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Although I have lost access to the letters to their little girls, I will post bits and peices of Brian and Ruth's heartfelt words to friends, family, adversaries, and their children.
If the Christine's were so dangerous to their children I cannot find any indication in anything I have heard or seen to validate this. Only a couple who at ALL costs will do anything to re-unite their family. Even if it meant spending the rest of their lives in prison. To me, no truly abusive parent would care so much.
A Mother's Prospective
by Ruth Christine
I am a mother and a wife; my children and my husband are my life.
God is the centre of our family's life. My husband and I want to live a life
that is pleasing to God. It is out of love and responsibility that we want to
raise our daughters according to what is good and right. I want my daughters
to grow up knowing that they are loved and accepted by their Father in
Heaven. That is what I want for my daughters more than anything else. This is
what we have tried to do and trusted God to help us with through the years.
We chose to live a simple lifestyle, relatively free of material possessions.
We chose to spend some time traveling because we enjoyed it, and because we
wanted our children to experience and learn new things, and for us to learn,
too. Learning was something we did as a family with the real world as our
classroom.
I was teaching Bethany reading, writing, and math, art, French, science and
nature. This involved one on one study and individual study in our home.
Lydia was learning her colours, letters and numbers, as well as about
animals, science and nature. Outside Bethany and Lydia practised reading road
signs, learned to identify plants and flowers, birds, animals states, flags
and so much more.
Bethany can draw beautifully. I will always remember an SCF appointed
educational psychologist claiming that Bethany did not know how to draw a
triangle. I responded by producing a beautiful picture that Bethany had drawn
of chickens, pigs and sunshine, all easily recognisable. At four years old,
Bethany had some understanding of who God is and what Jesus had done for her.
Entirely of her own accord when she saw that someone she cared about was sad
or crying she would quietly ask to pray for them, then get down on her knees
and pray from the depth of her little heart.
She loved to help. She would see me doing something and it would be "Mommie
can I help?" She was always smiling and happy. She loved to sing and do
gymnastics. At four years old, she had more faith, more character and more
inner beauty than I have seen in children twice her age.
Yet she was taken away, along with her sisters. Removed from everything she
knew and her parents she loved. Spent her fifth birthday being tested for
everything imaginable, stuck in a hospital. Was physically checked for sexual
abuse, had pictures taken of her naked, and was given a small teddy bear to
make up for it all!
According to the report, she told them she didn't want the teddy bear because
it was "yucky." No wonder when it represented the loss of her mother and
father, the loss of her innocence, her pain, her suffering, her tears.
Ruth Christine
16th September 2001
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Birth of Abbey Rose
by Ruth Christine
At around one or 1:30 a.m on 24th September I was taken from my cell to go to
the hospital. I was having fairly strong contractions that were less than ten
minutes apart.
I was placed in a wheel chair, handcuffed and shackled (with leg shackles),
then I was wheeled out to an ambulance. I climbed onto the stretcher (still
handcuffed and shackled) lay down and was strapped onto the stretcher. This
was an uncomfortable position for me to be in during contractions.
We arrived at the hospital with our police escort. I was wheeled into the
delivery room and lifted onto the delivery bed.
I said that I wanted to be able to get up and walk around. The officer said I
had to keep the handcuffs and leg shackles on. I said that I was in labour
and not going to be going anywhere. She said it was 'procedure.' I was very
frustrated.
At this point there was one female officer in the room and several male
officers right outside the door, including an undercover officer in plain
clothes with an ear piece in.
The nurse on duty checked to see how dilated I was and found that I was 8-9
cm. On discovering this she moved very quickly to organise things.
Doctor McCoy and Madaline (the midwife) were told to come as soon as
possible. Finally, the leg shackles, then one handcuff, and the other were
removed.
I was then able to move around so that I could work with the contractions.
The midwife (Madaline) was very helpful, encouraging me, getting drinks and
rubbing my back. I am very grateful for all that she did.
The labour went pretty smoothly until my contractions started to become less
intense and the doctor wanted to break my waters. At first I resisted, but he
talked me into it, and that was a mistake. I was tired and low in energy. W
hen he broke my waters, everything started to happen too fast, and I was not
ready for it. However, in a short while little Abbey-Rose was born. A
beautiful, healthy looking little girl with blond fuzz on her little round
head. I was happy. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She weighed 7
lbs 12 oz. The midwife took 2 pictures of me and Abbey Rose. I was then taken
to another room to rest for a while. Abbey-Rose stayed with me the whole time.
I slept for a while with Abbey-Rose wrapped up in blankets in my bed right
next to me.
A female officer continued to be in the room with me and I could hear at
least 3 officers talking right outside the room.
I rested, thinking I would be there for 48 hours, or at least until the
evening. However, after only a few hours I was told I would be leaving.
Suddenly I realised that I would have to leave Abbey-Rose, the reality of the
situation hit me. I had four children whom I could not be with and now they
were taking this fragile, little, newborn baby away from me.
I prayed for Abbey-Rose that God would be with her and protect her.
I asked for the chaplain to come and he prayed for me and Abbey-Rose, and I
cried. I felt grief like I had never known before. I could not accept that
here was this helpless, tine baby and she was going to be taken away. She was
going to be without her mother and her father.
I cried, and the nurses cried, lots of people were crying by the time they
took me from the hospital. I could not put Abbey-Rose down; the nurse had to
take her from me.
They put me in handcuffs and shackles and put me in a wheel chair. I was
wheeled out of the hospital with a procession of police officers. I was taken
back to the jail. I had no tears left to cry and my heart ached. I was in
despair.
God is all I have to give me strength, to give me hope.
I got to spend a total of 6 and a half hours with my baby. I nursed her four
times. I was not permitted to call my attorney, or to have any more time with
my baby. I was told that the decision to remove me from the hospital had come
from the top of the Sheriff's department.
Ruth Christine 1st October 2001
[signed]
Carla Cross
Notarial Seal
State of Montana
[signed]
Notary Public for the State of Montana
Residing at Missoula, Montana
My Commission Expires April 1, 2005
ANOTHER STATEMENT FROM RUTH CHRISTINE:
On Tuesday 25th [September] I was sitting in my hospital gown, recuperating
early in the morning. Suddenly, three guards appeared and told me that I was
going to court. They got me some clothes, put me in a wheel chair handcuffed
and shackled, and wheeled me to the van straightaway.
I had a hard time getting into the van, as I felt dizzy. I was on pain
medication for the after pains, which were really strong. I was bleeding
heavily, having given birth only 24 hours before.
I informed the officer that I felt dizzy. He joked about it and said for me
to let him know if I was going to throw up because he would give me a bag.
At the courthouse, I needed help out of the vehicle and into the wheel chair.
They wheeled me in. Minutes before I was due in court, Margaret Bourg, my
public defender, appeared and told me that this was an extradition hearing,
but she was going to ask for time to file a writ of habeas corpus. I told her
I should not be there in court, as I was drugged up and dizzy. The hearing
proceeded and the judge gave us one week. Nothing was said about my physical
state. I asked to see my baby. The judge simply passed the buck and said it
was not his problem, that it was the sheriff's responsibility.
I was returned to jail.
One week later I still haven't seen my baby!
Ruth Christine 2nd October 2001
[signed]
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