date.
Q You don't
recall?
A No.
Q Well, did
you later learn about an incident that happened on the highway?
A Yes.
Q Would that
have been before or after the incident, as you recall it?
A Well, it was
the next morning after the incident happened.
Q That's what
I'm trying to get to. It would have been the next morning after the
incident, is that right?
A Yes.
Q And you said
it was on the side of the road. Was it down on the shoulder or was it
still on the roadway itself, if you recall?
A It was still
on the roadway. The highway has a white line, oh, I'd say a couple feet
and then the shoulder.
{3854}
Q All right.
So it was, would have been a couple feet in from the left, or, excuse me,
the right-hand side of the road, am I stating it correctly?
A Well --
Q Or would it
have been the inside white line?
A It was on
the outside of the white line on the righthand side.
Q So as you're
coming down eastbound it would have been on your right side, the right
side of your lane?
A Right.
Q And you
heard the stipulation. Were you there when the officer stepped off an
approximate distance back to the place where the Incident had happened?
A No.
Q You don't
have any personal knowledge of that one way or another?
A No.
Q Insofar as
the revolver was concerned, did you have any further contact with it in
any way?
A No.
Q And you have
no personal knowledge as to where the revolver may or may not have come
from?
A I do not.
MR. CROOKS:
Your Honor, United States would offer Exhibit 198 and I will represent to
the Court that this is a {3855} weapon which we can tie up through
appropriate witnesses as being the same revolver.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, we'll accept the government's representation and concede this
is the revolver which was found and we have no objection to its offer into
evidence.
THE COURT:
What is the number on it.
THE CLERK:
198.
THE COURT:
Exhibit 198 is received.
MR. CROOKS: We
have no additional questions, Your Honor.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Neither do we. May the witness be excused?
THE COURT:
Witness may step down and is excused.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Defense calls Kevin McKiernan.
KEVIN
MCKIERNAN,
being first
duly sworn, testified as follows:
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Your full
name, sir?
A Kevin
McKiernan.
Q I notice
that you're quite tall. I think you can raise the microphone so you won't
have to stoop to speak into it.
How old are
you, sir?
A I am 33.
Q Where do you
reside?
A In Boston,
Massachusetts.
{3856}
Q What is your
occupation or profession?
A I am
currently a student.
Q Prior to the
time you became a student, what was your occupation? Specifically in the
year 1975?
A I was a
reporter.
Q What kind of
a reporter?
A I was the
reporter for National Public Radio and a freelance reporter on assignment
at that time for the New York Times.
Q What was the
nature of your reporting work? Did it include writing?
A Yes, it did.
Q
Broadcasting?
A Yes, it did.
Q And any
other skills?
A Photography.
Q And where
were you working in the spring of 1975?
A In the
entire spring of 1975? Many different places.
Q How about
where in South Dakota were you working?
A You would
have to be more specific, sir. I was working --
Q How about
June and July of 1975?
A I wag
assigned at that time to first the Custer trial, on American Indian
Movement defendant in the Black Hills and then to the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in South Dakota.
Q With respect
to the latter assignment, when did that begin?
{3857}
A That began
on June 26th, 1975.
Q And for how
long, if at all, did you remain of that reservation?
A I was there
for most of a month following the shootings on June 26th.
Q And in the
course of your work, did you make any photographs during that particular
period?
A Yes, sir, I
did.
Q And did you
show me certain photographs which you took on the reservation earlier
today?
A Yes, I did.
Q And have you
since then given those photographs to me?
A Yes, I have.
Q Now after
June 26th, 1975, did you ever see on the Pine Ridge Reservation an object
known as an APC?
A An armored
personnel carrier. I have seen armored personnel carriers on the
reservation. I was just trying to think prior to coming in here whether I
saw the ones that were there during the time period following the
shootings in Oglala or if I just understood them to be there from others
who had seen them and frankly I'm not positive that I saw the ones that
were there in, I guess, late June or early July of 1975. I have seen APCs
on the reservation before; yes.
Q Did you ever
photograph any APCs on the reservation?
A Yes, I have.
{3858}
Q I show you
what has been marked Defendant's Exhibit 206 for identification. It's not
in evidence. The jury may not see the photograph until and unless it is in
evidence. Will you tell us whether that photograph depicts one or more
APCs?
MR. HULTMAN:
If it please --
A Yes, sir.
MR. HULTMAN:
Could I interpose, you know, just a question or two by voir dire, Your
Honor, to at least establish time or place in order I might enter an
objection at this time.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
don't think time or place are important. We have earlier had testimony
about an APC and all -- Your Honor, I think that Mr. Crooks' laughitis has
become chronic.
MR. HULTMAN: I
object further on the grounds there's no relevance.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I finish?
MR. HULTMAN:
Or any foundation.
MR. TAIKEFF:
There has been testimony, Your Honor, as to the presence of APCs on the
reservation July 2nd, 3rd or 4th. I'm offering this photograph after it's
identified to show the jury what an APC is in case they don't know.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I guess maybe Counsel and I have a different recollection of
the record. I'm not saying who's right or who's wrong but I don't think
there is any {3859} testimony in this record to the effect that there were
any APCs seen on this reservation prior to the 26th. The testimony of the
one and only witness, as I remember it, was subsequent to the 26th.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's correct. I have no quarrel with that.
MR. HULTMAN:
That's the reason why I'm objecting now that, one, anything after the 26th
with reference to this is irrelevant and further there has been no
foundation laid. In fact, this witness has indicated by his previous
testimony here on the foundation that he has no independent knowledge of
any kind concerning the 26th.
MR. TAIKEFF:
There is a claim here, Your Honor, of flight due to guilty knowledge. We
take a different position which we'll articulate in our summation. This is
part of the proof.
THE COURT: The
objection is overruled.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Tell me, sir, whether this photograph depicts one or more APCs?
A Yes, sir. It
depicts three APCs.
MR. HULTMAN:
Now it's in the record, Your Honor. Could I voir dire at least two
questions to find out when that picture was taken. I think if it's to be
admitted and testimony is already in the record, at least that be
established whether it's 1977 or when it was.
{3860}
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) When was that photograph made, sir?
A That taken
in the spring of 1973.
MR. HULTMAN:
Now I really object, Your Honor. May we approach the bench.
THE COURT: You
may.
MR. HULTMAN:
Now we're going to bring Wounded Knee into the record.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I strenuously --
THE COURT:
Just a minute. Okay.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, this is very evident this matter here now taken us back to
Wounded Knee.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Only because you raised the date. All I wanted to show is what the object
was.
THE COURT:
Well --
MR. HULTMAN:
I'm getting sick of such cheap shots and I want to put it on the record
right now. I ask for an opportunity for him to establish when these APCs
were and he went ahead and asked these questions to get in the record. Now
we find out it's during Wounded Knee and that's totally I objectionable on
relevancy. I, Your Honor, indicate that it has no relevancy of any kind
what happened in 1973.
THE COURT: I'm
going to reverse my ruling on that. These pictures taken in 1973 have no
relevancy to 1975.
{3861}
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, it was the government which twice insisted that testimony be
elicited as to when the photograph was taken.
THE COURT:
That is right.
MR. TAIKEFF:
So the answer whether it came as a result of my question or Mr. Hultman's
question would have been the same. I did not offer any evidence when that
photograph was taken because all I offered that photograph, or was going
to offer it for was to show what an APC was. I could have gotten a
photograph out of the military catalogue.
THE COURT: I
just assume that this was a picture of an APC that was taken sometime
after the 26th of June at the time I ruled on it.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's the testimony we heard from a witness that there were APCs on the
reservation.
THE COURT:
That's correct.
MR. TAIKEFF:
After July 1. That photograph is to show what an APC is.
THE COURT:
There's no foundation that this is, I know nothing about an APC. I would
doubt that any member of that jury knows anything about an APC. There is
no foundation to show that this is even an accurate representation of what
this other witness testified to as being an APC.
MR. TAIKEFF:
We'll have to call a military person to do that.
{3862}
MR. HULTMAN: I
still would object, Your Honor, for the very same reason.
MR. TAIKEFF:
We haven't heard any reasons.
THE COURT: I
do not remember. I remember there was testimony.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Jean Day.
