Thursday, May 31, 2012

The Grump's Book Report: The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman by Nikolas Schreck


It is available here: http://www.nikolasschreck.eu/ for 52 Euros ($65.00) It arrived in less than 10 days.

This is a huge expanded version of the previous version of “The Manson File”. When I say huge, it is over 900 pages with no “fluff” or pictures. It is very well written, full of new information. Very few “unnamed sources” are noted. Through meetings with Charlie, a lot of the things he said in interviews are explained. Such as “The divorce courts are running through Reno”, and I’ll call New York”.

There is way too much information to share, but I’ll let you know some of the changes to what we already know. I am just saying what is in the book. These are not my words!

Hinman - It was all about recouping the $$ for the bad mescaline. The Straight Satan’s were the ones that forces Bobby into this. Bobby did not call Charlie, Mary did. If that call was not made, it is doubtful that Hinman would have been killed.

April 1969 - Tex and Bruce botched a robbery (of drugs of course) at the apt of Joel Rosteau and his girlfriend Charlene Cafritz.  Rosteau ended up getting shot in the foot. The police got involved and found drugs all over his place.  Rosteau‘s attorney, Paul Caruso made it go away. Why is the name Caruso important?? He was also the attorney for Billy Doyle, Harrigan and Pic Dawson. He was also the law partner of Richard Caballero, Sadie’s first lawyer. Hmmmmmmm

Somewhere in the books on the case, Linda is quoted as saying to Sadie, “Remember that thousand dollars I had? I got burned up in the hills on some bad MDA”. Who burned her? Billy Doyle.

Aug 8 1969 - Rosteau makes a delivery of $20,000 worth of cocaine and mescaline to Jay at Cielo Drive. A large amount of LSD was also expected, however the LSD supplier (who owned a dress shop) was out of town till the next day. Rosemary‘s name is never mentioned, but it would have to be her..

Later that night, Tex and the girls go to Cielo with the intention of robbing Jay of his drugs. When he learns the LSD is not there, a fight breaks out and they end up dead. It reads that two of them were tied up, and the others killed. When Charlie and friend returned later, the other 2 were killed.

The LaBianca killings - This is a tough one. The book doesn’t even settle this. There are theories mentioned, some we’ve heard before. Yes Leno had had mob connections. The Genovese family is mentioned many times in the book. When The Beach Boys manger, Grillo(?) told Charlie, “I’ll call New York”!, he actually called Leno. This came from Grillo’s secretary.

Remember in Little Paul’s book where he talked about a mob lawyer putting him up in a hotel and questioning him??

Did Rosemary deal LSD? No credible source was ever found. But how did she accumulate an estate over 2 million dollars in 1969?  Her store sold wigs. Tex sold wigs. Important? Maybe, I don’t know.

If Leno was in debt to the mob for $200,000, why didn’t Rosemary cover it?

Was it a robbery? Maybe, the safe was empty and Bruce took off for England with Leno’s coins.

The Labianca’s had a drug dealer neighbor whose name was Quartermain. He was the boyfriend of the mother of one of the Murdered Scientologists., Doreen Gaul or James Sharp. He ran in the same circles as Rosteau. That was the reason for those murders.

There is way too much information to share in this forum. If you spent the $100 for “Death to Pigs”, there is no reason not to buy this. The Process is hardly mentioned at all. The whole Mafia, Catholic Church, Italian Bugliosi issued is explained in detail. It is best to have a pad and pen nearby as there are many facts you will want to write down. Porno movies, gay sex and kiddie porn discussed in great detail. (Altobelli and Charlie gobbled each other’s knobs a few times). Peter Lawford, the Kennedy’s, Marilyn Monroe, it’s all here!

Some facts I remember:

Joel Rosteau  Sebring’s dealer - Mafia
Both LaBiancas - Mafia
Candy Stevens (Charlie’s 2nd wife) - Mafia
 Candy took the alias “Leona” after one of her clients (Leno!)
Gary Hinman was an FBI Informant
The Straight Satan’s were Mob connected
Manson meets Dennis Wilson at Gary Hinman's house during a drug buy, not at his house. The whole hitch-hiking story was a cover-up.

This one caught my eye:

The prosecution offered Charlie a deal, 18 years in jail, if he testified against Tex and co. He refused.

The book is not entirely pro-Manson. Some of the theories are a little far fetched. But so was “Helter Skelter” for that matter!





23 comments:

Schalke 07 said...

Thanks Grump!

Just ordered it. Can't wait!

orwhut said...

Some of these 'facts', make at least as much sence as what we've been reading for years. Someone must be telling the truth. I wonder who it is.

orwhut said...

Good book report. The grump gets an A.

Anonymous said...

These relevations seem more pausible than the Helter Skelter theory, but does the authour offer any facts or just theories and statements??

sbuch113 said...

Thanks Grump.

Patty is Dead said...

