Monday, January 13, 2014

Ruby Pearl Redux


My last post on Ruby prompted orwhut to ask who the wrestler was that Ruby Pearl married.  That question got me going again to try to figure out Ruby's background.  I went through dozens of newspaper articles until I found one with her last name.  It's in an article about her little dog Tinker Toy, written when he died in 1961.

Ruby's last name was Molinaro!  With that information I searched for and found her marriage to the wrestler, Michael Angelo Molinaro,  although I was not able to find out anything about Molinaro's wrestling career.   The two were married October 22, 1950 in Los Angeles.  Michael Molinaro was born August 31, 1913 in Pennsylvania and died November 6, 1978 in Grants Pass Oregon.  I'm guessing, given his age, that his wrestling career was in the '30's and '40's.

The California marriage records as well as being in the groom's name are in a woman's maiden name and also in her previous married name if she had been married before.  So I was able to learn her first husband's name, too.  It was Vern Sylvester.  They were in the 1940 US Census listed as living in Minneapolis Minnesota.  Ruby's occupation was listed as a waitress.  Her husband had no occupation listed.

The marriage records I found for Ruby were in her given first name of Pearl.  She was born Pearl Stella Oliver in Sandstone, Pine County, Minnesota on May 18th 1912.  Her parents were Dalton G and Stella S (Hillard) Oliver.  She had two sisters and four brothers.  On the 1920 US Census the Oliver children are listed in order of their ages.  Cecelia, 15; Delbert, 12; Ray 10; Pearl, 7; Irene, 5; Glenn, 2 years 3 months.  By the 1930 US Census there was another brother, Everett, 6; and Cecelia and Ray were not on that census.

Both of Ruby's parents died in Los Angeles, her father Dalton, at 103 years old on September 27, 1963 and her mother Stella, at 93 years old on December 19, 1978.  Ruby herself was rather long lived too, passing away at 98 years old in Grants Pass Oregon on May 29, 2010.

Ruby's obituary from the Aitkin Independent Age, Aitken Minnesota, June 6, 2010.








37 comments:

orwhut said...

Deb,
You've done it again! Thank you very much!
Michael Angelo Molinaro doesn't ring a bell. I suspect he wrestled under a different name. My research skills are far below yours but, I've run across a forum or two about early wrestlers. I'll poke around and see if he turns up.
Ruby lead an interesting life.

DebS said...

Well thanks orwhut for getting me to try and find the wrestlers name! I found out what I wanted about Ruby along the way.

I tried to find Molinaro's wrestling info, too, but no luck on that. He probably did have a different name. Many of them did back then. I even looked for his first and middle names or something that sounded Italian. There were a lot of wrestlers listed in the old databases where the true name was not known.

I hope you have some luck at the wrestling forums. He was from Carbondale Pennsylvania and might have wrestled back there. He was in the Army from Nov. 1943 until WWII was over in 1946 and he joined in Pennsylvania.

Patty is Dead said...

What the heck has been going on in Grant's Pass, Oregon? It comes up over and over again...

orwhut said...

No luck yet on Ruby's husband's wrestling career.
I did come across a Backporch Tape with a caption that says her name was Martha. The tape may be what gave Mr. Spudnut the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UR_rX01IBCQ

beauders said...

After Spahn Ranch burned down George Spahn bought another ranch in Grants Pass. Ruby Pearl moved there with him and I would assume her husband went with her. There is nothing special about Grants Pass believe me. It is right over the border from California and is half way between San Francisco and Portland. Didn't Danny DeCarlo own a gas station in Grants Pass? It is a good place to buy gas as Oregon gas is cheaper than California gas and we don't pump gas ourselves in Oregon the gas station hires someone to do it. It is actually illegal to self pump here. Thus Grants Pass is a good place for gas and hotels and that's about it.

Matt said...

beauders, this video says he "operates a service station" in Medford, OR (mid-1970's).

Could he really have scammed enough money in CC fraud to purchase a service station?

Matt said...

The part about the service station starts around 6:40

Matt said...

travelmath.com says Medford & Grants Pass are 30 mi. apart.

Robert Hendrickson said...

"SHE noticed lots of guns and knives in Charles Manson's dune buggy and called the sheriff. He was taken into custody." So did Ruby Pearl finally reveal the TRUE story to the Oregon newspaper? Cause, now it looks like the Manson Gang confused "Shorty" for Ruby Pearl.

Let's see now:

1) Charlie Manson confuses the EVIL drug dealer Bernard Crow with a real DEVIL Tex Watson.

