Email From Ann Francke-12-21-09

In response to my new web page "Journal of a Murder," I received the following email from Ann Francke.

 

Dear Rob,

The Steve Jackson piece, "Journal of a Murder," is great, although I have no recollection of any "high ranking FBI official" contacting me.

"May 18 – A high-ranking FBI official in Washington, D.C., writes to Francke’s sister, Ann, and tells her that the bureau is looking into possible corruption within the Oregon prison system and any link to her brother’s death. Portland FBI officials later deny any such investigation took place."

 

I would have thought that would have played a prominent part in forwarding the investigation, and would have triggered further follow-up contact, which doesn’t seem to be the case. Can Steve Jackson help out on this? I did write my Kansas senators, Bob Dole, and Nancy Landon-Kassebaum. My recollection is that Dole was sympathetic but indifferent, and that Senator Kassebaum was more interested. Was the FBI letter in response to contact from Senator Kassebaum? She very well might have forwarded my letter to the FBI but I cannot recollect any FBI letter in response.

At the reception after Mike’s funeral, which was, as I recall, at Mike’s former brother-in-law Austen Basham’s home (wife Judy is sister to Mike’s ex-, Cassandra "Sandi" Encinias Francke), Governor Goldschmidt was treated most graciously and was probably feeling like he was among friends. I had already contacted Roy Master’s office in Grant’s Pass, Oregon, having heard Masters recount corruption stories from Oregon in his radio show, and had been informed by office staff that their opinion was it was an inside job as there was systemic corruption in high places.

 

They told me about one case involving "Mountain Man" and some biker gang and the DEA running drugs. I consequently wasn’t feeling amicable towards Goldschmidt, and was in a pretty grim frame of mind. Anyway, as Goldschmidt was preparing to leave, I approached him alone and respectfully asked him to initiate an FBI investigation into Mike’s murder as there were a lot of allegations of state and interstate corruption. That relaxed look left his face and he seemed nervous but composed himself, and said he would not call in the FBI as he was confident the state had the investigation under control.

Some time later, I called the FBI in Oregon, probably the Salem office, and spoke with an FBI agent. I told the agent I was Mike Francke’s sister, and was requesting that the FBI look into, not Mike’s murder, but all the attendant allegations of corruption. I believed there were too many impediments to getting Mike’s case investigated, including Goldschmidt’s refusal. The agent was terse, emphatic and almost robotic, in saying,

 

"There is no FBI investigation into the Michael Francke murder."

 

I again stated I wished them to ignore Mike’s murder for the time being, and just concentrate on corruption charges. He again repeated himself. I was a little vexed and explained I was not asking that Mike’s murder be investigated, I only wanted them to look into the drugs and graft and other allegations. The agent repeated himself again, and we concluded the conversation as civilly as possible.

I was really annoyed and then some time later realized this agent may have been trying to do me a favor in dismissing my concerns as he did, given the potential for danger as his boss, Charles Turner, chained these watchdogs, apparently acting in collusion with the cabal of crooks.

 

A short time after this phone contact with the FBI agent, I got a call from my brother Kevin, who chided me for interfering with the FBI investigation. Later I found out that Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Turner quashed the FBI investigation after their 30-day probe was over, and rejected the FBI request for permission to continue.

 

There was no FBI investigation into Mike Francke’s murder beyond the 30-day look-see, and I would hope that Kevin could explain under what circumstances the FBI contacted him, as I was led to believe, to have him tell me to back away from my request, and what cooperation or consideration they gave in return.

This is my recollection and I hope you can clarify this with Steve Jackson, who did a great job. Blessings.
Ann Gerard Francke

 

Yeah, I’d kinda like to hear an explanation from Kevin as well. I’m also curious why Kevin felt the need to hustle his parents out of money for Jeanne Schwartz. Betcha I know why.

Was Wayne Hunsacker Hard of Hearing?

Study these facts from the prosecution case against Frank Gable:

 

Material witness Cappie "Shorty" Harden said he was sitting in his car across a parking oval from Francke’s car in front of the state Dome Building when he saw Frank Gable get into Francke’s car. Harden testified that he saw a well-dressed businessman run up to the car, shouting, "Hey, what are you doing in my car?"

 

Police criminalists testified that Gable came out of the car and stabbed Francke twice in rapid succession.