Thank you Grumpy! xx

leary7 said...

The evolution of TLB beliefs is a fascinating study. Most of the world still believes in Helter Skelter, that the killings were orchastrated by Manson to start a race war.
However, most serious students of the event discount HS (or loathe it as in the Col's case) and so look for other causes and motives.
I, like many others, have/had concluded that it was "killing for killing sake" - i.e., that Manson just got fed up, snapped and lashed out. More specifically that Charlie, believing he was on the hook for killing Crowe, wanted a level playing field with the rest of the Family and set out to get their hands dirty too.
This stuff with the Grump...Mafia and drug burns and such requires a whole other leap into a new pool. I went through this with the JFK assassination and it lead to one of my most cherished beliefs - that dissonance causes apathy. That is when there are so many 'versions of the truth' most people just shut down and don't give a shit anymore - few enjoy brain or info overload.
900 pages!!! That is a whole lot of information. And clearly allot of it is highly plausible stuff.
The Col rails against the fact that most people don't want to jump into the deep end and wade through all this stuff, instead they accept the Bug's fairy tale.
But to me that is like railing against the wind. Very few folk have the energy or interest in wading though everything TLB as the Grump has done.
Kudos to him. Great job. And Matt too.

adam said...

Everyone with an interest in this case needs to ask themselves one question - "If The Bug had been able to extract Tex Watson from Texas to stand trial with the others, would he have ever gone after Manson like he did?"

Matt said...

Really good thought, Adam. I still think he would have. A prosecutor rarely gets an opportunity like VB did - to prosecute a trial of the century. Without CM & HS it would have just been drugged-up hippies on a murder spree.

What likely WOULD have been different was the trial itself. Deep down I don't think Watson would have behaved like the girls did. He might have changed those dynamics.

cielodrivecom said...

Well if Rolling Stone didn't publish an off the record interview with Aaron Stovitz, it's likely none of us would've ever heard about Helter Skelter.

adam said...

But Matt how could even Bug have juggled presenting Manson AND Watson to the same jury?

"Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, to my left the man who commited roughly 95% of the carnage on those two nights, and to my right the guy who, erm, talked him into doing it."

Who would the focus of the trial fallen on?

Without Tex and with Sadie protected in exchange for giving evidence, all Bug had was a guy who was never at the scene at the time anyone was killed, and two girls - one of which was a relatively minor player.
By trumping up Manson's involvement, Bug was able to sensationalise the trial and give certain factions in the media and the Establishment what they had been praying for - a way to destroy the hippie movement.

Would the jury have been so willing to accept Charles Manson as the ultimate face of evil if they could have looked into the eyes of Tex Watson in the flesh?

Did Bug pull a classic misdirection which stopped people from asking "What reasons/motives could Tex have had for killing those people?"

Phew long post...

dbryant said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
A.C. Fisher Aldag said...

I recall saying a few of these things a few times in a few forums, before reading this.

Anonymous said...

It also says in the book that Charlie is related to the Carradines, John and David

Matt said...

Grump, exactly how is he related to the Carradines?

orwhut said...

Related to the Carradines!
As far as I know no one has tried to pin John's and David's deaths on Charlie and Bruce. I wonder when they'll get around to it.

Anonymous said...

Matt said...

Grump, exactly how is he related to the Carradines?

All I remember is a footnote that says this. It was on his mother's side.

I told you ... Lot's of information in the book

eviliz said...

Aug 8 1969 - Rosteau makes a delivery of $20,000 worth of cocaine and mescaline to Jay at Cielo Drive. A large amount of LSD was also expected, however the LSD supplier (who owned a dress shop) was out of town till the next day. Rosemary‘s name is never mentioned, but it would have to be her..

I find it very hard to believe Jay
(or anyone) would do a $20,000
drug deal at someone elses home and not their own.

Sharon was supose to have been fed up with Gibby & Voytek's drug use/dealing at Cielo. She wanted them out. Why would she allow Jay to make drug deals at Cielo?
NOT becuase he was her ex boyfriend.
Maybe your thinking Jay did the deal while Sharon was out of Cielo? I doubt Jay would of disrespected Sharon that way.

Anonymous said...

eviliz said...

Maybe your thinking Jay did the deal while Sharon was out of Cielo?

Liz - i wasn't thinking anything. Just relating what it says in the book...

martine said...

I have to agree with Liz on this one. Yet more grasping at straws with the drug burn theory...and now implicating Rosemary LaBianca?

Zarathustra said...

Also in "Charles Manson Now" by M. Marynick, Charlie talks briefly about the Carradines

ResGestae said...

I would be rather skeptical of a work bearing the title "Outlaw Shaman". Manson was, is not, and never will be shaman.

Ajerseydevil said...

Wow Grumb thanks for the book report I actually just ordered the original version the MANSON file from 1988 wish I'd seen your review 1st always a little hesitant dropping $75 bucks on a Book