2) Charlie Manson confuses a lonely piano teacher living in the woods with a "Wealthy Political Pig."

3) AND Charlie Manson apparently confused a "snitchy" ranch hand (Shorty) with "Ruby Pearl."
as the one who called the "sheriff" on him.

SO where did the confusion reside in the Tate House? In The LaBianca House?

Patty is Dead said...

BEL bought property in Grants Pass if Patty is not mistaken. Let her go look...

Patty is Dead said...

From Tendler and May:

"The Brothers also set up another commune on mainland America under the leadership of Lynd. Financed by sales of Orange Sunshine, he bought a parcel of land in Grant's Pass, a remote part of Oregon. The full purchase price was $20,000 and, to avoid arousing the suspicion of the police or tax officials, the deal was done in the name of Lynd's brother-in-law, Robert Ramsey."
For their money, Lynd and the Brothers got themselves a stretch of virgin land bordering on a forest. This commune, unlike the ranch, would be very basic and could also be a hide-out for fugitive Brothers."

Patty is Dead said...

Does anyone have Bobby's Lawyer's phone number please?

DebS said...

Robert, Ruby's obit was in a Minnesota newspaper and I assume it was written by one of Ruby's family members. It's a little strange because the sister mentioned in the obit died in 2002, eight years before Ruby. There is no telling what Ruby's family was told about her role in the arrests and they may have believed that it was Ruby who brought the Family down without knowing all the details.

DebS said...

Beauders, I question George Spahn buying another ranch in Oregon. He was completely broke at Spahn, where did he get the money to buy another ranch? Spahn died in Los Angeles in 1974. We do know that Ruby stuck around Los Angeles long enough to testify at Shorty's trial.

Recorders office records for Josephine County are not available online so I can't easily look up records but I will contact them and see what I can find out by phone.

Ruby's address was 3488 Upper River Rd. Grants Pass. It is a three bedroom two bath home on 1.6 acres and was built in 1976. I don't have any idea how long she lived at that address. The records I can find only go back to 1993 but I will try to find out.

beauders said...

Both Bugliosi and Sanders claim Spahn bought another ranch in Grants Pass. Maybe Spahn had an insurance payout/

Patty is Dead said...

Patty thinks we have another ooEEoo on our hands...

Trilby said...

Didn't George Spahn get the $ to purchase his alleged ranch in Oregon after selling more of Spahn Ranch acreage to Frank Retz?

Patty, check your e-mail. (And I also had the same reaction to reading she lived in Grants Pass. Didn't the lovely Ms. Pittman *heavy sarcasm* live there for a time? There's that weirdness with Plumlee and a couple others in Oregon talking about the murders in fall '69... And didn't the BEL have an "interest" in an amphetamine operation in that area? Not to mention the strong biker presence there.).

Matt said...

mmmm hmmm...

DebS said...

I just got off the phone with someone at the Josephine County Clerk's office. They do not have a system where you can get them to do research for you but she was able to tell me a couple of things.

There was a Warranty Deed filed in Pearl Molinaro's name in 1979 and there was no George Spahn in their records. The clerk suggested that I contact a title company in Grants Pass and hire them to do the research for me.

Of course, there is no guarantee that if George Spahn did buy a ranch in Oregon that it was in Josephine County but it seems a logical place to start considering Ruby ended up there.

Trilby said...

Nancy lived in Grants Pass, also. Maybe Ms. Davis-Montfort will confirm for us?... 0-o
Deb, you're awesome.

Trilby said...

... And is anyone else feeling frustrated that Ruby P. was alive until a few
years ago, & could have been interviewed? I had always assumed she had long passed over. I would have liked to ask her several things, and get her take on Barbara Hoyt's version of Shorty's murder. While I don't particularly trust Hoyt's version; it's bothered me that Ruby's statement of her last sighting of Shorty - at night, being chased by Davis, etc. towards the creek - could tend tp support Hoyt's claim of hearing him screaming (murdered) at night down by the creek.

Matt said...

And I'll bet she was a real straight shooter. Damn...

Trilby said...

