Burning of draft board records by Philip and Daniel Berrigan and others, May 17, 1968: an interview with Mary E. Murphy given on November 2, 1972

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Collection: Friends of Catonsville Library Date: 1972-11-02 Date of Digitization: 2004-03-29 Source: Catonsville Library Original Dimensions: 28 x 22 cm Creator: Murphy, Mary E.

Notes:
This a transcript of a recorded interview with Mrs. Mary E. Murphy who was the Chief Clerk at the Draft Board office no. 33 at the time of the event of the forceful removing and burning of the draft cards by the Catonsville Nine group.

Transcription:

very nice to me and I got the distinct impression that they were horrified at 
the whole affair."

(Interviewer:  Well,  apparently they were because an indictment was handed down.) 
"Yes, that's right. Then, of course, the  trial didn't occur until October 7th.
Actually they began picking the jurors prior to that but I was summoned to appear 
on October 7th.  I was kept in the Judge's chambers prior to my testifying. They 
would not allow me to hear the other witnesses. They didn't want Mrs. Morsberger 
and I to hear them.  Mrs. Morsberger testified first.  Then they called me.  I was 
brought out and put on the stand."

(Interviewer:  Who was  the judge?) "The judge was Roselle Thompson - Judge Roselle 
Thompson. The Berrigan's lawyers for the defense were Father Cunningham, a Jesuit 
lawyer, Mr. William Kunstler and also Bishop Pike sat in with the other lawyers. 
Mr. Fred Bisol also was a lawyer for the Berrigans but I can't recall whether or 
not he was actually there. I think he was during the trial." (Interviewer: Which 
one of them questioned you?)  "I think it was mostly Mr.Kunstler - Mr.Kunstler." 
(Interviewer:  How did he approach it?)  "Well, of course, I told my story exactly 
as it occurred as far as I could - about how they came to the Local Board and
what happened. They questioned me as to how many files were destroyed; actually 
there were 375. They asked me what I thought it would cost the government to 
replace them.  I told them that I didn't know but that I did know that it took six 
people, three weeks, just to do the preliminary work to replace the records and it 
actually took us a total of a year to finally get the last case straightened out 
from the destruction."

(Interviewer:  Did the Attorneys for the Defense try to make you feel as if you 
were doing wrong when you were working for the Draft Board?)"Yes they did. 
As a matter of fact, I felt like I was on trial.  They intimated, of course, 
that what I was doing was all wrong.  The made all sorts of remarks about me. 
Father Cunningham asked me about the flowers as though this should have bought
me over or made me feel better towards the Berrigans. All of this was very 
disconcerting.

After I testified, the man from WBAL-TV who had come out and taken pictures 
and used a sound track of the "Nine" around the fire, and what they said, testified, 
they also showed pictures to the jury. I didn't actually ever see the pictures 
but I did hear some of the sound.  After I testified,  I was allowed to leave 
through the door - through the courtroom - and into the hall.  All I could see,