MR. HULTMAN:
Jean Day, Your Honor.
MR. CROOKS:
Brought on by the defendant.
THE COURT: It
was not elaborated on at that time.
MR. TAIKEFF:
There is only one thing known as an APC, Your Honor.
THE COURT: I
don't know and I can't take judicial notice of that.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right. We'll call a witness to testify to that.
THE COURT:
That is still not going to establish whether what Jean Day saw was an APC.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Then we'll recall Jean Day.
THE COURT: In
view of this objection I'm going to sustain the objection.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
haven't offered the photograph yet. It's not offered in evidence.
THE COURT: How
come I accepted it if it hasn't been offered.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No. Your Honor permitted me to proceed {3863} with the foundation.
THE COURT:
Correct.
MR. TAIKEFF:
The government objected to my proceeding to have this witness identify
what was in the picture. It has not been offered in evidence.
THE COURT: I
guess that's right.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, my objection is again the information is now again once more
before the jury. There is no basis or foundation of any kind for this
individual's testimony to show in any way if this is what Jean Day may or
may not have seen and that's the reason I object.
THE COURT:
Furthermore, there is one other problem you have got with this Jean Day,
now that you remind me who it was, she testified she has seen --
Any further
noise in the courtroom will not be tolerated. The continuation will mean
that the spectators will have to be excluded and I do not want to take
that step.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor was referring to Jean Day at the time.
THE COURT:
Yes. She testified that she saw an APC. You've got a picture here of three
APCs lined up together.
MR. TAIKEFF:
They're all the same.
THE COURT: I
know. But that --
MR. TAIKEFF:
Similar objects.
THE COURT:
That's entirely different. That can {3864} create an entirely different
impression. You may have to cut that picture down to just one APC if I do
allow it in.
MR. ENGELSTEIN:
Introduce them separately.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
understand. I understand.
THE COURT: You
will not introduce them separately.
I see no humor
in the situation. This is a serious business we're in. She testified that
there was one APC and, as I say, there is nothing in the record to
indicate that the jury or that she would know what an APC was and this
witness now comes along with a picture apparently of at least three APCs
which arose, apparently were present on the reservation in 1973, so when
the proper foundation --
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I also would like an opportunity to see what other pictures
we're now going to deal with so at least I might have again a chance to
interpose an objection and renew my request before that I be given a
chance to see whatever exhibits -- I don't see anything about this exhibit
that has any strategic value or any foundation. In fact, if I'd be able to
see it, I would have been able to interpose an objection at an earlier
time and we wouldn't end up here we are right at the moment.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That's exactly the thing I complained before, Your Honor. There is no
obligation on the part of Counsel before offering an exhibit or laying a
foundation to show opposing Counsel because then there is going to be
{3865} constant harassment.
THE COURT: I
would agree with that except before it can be exhibited to the jury.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Clearly, clearly.
MR. HULTMAN:
Or commented on by Counsel. Counsel was the one that commented about three
APCs, as I recall it correctly.
THE COURT: By
the way, I will advise Counsel this is the first time in my judicial
career I've ever used a gavel.
MR. TAIKEFF:
It's now memorialized, Your Honor.
{3866}
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the presence and
hearing of the jury:)
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Now after June 26 did you take any photographs on the Pine Ridge
Reservation?
A Yes, I did.
Q Did you take
any photographs of Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation?
A Yes, I did.
Q How many
such people did you see on the Reservation in the Pine Ridge area during
the week or ten days immediately following June 26?
A I understood
that there were somewhere between 150 and 200 Federal Agents, not
including Bureau of Indian Affairs' personnel.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I object, that this is evidently --
It is clearly
hearsay.
THE WITNESS:
What I say myself --
THE COURT:
(Interrupting) Just a moment.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
would not --
THE COURT:
(Interrupting) I would ask the reporter to read back the question.
MR. HULTMAN:
Unresponsive to the question.
(Question was
read by the reporter.)
A I would have
to make an educated guess of 80, 70, 80.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Were they dressed in any particular way?
{3867}
A They were
dressed in military type uniforms, military type gear, battle fatigues,
carrying automatic weapons, shotguns, sidearms, some had a camouflage type
uniform, some did not.
Q I show you
what has been previously marked Defendants' Exhibits 200, 201, 202, 203
and 204. These photographs are not in evidence, do not hold them in any
which would permit the jurors to see them at this time.
A (Examining).
Q Please look
at those photographs.
A (Examining).
Q Are they
photographs which you took?
A Yes, they
are.
Q Where did
you take them?
A On the Pine
Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota.
Q On what
date?
A Within about
10 days following the June 26th shootings.
Q Without
referring specifically to any photograph, just generically, what do they
show?
A They show
armed --
MR. HULTMAN:
(Interrupting) Your Honor, I object, first of all, I have no basis
standing here to understand in any way how prejudicial what he is now
about to say is going to be, so I am in no position to interpose an
objection. I rise for that reason.
THE COURT: The
objection is sustained.
{3868}
You may ask
him if they fair and accurate representations of what they appear to
depict.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Are they a fair and accurate representation of what you saw at
the time you took the photographs?
A Yes.
Q Do the
photographs have anything to do with the FBI personnel that you saw on the
Reservation?
A Yes, they
do.
Q Are they of
the FBI personnel you saw on the Reservation?
A Yes, they
are.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I will show them to Government counsel and then I offer them
in evidence.
(Counsel
examine photographs.)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I object on the grounds that there is no relevancy, highly
prejudicial.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May we show them to your Honor?
(Court
examines photographs.)
THE COURT:
Exhibits 200, 201, 203 and 204 are received. 202 is merely cumulative and
will not be received.
(Defendant's
Exhibits Nos. 200, 201, 203 and 204, respectively, having been previously
duly marked for identification, so offered in evidence, were received.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may I at this time display these four photographs to the jury:
{3869}
THE COURT: You
may.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you.
(Jury examines
photographs.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I am returning those or giving those four exhibits to Mr.
Hanson. I am also lodging with him Defendant's Exhibit 206 at this time,
if I may.
THE COURT:
Very well.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) I now show you Defendant's Exhibit 205 for identification. It too
is not in evidence, so I ask you to look at it in such a way that the jury
cannot see it.
By whom was
that photograph taken?
{3870}
A By myself
Q At what
location?
A In Pine
Ridge.
Q On or about
what date?
A Sometime
during the manhunt. Immediately following the shootings on the 26th of
June.
Q Now, over
how long a period of time have you made visits to the Pine Ridge
Reservation?
A Over three
years at that point.
Q Now, the
photograph you have in front of you depicts a certain object or subject,
correct, without revealing what it is?
A Yes, it
does.
Q Do you know
what that object or subject is? Just say yes or no?
A Yes, I do.
Q Now, before
you tell US what it is please tell us whether it is typical in its
appearance of those objects which may fall into that category that you
have observed over the three years ending in 1973 that you spent on the
reservation?
A I should
correct that time sequence. It would be four years, I would say about four
years now, not to confuse the issue.
This is a very
current sight, very common sight that is very prevalent on the
reservation.
{3871}
Q And is that
true throughout your four year experience on the reservation on and off
the reservation?
A Yes, it is.
Q I didn't
mean to imply that you were there four years continuously.
Does it
accurately portray the subject matter which it purports to portray?
A Yes, it
does.
Q What is it?
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, now again, Your Honor --
MR. TAIKEFF:
What is the subject matter It's a very simple answer. It will not in
anyway reveal anything to the jury except the generic description of a
subject matter I assure you, Mr. Hultman.
A The subject
matter is an armed rancher.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
offer it in evidence.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, now, Your Honor, again I object on the grounds that this is one,
totally irrelevant; and two, highly prejudicial, and of absolutely no
probative value. And furthermore even if it did meet any one of those
tests that it would be outweighed by within the rules that have its effect
and impact. And I would like the Court to look at it.
(Court
reviewing photograph.)
THE COURT:
Objection is sustained.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) I show you Defendant's Exhibit 199 and {3872} ask you did you
take that photograph?
A Yes, I did.
Q When?
A Within a few
days of June 26th.
Q Does it
accurately portray the person who is depicted in that photograph?
A Yes, it
does.
