Monday, August 15, 2016

The Manson Trial In Art News

The Summer 2016 issue of Art News magazine is dedicated as a "Crime Issue" and  includes an article entitled "Trial & Image" by Phoebe Hoban about the artists who make illustrations for news outlets during criminal trials. 



One of the artists mentioned, Bill Robles, is responsible for what the article calls "perhaps one of the 20th Century's best-known court images," namely Robles' sketch of Charles Manson leaping over the defense table to attack Judge Charles Older with a pencil after Older refused to let Manson ask questions of a prosecution witness whom the defense lawyers had declined to cross-examine.

"Robles' famous Manson lunge is an exciting blur 
of motion rather than a minutely detailed drawing."

The article also gives some space for Robles to reminisce about his time at the Manson trial:


Robles' recollections are interesting to any student of the Manson case, but I was surprised by his claim that Manson's co-defendants "would sometimes stand up and say 'Heil Hitler.'

Heil Hitler?  I've read a lot about the Manson trial, but I don't recollect ever hearing that the girls stood up and said that. Can anyone direct me to a source that corroborates Robles' memory?  

Or did Robles misremember? 

(Or was the author of the article just sloppy in recording whatever it was Robles said that the girls said?)







33 comments:

Farflung said...

OK, so let's get down to the "art".

There's a blue eyed, raven haired, woman who is topless (impressively so), and holding a pistol.

At the expense of handing over my "Man Card", I noticed she has a finger on, or near the trigger, and an additional four fingers gripping the stock. With a thumb, totaling six fingers.

But with such an impressive "upper body", having the extra digit may not matter.

I'm sure I'm the only one who noticed the polydactile maiden.

DebS said...

Perhaps you would prefer the maiden have polymastia? :)

Zelda Formaldehyde said...

Hmm...6 fingers.
No sense makes sense.
Game on.

orwhut said...
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orwhut said...

Farf, I think the top finger gripping the stock is supposed to be the ladie's thumb and fingernail while the three below it are fingers wraping around from the other side. Thanks for bringing the fact that she has fingers to our attention. I hadn't noticed them. :-)

George, The Kindle search feature turned up zero occurrences of "Heil" in Helter Skelter and zero in Manson In His Own Words.

Matt said...

Fingers aside, it looks like Joan Collins scratching her boob with a pistol grip.

David said...

The Nazi salute appears to have happened on Friday, October 2, 1970:

"Hail Caesar!" the three girls said when the judge took his bench. They stood with their right arms extended in a Fascist-type salute.

LA Times: Manson, Girls Again Ordered From Courtroom for Outbursts, John Kendall, October 3, 1970.

Robert Hendrickson said...

Folks are born with 6 fingers and they even have a get-together.

AND the NAZI card is even back in the NEWS - IE: Donald Trump

Sorry folks, it just doesn't get ANY better than this. We haven't even had the 2016 election yet and BOTH Presidential candidates are considered boring history, BUT Charles Manson - well maybe the word "ICON" works for EVERYONE. NOW, there is a whole NEW generation curious about "What is all this fuss over Charles Manson?"

I can even SEE the day when "Immigrants" crossing the desert to FREEDOM from a corrupt "establishment" PRAY to the "MAN of consequence" for save passage.

AND the "Hail" "Hail" to the Roman ruler is but another clue in connection with the Manson Mystique.

So a once common MAN lounges at a "Roman God" right in the "Temple of Pigs" ? Folks, WE got new and improved LEGEND in the making. This time: He's got a real pair of balls.

HellzBellz said...

Owkay...Nice, in the LA Cinema we have Fearles Vampire Killers & The Wrecking Crew on Sunday and Monday... then Manson on a Tuesday... This done on purpose ???

Robert Hendrickson said...

Ah - Seems the fish have stopped bitting. SOOOO, here's something I have thought about for quite awhile: Was Bugliosi and the DA's office trying to prevent a RACE war or NOT even aware that THEY could be promoting such a WAR?

AND then the other night a Documentary with authentic footage revealed that back in 1918-1919 Black and White RACE riots broke out all over America. I mean THEY (White & Blacks) were actually "fighting" each other. THUS Charlie's Helter Skelter was NOT even a NEW idea.

AND of course, you only have to look at what's happening in the last year, right up to TODAY, and the "writing" is all over the "burning " walls. America's Black and White RACE War (Helter Skelter) has been going on for (at least) a hundred years.

