2002-02-22: The Garden Party - (aka "Madhatters Garden Party")

THE GARDEN PARTY

This is what is known to some on the Internet as "The Garden Party" story. This story was sent to several anonymous posters, myself included. NOTHING is sacred on the Internet.

This story involves a person known as Rita Johnson who apparently attend this event. This story is not being told by Rita but was second hand to a third party. This story could be true and then again it could be rumor. It's just a story.

What you a re reading here is EXACTLY as this stor y was sent to me unedit ed. I can't verify the story other than some of the posters names mentioned were in fact posters on the JonBenet Ramsey Internet forums.

This story can, however be dated from the reference to when David Westerfield was arrested in the murder of Danielle Van Dam and that announcement came on February 22, 2002 at 10:45am in San Diego, California and the "CNN Transcript of the press conference" was posted on Jameson's WebbSleuth's forum by "Lovely Pigeon" at Feb-22-02 at 06:46 PM.

---

Begin of Story:

"She then told me she was at the get together at the Ramseys and how she became invited, and her version of that story. She told me she has known the Ramseys for 3 years or so. Said she met Patsy in a store in Atlanta, (where Rita also resides). It was a happenstance meeting and they both discussed painting. (Rita is a painter of nudes and landscapes). After much talking, they exchanged numbers. Patsy and Rita became "good friends" and that is how Patsy would introduce Rita to others when together. One day, Patsy asked Rita if she would like to get together to paint. Rita accepted . Patsy told her to meet her at the cemetary on such and such a day. R ita thought it was kind of odd to be meeting at a cemetary to paint, but she just went with it. So, Rita showed up a t the cemetary. She said it was odd because no one else was there. Just a pick up truck and some guy who had a ladder in the back.

She thought it was a maintainance man for the cemetary. She pulled up next to the truck and struck up conversation. She asked the guy in the truck, whom she later became to know as "Ellique" from the internet, if he was there to do some maintainance. He laughed and said "NO". He said "I am Ellique from the internet, and I am here to finally meet Jameson". Rita said (although she already knew) "Who is Jameson?", and Ellique said "What? You mean you don't know the infamous Jameson?" and Rita played along and said "no". Ellique said that jams should be there in a few minutes and then she could meet her too.

After about 15 minutes and some small talk between Rita and Ellique, Patsy pulls up with Jameson in her car. Patsy gets out and introduces Rita to Jameson as "this is my good friend Rita". Jameson shook Rita's hand, but the daggers were evident to Rita, as Jams not liking that Patsy had another "good friend". Jams just grabbed her box of angels and said "well, I have these angels to hang. They are from all over the world, sent to me to place in the tree". So Rita said "Oh, so you are going to hang all these angels?", and Jameson said "We do NOT use the word "hang", we say "place"!". So, Jams showed her rudness from the very beginning to Rita. Ellique just got out of his pick up and came over with the ladder and helped Jams get it set up by the tree.

Obviously Ellique had ALREADY met Jameson, and wasn't there to "finally meet Jameson" as he led Rita to believe. Rita thought it was odd that the ladder base was placed right on top of the grave of JB. She thought that was rude and should not have been done, but she noticed that Patsy said nothing, so she didn't either. Jams and Ellique just stayed to themselves. Rita felt like she was in the twilight zone. Jams then just opened the box of angels. Rita scoped them out. She told me that she noticed that the angels were all similar in size and make. She said "you know how you go to a store and buy angels all attached to a line or that are sold in bulk together in a box and they all have similar characteristics?" and I said "yeah", so she said "well, that is exactly what all these angels looked like".

She said NO WAY could they have been from "all over the world" or they wouldn't have all been so similar! What are the odds of people from all over the world sending similar angels? She said NO ONE noticed or spoke openly about it though, only she made the observation, but she didn't say anything, waiting to see if others noticed or would say, an no one did. Patsy was fiddling with flowers in the back of the car. Rita said that they all looked not so much in good shape and kind of worn out, like already grown and were fading. Rita felt she was in a dream or nightmare.

Rita was also wondering what kind of painting they would be doing when all this was going on and where would they paint? Rita just kept to herself and observed. So, another car pulls up. It is John Ramsey and the life councelor for Patsy. They were not introduced. So now it is Patsy, John, Life Councelor, Ellique, Jameson, and Rita. (I think that a couple of other women showed up from the church or something, but I am unclear on that right now - this conversation was long ago and I don't remember all that were there, possibly because little in the way of introductions were made). Anyway, the life councelor clung to Patsy.

John was talking about a murder that happened in some state where the guy was said to have burried the dead in their back yard or something, and Rita thought that was totally inappropriate to discuss at his own daughters gravesite. One of the ladies who showed up found an old pot of fake flowers on JB's site. When the woman asked Patsy what she wanted to do with it, Patsy just smirked and said "just chuck it!". Rita found this odd. Someone took the time to put something that would not die on JB's site, showing their own form of respect, and Patsy just says to chuck it? Rita found this whole meeting very bizarre. She said it was like Patsy's friends are in different groups and are all there for different reasons, one group not ever really knowing another, like litte packs in one corner here and one corner there, all only being told what she wants to tell them and the rest are unaware of what the others are doing and knowing. Just like whispering going on in each little group. Very bizarre.