I spent time last night trying to remember exactly when I was told she was in Grants Pass, but couldn't. So I'll tell the story of the circumstances around it, because it's a little oo-ee-oo (& funny, if you have an overdeveloped and warped sense of humor, like me.). I think it had to be the late 90s - early 00s (around the time I thought Ms. P-D-M was living in N. Cal.). I was speaking to someone who had ongoing research knowledge as to "Family" updates. I was one of the many thinking of writing a book, at that time. (Now all I care about is being dedicated to a collaborative effort at finding/exposing the truth. Back then, I think there were others alive who could have been brought to justice. Although I think there's still one alive who could at least be prosecuted for Gaul-Sharp. But I digress...). So I had ordered a copy of the original "Manson File" off of Amazon. It had just arrived, & I had told my friend it had been sent from Grants Pass. That's when they said Nancy had been placed there, & we were laughing & joking about her making some extra money selling her Manson books on Amazon (in bad taste, I know, but I remember we came up with some outrageous one-liners.). I've always had a feeling there was some kind of underground-criminal-railway connection with Oregon/The Family/bikers/AB, etc. I've been reading the BEL book by Tendler/May and my ears went up...
The deal with the circumstances and timing around Shorty's death bug me as much as TLB. I'm continually aggravated by all the conflicting stories and narratives. It's headache-hell trying to confirm the simplest of things in the timeline. An example: Greg King wrote that on Th 8-7-69 Sharon attended a screening of "Marcus Welby M.D." starring Robert Lipton at Universal. Amos, Sebring's houseman, gave a statement placing ST-P, JS, AF & VF at Easton Drive for dinner and TV on Thursday night. This simple discrepancy bugs the hell out of me. This case is a fact-checker's nightmare! (Unless you have Deb's skills. I do NOT. :)
Anyhow, I sure would like to have spent time with Ruby. I love the story of how she "talked back" to Manson. I think she might have been okay talking about her memories, & she had a heck of a colorful, fascinating life. She could have told us more about Shorty, fleshed him out, so to speak. In the same way I pay most attention to casting and set design when watching a movie or TV show; I care most about filling in the details behind the murders - the people and places. I stubbornly believe in that saying: "God is in the details".
Matt, nagging again, but there's one person alive who's GOT TO BE interviewed before it's too late and I remain firmly convinced that, (as busy as you are), you're the one to do it!!!

Trilby said...

BTW, Beauders, I enjoy your posts and look forward to reading your book!

Matt said...

beauders, I'm really sorry but I had to delete a comment of yours as it mentioned someone's current whereabouts. I don't want to risk violating any terms of service rules...

Trilby said...

Sandy's? ;) :) :)
Yes, I'm incorrigible.

As for all the Spahners who have gone on with their lives, I truly send positive thoughts and well-wishes to all of them. Would be fascinated to hear any of their reminisces or insights, but they deserve their privacy.
Vern Plumlee I'm on the fence about. I wish he could be convinced to talk. Equally certain he won't.
However, when it comes to people I believe are flat-out fu**ing liars and obstructionists - first and foremost on the "outside" "Gypsy" & Nancy - well, game on is all I can say. :( :( :( :( :(

Suze said...

I agree, Trilby. Seeing "Gypsy" suck up to Bugliosi a few years ago made me want to hurl. She's now firmly in the "blame Charlie" camp. My gut tells me though that Manson didn't share important info with her. I think there were only 2-3 of the girls that he trusted enough: Squeaky, Nancy and MAYBE Sandy.

Trilby said...

Suze, I always love your comments!
Along with my new AARP membership, I seem to be gifted with many "senior moments". I just remembered reading Beauder's comment that had the now-deleted location - which I now can't remember!!
Anyway, just read a little about Grants Pass, having never visited there. Apparently known for its arts market. Perhaps that was the Nancy spotting - wasn't she selling ceramics at one point in time?

Patty is Dead said...

Trilby said, "I was one of the many thinking of writing a book, at that time. (Now all I care about is being dedicated to a collaborative effort at finding/exposing the truth."

I can't agree with you more. It has to be a collaborative effort or else we will all focus on what the author got wrong, not what they got right.

Beauders is a wonderful woman, well connected in the blog world, and when her book comes out she will give credit where credit is due.

Then there's guys like this jackass:

"summerof1985 said...

If the point of this article is to tout possible connections between "the Family" and the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, I respectfully suggest that none of the listed coincidences are particularly significant. While I certainly have no personal knowledge about whether any individuals from the two groups knew each other, just because some of the Brotherhood and "the Family" sold illegal medicines and lived in San Francisco at the same time doesn't add up to much. Furthermore, isn't a more apt definition of "instant karma" 'getting what's coming to you soon after your misdeed,' not 'fugettaboutit.' Finally, terming CMM as "hippie mafia" needlessly (and inaccurately) confuses him with the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, who came to national prominence in the 1972 "Rolling Stone" article "The Strange Case of the Hippie Mafia." Anyway, the Brotherhood is fascinating, especially their late leader John Griggs, to any us interested in countercultural groups of that era."