SO maybe The Manson Family and the DA merely (for a time) sneaked in a little publicity regarding the ISSUE?

Seems a shame to have to "sneak" to get to the TRUTH !

orwhut said...

It's Sneakyville all over again.

Zelda Formaldehyde said...

RH,if the race war had been going on for all that time, then why did Charlie feel he had to start it? Wasn't he perceptive enough to know that ballgame was already in the 5th inning?
Maybe Leno was more in tune than Charlie was; he was making plans to get out of L.A. and buy a ranch down in Vista.

Manson Mythos said...

Charlie has said at one time that the DA created Helter Skelter. That it was a reflection of his ideas. What I think he means is the fear of the black race and using it to one's advantage as a means of controlling both black and white people.

He's talked about the guilt and fear prison officials and guards have of the black inmates. That they beat up on him to show the black ones they are not racist and then project him as being the racist and throw him into the prison yard with them.

Many liberals today do the same thing. They'll hold up Black Lives Matter signs next to their "black brothers" they want to be unified with and then point and scream RACIST at the Trump supporters. This way they won over the black people and diverted any ass kicking they fear on somebody else.

Makes you wonder if there was a hint of truth about wanting to "scare" society. Why did the cops lay off Charlie when they heard about the Crowe shooting and knew he was obviously turning the Ranch into a fort in fear of retaliation from blacks? Did they want to unleash one common enemy against another for the things they were guilty of?

Clinton despite launching a jihad against "Super Predators" which resulted in blacks serving life sentences for Marijuana is now an overnight leftist savior and fairy godmother to African Americans, while projecting Trump and his middle class supporters are being racists. She don't care what kind of chaos it leads to.

Maybe Bugliosi thought by persecuting Charlie, it would please the Black Muslims enough to keep him nice and safe.

Robert Hendrickson said...

ZELDA: I'm NOT so sure Manson "was" trying to start a RACE war. IF he was, I don't know how HE expected ANY Black person to understand that from the Tate LaBianca Massacre. I suppose it's possible that the Black Muslims in prison and Charlie had some sort of "signal" worked out before hand, BUT why was that NEVER mentioned in the 9 month TRIAL ?

Fiddy 8 said...
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Fiddy 8 said...

Wasted away again in Bugliosiville
Searchin' for the lost motive of assault
Some people claim that there's LSD to blame,
Now I think, - hell it could be meth's fault

Anonymous said...


Anyone seen this brief interview of Charlie before? It was posted today on Youtube.

Too bad it's not longer (there isn't any dancing) :(

Anonymous said...


I should amend that last statement. Simon Adebisi appears to be dancing in his cell at 2:39 of the video. No Charlie dancing, though.

Robert Hendrickson said...

IF the "glasses" were intentionally left at the TATE house crime scene, how would that have helped to promote a Black and White race WAR ?

IF TEX, at the TATE house, really did call out "I'm the Devil and I'm here to do the Devil's work" how was that to have helped ignite Helter Skelter ?

AND I would ask, "How does one actually START a race WAR in an environment where WAR is already considered a dreadful thing amongst an entire society? "

Maybe instead of lunging at the judge, Charles Manson was actually trying to take-off and fly." NOW, that makes more sense to ME!


Zelda Formaldehyde said...

RH said ... "I suppose it's possible that the Black Muslims in prison and Charlie had some sort of "signal" worked out before hand, BUT why was that NEVER mentioned in the 9 month TRIAL ?"

I really doubt the brothers were taking Charlie seriously in the can. I'd believe he was more impressed with their defiant militant stance than they were with his faux-apocalyptic nuttery.

Manson Mythos said...

To clarify. This is from Charlie himself explaining how everyone had their own reason for doing what they did.

"somebody else was being called up into a negative thought by a bunch of harassament by other people. The Ranch was being raided every other day by the LA Sherrifs. Everytime that they would become afraid of the black people, they'd run over and raid the white people to make themselves feel a little stronger, a little more powerful. You know, like in other words when you're white and you're underneath the establishment, you got to deal with all the white people in the establishment that are afraid of the black people."

Think about what was on the LaBianca walls now.

As for why Bugliosi would purposely ignore "Black Muslim". I guess if they dwelled too much on what THEY told Manson, Helter Skelter would be less and less a Charlie thing and that could have easily turned the trial into black people being blamed for the killings after all.

CieloDrive.com said...

ALL FEMALE DEFENDANTS: (In unison.) Hail Caesar.

THE BAILIFF: We talking while court is in session.

