Guess Who Got Married

 

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Brooks Poston and his bride Sylvee Crockett.

Thanks to Mike 1970 for the tip and the pic.

Oct. 20, 1969 Interviews

Photo courtesy of University of Nevada

 The LASD went to Inyo County to interview those arrested in the Barker Ranch Raids. They also interviewed Paul Watkins and Brooks Poston who were not arrested.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT

October 20, 1969

Information Obtained from Various Subjects at Inyo County Sheriff's Department

On 10/14/69 we interviewed POSTON, Brooks Ramsey; male Caucasian, 12/15/48, home address 408 Lee Street, Boger, Texas. He has lived at Barker Ranch, Panamint Valley, since October 1968. He worked at the Spahn Movie Ranch from June until October 1968.

He met MANSON, Charles in June 1968 at Dennis Wilson's residence at 14400 Sunset Blvd., West Los Angeles. Wilson is a member of the Beach Boys singing group. Charles Manson lived with Wilson for a while, and used his car.

Poston and Manson went to work at the Spahn Ranch in June 1968. At the Spahn Ranch, Poston met GOOD, Sandy; FROMME, Lynn; BLUESTEIN, Diane; and two other girls. Poston stated he saw the females at the Spahn Ranch in possession of numerous credit cards. Poston said that the credit cards were obtained by the females either by sex or by trickery. Poston thinks the girls were working as prostitutes but has not seen anything to substantiate this.

The girls used to obtain old vegetables from markets in the Simi Valley and the San Fernando Valley. Girls also used to obtain day-old bakery goods from an unknown bakery. The girls also used to solicit food from various churches and other charitable organizations.

Poston stated that at the Death Valley area locations, Manson used to tell the girls that they must have sexual relations with the men or he (Manson) would injure the girls.

Poston also stated regarding credit cards that most of the girls in the group are runaway juveniles and, to be accepted by Manson, the girls normally had to furnish credit cards to Manson. These cards normally came from parents of the runaway juveniles. Poston said he once gave a Texaco gas credit card to Manson, and someone ran up the charges in California and Oregon.

Poston stated that Manson once gave an old panel truck, faded blue or green, to the WKFL (Fountain of the World) religious order, Box Canyon, Chatsworth. This truck was obtained at an unknown location, Manson traded this truck to the cult so that some of the females at the Spahn Ranch would have some place to live. The females involved were GLUTZ, Sadie Mae; BRUNNER, Mary; and ROWE, Stephanie.

Poston stated that the group left Spahn Ranch in October 1968 after Manson had an argument with George Spahn. The group traveled from the Spahn Ranch to Death Valley in a converted 57 passenger school bus, that was bought for $750. The money reportedly was from Juanita's insurance refund. Manson took out seats, put in mattresses, and drove it to the Golar Wash area, Death Valley. The bus is presently at Barker Ranch.

When the group left the Spahn Ranch, FROMME, Lynette; SANKSTON, Leslie; and MEYERS, Cathy, were left behind for an unknown reason. The group arrived at Golar Wash area about Thanksgiving, 1968, in the school bus with about 20 persons on the bus.

Poston states that 2-Dodge trucks, both owned by BEAUSOLIEL, Robert, are in the Golar Wash area. One truck is a black Dodge weapons carrier that is at the Barker Ranch. The other is an orange Dodge power wagon which is parked at Ballarat. Both are probably registered to Beausoleil's wife, named Gail. Beausoleil reportedly traded a speed boat he owned for the two trucks. Gail Beausoleil was last at the Spahn Ranch in July 1968, possibly now living in North Hollywood.

Poston stated he saw Manson at the Barker Ranch about 9/25/69 in possession of a .12-gauge pump shotgun, and an "over and under" shotgun. Also, Manson had a .45 caliber Buntline, blue steel revolver. This revolver was reportedly owned by a person known as "Shorty." "Shorty", [later identified as SHEA, Donald]. Poston described Shorty as male/Caucasian, 38 years, 5-11, heavy build, with a beer belly. Poston last saw Shorty in September 1968. At that time Shorty was driving a blue, 1950 to 1956 Cadillac.