Q Do you know
the name of that person?
A Yes, I do.
Q What is the
name of that person?
A Cecelia
Jumping Bull.
Q And at what
location was that photograph made?
A At her home
in Oglala, South Dakota.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions.
If the
Government wishes to cross-examine on that last exhibit I'll make it
available to the Government at this time. I'm not offering it in evidence
at this time.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, it would be nice because otherwise I would have to recall this
witness if it were offered at a later time possibly.
(Defense
counsel handed photograph to Government counsel.)
MR. HULTMAN:
Thank you, Counsel.
I have no
questions to ask Mr. McKiernan.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
{3873}
MR. TAIKEFF:
May counsel approach and confer with the Court?
THE COURT: You
may.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, for the record may that witness be excused?
MR. HULTMAN:
He may.
THE COURT: The
witness is excused.
MR. TAIKEFF:
It's my understanding, Your Honor, that local counsel for Jimmy Eagle has
advised Your Honor that he's not to be put on the stand today. Apparently
his regular counsel will either confer with him by telephone or come here.
And he asked me whether I would defer calling him on that basis until
Monday, and I indicated my willingness to do so.
But I have no
official report since that time if, in fact no unofficial report, as to
the status of the matter.
THE COURT: The
inquiry was made of me by local counsel Apparently Mr. Eagle indicated
that he didn't want him, he wanted either this counsel from South Dakota
or from Alabama.
The local
counsel also advised me this was the understanding that Mr. Eagle was not
going to be called today. I advised his local counsel to advise him and
anyone else interested that I would not authorize under the Criminal
Justice {3874} Act the appearance of his counsel from Alabama or from
South Dakota. I would appoint local counsel to represent him. I understood
that local counsel was going to make a determination from his other
counsel as to whether or not they still wanted to come. And I indicated
that that was proper inasmuch as my understanding he wasn't going to be
called today anyhow.
I would not, I
had prior to that indicated a reluctance to hold up the trial if this
witness was a witness that you wanted to call this afternoon; that he
would have to appear with local counsel. The position of the Court is that
he would have to appear by local counsel if he would appear this
afternoon.
MR. TAIKEFF:
The unavailability of him at this time, if I may refer to it that way,
although I understand what Your Honor said and that I could call him to
the stand, puts a little pressure on me. But I think I will be able to
continue for the rest of the afternoon with some other witnesses in second
rank priority
THE COURT:
Very well.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
trust the Court will understand that I'm cut short by several hours worth
of expected testimony because of this turn of events. I do not think it
appropriate to press him to go on the stand as long as he has requested an
opportunity to confer with his counsel and/or to give his {3875} regular
counsel an opportunity to come here if they choose to do so.
But I think by
Monday morning, unless we hear something new or something special, it
would be appropriate for me to call him back to the stand.
THE COURT:
Yes. There was some indication that he had, the witness had said that his
regular counsel would come. There was another indication that his regular
counsel had asked that local counsel be appointed. I don't know what the
true story was.
I authorized a
telephone call by FTS to out of state counsel to ascertain what the
situation I've had no report.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
see. Well, his local counsel and I spoke briefly and he seems to be aware
of what the problems are. I assume that he's going to make appropriate
inquiry of the other counsel who will perhaps be able to report back. And
I would ask in view of the fact that Mr. Eagle is incarcerated if it is
necessary for me to make an application that he be produced at 9:00
o'clock Monday morning and that his counsel be available with him, whether
it be his out of town counsel or his local counsel.
THE COURT:
Very well.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you, Your Honor.
MR. HULTMAN:
Could we, one other question I might ask counsel in light of the problem,
could you proceed with {3876} Coward rather than me sending him home and
then bringing him back again on Monday? I'm just making a -- if it's
possible.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
am reluctant to do so because I do not have a proper sense of security
with it. I had to fill in for Mr. Ellison during the lunch hour and it
deprived me of securing enough of a familiarity with the Coward aspect of
it to be able to put him on the stand. And I intended to this morning. It
was my best intention, but I'm afraid events made that impossible for me.
I think I can
get through the afternoon without calling him at all. And in fact may I
ask Your Honor what Your Honor's intentions are with respect to an
afternoon recess? We did come back at 2:00 and that's why I'm uncertain
what Your Honor's plan is.
THE COURT: I
try to run an hour and a half at a time if we can so we are, we probably
are within twelve minutes of the time I would normally recess.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Well, in that case I think I could call a witness who would probably be on
the stand for about ten minutes. And then during the recess I will look
over the Coward situatiOn and if I can I'll put him on and be finished
with him this afternoon. And if I can I'll notify you as quickly as I can.
MR. HULTMAN:
It will just save a trip for him.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll be happy to do that if I can.
{3877}
MR. SIKMA:
He's also in the process of doing some moving with his family and he's on
vacation and this comes right in the middle of his vacation, and so he has
to --
MR. TAIKEFF:
You don't have to persuade me any more. I'm also happy to accommodate
another human being.
MR. SIKMA:
Okay.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, something has just been reported to me that I think I should
advise the Court of.
THE COURT:
Very well.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Just been advised that as we stand here, or sit here as the case may be,
Myrtle Poor Bear is at home in Allen, South Dakota. And under the
circumstances I would ask Your Honor's indulgence to take the recess at
this time so that Your Honor may give appropriate directives to the
marshal service to take immediate action to take her into custody.
THE COURT:
She's where, Myrtle?
MR. TAIKEFF:
At home right now we've just --
THE COURT: I
know. Where's her home?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Allen, South Dakota.
THE COURT:
Allen, South Dakota. Very well.
{3878}
MR. TAIKEFF:
Mr. Engelstein asked me to tell Your Honor that we received a telephone
call from a member of her immediate family advising us of that fact.
THE COURT:
Very well.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you, Your Honor.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
THE COURT:
Court is in recess until 3:40.
(Recess
taken.)
{3879}
THE COURT: Are
you ready to proceed?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, we are, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
We have to
bring the jury in. You may, however, call your witness.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, Your Honor. I believe she's waiting outside. I'm recalling Jean Day.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may the witness be advised her oath continues to apply?
THE COURT: The
witness is advised that the oath which you took when you appeared earlier
as a witness in this case is still applicable.
THE WITNESS:
Okay.
JEAN DAY,
being
previously sworn, testified as follows:
REDIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Miss Day, in
connection with your being a witness today or at any other time were you
ever shown the photographs?
A No.
Q Did I speak
with you today?
A Yes.
Q How long
ago?
A During the
break. Just a few minutes.
{3880}
Q Do you
recall the first question I put to you?
A Do I know
what an APC is.
Q What was
your answer?
A I said yes,
I do.
Q What was my
second question to you?
A "Could you
describe one."
Q Did you
answer that question?
A Yes, I did.
Q Would you
tell the Court and jury what you said in response to my second question
during the break.
A I told you
that it looked, it was like a box, metal thing and it was very big. It
looked something like a tank but it didn't have the, that front piece
sticking out.
Q Do you know
what that piece is called?
A No, I don't.
I just know there's a thing sticking out the front. And then on the top,
it didn't have that thing where a man could come in and out of.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May the record reflect I am not yet showing the witness the photograph but
I am first reoffering any part or all of Defendant's Exhibit 206 which His
Honor wishes to admit if His Honor will.
THE COURT: You
may hand it to the Clerk.
Approach the
bench.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
{3881}
THE COURT: I
told the Clerk that I would admit this exhibit if it is excised in this
fashion (indicating).
MR. TAIKEFF:
That is to show the one object on the right-hand corner?
THE COURT:
That's right. It be excised this way and then if you can eliminate the
dog.
MR. TAIKEFF:
All right, Your Honor. Without objection I'll eliminate the dog.
THE COURT: It
would make it cleaner.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, we'll mask it in some such way and show it to the government
before we submit it to the Clerk. We'll show approximately the upper
right-hand quadrant. Everything else will be covered and a label will be
replaced.
THE COURT:
That would --
MR. HULTMAN:
What are you going to end up showing?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Just that (indicating).
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, you know, there is no showing that the U.S. Army was there with an
APC.
MR. TAIKEFF:
I'll stipulate when I reoffer it that this is only showing as a --
MR. HULTMAN: I
think you ought to blot this out.