DEFENDANT MANSON: Your Honor, may I suggest that the Court continue to try itself, as it has been doing a very poor job of showing the public any justice. You’ve only shown your force and your power.

THE COURT: Mr. Manson, I order you to sit down, sir Remain quiet during the proceedings so that we can continue this trial. You are now disrupting this trial.

DEFENDANT MANSON: (Signing.) That old black magic has me in its spell. That old back magic that you keep so well. Those icy fingers --

THE COURT: I order you once again to sit down, sir, and stop this.

DEFENDANT MANSON: I’d like to go back to my room and relax. You can handle your own matters.

THE COURT: Sit down, sir.

DEFENDANT MANSON: I find it hard not to do what I’m told because all my life I’ve done what I have been told.

THE COURT: All right, sir. We are going to continue this trial.

DEFENDANT MANSON: Now, your Honor, if you would allow me to maintain a voice, I could probably bring to you the thought that I have done what I’m told.

THE COURT: I order you to stop, sir.

DEFENDANT MANSON: You have been ordering me forever. All my life you have ordered me. You have ordered me to cease to live. You bring me in here and you charge me for murder and you say I have rights and you hold up rights in front of me but you give me none.

THE COURT: If you don’t stop, Mr. Manson, I’m going to have you removed from the courtroom.

DEFENDANT MANSON: Okay. That’s all right. I’m not here anyway. You can put a picture up here and prosecute yourselves. Because that’s all you’re doing.

THE COURT: Are you ready to proceed now, sir?

DEFENDANT MANSON: I’ve been ready to proceed. May I ask the man some questions?

THE COURT: No, you may not.

DEFENDANT MANSON: I can’t speak? I’m a dummy, a (?)

THE COURT: We are going to go ahead now.

DEFENDANT MANSON: You are going ahead. But where are you going ahead to? Look at yourselves. Look at all of you. Where are you going? You’re going to destruction, that’s where you’re going. You will end up being judged. That’s what you’re going to do. All of you. Everyone of you. It’s your judgement day, not mine. I’ve already judged me.

THE COURT: Remove Mr. Manson from the courtroom.

You will be permitted to return, Mr. Manson, whenever you are willing to affirm your willingness to remain quiet.

DEFENDANT MANSON: Have a good day. I will. Every day is a good day for me.

DEFENDANT ATKINS: Who are you judging?

DEFENDANT VAN HOUTEN: Look in the mirror. Follow your own reflection.

THE COURT: I order you ladies to stop.

DEFENDANT VAN HOUTEN: The guilt you find is yours.

DEFENDANT ATKINS: Who is going to order you on judgment day?

DEFENDANT VAN HOUTEN: Go look in the mirror and try yourself.

THE COURT: If you don’t remain quiet, ladies, I will have you removed from the courtroom.

DEFENDANT ATKINS: For what?

DEFENDANT VAN HOUTEN: You did it when you took away our pro per.

DEFENDANT KRENWINKEL: You let us have no advice, either.

THE COURT: Are you able to get down what these ladies are saying, Mrs. Reporter?

THE REPORTER: Yes.

DEFENDANT ATKINS: You don’t her it anyway. It goes right in one ear and out the other.

DEFENDANT KRENWINKEL: You don’t want to hear it.

DEFENDANT ATKINS: Look at yourself, man. You are nothing but a machine. You’re a machine.

DEFENDANT KRENWINKEL: You are headed for complete destruction of yourself because that’s who you judge is yourself and only yourself.

THE COURT: Are you ready to proceed now?

DEFENDANT VAN HOUTEN: How

DEFENDANT ATKINS: Proceed.

THE COURT: Remove the ladies from the courtroom.

DEFENDANT ATKINS: Have a nice day.

THE COURT: The jury is admonished to disregard the remarks of the defendants in their entirety. Counsel are again advised that their clients may return to the courtroom at any time that they are willing to affirm their willingness to proceed and conform to the Court’s rules regarding their conduct.



George Stimson said...

"That old black magic has me in its spell."?? Case closed!

David said...

"The jury is admonished to disregard the remarks of the defendants in their entirety."

Once the cat has pissed in the milk it is awful hard to skim the cream.

cielodrivecom said...

Off topic, but since I have this particular transcript open. In chambers Older asks Bugliosi about Grogan.

THE COURT: As a matter of curiosity, why wasn’t Tufts prosecuted?

MR. BUGLIOSI: I can explain.