Poston stated that about 9/25/69, Manson told Poston to go to the foot of Golar Wash to pickup some auto parts. Poston drove from Barker Ranch to the foot of Golar Wash in the orange Dodge power wagon. At the foot of Golar Wash he assisted DAVIS, Bruce; MOLLER?, Grant; aka "Clem"; and a male/Caucasian, 16 years, known as "Scott" in loading auto parts in truck and returned to Barker Ranch.

Poston stated that when one Officer Pursell was at Barker Ranch, a BRENDA and RUTH ANN were the females that Officer Pursell spoke to, Manson was hiding in the rocks. After Pursell left, Manson took a double barrel shotgun, owned by Stanley Berry, and went into the hills and fired the weapon three times stating officers had been "jacking up his people."

Poston stated that VANCE, Bill, aka COLE, William Rex; had burglarized singer Jack Jones' residence in San Fernando Valley, and that a white-felt Western hat was at the Barker Ranch.

Poston stated regarding the stolen vehicles that a dune buggy, yellow or gold with a black vinyl top, was driven into the Barker Ranch by "Gypsy" (WRIGHT, Kathleen Kay) about 9/24/69.

The gray rail dune buggy was driven to the Barker Ranch by "Tex" (MONTGOMERY, Charles) just prior to 9/24/69.

The blue metal flake dune buggy arrived at Barker Ranch the week of 9/24/69, unknown who drove the vehicle in.

The dune buggy with "Yankee Go Home" on rear was driven to Barker Ranch by Manson, accompanied by Gypsy.

The red Toyota was driven to Barker Ranch by Bruce Davis.

 

The 1969 Ford was brought to the foot of Golar Wash by Gypsy and MCCANN, Brenda. Vehicle was possibly rented by Brenda McCann with a stolen credit card. The 1969 Ford was also driven around Golar Wash by Manson. The blue or green stock Volkswagen owned by SMITH, Claudia, was driven several times by Bruce Davis.

A white, flatbed truck arrived at Golar Wash about 9/15/69. Truck had a wing tank, tools, welding tanks, leopard skins, and brand new tires in wrappings. (This truck may have been from Spahn Ranch).

The red Toyota had a 40 gallon gas tank mounted on rear.

The interview was concluded at 10:00 p.m., on 10/14/69. Poston said he could be contacted again if more information is needed. He is known to Deputy Ward - Inyo County Sheriff's Department. Poston may be used to testify in court, although he said he would not testify against Manson.

This writer then talked to MCCANN, Brenda aka PITMAN, Nancy. She was very vague in her answers. When questioned about her actions the past few weeks, she stated she had been at her parents home about 3 weeks ago. She stated she had been driving to her parents home in Malibu by Leslie Sankston, who was enroute to Santa Monica. She then said her father drove her to a friend's home in Malibu. The friend, by her description, is TERRY MELCHER, 22146 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu. (He is the step-son of actress Doris Day.) Brenda stated she stayed the rest of that day at Melcher's, then hitchhiked to San Fernando Valley and stayed a couple of days in the mountains near the Nike? Missile Base, Brown's Canyon, Chatsworth. She then went to the Topanga Canyon area, went to the "Corral Bar", 2034 North Topanga Blvd., Topanga, and met a person known to her as "Evan." She then was transported to the Death Valley area about 9/25/69 in a blue metal flake dune buggy, very fancy chrome, etc. The dune buggy was driven by "Evan."

Brenda stated she was at Barker Ranch with MORSE, Rachel the day the Park Ranger and CHP officer were at the ranch.

Brenda stated that when she was home about three weeks ago, she purchased gasoline for Leslie Sankston's car with a credit card of her father's. She stated purchase was made at a Texaco station probably at Pacific Coast Highway and Crosscreek Road, Malibu. She stated she either lost card after purchase or left card in Leslie Sankston's car.