THE COURT:
That designation should be blotted out.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. All right. It will be done before it's formally submitted, Your
Honor.
{3882}
THE COURT.
Very well.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions of this witness, Your Honor.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no questions, Your Honor.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Defense calls Russell Loud Hawk.
RUSSELL LOUD
HAWK,
being first
duly sworn on the sacred pipe, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I inquire, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may inquire.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Mr. Loud
Hawk, how old are you?
A 55.
Q Would you be
a little more comfortable if you pulled the microphone closer so you don't
have to lean forward?
Where do you
live, sir?
A Oglala,
South Dakota.
Q That's on
the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation?
A Right.
Q Are you a
full blooded Oglala Sioux?
A Right.
Q Have you
lived on the reservation all your life?
A All my life.
{3883}
Q Generally
what is your occupation? How do you earn your living?
A Well, I work
as a conservationist on the reservation.
Q Were you
ever employed by the United States Government in that type of work?
A No. I work
for the tribe.
Q Have you
presently any employment?
A At the
present time I'm unemployed.
Q Are you
waiting for any particular appointment to become effective?
A Yes.
Q Would you
tell the Court and jury what job you're waiting to step into.
A Well, the
tribe recently appoint me as a police commissioner.
Q Of what part
of the reservation?
A Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation.
Q Of the
entire reservation?
A Well, I
think I just have to take care of my own district.
Q What
district is that, sir? White Clay district, Oglala.
Q Now do you
consider yourself an American Indian Movement supporter?
A Yes. I'm a
supporter.
Q And could
you tell the Court and jury, and I want you to go back to 1975, whether
people on the reservation who were either {3884} members of the American
Indian Movement or who openly supported the American Indian Movement had
any special kind of problems?
A Well, I can
go back to since Wounded Knee.
Q That's 1973.
A Yeah.
Q But if the
conditions are the same say so, but I'm particularly interested in 1975.
A Okay.
Q Was it the
same in '73, '74 and '75?
A Right.
Q Tell us what
special problems, if any, American Indian Movement members or supporters
had on the Pine Ridge Reservation?
A Well, the
FBIs, the goons, the BIA cops were harassing the people, especially in
Oglala because most of the Oglala people are traditional people so they
were harassed every day, every night.
Q Could you
tell us briefly, not with any specific incident, but the kinds of things
which happened that you have referred to as harassment.
A Well, I
don't know what the FBI looking for, but they constantly, especially the
older people, they couldn't talk the white man's tongue. They harassed
them. I know for one thing a guy by the name of James Branshoulder, two
couples living eight miles west of Oglala.
A whole bunch
of FBIs went there {3885} and harassed him and this guy had a heart attack
and died. Things like that happened.
Q What can you
tell us about shootings in your district in '73, '74 and '75, if it was
the same situation throughout those three years?
A Same
situation.
Q Tell us
something about it. Just generally.
A Well, one
time, that was May 19, 1975, we had a rodeo at Oglala and the goons came
and they worked over some of the traditional boys and they almost shot a
lady.
Q Look over
your right shoulder and tell me if you recognize the chart which is
Government Exhibit 71. What does it show?
A That's the
area where they had the shoot-out. Jumping Bull area.
Q Did you know
any of the people from the American Indian Movement who were living in
that area?
A Yes.
Q Do you know
how they got the food that they ate?
A Well, most
of the people around Oglala, they give food, little money, gas money.
{3886}
Q Did you
yourself ever give them anything?
A I give them
money for gas.
Q Did they
force you to give them money?
A No.
Q How did you
happen to give them money?
A Well, they
are there without anything. They need help, and they came there to protect
the Oglala people.
Q Now, you
remember that there was a shootout on June 26th?
A Yes.
Q And were on
that Reservation for the week or two or three after the shootout?
A Yes, I was
there.
Q And did you
get around to different places?
A Yes.
Q Did you see
any FBI people there?
A A lot of
FBI's, I imagine over two hundred.
Q I am talking
about what you saw yourself, not what somebody told you.
A Yes.
Q Tell us what
you saw yourself.
A Well, there
was all kinds of lawmen there, troopers, BIA cops, goons, FBI's.
Q Now, have
you ever spoken to any people in the White Clay District about Leonard
Peltier?
A Spoken to
Oglala people?
{3887}
Q Have you
ever talked to people in White Clay about Leonard Peltier?
A Well, in
Oglala everybody knows him, everybody respect him, especially the older
elements because he doesn't drink. He is a real good man.
Q This is
based on conversations you have had with the people in White Clay?
A Right.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions.
CROSS
EXAMINATION
By MR. HULTMAN
Q Mr. Loud
Hawk, have you gone by another name at some time?
A No. That's
my name right there.
Q Have you
ever gone by Russell Broken Nose?
A That was a
long time ago. I changed my name.
Q Who was it
specifically on the Jumping Bull property that you had your dealings with?
A My dealings?
Q Yes,
concerning the giving of food or whatever it was that you testified to on
direct examination.
A Well, the
AIM people that are living there.
Q Well, who
was it specifically that you had your dealings with?
A Well, really
I never did give them that, just talked to them. I gave them money to June
Little, to give it to them.
{3888}
Q Well, June
Little isn't one of those, June Little lives there, isn't that right?
A He lives
there.
Q Well, June
Little isn't one of the group that moved in there from the outside, is he?
A Well, he is
pretty well acquainted with the people.
Q But you had
your dealings with June Little, is that right?
A Yes.
Q Were you
ever down there and actually had any dealings with any of these people
specifically?
A No, I don't
think so.
Q Did you --
when did you first meet Leonard Peltier?
A Well, when
he was -- when they were around there he usually comes to the -- attends
our community meetings and powwows and different things.
Q Well, how
long a period of time, when was it approximately that you first met him?
A I think it
is early spring of `75.
Q Well, let me
ask you, what the total period was that you knew him, from when
approximately to when?
A Oh, I would
say from March up until when the incident happened.
Q Until about
the 26th of June?
A Yes.
Q Did you ever
see him after that then?
{3889}
A No.
Q Did you know
that he was wanted for attempted murder at the time you knew him from
March to June?
A That I don't
know.
Q Did those
people that you have referred to, in response to counsel's questions, do
you know whether or not they knew that fact?
A No, I don't
think so.
MR. HULTMAN: I
don't have any other questions.
MR. TAIKEFF:
No questions.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
May the witness be excused, your Honor?
MR. HULTMAN:
He may.
THE COURT: The
witness is excused.
(Witness
excused.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
The defense calls Della Starr.
DELLA STARR,
being first
duly sworn, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed, your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
By MR. TAIKEFF:
Q Miss Starr,
how old are you?
A 32.
Q Would you
pull that microphone a little closer and pull it {3890} down a little bit
so that it will automatically pick up your voice and you won't have to
move around in your chair?
Where were
born?
A On Pine
Ridge.
Q And have you
lived there all your life?
A Yes.
Q Do you
describe yourself as an American Indian Movement supporter?
A Yes.
Q Do you also
describe yourself as a traditional Indian person?
A Yes, I do.
Q Because you
are an American Indian Movement supporter, are you known from time to time
by a certain name?
A Yes.
Q What is that
name?
A An AIM
bitch.
Q Are you any
relationship to Harvey and Cecelia Jumping Bull?
A Yes, sir, my
grandparents.
Q Did you ever
work on the Pine Ridge Reservation as a community health representative?
A Yes, I
worked there for eight years.
Q Until when?
A Until
Wilson's administration.
Q Did anything
special happen Wilson's administration took {3891} over that affected your
job?
A He fired me
because I didn't go along with what he was doing.
Q At that time
did other full-blooded traditional people lose their tribal jobs?
A Yes.
Q How many of
them?
A I think most
of them.
Q Did you know
Leonard Peltier?
A Yes, I know
Leonard.
Q Since when?
A Since March
of 7 -- I think it was `75.
Q Do you know
the expression "goons", don't you?
A Yes, I do.
Q Can you
identify the area where they either come from or where most of them are to
be found?
A In Pine
Ridge.
Q And when you
say "in Pine Ridge", you don't mean the whole reservation, do you?
A No, I don't.