THE COURT: It is of moment in this case but I am just curious.

MR. BUGLIOSI: There are several reasons, and I can’t give the Court all the reasons.

One reason was that all we had at the time of the Grand Jury was Susan Atkins, and what she told me, her story was identical to Linda Kasabian’s with one substantial departure. She said that after the LaBianca incident they drove straight back to the ranch instead of going to Venice where these other things occurred. In the Grand Jury the testimony was that he was with them at the LaBianca residence and they drove back to the ranch.

We didn’t have him doing anything affirmative that night, not even disposing of anything.

There were other problems. He is a mental case.

Also, I had to put this Grand Jury thing together in about three days, and I hadn’t spoken to Tufts.

I was hopeful that maybe we could use him as a witnesses for us at that time. Maybe he would have testified for us at the trial.

There are several other reasons which I won’t go into now, but I am just giving the Court some idea.

THE COURT: You don’t have to tell me.

David said...

Great stuff!

I will add this from personal experience- not in a criminal courtroom- that conversation never happens if anyone in that room thinks for one moment their client is 'innocent'. This is 'Ok, lets pack these guys away. Hey Vince what about 'Tufts'?' Any realistic 'defense'= counsel would have chimed in: 'Your Honor, this is inappropriate until this trial is over.'

And Scramblehead appears to have skated.

PS: Does he tell him?

Can I get a copy of the transcript?

David said...

The whole thing?

CieloDrive.com said...

Well, to be honest the best part of the trial are the inchambers conversations. Very candid. A few weeks ago I was reading a discussion about the girl's lack of bras.

Send me an email if you want this transcript

Robert Hendrickson said...

Thank you mucho much Mr. "C" for those behind the scenes "in chambers" revelations, BUT if those talks between the Judge and the Prosecutor were "transcribed" - IMAGINE the ones that were NOT.

"Ceaser" and "Pizza BOY" - kind'a like the "Priesto Molesto and the "Alter boy."

CieloDrive.com said...

My understanding is that Evelle Younger made a big stink about the gag order and demanded that all of the in chambers discussions be on the record so they'd be in the transcript and be available to the press. Here it comes up in Voir Dire

THE COURT: The record will show all counsel are present in the chambers of the court except Mr. Stovitz.

I just want to find out whether you want this motion heard in chambers or out in the open court or what.

I am talking now about the motion to dismiss.

MR. BUGLIOSI: I would like to have it in chambers, your Honor, but the District Attorney has ordered Mr. Stovitz and me not to participate in chambers discussions unless the transcript is made available to the press.

THE COURT: I am interested in the philosophy of the District Attorney on that point.

What would be the point of having proceedings out of the presence of the jury if the transcript of the proceedings were to be made immediately available to the press so the same prospective jurors could read about it second-hand in the newspapers?

MR BUGLIOSI: May this be off the record?

THE COURT: No. You were the one who made the statement. I am asking for an explanation of it. It is something, apparently, I don't understand:

MR. BUGLIOSI: I would have to speak to Mr. Younger.

THE COURT: I take it you then have no explanation for this policy

MR. BUGLIOSI: Well, let me say this --

THE COURT: You don’t have to answer, Mr. Bugliosi, I understand your position, but it would seem to me it would be highly inconsistent to ask for a proceedings out of the prospective jurors and then turn around and make the transcript of those proceeding available to the press.

Not only are they going to hear it, but they are going to hear it second-hand and possibly inaccurately.

MR. BUGLIOSI: At the time of trial, of course, if the jury is sequestered, then they would not be permitted to read the newspaper accounts of what took place in chambers.

I understand the Court is concerned about right now where the jury does go home and, presumably, does read the newspapers.

THE COURT: Whatever the reasons, if you desire to have the motion heard in open court, that is where it will be heard. All I want to know now is what is your desire.

As I have indicated to you in the past, all of these proceedings in chambers have been done upon the stipulation of all counsel, and unless all counsel are willing to stipulate, we won't have any proceedings in chambers.

MR. BUGLIOSI: I would prefer to have it in chambers, your Honor, and then have the transcript of this particular hearing be made available to the press.

THE COURT: Well, I am not going to change my order regarding the transcripts. So I take it, then, that you want it in open court; is that right?

MR. BUGLIOSI: Yes.




Patty is Dead said...

Cielo you are amazing

CieloDrive.com said...

Thank you Patty, you as well

Fiddy 8 said...

So Glenn Miller was sending secret messages to Manson too?