Doc: The Rape of the Town of Lovell (57 page)

He didn't like this sort of nastiness one bit. He had a long talk with the editor of the
Chronicle
and was pleased to see some of his thoughts printed in the next edition. He was quoted as saying, "Don't get into hatred, backbiting, and all that stuff. It doesn't help." The article noted that he didn't condone threatening phone calls and certainly didn't make them. "If you talk to someone, be

456 "DOC" -----

up front with them," he was quoted. "None of this behind the back stuff. That's not Christianity. I've been accused of doing it, and it's a blatant lie. ... I want to work within the judicial system, not on the side. I respect the laws of the land. I don't want us to go to anarchy. Adults shouldn't revert to tantrums. . . . I'm not content with him being in jail, and I'll do everything in legal means to bring that right."

The young preacher disputed the easy claim that the Mormons were out to destroy the Lovell Bible Church, and he put in a word for his own parishioners. "We're not a bunch of idiots," he said.

The florist Beverly Moody swore to fight side by side with her pastor till Elder Story returned in glory. He'd been convicted only because he'd chosen to emulate Christ and follow the path of nonresistance. "Doc knows these women are sick," she explained. "That's why he didn't fight harder against 'em. He's been doctorin' 'em all their lives. Why would he want to hurt 'em?"

She admitted that there was no tangible evidence behind her belief.
"I just know.
You can't be around Doc and not know. If a man's gonna do some bizarre thing, you'd get a hint of it. You could look back and think of some strange incidents. But there was never! Doc is a rare breed of man that really cares about women's feelings."

When anti-Story people came into her shop, she unhesitatingly took them on. She landed on a Mormon customer who made the mistake of asking, "If he was so innocent, why wouldn't he let a nurse in the room?"

"Why should he?" Bev snapped back. "Because you stupid people told him to? Listen, I don't want a nurse in the room during a pelvic. Especially in a little town. I mean, you have that nurse in there and you're a little overweight like I am—I don't want some nurse looking me over and then going up and down the street and telling what I look like. Or have one standing there while I'm answering some of Doc's questions or discussing a personal matter with him."

The accusers and their backers, she decided, were just too danged ornery to understand a man like Doc and his ways.

84

LE DELUGE

Jan Hillman was afraid she'd booked too small a meeting place. She and Story's neighbor, realtor Wes Meeker, had had only a few days to spread the word, and yet the Fire Hall was near bursting with Story supporters. She looked into the crowd and saw the Nebels, the Moodys, Tom and Kay Holm, city officials, bankers, nurses, businessmen, several doctors including Douglas Wrung, farmers, mineral workers, even relatives of the victims. Every religion in town was represented, every age from diapered babies to a man using a walker.

Jan usually felt faint at the sight of any audience too big for a row of bar stools, but she found herself calling the meeting to order with the elan of an auctioneer. When the last preliminary chatter died away, she cried out, "An innocent man has been put in prison!"

The audience yelled agreement. She reminded her friends that public pressure was important—"Doc could get bail or he could sit in jail. He could be sentenced to life in prison or walk out of court on probation. We can have an impact on that. Let Judge Hartman know that Doc Story doesn't stand alone." She closed her introductory remarks with one of her late father's favorite quotes: "All that is necessary for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing."

The group was so unified that all business was concluded in less than an hour. Jan was elected chairman of the Dr. Story Defense Committee, which included among its charter members the Lovell city manager, Bob Richardson. Their only aim, Jan explained to a newspaper reporter, was "justice for Doc."

She went to work with the boundless energy she'd always reserved for the underdog. Within a few days, an ad appeared in the
Chronicle.

Contributions to the Dr. Story Defense Fund can be deposited in an account at Lovell National Bank or First National Bank of Lovell. Jan Hillman, chairman.

Two thousand dollars arrived almost overnight. Those short on cash pledged future payments. Farmers promised crop-shares and livestock, and townspeople offered to put up the deeds to their homes to get Doc out on bond.