 

Custodian Wayne Hunsaker testified that he left his job in the basement of the Dome Building at 7 p.m. and was walking away north to his car when he heard a "surprise, hurt" sound. Looking back, he saw two men facing each other who then turned away from one another with one racing off to the west, and the other walking back to the Dome Building.

 

Police thought that Hunsaker saw Gable confronting Francke. Criminalist James Pex said the "surprise, hurt" sound was the type of sound that could have been caused by the knife puncturing Francke’s lung.

 

Now answer this question: Why didn’t Hunsaker, who was about the same distance from Francke’s car as Harden, hear Francke’s shout?

Video of the Day – Atheists Can’t Think For Themselves!

Another classic by Edward Current submitted for the holidays. Listen to Edward as he proves that being a Christian requires constant thinking, while being an atheist sheep does not. This explains why athiest are the dumbest people God ever created!

 

As always, the comments posted to Edward’s videos are the most comical

Journal of the Michael Francke Murder

The new webpage "Journal of a Murder" is finally completed.

 

 

Chronicle presents characters, controversies in case

　

by Steven P. Jackson

Thus far, time has failed to heal the wounds caused by the January 1989 stabbing death of Corrections Director Michael Francke.

Instead, time has served only to deepen the bitterness and cynicism his family feels toward Oregon authorities…

…to cast more shadows on his former department…

…to add names to the uneasy fraternity of drug dealers, detectives, bureaucrats, politicians, reporters, convicts, liars, lawyers, guards, governors, brothers and dead men who are bound together by Francke’s murder.

Journal of a Murder — crunched into brief glimpses of witness statements, interviews and investigation reports — is a chronicle representing two years of work by police, press, other investigators, Francke’s family and friends.

From a bloody New Mexico prison riot in 1980 to the hours surrounding Francke’s death to the imminent trial of his accused killer, Frank E. Gable, Journal of a Murder seeks to lay out in order the characters, actions and controversies that drive this case.

It shows how Gable got in trouble: his mouth.

Journal of a Murder shows why some people, including Francke’s family, believe that others were involved.

And it demonstrates how the many other questions about the investigations came to be and why many of them have refused to fade away.

They are the questions about the connections to drug trafficking, to official corruption, to a 1986 investigation of wrongdoing in the Oregon Department of Corrections, to the financial troubles that haunted Francke’s prison programs in New Mexico and Oregon.

They are the questions about the effectiveness and integrity of the investigators, the ignored conflicts of interest, the information leaks.

Whether there will be answers during the upcoming weeks and months of the trial, or ever, remains to be seen.

Journal of a Murder does not claim to present all of the thousands of telephone calls, informants, detective work or wild goose chases that make up this case.

It cannot look into the hearts and minds of the characters that make up its days and hours any more than it can peer into the future to say what will stand or fall in the courtroom or in the years to come.

And Journal of a Murder cannot portray the terrible toll the case has had on people — not just the obvious victims like the Francke family, but the not-so-obvious victims, like the police detectives whose marriages couldn’t take the longs hours away from home, or the good people whose opposing views made antagonists of natural allies.

Some of the chronicle means nothing to the case; some of it is probably coincidence, some a collection of lies.

But buried somewhere in the accounts of these 2 1/2 years is also the truth.

And only time will disclose whether the trial of Frank E. Gable will close the wounds…or rip them wider.

Can Clarence help Frank Gable?

Time for my annual shoutout to any angel 2nd class’s looking to earn their wings.

 

 

New Guestbook Comment

Just a welcoming shoutout to our newest site visitor Marco Polo who recently posted a comment in the guestbook.

 

Marco should enjoy the music of The 69 Eyes playing this week on the homepage.

Words of Encouragement

I received an email a couple of days ago from someone who will remain anonymous until they choose otherwise. A portion of the email is as follows…

 

"Rob, I can’t thank you enough for your patience, insight, and perseverance in creating a public archival record of the travesty of Frank Gable’s conviction for Michael Francke’s assassination. You are a true citizen-soldier in the fight for justice. The vertically-integrated Bad Ol’ Boys crime network, from tweakers to government officials, is worthy of a federal RICO case and I pray for God’s intervention to bring this about. It will take a miracle."

 

 

Judge Jack Weinstein rips NYPD on false arrests as brothers sue for $10M over wrongful narcs bust

 

Judge Jack Weinstein rips NYPD on false arrests as brothers sue for $10M over wrongful narcs bust