Pine Ridge is --
Q
A village?
A Yes.
Q The main
village on the Reservation?
A Yes.
Q Do you know
why -- well, withdrawn.
{3892}
Was Leonard
Peltier on the Reservation in 1975?
A Yes.
Q Do you know
what part of the year he was there?
A March.
Q Until when?
A I would say
June.
Q Do you know
why he was there?
A He was there
because Indian people were harassed by the goons, BIA police and FBI's.
Q And can you
tell some of the things that he did in your community while he was there?
A He did a lot
of things for us. He helped us in organizing our communities, like social,
you know, and he helped elderly people a lot, and he was a spiritual, you
know -- I don't know.
Q Use whatever
words you think will describe what you want to say.
A Well, he has
really done a lot for us, and I can't explain it but --
Q Could you
say a word or two about any religious matters that he may have been
involved in?
A Yes.
Q Tell us
about them.
A Well, in the
Indian way we believe in our pipe, and we have had ceremonies and he was
always there, like sweats.
Q When you say
"sweats", are you referring to the sweat lodges?
{3893}
A Um-hum, and
well, he helped us, you know, in like putting up bingos for the kids.
Q Putting up?
A Bingos, and
we got to -- like swim films for the kids. Well, you know, as the
community -- to organize the community, but every time we tried to have
something going on, you know, in the community, the goons and the BIA
police would come and harass us.
{3894}
Q And what if
anything did Leonard do in connection with that kind of event?
A What do you
mean by that?
Q Well, you
said that when you tried to have meetings and other such community
meetings you were harassed. Did Leonard do anything about that?
A Well, for a
long time we, you know, we, everytime start having a bingos or something
the goons and the BIA police would start coming around and, you know,
start shooting around. And they'd start, you know, start some kind of
trouble and then we'd have to break up, you know.
We try to
avoid their trouble, and they were even shooting at our houses. And we
have, you know, there's a lot of kids, you know, in some of these homes.
And what the goons really done a lot of harassing. But there was nothing
that could be done. We couldn't go to the BIA police because they were
right with them. So finally the traditional, the elderly people got
together and asked, you know, that we'd have our own security around
Oglala area so we can have at least a little protection.
And the goons
and the BIA police didn't like that. And we predicted trouble from the
goons and the BIA police because there was a pond across from my
grandparents' house there where the goons started shooting fishes, and
they went on for a long time. And we went to the rangers, but it was the
{3895} rangers that were doing most of it.
And I think
every day there was a cop car and, you know, the ranger pickups, and goons
that were down there shooting around. That went on for at least two or
three months. But there was really no one to go to. We couldn't go to the
tribal council, you know, because Dick Wilson supports these people.
MR. HULTMAN: I
haven't interrupted at all, but I think it's time counsel asks another
question.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
was about to.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) Do you consider yourself a violent person?
A No, we
don't.
Q No, yourself
personally?
A No.
Q Did you ever
carry a gun?
A No, I don't.
Q Did you ever
in the past carry a gun?
A I have a gun
in my house, but I don't know how to use it.
Q When I
interviewed you did you tell me that any changes bad occurred in your life
and the life of your fellow traditionals since the time the American
Indian Movement came into the White Clay District?
A Yes.
Q How has your
life changed?
A Well, before
we never used to have, we never used to speak up for ourselves. We didn't
know, you know, we were being pushed {3896} around. Someone comes up to us
and tells you "You do this and do that," or, you know, we'd say, "Yes or
no," and that's about all we can do.
Q And now?
A And now we
learn how to speak up for ourselves. We can stand up for ourselves.
Q Any other
changes that have entered your life since the appearance of the American
Indian Movement?
A We knew
about our treaties.
Q Anything
else?
A And our
rights.
Q Is there
anything else you want to say on that particular point?
MR. HULTMAN:
Does counsel -- I object unless counsel has a question.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
have no further questions. Thank you.
CROSS-EXAMINATION
BY MR. HULTMAN
Q Mrs. Starr,
you indicated in reference to one of the questions about observing cop
cars. Do you remember that response?
A Yes.
Q Very easy to
recognize them on Pine Ridge, isn't it?
A A cop car?
Q Yes.
A Yes.
A cop car has
lights on top.
Q There hasn't
been any problem at any of the time that you've {3897} lived on Pine Ridge
of recognizing a law enforcement vehicle, has there been?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Objection to the form of the question, Your Honor.
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) I'll use the word "cop car". That's the phrase you used. I assume
by cop car you meant the same group of law enforcement people that you've
testified to before?
MR. TAIKEFF:
She said, Your Honor, that she hasn't seen a BIA police car.
THE COURT: She
may answer.
A It all
depends on what kind of a cop car you are talking about.
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) Well, I'm asking you is there any difference as far as the cop
cars, as far as the law enforcement people in the reservation?
A Well,
there's two kinds of law enforcement people on the reservation, and that's
a cop and an FBI.
Q Well, is
there any difference between their vehicles?
A Yes.
Q Generally,
what's the general difference?
A A cop car
has lights on top and they have the, I guess you call them emblems, I
can't say it, but on the sides.
And an FBI car
is a later model car with a CB antenna in the back someplace.
Q And they're
easily distinguishable, are they not, to tell the {3898} difference
between the two?
A Sure, you
can tell the difference.
Q And that
generally was the case on the reservation, was it not?
A Yeah. We
know what a cop car is and what an FBI car is.
Q Because of
the general descriptions that you've given; isn't that a fair conclusion
for me to draw?
A (No
response.)
Q Generally
the FBI was a shiny, new, clean car; isn't that fair conclusion for me to
draw?
A Yeah, I
guess that's what you call it.
Q Well, that's
what you in effect said to me, did you not, with an antenna on it?
A Sure.
Q And very
easily discernible, you see them all the time on Pine Ridge, do you not?
A You see them
every day.
Q And you seen
them every day back in 1975, did you not?
A Yes, I did.
Q And it
wasn't any problem, would be no problem for anyone to distinguish between
an BIA car or a goon car and an FBI car, would there?
A Well, we
know the difference.
Q All right.
How is Angie Long Visitor related to you?
A She's my
sister-in-law.
{3899}
Q She was
living, was she not, on the Jumping Bull property in the little green
house on the 26th of June, 1975?
A Yes.
Q Did you have
an occasion during the spring of 1976 at about 11:00 P.M. to take her
somewhere?
A When was
this?
Q In the
spring of 1976?
A No, I never
took her anyplace.
Q You never
took her to Candy Hamilton's?
A No, I
didn't.
Q Did you know
where she went in the spring of 1976 when she left living on the Jumping
Bull property in the little green house?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I object because it's beyond the scope of the direct
examination.
MR. HULTMAN:
I'll make her my own witness at this particular moment.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
object just as the Government did when I tried to adopt a witness during
their case.
THE COURT:
Objection is sustained.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, may we approach the bench?
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I'm going into an impeachment matter pure and simple and I
think I have every right in the {3900} world to go into an impeachment
matter, and where it's going to lead me is that counsel went into great
questioning about the fact that she is an AIM supporter, what her feelings
are, how strong they are and I specifically am going into a matter to ask
her concerning what part she had in impeaching her testimony and seeing
that her sister was unavailable in terms of the last trial.
MR. TAIKEFF:
That doesn't impeach her testimony.
THE COURT:
That, I will not allow that on this cross-examination.
MR. HULTMAN:
All right, Your Honor.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) How long a period of time, Mrs. Starr, have you known the
defendant in this action, Mr. Peltier? When did you first meet him
approximately?
A In March.
Q And when was
the last time that you saw him up until the last two or three weeks?
A I don't
remember.
Q Would it
have been sometime prior to the 26th of June of that very same year?
A Yes.
Q What was it
specifically that Mr. Peltier did during the time that you knew him that
made this difference that counsel {3901} asked you about on direct
examination between the conditions before and the conditions since,
whatever that had reference to?
A Say that
again.
Q Well, I
somehow got the impression that counsel in some way on direct examination
was indicating that there had been some changes of some kind taken place.
Do you remember all that in line of questioning?
A Yeah. I
think if you lived on the reservation you'll know what it's like since
Dick Wilson got in as tribal chairman. And it's been, we've lived in fear,
threats, everything else.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I move this is not responsive to the question that I asked.
