How many people were at the location where they had to drink the poison - Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1982) Discussion

[–] lyndseyw64 16 years ago

it was only like five members that were actually there that survived

others were away

and there were maybe two reporters that survived

the documentary does a really good job describing all of the events

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[–] G_man2 16 years ago

i remember watching this unfold on the nightly news when i was a kid. it was fascinating, and disturbing, and very sad.

years later, i understood the situation better after seeing this movie on TV, and reading other memoirs about this event. most of the cult members were poor and uneducated. jim jones was a ticket to happiness for them. he manipulated their fears into loyalty for them. sort of like what the cult of scientology does to some of its members.

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[–] kincaid67a 16 years ago

I was just imagining being there and wondering how I would ever get out of that situation. Like fake that I already died. or maybe I would say "I need to go to the rest room." and run off "I could only imagine"

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[–] G_man2 16 years ago

i know what you mean, kincaid. ive thought of that, too. id be scared to death, but would probably pretend to be dead. i think there were armed people there to make sure no one fled. "i have to go to the bathroom" hahaha!

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[–] trentj101 16 years ago

about 900 or so , i do not have the exact figure....however. it is reported that jim jones's fater was a reverend and a KKK member.
Considering that his son, led many African Americans to their deaths, in many ways he would've made his father very proud, but his father died in 1951.

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[–] goldenbalz4u 15 years ago

Very few people who refused to drink the posion survived. So, faking death may not have been an option. I'm sure Jim's people may have checked to see who was truly dead; and those that weren't were probably held down and injected with a cyringe. How horrifying!!!

"HATERZ NEVER WIN."

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[–] kincaid67a 15 years ago

I found this on WIKI,

Four lived through the mass suicides (who was suspose to drink the poison)

Stanley Clayton, 25 a kitchenworker and cousin of Huey Newton, tricked security guards and ran into the jungle.

Grover Davis, 79 who was hearing impaired, missed the announcement to assemble on the loudspeaker, lay down in a ditch and pretended to be dead.

Odell Rhodes, 36 Jonestown teacher and craftsman, volunteered to fetch a stethoscope and hid under a building.

Hyacinth Thrash, 76 - She hid under her bed when they called everyone with the loud speaker to gather to the assenbly. She then fell asleep and woke up the next day.

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[–] G_man2 15 years ago

HOLY TOLEDO!!!!!!! she SLEPT during the suicide? that is incredible.

how did she know-- i read somewhere that there were "rehearsals" for the mass suicide, and that at the event people still thought it was a rehearsal.

but, yea, this is still horrifying. i was just checking my comments history when i came across one i made for this movie's board. i still cant believe stuff like this can happen. just place yourself there-- what would you do? could you think coherently? honestly, i think id panic, and try to run.

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[–] kincaid67a 15 years ago

(As far as Hyacinth Thrash) I don't think she knew. She simply did not want to go to the group meeting.

Here is her picture in 1983 (5 years later)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?o=1&f=/c/a/2003/11/18/MNG3Q34KD11.DTL

the articles say she was the lone survivor in Jonestown. That is not nessesarily true. She was the only one who stayed a day later and was found by the authorities.

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[–] tiburonbirdred 9 years ago

you're right about Hyacinth Thrash. Although there was a play about her called "I Was The Onlyest(?) One Left", because that is what she said to reporters.