Jan convinced Rex Nebel to channel his rage into a series of public pronouncements as incendiary as the M-80s he sold at his fireworks stand. More money flowed into the Defense Committee account as his polemics began appearing in Wyoming newspapers, sometimes in oversize type. He railed about "filthy gossip," "sleazy slandering," "a whispering campaign that grew to true conspiracy" and "a clear cut case of religious persecution." The trial, he wrote, had been "a parody." The prosecutor was a "rookie" who was "carried" through the trial by an "inexperienced" judge. As a former deputy and undersheriff, Rex explained that he knew rape, and "the only thing that was raped around here was justice."

One of his letters warned, "Right now a couple of women could file charges on a man in Big Horn County for the crime of rape and send him up with no physical evidence. You better fight this kind of ignorant garbage while there is still time! It is obvious no man is safe. The way it's going, it won't be long before they'll be coming for your guns or your family."

♦ * *

Through Marilyn Story, the Defense Committee contacted the doctor's relatives in Maxwell, and soon Judge Hartman's in-box overflowed with letters from Nebraska. Dr. Story's mother, Inez, wrote in the clear hand of someone who'd been educated in another era: "Dr. John H. Story is in jail for a crime he never committed. ... A group of women have brought charges against the doctor. . . . They seem to want to destroy the doctor. ... It seems they have formed a conspiracy against the good doctor."

A week later she added a businesslike character reference: "John is a man of impeccable character. . . . Search the world over, you will rarely if ever find a man of his equal in generosity and love for others and in their well-being. . . ." She requested leniency and asked the judge to "kindly do the right thing before God."

The next day, in a motherly letter neatly typed on parchment paper, she advised the judge that "you can ruin the life of an innocent man or return him to society to serve the people and care for their ailments." She suggested that Hartman "dismiss the trial and let Lovell start to heal its wounds. . . ." Below her neat signature she handwrote a plea: "I am Dr. Story's mother and 85 years old. Please let me see my son free from the awful charges which have been leveled against him."

A few of the Nebraska letters put the judge on notice that his soul was at risk ("At the judgment seat of Christ, all will be revealed, so give this serious thought that you will not pronounce him guilty and have that against your record in the Lamb's book of life"). Some listed Story's childhood accomplishments ("Star Boy Scout, never an off-color remark, respectful of women ... an outstanding football player, undefeated his two years . . . always dependable"). Some were touching ("Sir I am 86 years old and am almost blind so please excuse mistakes") and some vituperative ("I can't imagine anyone stooping so low to get a person out of town").

Story's fifty-seven-year-old sister Gretchen, a teacher at Whea-ton Christian Grammar School in Illinois, weighed in with praise of her brother and noted that their mother "has had two heart attacks during this stressful time."

A day or so later, the principal of her school followed up in a stern schoolmaster's tone, "I can assure you that there are a significant number of people in this western Chicago suburb that have an intense interest in seeing that Dr. Story is set free on bond in the near future. Please do what you can to expedite his matter."

Letters from Big Horn County tended to stress Story's skills as a doctor, his tolerance about delinquent accounts, his Christianity, his respect for women and children. A Powell woman's letter was typical: "When our son was born, when our daughter was thrown from her horse, when my husband broke his arm, when any of the boys we raised was hurt or ill, and during the loss of our baby this past January, Dr. Story was always there."

Marilyn Story wrote the judge, "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my husband is innocent." Daughter Susan added, "In my thirty years he has gained my ever increasing respect. Now I have been deeply hurt. ..."

Other familiar names checked in with letters. Jan Hillman's mother La Vera told the judge, "I believe in his innocence. He has been my physician for 26 years."

Mrs. Douglas Wrung, "independent beauty consultant," wrote on pink Mary Kay Cosmetics stationery, "In the 21
/2
years that I have lived in Lovell, I have had nothing but pleasant and courteous experiences with Dr. John Story. He has always treated me in a very gentlemanly manner, even chivalrously."