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) I'm referring specifically to the changes that have taken effect
because of the period of time that Leonard Peltier lived on the
reservation Do you understand the area of questioning that I'm asking you
about? You said that he had been there, you met him from sometime in
March, believe, 1975; is that right?
A Yes.
Q And then the
last time that you saw him was sometime prior to June 26, 1975; is that a
fair conclusion for me to draw from what you already indicated?
A I know
Leonard and for the short time I've known him I know he isn't a violent
person.
He was always,
you know, helping the elderly people. {3902} He was always good to
everybody, not only me, but the community. He's always helping people, you
know, like a lot of our elderly people, you know, use wood. They still use
firewood. And they --
MR. TAIKEFF:
May the witness finish her answer, Your Honor?
THE COURT: I
don't think her answer was responsive.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
thought the question was what Leonard did, and I think she's telling us
some of the things that Leonard did.
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) Is there anything more specific that Leonard did?
A Went around
helping people with their gardens. And like said, they, we try to have
some social gathering, like having Indian dancing and bingos and other
things like this.
Q All right.
Let me ask you, you stated that he was not a man of violence just in
response to my question, did you not?
A Yes, he
never was violent.
Q Well, did
you ever see him, did you ever see him with a weapon of this kind in his
hands (indicating)?
A No, I
didn't. I've never seen that before.
Q If you had
seen Leonard with this weapon in his hands would maybe your opinion be a
little different?
A I guess so,
but I've never seen Leonard with that. I've seen the goons with guns like
that.
{3903}
Q Only the
goons have guns like that?
A Sure. They
were the only ones permitted to have the guns on the reservation, not the
Indians.
Q Well, are
you saying to me that there's some people, that there's nobody who doesn't
have a permit or authorization to have a gun of this kind did have guns of
this kind during the time you and I are talking about?
A Well, at
that time if you went to Pine Ridge Reservation you'd see all the goons
with weapons like that. Not -- I don't know if they're exactly like that,
but they had big guns like that on their pickups.
Q All right.
I'm asking you about Leonard Peltier.
A Yeah.
Q Do you
understand?
A I've never
seen a gun like that with him.
Q Now, did you
know at that time that you knew him during this time that you're talking
about that he was wanted for attempted murder?
A No, I didn't
know that.
Q Would that
have changed your opinion possibly if you knew that about that answer of
whether or not he was a man of violence or not?
A I don't
know. I don't think he's that kind of person that would do something like
that.
MR. HULTMAN: I
have no further questions.
{3904}
MR. TAIKEFF:
No questions.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. HULTMAN:
Let the record show, Your Honor, that I was holding Government's Exhibit
34-AA when I asked the questions of the witness.
{3905}
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, I have had Exhibit 206 masked as suggested by Your Honor. It
is not the most artistic job I've ever seen but I'm showing it to the
government.
Now I think
Mr. Crooks should laugh, Your Honor. And he has accommodated us.
THE COURT: Mr.
Crooks, you have license to laugh.
MR. TAIKEFF:
The magnificent offering is offered in evidence.
MR. HULTMAN:
The government objects for the previous reasons, Your Honor, just for
record purposes.
THE COURT:
Exhibit 206 is received.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may we call Ethel Merrival. In the moment it takes her to come
in may I pass this single photograph to the jurors.
THE COURT: You
may.
ETHEL MERRIVAL,
being first
duly sworn on the sacred pipe, testified as follows:
MR. TAIKEFF:
May I proceed, Your Honor?
THE COURT: You
may proceed.
DIRECT
EXAMINATION
BY MR. TAIKEFF
Q Miss
Merrival, where do you live?
A Pine Ridge,
South Dakota.
Q And were you
born on the Pine Ridge Reservation?
A Yes, I was.
{3906}
Q In what
year?
A 1906, May 9.
Q Have you
lived on the reservation all of your life except for time away at school?
A Yes.
Q And what is
your occupation or title?
A Right now
I'm a tribal attorney for the Oglala Sioux tribe, of course. I'm a notary
public for the state of South Dakota. I'm a retired BIA clerk, steno.
Q I'd like you
to focus your attention on the period 1972, '73, '74 and '75 generally.
The questions I ask you I'd like you to answer with respect to that period
providing your answer is that it was uniform throughout the entire period,
otherwise tell me that it is not so. Do you understand that?
A I'll try.
Q Could you
briefly describe in a word or two, if that's possible, what your life was
like on the reservation during that period.
A
Unbelievable. I couldn't go to sleep at night without fear for the next
day or even that night. Twice my house was shot up.
Q Were any
members of your family killed?
A No. But they
were beat up terribly and I had some granddaughters that were seduced by
the BIA police.
Q Did you lose
a nephew in a shooting?
{3907}
A Peter
Bisenet. He's a relative on my father's side.
Q He was not
--
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, again I'm going to rise to an objection for the reasons that
have been stated earlier, that I feel that this particular testimony is
not relevant. For the reasons I've stated on the record previously.
THE COURT: I
have previously ruled that witnesses on this subject may testify
generally.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, Your Honor.
THE COURT: She
is testifying specifically and so the jury may understand, the reason that
they may testify only generally rather than specifically is because if we
allow specific incidents to be testified to, then the other side would
have a right to present evidence to show that it was not so and we would
be getting into many mini-trials within the main trial which is not
permitted under the law.
THE WITNESS:
May I ask a question, Your Honor? I don't know what generally, what you
mean when you say generally.
THE COURT: All
you have to do is just answer the questions that Mr. Taikeff asks you.
THE WITNESS:
All right. Thank you, Your Honor.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) I'll try to frame the questions in such a way that you'll
understand what I'm looking for.
A Yes.
{3908}
Q I want you
to tell us not of any one specific incident but what the general picture
was like at the time in question on the reservation concerning people
carrying guns or arming themselves by categories of people, if you choose
to do it that way.
A I see a lot
of people carrying guns, FBI, BIA police, marshal and few of our Indians
who feared for their lives felt that they needed to have a gun to protect
themselves.
Q Is it fair
to say that you are a supporter of the American Indian Movement?
A I am an
American Indian Movement member.
Q You're a
member as well?
A Yes, I am.
Q In
connection with the Pine Ridge Reservation and the years in question, and
I'm asking now generally, categorically, not the specific event, can you
tell the Court and jury what role the American Indian Movement played,
what things it did? And I'm including specifically activities of Leonard
Peltier, if you know of any.
A Yes.
Q Would you
tell the Court and jury, please.
A The American
Indian Movement is a group of people organized to struggle for their
freedom against hatred, oppression and against people in power. They came,
we invited them on the reservation to help us in civil rights.
{3909}
Q Did they
perform any function in your life or in the spiritual side of your life?
A Oh, yes.
They taught us the value of placing our hands, our lives into the hands of
the great spirit.
Q When you
were brought up, were you raised in a traditional Indian religion?
A Yes. I was
baptized and raised as a Catholic.
Q First as a
Catholic?
A Yes.
Q Then did you
subsequently adopt the traditional Indian religion of the pipe?
A Well, not
really. I'm just a supporter. I don't attend their spiritual meetings
regularly and, you know, I'm old, I'm 70 years old and I'd like to stay
home and not go out in the cold weather.
Q You took
your oath on the pipe?
A Yes, I did.
Q Do you
recognize that as a binding oath?
A Yes, I do.
Q Getting back
to AIM activities in those years on the reservation, can you address
yourself in any way to the question of education of the young.
A Yes. We have
spiritual, not spiritual but schools, survival schools. This year we had
80 dropouts in our schools {3910} and there is a need for survival schools
to take on the children's education to keep them.
Q What did
they drop out of?
A Out of grade
school and high school.
Q The regular
school?
A Yes. The BIA
school.
Q And then the
survival schools take in any of those people?
A Yes. We have
one in Rapid City. We haven't got one on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation but
we hope to.
Q Does alcohol
present any kind of a problem on the reservation?
A Yes. It was
one of our main problems.
Q Does AIM
take any position with respect to the consumption of alcohol by native
American people?
A Yes. They
advise us against the use of it. They feel they can only combat and work
out our program without the use of alcohol.