Think outside the box, dude. You sound like a Wikipedia entry! Who is going to buy another Jeff Guinn POS? That kind of storytelling is DEAD.

Patty is Dead said...

illegal medicines? WTF?

Robert Hendrickson said...

Deb: The Ruby Pearl article about her "calling the sheriff" may be worth investigating!

BECAUSE: In the offical "Appellate Review." in part the court concludes that: "Barbara Hoyt, a member of the Manson Family, testifed that after his release from jail, Manson, in the presense of various people, said that "Shea" was responsible for the SHERIFF"S raid, that Shea was an ex-policeman, that shea was trying to get the Manson damily kicked off the Spahn Ranch and that Shea was an informant." (RE: page 570 "Death to Pigs"

After doing the research for my book, "Death to Pigs", I find it entirely plausible that Ruby Pearl was the one who triggered the infamous Spahn Ranch Raid which DID net the cops many guns and knives.

So IF, in fact, Ruby Pearl "called the sheriff," the "Shorty kill motive" becomes just another fabricated Prosecutor "theory" not unlike Helter Skelter.

PS: After filming Ruby walking George into the courtroom, (re: MANSON 73) I sat down with them in the courtroom and we talked a bit about the "Days" Ruby was very protective of George and did the talking for him.


DebS said...

Robert I don't have a problem believing that Ruby did call the sheriff on more than one occasion about Manson and the Family's activities at the ranch. To the best of my knowledge it was Ruby that reported Shorty missing before it was publically known that the Family members had committed the Tate LaBianca murders. I think Ruby would have been low key about the treatment she was receiving from Manson, preferring to go though accepted steps to deal with things but Shorty would have been in Manson's face about it and not necessarily running to law enforcement except perhaps to back up Ruby.

Read this account of Preston Guillory's take on the August Spahn Ranch raid. In it he says there were citizen complaints about Manson. I'd bet the rent that Ruby was one of those citizens.

This is from an interview that Paul Krassner did with Guillory and Guillory reveals quite a lot!

http://www.counterpunch.org/2009/08/10/the-mystery-behind-the-manson-murders/

Matt said...

Other citizens would have included neighbors in Chatsworth. To operate their chop shop they needed shop tools. Foolishly, they robbed nearby residential and commercial garages. They also made a lot of noise dismantling VW's and building dunebuggies, not to mention gunfire from their makeshift practice range.

Robert Hendrickson said...

Yes Deb, I've been aware of the Guillory story ever since a commentor called "leary" tipped us off about it. As I mentioned on this blog before, in " Inside the MANSON Gang" Squeaky says: that the night before the "raid" Charlie said to her and Gypsy; Oh, we're being raided in the morning."

SO Charlie knew, BUT instead of escaping the raid, HE rolled over and went to sleep.

So here's why I hate this shit: Every time someone makes a comment GOOD or BAD, it sparks my curiosity and I go a'lookin for more info.

Now hear this: The day after the night Hoyt heard "Shea" scream for his life (dubbed by the Court an "ear witness") "Hoyt overheard a conversation between Manson and Danny DeCarlo, in which Manson said: Shorty committed suicide, with a little help from us. And we buried him under some leaves." -- from Appellate Court review.

So the very next day DeCarlo KNEW Shorty was killed by the Family.

Then under Appellate Review - the court states that: "John Swartz testified that he had seen Vance and DeCarlo at the Spahn Ranch in possession of Shea's attache case containing the Colt 45's."

Additionally, "DeCarlo had redeemed Shea's pair of Colt 45's which Shea had pawned with Sam Launer, a Hollywood pawnbroker: DeCarlo had sold the guns to Delma Eugene Baker in Culver City."

ANYONE see the what's going on here? DeCarlo could have been tried for MURDER under California law, BUT he obviously made a TRADE for his TESTIMONY.

Did ANYONE in the MANSON murder cases have NO reason to say whatever the prosecution told them say?

beauders said...

Mr. Hendrickson could Bill Vance been charged with murder as well?

toocrowdedinthishouse said...

Hi Patty, Hi Trilby.

Chris Till said...

Panamint Patty. I'm the "jackass" you reference in your above 1/14/14 comment. (I'm not even sure how, but my ID name has changed.) As far as your above "illegal medicines" query, some, including myself, consider LSD a medicine. Just like Native American Church (aka "the medicine path") members call peyote "medicine." Or in the same sense that a shaman can be referred to as a medicine man.