So, in continuing, one woman just asked Patsy where she wanted to put the flowers she brought, and Patsy said something like "anywhere, just around the gravesite". So they began to plant and Jams continued to "place" angels. John just stood there and eventually just left, on his own, ALONE. No hellos and no good byes. So Patsy finally makes her way over to Rita, who has now been watching Jams "place" angels. Rita asked Jams if she could help, and Jams said "no". Then Patsy said to Rita, "I know I have asked you to paint with me today, and we will do that."

Then the life councelor said to Rita "NO, Patsy is to ill and she needs to rest, she will NOT be painting with anyone today". And then the counselor walked off to the car, Patsy's car. As the life counselor walked away, Patsy rolled her eyes and told Rita "We WILL be painting today. Come back to my house and we will paint there, ok?", and Rita said "ok". Patsy then made her way back to her car and left to go home with the counselor in tow, LEAVING Jams still placing angels in the tree, and leaving her stranded. Rita could only hear some small talk between Ellique and Jams. Nothing important, just stuff like "you want this one next Jams?" (meaning another angel), and jams would say yes. WELL, when Jams saw Patsy leave without her, Jams was furious. She blew a gasket. She practically took all the rest of the angels and threw them in the tree. She was done in seconds, showing how pissed she was.

Rita just stood there with Ellique. Rita did NOT want to bring Jams with her back to Patsy's, so Rita headed towards her car. Ellique just through the ladder in the back of his truck, and Jams seemed to be stranded. Ellique and Jams then made there way to Elliques truck. Rita poked her head out the window and said, "I will follow you", and they didn't answer her. Rita then followed them back to Patsy's, and she observed that Ellique and Jams were very chummy. Jams touching his shoulder as they spoke in the car, leaning in towards him to listen to him speak. Stuff like that. Also giving way to them NOT having met for the first time that day.

Ok, so now they are back at the house. The councelor had since left. I think she was brought home by John? Not clear on that. There was a small lunch at this point. Jams, Rita, and Patsy. Ellique left after dropping off Jams. Very little talk went on. Patsy just talked with Rita only, and talked of her paintings and their meanings. Rita said that Patsy was very interested in discussing and showing her paintings. Almost like an obsession. Jams was ignored. (So she was left flat by Patsy at the gravesite, in which they went there together, and then she was ignored at the house!) It was like Jams wasn't getting the hint to leave, Rita said. So, Jams got up from the table at one time. I guess to use the ladies room. When she left the table, Rita asked Patsy "what is with her?", and Patsy just said "I don't know. I know if it was her child, I wouldn't have been so interested as she is in JonBenet" and Patsy rolled her eyes before she said that.

Now Patsy and Rita get up from the table and Patsy begins to show Rita her paintings.....

The first painting that Patsy brings out is the one that was done by the woman from Michigan! The same woman who in DOI Patsy claimed she threw her off her land because they found out she was a reporter for a tabloid or her husband was. So, Rita was saying to herself, why is Patsy so proud to display a painting from this woman she supposedly hated enough to throw off her property. (Were they really friends to? Who knows.) Then Patsy brings out a bizarre painting. It is one in which there is one person, like a portrait, but it is Patsy and John joined in one face! Rita said it was so bizarre she really thought that Patsy had now lost it. She said the painting was enormously eery, and the meaning of the painting was supposed to show how John and Patsy merged due to the murder of JonBenet and became closer. But Rita said that painting really looked strange, like just really scary to look at, yet Patsy was so proud of her work. One face, but two faces merged? Then she showed Patsy the others, like the ones that "were" shown on 48 hours. These others I just described were not on 48 hours, and that is one of the reasons I think that Jams can cooberate that what I am saying here is true.

So, now Jams comes back. She sees the paintings and tells Patsy "You know Patsy, you should NEVER let the public see any of this! NEVER show these paintings in public!", as if it was a direct command. Then Jams praised her work, but it was like Jams KNEW that others would see it as Rita did. Rita did not comment on Patsy's paintings in a negative way. She didn't know what to say. She just nodded her head alot and said "wow"...LOL. She didn't want to let Patsy know how bizarre her paintings really were. Rita thinks they are psychotic in nature and certainly didn't want to tell Patsy that.