Q Is there any
particular affection or lack of affection between the goons and the AIM,
American Indian Movement?
A There is
hatred of goon toward AIM. As an AIM member, I don't say I hate the goons,
I only feel sorry for them.
Q During the
years in question, did the BIA take any official position with respect to
AIM?
A Well, in '72
they wouldn't help us in our civil rights or {3911} oppressions from other
bordering towns and as a result the AIMs came to our support and we relied
on it. The BIA also allowed their employees, civil service employees to
take up arms and appear at roadblocks to defeat the American Indian
Movement.
Q At election
time you mean?
A At election
time and various times.
Q Is it fair
to say that the division of opinion about whether to support AIM or not to
support AIM had literally divided many families on the reservation, is
that a fair statement? Yes or no?
A Yes.
Q In your own
family is there any such problems like that?
A Yes, there
is. My brother died angry with me because I was an AIM.
Q Now there is
another person in your family with whom you have some difference of
opinion on the subject.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, first of all it's leading, but secondly I believe the
relevancy is at this time any foundation basis and I would object on the
grounds of it I being remote and not being relevant. I thought we were
concerned with events in 1975.
THE, COURT:
That goes beyond --
MR. HULTMAN: I
object at this time.
THE COURT:
That goes beyond the scope of the {3912} interrogation that's permitted
under the Rule that has been laid down by the Court.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
withdraw the question, Your Honor.
THE COURT:
Very well.
Q (By Mr.
Taikeff) My final area of inquiry, Miss Merrival, is to find out whether
or not you had occasion to speak with people on the reservation who have
had something to say specifically about the individual known as Leonard
Peltier. Yes or no?
{3913}
A Yes.
Q As a result
of speaking with these people and hearing what they have had to say about
him, have you any indication or idea of what his reputation is amongst
that community?
A His
reputation is very bad, but his character is good.
Q What is his
reputation?
A What is his
reputation?
Q Yes.
A Very violent
man.
Q From whom
have you heard that?
A The goons
and the FBI's.
Q How about
amongst the traditional people?
A I have never
heard them make any remarks like that.
Q Have you
heard them make any remarks about his reputation?
A I can't
answer that question.
Q Why not?
A Because I am
not sure that -- well, let me answer it this way: They have never said
anything derogatory against his character.
Q Have they
ever said anything positive about it?
A Only good.
Q Well, tell
us about that. I would like to hear about that too, if you don't mind.
A They pray
for him as a young man, clean in character, clean in his appearance, very
kind to children, nobody scared {3914} of him on the Reservation. He is
welcome into our homes.
Q How about
the way in which he has devoted his life?
A Well, he is
devoting his life to a cause that he believes in, civil rights.
MR. HULTMAN:
Your Honor, I am now going to object.
This goes far
beyond the proper questions in this particular area.
THE COURT: And
no foundation.
MR. HULTMAN:
No foundation.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
was just inquiring as to his reputation in the community. I have no
further questions, your Honor.
CROSS
EXAMINATION
By MR. HULTMAN:
Q Ethel, the
people you referred to as "goons", they are also residents of the
Reservation, are they not?
A Yes, they
are.
Q And they
have rights also, do they not?
A Not the
rights that they take upon themselves, the bad rights, oppression.
Q When you
speak about -- in response to counsel of the reputation of Mr. Peltier,
what is the period that you are talking about, have you ever met Mr.
Peltier?
A Yes, I seen
him. He has been on the Reservation, particularly at a meeting where
Townsend, the Commissioner of Indian {3915} Affairs, came to oust Howard
Trimble.
Q When was
that?
A A couple of
years ago.
Q Do you
remember what month it was?
A No, I don't.
Q What is the
period of time that you knew him on the Reservation?
A Well, a
year, couple of years ago.
Q Well, would
you tell the jury when it was approximately that you first met, and then
how long that you knew him?
A Well, I
can't say that I really was introduced to him because we Indians don't go
around and introduce one another. We just mingle together and become
acquainted ourselves.
Q Do you know
as a fact he was only there for a period of about three months in the
year, 1975 -- has he been there since the 26th of June, 1975, to your
knowledge?
A Not that I
know of.
Q Well, what
acts is it -- have you ever seen any acts that Mr. Peltier did to
determine and form an opinion concerning him?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Objection, your Honor. I don't think that the witness expressed her own
opinion, but opinions that were expressed to her by other members of the
community.
MR. HULTMAN:
Well, I am asking now, and I have a right to examine about specific events
she has had {3916} experience with him. That's what I am getting at, not
now on general reputation.
Q (By Mr.
Hultman) Have you had any experience with Mr. Peltier himself?
A Not any
great experience that would affect this trial.
Q Well, I am
asking you, have you had any experience at all personally with Mr.
Peltier?
A To talk to
him and see him, yes.
Q Well, when
was this that you saw him and talked to him?
A I told him
that it was when Townsend, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, came and we
had a meeting, and there were numerous American Indian Movement members
there. There were numerous goons, police.
Q All right.
That was one event, one time, is that right?
A That was one
event that I was particularly impressed with him.
Q Did you ever
see him on any other occasion of any kind?
A No.
Q I assumed
that -- what is it about the goons that put them in a different category?
A They were
the hirelings of Dick Wilson, our president, and went around beating
people up.
Q Well now,
would you have the same opinion of somebody who was wanted for murder,
same opinion about them as you have about goons?
{3917}
A I would want
to be sure they done the murder.
Q Well, do you
have any other different basis upon making that same allegation about
somebody that you put in a goon category, don't you give them likewise the
same benefit of the doubt?
A I always try
to be tolerant and fair. I certainly wouldn't them to be accused of a
murder when they were not -- when they did not murder, or be convicted on
circumstantial evidence.
I am a mother.
I have five boys, and I wouldn't want any of that to happen, my boy to be
murdered, but neither would I want any other boy to be prosecuted for the
murder of that boy unless they had concrete evidence.
Q Well, I
think that's not responsive to what my question was.
A Say it
again, I am sorry. I got carried away.
MR. HULTMAN: I
don't have any further questions, thank you.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Nothing further, your Honor.
THE WITNESS:
Thank you.
THE COURT: You
may step down.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may this witness be excused?
The witness
cannot get transportation until tomorrow. May she be excused as of
tomorrow's date, your Honor?
THE COURT:
Very well.
{3918}
MR. TAIKEFF:
Thank you, your Honor.
(Witness
excused.)
MR. TAIKEFF:
May counsel approach the bench?
THE COURT: You
may.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. TAIKEFF: I
regret to say that I have run out of witnesses.
THE COURT:
Well, it is 10 to 5:00.
I am going to
give the jury a special instruction at this moment. Mr. Hultman made the
comment about "wanted for murder".
MR. HULTMAN: I
am sorry, your Honor. I didn't realize I had misspoken and I apologize. I
didn't realize it.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
didn't catch it.
THE COURT:
That is why I thought you wanted to approach the bench.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
wanted to inform your Honor I had run out of steam.
I would also
like to remind your Honor that I wanted to report to your Honor on the
question of subpoenas. Perhaps we could take advantage of the few minutes
after the jury leaves to make that report.
MR. HULTMAN: I
didn't follow.
{3919}
MR. TAIKEFF:
That I have to report to the Court because of the indigency on the
subpoenas.
MR. HULTMAN:
All right.
{3920}
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, may we come back on that very point which Your Honor raised?
THE COURT:
Yes.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
just had a thought about that.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. TAIKEFF: I
myself, as I stated a moment ago, was not sure that Mr. Hultman had
misspoken. But ever as it stands I think the record is appropriate and I
would specifically indicate that an instruction is not necessary because
it could be interpreted if he said "murder" that he was asking the witness
whether she had any change of opinion about him knowing that he was
sitting here accused of murder. And I think her answer was perfectly
appropriate to the situation, that if he's accused and not convicted she's
not impressed, and I think it should be left just as it is.
MR. HULTMAN:
She talked specifically and response in rambling on about being charged
and so forth and so on. I did not intend to misspeak. In fact, I didn't
realize I had and I surely will abide by any request of either --
THE COURT: You
are asking that I would not give the jury the instruction?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. I am satisfied that Mr. Hultman misspoke, certainly did not do
intentionally and did not do any harm. I think the answer was responsive
to the question. {3921} I'm satisfied with the state of the record, Your
Honor.