Cheryl Nebel chastised the judge for "the rotten stench of corruption in your courtroom." Dr. Story, she wrote, "keeps himself pure in thought, word and deed by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. . . . Dr. Story's innocence and deliverance will ring throughout this land. . . . Those who lied and dealt deceitfully will be revealed according to Matthew 10:26 and 27. . . . We that love this country are only in the embryonic stage of reconstruction but we will not be aborted."

North Big Horn Hospital manager Joe Brown quoted another biblical warning: "2 Chronicles 19:6 states, 'And (God) said to the judges, take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with you in the judgment period.' "

The Reverend Buttermore researched his own long letter for hours:

Your Honor, your position is very important to our great land for you represent God to all us by being elevated in the courtroom, wearing black showing complete acceptance of all light (truth, by your title of "Your Honor"), and by the fact that permission is needed to approach your bench. Because you represent God, I am reluctant to write this letter, but I do so only to assist you in your God-given trial position (Romans 13:1) . . .

Your Honor, the Bible says that to convict a man there must be two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6), but in Dr. Story's case there was only one for each alleged crime. Jesus himself would not condemn a woman on only one witness (himself John 8:11) and stated in John 5:31 that His testimony without witnesses was not valid. Based upon God's criteria for finding a man guilty, Dr. John Story is not guilty on any of the nine charges for there was no second witness nor actual proof presented. . . .

The pro-Story letters were augmented by petitions that had been left in public places by members of the Defense Committee. They began, "We the undersigned still believe in the professional and moral integrity of Dr. John H. Story." Hundreds signed.

Ironically, it was one of the most heartfelt communications that convinced the judge to deny Story's request for release on bail. After a defense attorney argued that the doctor had shown up at every court appearance and clearly represented no escape risk, Judge Hartman said, "The court . . . would like to read one letter which is from Linda Story. It states, 'As you can imagine, the outcome of the trial was quite unexpected and by the time I was able to come home two days later, my father had already been taken to Evanston' . . .

"What is significant to the court, however," the judge noted, "and I think it has been significant throughout the entire proceedings, is the fact that I do not believe that the Defendant nor his supporters ever thought that he would be convicted of any of the counts. I believe that had a great effect on the proposition that Dr. Story did in fact make all of his court appearances. I believe that when one is told by enough people as many times as he probably heard it that certainly he had to be innocent, that he could not be convicted, I suspect that he began to perhaps believe that in his own mind. . . .

"And I believe that the realization that a conviction was possible may have finally reached Dr. Story. I believe that in this particular case, if he were to be released on bond, that the risk of flight is very high. . . . Therefore, the Court believes that in this case that bail should be denied."

In the nine limbo weeks between verdict and sentencing, most of the complaining witnesses remained skittish and reclusive. Some refused to leave their homes, or spent most of their time and energy shepherding their children around.

The victims' feelings were expressed via the mails. Terri Timmons wrote the court that she'd "suffered through these 17 years of nightmare, anger, depression, humiliation and even now find it hard to trust others." She suggested that Story be made to suffer for the same length of time. Wanda Hammond informed the judge that she still felt "dirty and guilty." Annella St. Thomas said, "I have suffered for almost 13 years." Mae Fischer wrote that her husband's life had been threatened and she'd lived "in my own hell for eleven years." Emma Lu Meeks charged that Dr. Story "betrayed his manhood and the oath he should have taken as a doctor."

Hayla Farwell's oversized scrawl filled a page: "I would like to see John Story put away for life. I know that sounds terrible but I don't want him to be able to hurt anyone again. I feel if he gets out in a few years he would go right back to doing it again, even if he can't doctor anymore. ... A few years doesn't change him. . . • The lives he has messed up, I feel he should have to account for that."