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03/14/93
Cult members refuse medical help, FBI says; Some may die from wounds without care, agent contends
By Bruce Tomaso / The Dallas Morning News
WACO-Some members of an embattled religious cult are refusing treatment for life-threatening injuries, a rebuff that the FBI said Saturday has fueled its frustration at the slow exodus of followers.
Without immediate hospital care, some of the wounded could die from their injuries. But they either won't or can't leave the fortified compound, FBI Special Agent Bob Ricks said.
In what a doctor described to the FBI as "barbaric,' one of the wives of cult leader David Koresh has proposed cutting off her infected finger rather than accepting outside medical treatment.
"We're dealing with people who are very committed to what they are doing, that are-even though their own lives are perhaps in jeopardy -- refusing to come out,' Agent Ricks said.
As the Branch Davidian's armed standoff with federal agents enters its third week, Agent Ricks said negotiators were prepared to stay indefinitely but added, "This needs to be ended, and ended promptly.'
"A slow dribble of individuals out, one or two per day, when we still have 105 individuals in there, will not lead to a speedy resolution. We have people injured. We have doctors telling us that lives may be jeopardized. Gangrene may be setting in. We need to get those people out, all of them,' he said.
At least four members of the cult, including Mr. Koresh, were wounded in the Feb. 28 shootout with agents of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Four agents and at least two cult members were killed.
Since then, Mr. Koresh has released 21 children and four adults. He says that 46 women, 42 men and 17 children remain within the fortified compound east of Waco.
Federal authorities said that three more adults-Kevin Whitecliff, 32; Brad Branch, 34; and Rita Riddle, 35 -- have told them they want to leave. By late Saturday, none had appeared.
Kathryn Schroeder, 30, and Oliver Gyarfas, 19, of Australia left the compound Friday and are being held as material witnesses.
Mrs. Schroeder met Saturday for five hours with Scott Peterson, a Waco attorney appointed by U.S. Magistrate Dennis Green to represent her.
Mrs. Schroeder's husband, Michael, was killed in the second of two shootouts on the day of the raid. Her four children were released after that.
The FBI said Mrs. Schroeder came out at least in part to spend time with her 3-year-old son. Her three older children, from a previous marriage, are with her ex-husband, an Air Force sergeant.
She was granted a long visit with her young son and then was allowed to call back to the Davidian compound to report on her treatment.
Mr. Peterson told reporters that Mrs. Schroeder speaks fondly of Mr. Koresh and wants the standoff to end without further bloodshed.
She was not charged with any crime but could be later, he said. Mr.
Gyarfas' lawyer did not return a phone call.
Advice from doctors
Wounded cult members still inside the compound were allowed for the first time Friday to speak by telephone with physicians, Agent Ricks said.
When Judy Schneider Koresh was told that she needed to be hospitalized to make sure that infection from a wounded finger did not enter her bloodstream, "her suggestion to the doctor was perhaps she should just cut off her finger,' the agent said.
He said that the doctor advised her that such a course would be "barbaric.' She also was wounded in the right shoulder.
Agent Ricks said some cult members may fear the wrath of God more than their own deaths. The Branch Davidian sect believes that the end of the world is near and that eternal salvation will come through the prophecies of Mr. Koresh, a 33-year-old rock musician who says that God talks to him.
"Some believe that if they leave at this time, they are in fact giving up their beliefs and that they will be damned forever,' Agent Ricks said. "A life on this planet may not be as important to them as eternal life.'
Doctors who spoke with Mr. Koresh told the FBI that the cult leader "continues to experience considerable discomfort from his gunshot wounds,' Agent Ricks said. However, he said, doctors do not believe his injuries, including gunshot wounds in the wrist and left side, are life-threatening.
The FBI agent said Mr. Koresh now says that he cannot get around without assistance. He has not requested antibiotics.
"He uses certain home remedies and in fact refuses to take any medication,' Agent Ricks said.
Cliques forming
With Mr. Koresh reportedly unable to leave his quarters without assistance, there were signs that his followers are beginning to separate into cliques based in part on nationality and background.
"They have two daily hours of prayer and Bible study, but those are now being done in little individual groups,' Agent Ricks said.
Steve Schneider, a deputy of Mr. Koresh's who gave his wife, Judy, to the cult leader, appears to be taking "more and more of a leadership role' in negotiations, the FBI spokesman said.
Decisions on who can leave are still made by Mr. Koresh. "In every instance.when these individuals have indicated a desire to come out, they have to go and visit with David Koresh,' Agent Ricks said.
Although cold weather has gripped Waco the past few days, the agent said he doubted that conditions in the compound are affected much by the prolonged siege.
"From the very beginning, the conditions within the compound have been very Spartan,' he said. "The people inside there are used to inclement weather and very harsh conditions. This is not necessarily unusual for them.'
The compound has no modern toilets, and electricity use is limited. Well water reaches the kitchen by a gravity system and is carried elsewhere in buckets.
Except for Mr. Koresh's apartment, heating apparently is provided by a few space heaters.
While most of the Branch Davidian compound is kept minimally warm by a few space heaters, seems redundant to me, kpAgent Ricks said Mr. Koresh's apartment is fully heated. "I understand he probably is the only one in the compound that is allowed that privilege,' the agent said.
Appeal to Koresh
The FBI agent said negotiations to end the standoff are not progressing toward a swift conclusion.
As authorities often have during news briefings, Agent Ricks seemed Saturday morning to be directing his words as much to Mr. Koresh, who is closely monitoring the daily broadcasts, as he was to the news media representatives from around the world.
"Mr. Koresh, we're here,' the FBI agent said. "We're knocking on your door. We're offering you a peaceful solution.
"This has been going on for two weeks. We have not used any firepower against you, we have not aggravated the situation, we have not elevated it. We have tried to maintain the status quo.
"We are offering you a peaceful solution. Please respond.'
Agents said Mr. Gyarfas and Mrs. Schroeder do not seem to have been
defectors, and they are not sure why Mr. Gyarfas wanted to leave. His sister remains inside.
"These are not people who are considered to be weak links inside but are very active participants in the ongoings of that compound,' Agent Ricks said.
At the midmorning briefing by federal agents at the Waco Convention Center, about 30 protesters from the Libertarian Party and other groups marched peaceably outside.
A former Ku Klux Klan leader attended the briefing and drew the ire of federal agents. Louis Ray Beam Jr. said he was there as a journalist for a Christian news organization. He said he is no longer associated with the Klan.
Mr. Beam asked whether the ATF's actions during the raid indicated "the emergence of a police state within the United States.' Dan Conroy, the assistant deputy ATF director, replied tersely, "I won't even address answering that question.'
Waco police later told Mr. Beam that he would not be allowed to return.
Meanwhile, at a news media gathering spot near the cult compound, an enterprising television producer found a captive-and ready- market for special T-shirts.
Clint Houston of KPRC-TV in Houston, with the help of his wife, Cathy, and her T-shirt printing company, did a brisk business.
In front, the message is: "World Association of Cult Observers.'
The back has an irreverent drawing of "Camp David, Texas.'
Staff writer Maggie Rivas contributed to this report.
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