THE COURT:
Very well.
MR. HULTMAN:
Thank you. Very good, Counsel.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom in the hearing and
presence of the jury:)
THE COURT: We
will recess at this time, at least the jury will be excused at this time.
Counsel has indicated they have some legal matters they wish to take up
with the Court. So the Court will remain in session, but the jury is
excused for the weekend until 9:00 o'clock on Monday morning.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had in the courtroom without the hearing
and presence of the jury:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, before we take up the matter of the subpoenas, which I trust
will be on an ex-party basis I was wondering whether it might be
appropriate at this time to indicate to the jury that the probabilities
are that the case will end sometime during the week. I sense from the
expressions on their face that they're starting to wonder whether they're
ever going to become unsequestered. I think perhaps if Your Honor sent
word through the marshal that they won't know exactly when, but we think
they'll get the case sometime next week, It might give them some respite.
THE COURT: Any
objection?
MR. HULTMAN:
The Government would have no objection to {3922} that, Your Honor.
THE COURT:
Very well. Jury may be advised that counsel appear to be in agreement that
the case will be, will very likely be submitted to them sometime during
the week of the forthcoming week.
MR. LEE: Yes,
sir.
THE COURT: I
had forgotten momentarily that this matter of witnesses was something that
you asked the Court to consider x-party.
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes. And the Government has considered its willingness to vacate the
courtroom if Your Honor wants to do it at the sidebar. Whichever Your
Honor prefers.
THE COURT: As
long as you wish to do it x-party and the counsel are leaving the
courtroom well, just do it from the counsel table.
(Whereupon,
the following proceedings were had at the bench:)
MR. TAIKEFF:
Your Honor, the days no longer have any definition for me so I may be
incorrect about my statement that based on Your Honor's rulings early
yesterday, but I think those rulings were made yesterday, we evaluated in
a rather lengthy meeting last night, not only the question of Clarence
Kelly's appearance, but the question about producing on the witness stand
all of the witnesses that we thought we had a legitimate right to produce.
And I have a rather informal {3923} list which I will either turn over to
Mr. Hanson or to the marshal whichever Your Honor directs.
THE COURT: Mr.
Hanson.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
just want to give Your Honor some impression about what the situation
looks like. There are a rather substantial number of names, Because of the
statement counsel made during colloquy concerning the Anna Mae Aquash
incident we are eliminating eight separate witnesses, and only two of
those witnesses were served and appeared. All the rest, either were not
served or were waiting for a call. So that there are only two people who
came here unnecessarily in that particular regard.
Concerning
Your Honor's ruling as to the nature of the testimony concerning the
climate of violence or fear and the exclusion of individual incidents we
found it appropriate to not call seven people who are on the subpoena
list, and one person whom we ordered up pursuant to a writ ad
testificandum. I understand that word went to the marshal on Robert
Robideau to ask Your Honor to satisfy the writ so that he could be sent
back to his institution. I don't know whether word has reached Your Honor
or not.
THE COURT: It
has not.
MR. TAIKEFF:
But I'm officially informing Your Honor of that fact.
Of the
remaining people which who are seven in number {3924} the only person who
showed up, or there was only one person who showed up, and that person
showed up with his wife who was the witness and that takes care of that
particular category. No, I'm sorry, apparently two additional names were
added, so there are nine people of which three had already showed up.
I think I had
already explained to Your Honor, we had to make sure that a certain number
of people came so that we had a reservoir of witnesses, and that's why
there's a number of apparently wasted trips involved. But most of these
people live not too far from here.
There was
another category which we arbitrarily called climate of fear. It's just
for our own work that we use these names. One of whom was the author, Vine
DeLoria that the Government had made an application about which is now
mote about I think, and in that category there were seven people. Except
that one of them was put on, Rosalyn Jumping Bull did testify even though
we had indicated to her that we -- I I'm sorry, Your Honor, I have to take
that back. I'm mistaken. Rosalyn Jumping Bull did show up and we did
decide that we would not use her. And she did not testify, so in that
category there are altogether seven people and three of them have shown
up.
With reference
to the Myrtle Poor Bear aspect of the case at this particular time we've
advised Canadian counsel, {3925} whom we were going to call as an expert
technical witness via the Canadian proceedings not to honor the subpoena
which had been ordered. So there was no wasted effort at all there. And
two miscellaneous witnesses by the name of Rosen and Harper who never
showed up and in fact may never have even received their subpoenas. So I
don't know the exact number, but it's rather substantial, and I think
there were a relatively few wasted trips. And amongst those so-called
wasted trips there were one or two people who initially appeared to be
perfectly appropriate as witnesses, upon not their initial interview but
upon the effort to prepare them to testify became apparent to me that they
should not be called. And so I exercised my right as a trial counsel to
decide not to call them.
I want Your
Honor to understand that we have made a conscious effort at all times to
respect the privileges which Your Honor has extended to us.
THE COURT: I
appreciate your putting that on the record also. I think it's well in a
case of this kind that a record be made of the procedure that was
followed.
MR. TAIKEFF:
And I want to add, because I suspect that it is very much a part of what
Your Honor is thinking about, that we have had the best of facilities that
could possibly be obtained by any defendant who had unlimited funds.
THE COURT:
Well, that is in accordance with the {3926} philosophy of this Court that
they should not be conservative on the resources that are made available
to an indigent defendant upon certification of competent counsel that
certain matters are necessary for an adequate defense.
MR. TAIKEFF:
One thing, off the record, Your Honor. I just want to say we might have
had a better deputy clerk in charge, but other than that I have --
THE COURT: Put
that on the record.
MR. HANSON:
Might I inquire of Mr. Taikeff one more matter. Approximately how many
witnesses does that leave that you feel will be used next week to complete
the case?
MR. TAIKEFF: I
can answer that, but I have to step to the table for a minute. May I do
that?
THE COURT:
Very well. What was your inquiry to Mr. Taikeff?
MR. TAIKEFF:
He wants to know how many witnesses to go.
MR. HANSON:
Approximately. You don't have to testify, just approximately.
MR. TAIKEFF: I
even have to look to be approximate because quite frankly with Mr. Lowe
absent and Mr. Ellison sick I am not entirely cognizant at this point.
First of all there were two additional witnesses identified today in
connection with the interview of the second cousin of Myrtle Poor Bear,
and we requested subpoenas for those two people {3927} which I think are
in the courtroom. So there are those two people.
Now, from the
FBI list we've heard from Marvin Stoldt, so we have four agents who will
definitely be testifying. And then there is the possibility, a moderately
good one, that two more will, and a relatively small possibility that one
more on top of that will. So that's definitely four, probably six and then
maybe seven from the FBI list altogether.
Now, in
connection with the so-called Jimmy Eagle aspect of the case, the first
witness will be one of the agents previously referred to. The second
witness will be James Eagle himself. So that's, we're actually adding only
one to the number I've already stated. And then there is a possibility of
up to three individuals, one or two of whom are in custody and for whom
writs ad testificandum have been issued I believe. Just one -- well, all
right. Then one has been sought by writ, and two are being sought by
subpoena. So if all of them are produced that's three more on top of that.
I think we're somewhere around twelve or thirteen at this moment.
On the Myrtle
Poor Bear aspect, the first witness would be the agent, but he's already
been counted; Myrtle Poor Bear herself, let's say that makes fourteen, and
I would say three miscellaneous witnesses concerning Myrtle Poor Bear, and
two of the agents that I said probably would then be in {3928} this
category, So depending upon how the Myrtle Poor Bear thing develops we may
or may not get those two agents. And I believe that's it.
So I would say
in round numbers about fifteen, not more than twenty, and I frankly think
we're going to do it in two days, We may do it in three days. That's my
best estimate as of this time, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Is
that it?
MR. TAIKEFF:
Yes, sir, Have a Happy Easter, sir.
THE COURT:
Thank you.
Court is in
recess.
(Whereupon,
the court recessed at 5:05 o'clock, P.M.; to reconvene on April 11, 1977
at 9:00 o'clock A.M.)
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