<TITLE>02. Par -</TITLE>L-2-2 And then not long ago, you know, they... I had the vision that a great, dark, smoky, sooty, scaly--like an alligator--man come moving towards me with iron fingers. I had one little knife, like that, and he had on him United States Government. And I couldn't help nothing; I was helpless; and then the Lord came on the scene, and it was conquered. And you remember me telling you that long ago.
And they offered a compromise the other day. And my attorney, Mr. Orbison in New Albany, and, Ice and Miller in Indianapolis, on the tax case called me and told me, "Come down." And I went down, Brother Roberson, and I, and my wife, and the trustees of the church here, and all of us; we went down, and they told us that they were--the government was willing to compromise.

L-3-1 And I said, "I, if I owe anybody anything, I'll pay  them. But I--I do my best." But I said, "I don't owe that." And so I said, "I--I... it's... Honestly, God knows. And why don't they indict me then if I'm guilty?" I said, "They've had five years to try to do it, but they couldn't find nothing to do it with." So I said, "No, I--I just won't pay it until it's proved that I owe it."
And then, the attorney took me in, and talked to me, and said, "Now, we can try the case. Government will try it." And said, "When they do, the only thing they can find against you was that you..."

L-3-3 What I--what... The way I done it; I didn't just... I don't know nothing about keeping books, so I just had to do it the way I thought was honest. And it was--it was never banked in my name; it was always banked in the name of the church--campaign, and so forth. See? So it wasn't nothing that I could do about it.
And I... He said, "Well, they are willing to compromise for fifteen thousand dollars, with ten thousand dollars penalty"; and the attorney's fees was fifteen thousand. That made me forty thousand. And so then, they want five more, I think it is now. So I went... I said, "Where in the world would I ever get forty thousand dollars?" And I said, "You know my bank account here; it says about a hundred dollars, and maybe less." I said, "Where would I get forty something thousand dollars?" And I said, "I have nothing for collateral; I just haven't got it. That's all."

L-3-5 And he said, "Mr. Branham," he said, "here's what it is: If we try the case," he said, "there's no doubt but what we can beat the case." He said, "But here's by... the... We can beat it, because here's what I'll do. They're going to claim all that's yours, because you signed your name to it. And they're going to claim it's yours, though it was banked in the name of the campaign--church--Branham Campaign, and then a church..."
And not one time could they find one cent that I ever spent on myself. That's the truth; God knows. There's men setting right here now, been right with me all along. There wasn't one cent that I ever spent for myself. It was all for the Kingdom of God, everywhere, every check, everything else.

L-4-1 But see that? But that don't matter. It was... I... It was supposed to be mine first and then the church's--the campaign's. And they have a way of doing it, you know, all kind of escapes they can make. So then I said, "Well, I'm--I just won't do it."
And he said, "Well, if we beat the case that way, because I'll--I'll declare them personal gifts. See? I'll declare it, by the government, personal gifts." And said, "Then when I do that, all over ten thousand dollars will be inheritance; and then you'll be right back in it again; and they'll hold you another five years checking all them."


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