There is nothing quite like the spectacle of arch enemies thrown together in a tight space. Part of you expects fisticuffs. Or, at the very least, a shouting match. There is, however, another possibility: That people retreat into their own corners, keeping a safe distance from their rivals, biding their time while they plot their counter moves. That said, let’s set the scene in Ponape, shall we? Because things really did go sideways.
(Pacific Collection, UManoa-Hawaii)
Judge Brown: In The Zone
At the Ponape Airport meeting, Steve Goodenow noticed that Judge Brown seemed non-plussed about the chaos surrounding him. Perhaps it was his distant relative, Gen. George Patton, kicking in. At any rate, here’s what Goodenow observed:
"Judge Brown appeared to be in his element. He sat there smoking a cigarette in a short-sleeved shirt at the Ponape Airport." Steve Goodenow, Ponape, March 19, 1978
Steve Goodenow? He wasn’t feeling quite the same vibe. For him, things had gone sideways. “By this time the entire airplane was up in arms,” he noted. “No one knew what was happening, no one was allowed to leave except the four of us. Meanwhile, the plane was stalled in the middle of the field. Judge Brown reviewed all the papers. The attorneys made all the arguments, but he decided there should be a hearing in Majuro and that the hearing would go on on Tuesday as scheduled and that we were all to leave the plane and find our own reservations.
“Our baggage was lost. Mine luckily was aboard the plane and I picked up my suitcase, attempted to find Michael Weight’s suitcase, with no luck, and then the plane took off without us. Cogswell proceeded to throw us in a little van he had and take us up to the Village Hotel.”
Pohnpei (Pacific Collection)
Bob Cogswell: Takes Control
SECURITY AND ARRANGEMENTS
Bob Cogswell, on the other hand, was proving to be the man for the job. “Following the meeting the writer [Cogswell] made arrangements with the Village Hotel to accommodate the group until Tuesday. This included the boy, his sitter, and Messrs WEIGHT and GOODENOUGH. All possible security and assistance was provided them during their stay, including escorting them around for half a day on Monday March 20, 1978.
Cogswell didn’t stop there. He was ever the observer. Gossip? Why not?
“Susan ALLEN was observed by the writer leaving the airport with Judge Brown. She went to Judge BROWN’s home and later in the evening was taken by the BROWNS to the Village for dinner and the rest of her stay. It was reported to the writer by GOODENOUGH and WEIGHT that during that dinner, Mrs. ALLEN and Judge BROWN did not speak to, associate, or acknowledge the presence of the other members of the group in the dining room.”
In short Judge BROWN and Mrs. Allen ignored them. No such snubs for Cogswell, though. Judge Brown seemed almost solicitous. Something about knowing who your allies are.
PHONE CALL FROM JUDGE BROWN
At 1730 hours Sunday March 19, 1978, the writer [Cogswell] received a telephone call from Judge BROWN. “He thanked me for the assistance rendered at the airport and informed me that the whole matter would be resolved in Majuro on Tuesday, March 21, 1978. He went onto say that he had just spoken with the boy’s father in Honolulu and reported the father was pleased with the turn of events in Ponape. He added nothing else.”
Sideways: Judge Brown Dead
Steve Goodenow spent the night at the Village Hotel, “not knowing really what we were to do.” And then came some strange news. Shocking news, actually.
The next morning Bob Cogswell arrived. Bob looked in a state of shock. He sat down by me, looked me right in the eye and said, "Judge Brown is dead." Mike [Weight] and I went down and with Bob's assistance, sent telegrams to Honolulu and to Guam. We were still at this point waiting for some message as to what's going to happen.
At this point, everything started to go completely sideways. The group’s individual fears started to kick in. Jean Sullivan expressed it in the most concrete way possible. She spoke of a “mystery man,” named Chuck Wolfe. A man who’d shuffled and slinked his way through the Honolulu Airport as Scotty made his initial trip with Rodger Cotting. And now, somewhere in the middle of the Pacific, Jean Sullivan said it again.
Jean expressed to both Mike and myself the fear that someone may try to kidnap Scotty. The Chuck Wolfe situation was discussed and it became apparent that Sullivan and Weight were as concerned with Wolfe's appearance on the Majuro scene as I. Our fears regarding Scotty were expressed to Bob Cogswell who agreed to stay on top of things and keep watch.
Alliances: Uneasy
There was no way that Steve Goodenow was going to put all his trust in Bob Cogswell — especially after what was — in his estimation — Cogswell’s brutal treatment upon their landing in Ponape. Then there was Judge Brown’s sudden demise, throwing even this sideshow into doubt. Here’s Goodenow discussing the situation, his own antennae on high alert:
I also spent some evening hours on surveillance keeping tabs on Scotty's room and checking out various hotel guests who showed interest in our situation. It should be noted that one radio call was overheard at the Village. The caller wanted to know if the "kidnappers" were there. Realizing that this attention to us could be undesirable as far as Scotty was concerned, we tried to shield him from too much exposure to the general public.
(Courtesy Pacific Collection, UManoa-Hawaii)
Arrangements: Awkward
STEVE GOODENOW: “Mike [Weight] and I agreed not to discuss the merits of the case and confine, as much as possible, our conversation to our mutual problems; i.e., returning to Honolulu and Scotty’s welfare.
Weight represented Neil Mackay's interests which, at a minimum, were not in favor of returning Scotty to Alaska. Goodenow? Not so much. He was hired for one thing and one thing only. Get Scotty on a plane back to Alaska.
Goodenow: “Because of a room shortage at the Village, Mrs. Allen moved in with Mrs. Sullivan and Scotty for the second night in Ponape. She also accompanied Sullivan on Tuesday, March 22, 1978, to pick up and translate a telegram marked urgent which was written in Marshallese. I never learned the contents of the telegram, but Sullivan did relate that there was word that we would be allowed to proceed to Honolulu.”
At times Jean Sullivan's behavior was irrational, in that her feelings for Scotty clouded the relationship between the four of us. I lay some of the blame to Susan Allen, wife of Attorney George Allen. Mrs. Allen had followed us to Ponape on an Air Nauru flight. Her purpose appeared to be to make contact with Judge Brown (as evidenced by her contact with Brown at the Ponape Airport and subsequent dinner with the Browns at the Village Hotel) and to maintain a watch on the four of us.
(courtesy Pacific Collection, UManoa-Hawaii)
Homeward Bound
STEVE GOODENOW: “Later on March 21, 1978, I received word that there was a telegram waiting at the Communications Station. The telegram was from Associate Justice Robert A. Hefner and gave us clearance to head (with Scotty) directly to Honolulu on the next available flight.
“At about 12:30 a.m., Wednesday, we arrived in Majuro. Scotty was asleep and stayed aboard the plane. Jean Sullivan and Michael Weight went into the airport. Jean was observed talking with Chuck Sullivan [her husband] and Roger and Marie Cotting. Ironically aboard the plane, apparently coming from Saipan, was Judge Hefner. The plane also carried the body of Judge Brown. Hefner left the flight at Majuro. Also at the airport were Felix Cabrera, Oscar DeBrum and Jim Winn.”
The rest of the flight was uneventful. Because we crossed the International Date Line, we arrived at Honolulu at about 9:00 a.m., Tuesday, March 21, 1978. We were met by my office, and the Honolulu Police Department.
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Copyright Leland E. Hale (2026)