Of course you've heard about the Barker Ranch raids of October 10nth & 12th of 1969, which rounded-up the Manson gang. Less well known is the large-scale Barker raid of September 30th, two weeks earlier. Probably because the raid was a total failure. They couldn't find a single Mansonoid.
Desert Shadows by Bob Murphy, pg72
Six CHP, four Inyo County deputies, and three park rangers raid Barker Ranch on Sept 30, 1969. (aided by two more flying overhead in a small plane. They came up Goler Wash from the west side as well as the east side via Mengel Pass)Interestingly, Bugliosi doesn't mention this raid AT ALL, but does go into detail about a two-man reconnaissance visit the day before:
Helter Skelter, pg175
"On Sept 29, (NPS Ranger)Powell, accompanied by California Highway Patrolman James Pursell, decided to check out Barker Ranch. They found two young girls there, but no vehicles. ... The officers had come looking for arson suspects, and a possible stolen vehicle. ... Before leaving Barker, Powell and Pursell decided to check out some draws back of the ranch. ... In so doing we stumbled into a group of seven females, all nude or partially so... We questioned the girls but received no useful information."
"On Sept 29, (NPS Ranger)Powell, accompanied by California Highway Patrolman James Pursell, decided to check out Barker Ranch. They found two young girls there, but no vehicles. ... The officers had come looking for arson suspects, and a possible stolen vehicle. ... Before leaving Barker, Powell and Pursell decided to check out some draws back of the ranch. ... In so doing we stumbled into a group of seven females, all nude or partially so... We questioned the girls but received no useful information."
The raiding
party on the 30th discovered two dune buggies they confirmed were stolen, but not a
single Mansonoid. How is it that they found at least nine girls the day
before, and most of the Family on Oct 10 and 12, but they didn't come
across a single person on Sept 30th?
Desert Shadows, pg73
"Those
participating in the September 30 search were disappointed. The net
result of all the planning seemed to be two inoperable dune buggies and
no suspect. The men wondered if the hippies had somehow learned of their plans,
but it was more likely they were spooked because of the visit of Powell
and Pursell the previous day. They had vacated Goler Wash."
Was
Charlie forewarned? Where were they hiding* that not one of the 13 cops
or rangers on the ground, in a day-long dawn-to-dusk search, could find
even one of them? Why don't any of the ex-Family members ever mention this? Why is this incident only mentioned in the Desert Shadows book?
*I suspect they spent the day inside the Lotus Mine, down Goler wash.
-----------------------------
This was not the first time that Charlie seemed to have foreknowledge of police plans:
--March(or February) '69 Barker Ranch raid by Shoshone Dep. Sheriff Don
Ward, with two or three others. The raid caught Brooks Posten, Paul
Watkins, and Juanita Wildbush, but not numerous others who had
conveniently decamped the day before.
www.cielodrive.com/updates/brooks-postons-october-3rd-1969-interview-with-james-pursell-in-inyo-county/
Brooks Poston interview by Inyo County Sheriff Don Ward October 3rd, 1969
"... Juanita was the only one left, as they had heard the Sheriff was coming up. And, Charlie sent a truck up to get a – all the people out, that he could – or that he wanted out. And he left Joan Wildbush and myself up there, to face the Sheriff...
.... there was a supply run made to Las Vegas. In which, Joan and the girl named Sherri went. And when they came back, there was a big hurry to get all the people out except Joan and myself. Because, as I was later to find out, the Sheriff was coming."
www.cielodrive.com/updates/brooks-postons-october-3rd-1969-interview-with-james-pursell-in-inyo-county/
Brooks Poston interview by Inyo County Sheriff Don Ward October 3rd, 1969
"... Juanita was the only one left, as they had heard the Sheriff was coming up. And, Charlie sent a truck up to get a – all the people out, that he could – or that he wanted out. And he left Joan Wildbush and myself up there, to face the Sheriff...
.... there was a supply run made to Las Vegas. In which, Joan and the girl named Sherri went. And when they came back, there was a big hurry to get all the people out except Joan and myself. Because, as I was later to find out, the Sheriff was coming."
--July 29, 1969 Spahn mini-raid. Charlie was right out there on Santa Susanna Pass Road to greet the 'surprise' visitors.
Ed Sanders' The Family, pg250:
"He(Manson) had concealed himself and his dune buggy in underbrush near the turnoff from Topanga Canyon Boulevard onto Santa Susanna Pass Road, awaiting the invasion of hostile forces."
Ed Sanders' The Family, pg250:
"He(Manson) had concealed himself and his dune buggy in underbrush near the turnoff from Topanga Canyon Boulevard onto Santa Susanna Pass Road, awaiting the invasion of hostile forces."
--August 16, 1969 Spahn raid. The cops moved it up a day, because they feared Charlie had gotten advance intel on the raid.
Manson's Hinman/Shea trial, Oct '71
LADA files Box54-4 pg603 Testimony of LASO Dep. Preston Guillory
"The raid was supposed to take place on Sunday morning, but it was moved up, because we were told that members of the ranch--or somebody--had knowledge of the raid, and that they may have made efforts to pull out or to fortify further."
But even then, the night before Charlie allegedly told Gypsy that they would be raided in the morning.
Conclusion: Bugs didn't mention the Sept 30th raid because it would have raised too many questions about how Charlie could anticipate the cops' every move. Obviously, he had a source within LE, probably high up.
".... somebody very high up ... was seeing to it that we didn’t bust Manson." -- ex-LASO Deputy Preston Guillory
