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Events of August 25 & August 27, 1999 |
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| August 25, 1999 | August 27, 1999 | |
| Sandy went into the clubhouse for coffee
around 6:00 AM. I was surprised that she was up so early since
she and Stacy had been up playing Scrabble in the clubhouse until
around 2:00 AM. She came running back to the room almost
immediately. Breathless she told me to come quick, the clubhouse
was on fire. When I got the dining room, the place was filled
with smoke. I grabbed a fire extinguisher. It took several
to extinguish the fire. In the meantime, Sandy was trying to call for
help. The phone lines had been cut. I had the fire almost
under control when Sandy left to find a phone to call for help.
She took the van and sped up to the villas first, yelling for Stacy to
get down to the clubhouse, "Right Now!"
Sandy left to get help, and Stacy rushed into the clubhouse to help. By that time the morning crew had arrived and all were in shock. There was gasoline strewn everywhere. Pools of it in the kitchen and dining room. Two 5 gallon plastic containers were on the veranda near the pool and appeared to have been thrown as the arsonists ran. One still had fuel in it. Two more were empty inside the clubhouse. A fifth was on the north porch that ran adjacent to the creek along the row of rooms that were being cleaned and renovated. The fire was going strong when I managed to get it out, so we think the guilty set the fire around 3 or 4 in the morning. The security lights must have scared them off. Damage was not severe, once we got things cleaned up. The north porch and stairs were in the worst shape. They would have to be rebuilt. The rest of the damage was cosmetic and could be restored relatively quickly. We had problems getting the phone lines restored though. I guess they cut them so we couldn't call for help. It was late evening before we had a single line restored, and that felt like a miracle. Sandy had called the police from the nearest phone. Early that afternoon, Norman McKensie came by. He was my all around mechanic and took care of the cars and machinery, and pretty much anything else he could. He informed me that Ezra Russell had put a contract out "to have you killed and Cutlass Bay burned." I knew the police would be there shortly and as soon as they arrived, informed them of everything that had happened, including this alleged contract, and asked for protection. They did not take the matter seriously and disregarded the complaint. Sandy faxed several letters to the US Embassy and government officials asking, no begging, for their help. |
Hurricane warnings were out for all of the
Bahamas. All in-bound guests had been delayed and all others
evacuated. Sandy, Stacy and I were the only people at
Cutlass. All of the staff had been sent home early.
Stacy was staying in the villas, about 100 yards from our room. She had returned to the villas a little while before and Sandy had gone to bed. Around 9:00 PM, I stepped out of the shower and two ski-masked men rushed into the room from the clubhouse entrance. One had a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun pointed at my face in point blank range. Instinctively, I grabbed for the gun. With wet, slippery hands, I wrestled the gunman to the floor. The other one started hitting me with a club. The commotion awakened Sandy, who came to my rescue and was severely beaten in the face and head for her efforts. During the scuffle, I managed to get the magazine from the handgun. The two abandoned the fight and fled from the room. I could barely see. Blood was running into my eyes and Sandy was in far worse condition than I. We heard voices in the parking area near the vans. With broken hands, I painfully got dressed, a pair of jeans and shoes, and advised Sandy to hide under the bed in case they returned. I was going to get help. The phone lines had been cut again. I had to get to Bains Town, about two miles away, for help. I ran as fast as I could manage to the caretaker's cottage, which was a little less than a mile from the clubhouse. I beat on the door and yelled for John to help. I needed him to go to Bains Town for help. John finally opened the door and when he saw me covered with blood, he ran into the bushes. There was a Cutlass bicycle that John used in his "commute." I grabbed it and rode to Bains Town for help. I went to A.T. Bain's house; Haus Rebecca as it is also known as. I had to beat on the door for several minutes. Mrs. Rebecca Bain finally answered. When she saw my condition, she let me in. Mr. Bain was not in. I was informed later that Mr. Bain was at his bar when Ezra Russell allegedly conspired with to Julian Robinson commit this horrible act. I asked Mrs. Bain to send someone for Sandy. She did and also called the police. Kendall Butler showed up a while later with Sandy and Stacy. It seemed like forever for the police to arrive and we were finally taken to the Clinic at Smith's Bay and placed under police protection. A lot of good it did at that point. |
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