Then John shows up. He is discussing the new wine cellar. Rita is flabbergasted. They all went down to see the new wine cellar. It is a room similar to that of what they had in Colorado, similar to the room that JB was murdered in. Same size, same type room, but filled with wine and wine racks. Rita just thought this was unreal. She thought, why have a similar room to the one in which your own daughter was murdered in? She just didn't understand their logic. Between John discussing murders at the gravesite, and having a wine room like the cellar room in Colorado, Rita began to think it was time to reflect on her relationship with these people. She knew Patsy for some time, but not heavily into a full blown friendship. They mainly talked by phone and this was her first tour of Patsy's house, paintings, et al. Her observations of Patsy is that she feels sorry for her. She thinks that Patsy is totally dominated by John, and yet, she is fiesty when she wants to be. Nearly showing two different personalities. She will roll her eyes at someone when she wants to, but then in a second breath, jump to attention when they talk at other times. Just really weird, Rita says. It is like she loves all the attention and the followers she has, but when she isn't into the attention on any given day, she just pretends they arent' there or badmouths them or rolls her eyes at them.

Ok, onward....

Now, Burke comes home. He has a skateboard with him. He just comes in, says hello to no one. Again, Patsy introduces Rita to him as her good friend. Didn't introduce Jams, obviously, because they had already met. Burke just gives Rita a blank stare and heads to his room. Rita heres drums beating loudly. It is Burke on his drum set. He is beating the heck out of them. This goes on for about 5 or 10 minutes. They can hardly hear themselves think. Then all of a sudden, Burke comes downstairs and heads back outside with his skateboard. Rita said this was the most bizarre at all. It showed her that this young man was pent up with anger. Didn't seem to have much of a personality at all, and just looked detached, in his own little angry world. So, they go on with looking at the paintings. It is about 10 till 3pm at this point.

Patsy all of a sudden leaves the room. Rita knows not to where. Then the phone rings nearly a minute later. Patsy yells that the phone call is for Jams. Jams picks up the phone in the same room Rita is in. Jams laughs a little, chuckles a little, then hangs up. Jams immediately calls for Patsy. Patsy comes immediately running from the other room! (Here we are again. She rolls her eyes at Jams, but then jumps when she speaks?). Jams tells Patsy, "oh, the was LovelyPigeon. She said for us to turn on the tv NOW, that David Westerfield is about to be arrested at 3 o'clock!".

They turn on the 45 INCH WIDE television (you know? the one Patsy has always claimed to never have or watch?). Sure enough, it was DW being arrested and in the news. So, now Rita is saying to herself, "how in the hell did LovelyPigeon know that DW would be arrested before the rest of the world, and when, and why did the phone ring as soon as Patsy left the room?" The way that all played down was very suspicious to Rita. She thought that Patsy may have been the one who actually called Jams from the other room herself, and that is why Jams was so weird with chuckles on the phone, but then how would Patsy know about DW? Was she watching it in another room and saw it come on? It was just all to weird for Rita. While they were watching DW arrested, Patsy was cheering the TV screen. Jams was also "HAPPY" about it? (I thought she was AGAINST DW being arrested????? Why would Jams be cheering with Patsy about his arrest??? OR was this because she had yet to hear the trial phase, or was she just doing what Patsy wanted her to????) Rita at that point didn't know that Jams stood behind DW until I told her, which of course made that day just more bizarre to her. She was flabbergasted to hear of Jams backing him on the net, yet cheering him on to Patsy as "the guy". Of course, during Patsy's and Jams glee over watching the DW thing, Rita was now ignored and just stood there waiting for it to end.

This story now begins its decent. Patsy and Rita then set up to paint. Jams, feeling again ignored, decided to finally finally leave. She left saying very little. That left Patsy and Rita to paint. Rita said they didn't really talk while painting. They just concentrated on painting, did some small talk, and eventually Rita left after a short time, it was too late really for Rita to get into it now. It just felt to weird for her to stay. After that day, Rita and Patsy have only spoken briefly here and there by phone. Supposedly, there last conversation was last October, but very brief and it ended with both knowing they would really not be in touch again.

Rita said that her relationship with Patsy was never bizarre. She believed their innocence for a very long time. BUT that day, the day they finally spent quality time together enough to see and observe each of their behaviors, and the course of bizarre events, really made Rita think she was doing the right thing in writing her book and not betraying Patsy, as she once felt she was. I don't believe the books intentions were to put down Patsy at all, at first, but it was just going to be a book about the court thing and letting the public decide - so that the cops would get off the Ramsey's butts, or arrest, one or the other. One of the factors surrounding the delay of the book early on was adding this "Madhatters Garden Party", as Rita likes to refer to it. I think that is the name of this story in the book as well, as this story is supposed to be in the book.

Hopefully, I have remembered it with as much detail as I can muster and with correct quotes and happenings. I believe I have. However, the relationship deteriorated between the Rams and Rita shortly after that meeting day. Rita felt she was treated poorly at other times, and then sometimes treated with respect, just as Jams was, the counselor was, et al. Ellique and Patsy never really talked. Only Ellique was introduced by Jams to Patsy and Patsy said "hello", not even questioning his existance at the gravesite."