The interview was halted at this time as subject caught herself in a lie and refused to make any further statement.

At 10:30 a.m., 10/15/69, the writers attempted to interview BLUESTEIN, Diane Elizabeth, but she refused to make any statement.

At 10:40 a.m., 10/15/69, the writers interviewed SANKSTON, Leslie, who would not make any statements regarding the groups activity, other than stating she had not driven a motor vehicle in a year.

At 10:50 a.m., 10/15/69, the writers interviewed MORSE, Rachel Susan, who would make no statements other than she had never ridden in any of the dune buggies or the trucks in the Death Valley area.

At 11:00 a.m., 10/15/69, the writers attempted to interview PUGH, Sandra, but she refused to make any statements regarding the groups activity.

At 2:00 p.m., 10/15/69, writers interviewed WATKINS, Paul; 1/25/50, 5-5, 130 lbs., brn hair, brn eyes, CII #3-507-517, who currently lives in Shoshone area of Death Valley. Watkins used to be a member of the "family". Watkins had been previously arrested with the family by Antelope Valley Station on 4/25/69, when a Dodge power wagon he was riding in was impounded as a stolen vehicle. Regarding this Dodge power wagon, Watkins stated Charles Manson had tried to buy the truck from a person in Canoga Park for $1,500. The person who had the truck had no paperwork on the vehicle. Truck was later stolen by LIPISETT, David, and it was driven to the location where all the persons were arrested in Antelope Valley Station for GTA, file #469-02595-1173-029. The truck was stolen from an unknown address on Parthenia Street, west of Desoto Avenue, Canoga Park, and may have already been a stolen vehicle at time it was taken.

Another truck, described as a white stake body truck, was driven to Death Valley from Spahn Ranch by Bruce Davis. This truck was later sold by Davis.

A dune buggy that was in control of "Tex" Montgomery at Barker Ranch, had a stolen engine in it. The engine was hidden under a pile of trash at Barker Ranch, the day Officer Purcell was at Barker Ranch. After officers left, "Tex" had a man known as "Leon" from Henry Biggs' house do some welding on the transmission mounts on the dune buggy, and the stolen engine was installed and the dune buggy was driven to Willow Springs.

The family bought tires, oil, gas, and auto accessories with stolen credit cards, and items were brought to desert. The girls in the family furnish credit cards to Charlie Manson, these cards usually belong to parents of the families.

A Phillips 66 oil credit card was used in Baker by Bruce Davis about 10/6/69. This same card was used in Las Vegas by Davis to fill 5 x 55 gallon drums of gasoline. These drums were returned to Death Valley and left at the Anderson Ranch.

 

Thanks to Surf Bat

Watkins also saw the "Dougs-U-Rent" stake body truck in Death Valley.

Watkins said Manson gave him $300 to buy supplies with. This was done about 10/5/69.

The shotguns mentioned in the memo written by Inyo County Deputy Cox arrived in Death Valley after Sandy Pugh was released from hospital. (This would have been after 9/16/69.) Guns were brought to Death Valley by Brenda McCann and Sandy Pugh.

John Flynn told Watkins on 10/14/69, that checks were taken from the Spahn Movie Ranch.

Watkins said that about May of 1969, a 1968 Dodge van camper owned by "Juanita" was traded to a person named "Bill" at the Hancock Station across the street from the Hacienda Hotel, Las Vegas. The van camper was traded for an International 4-wheel drive Scout, white in color. The Scout was returned to the Spahn Ranch where it was abandoned about July 1969 due to clutch trouble. This vehicle had Nevada plates when abandoned.

Watkins also stated that "Juanita" received a $3,000 check of some kind, probably from her parents, cashed it, and bought two dune buggies from Butler's Buggy Shop, Chatsworth.

Regarding the large school bus parked at Barker Ranch, Watkins stated it was purchased from Mintern P. Collins, Cheseboro Road, Agoura. It was bought for $500, the money coming from the father of Sandy Pugh who lives in Boulder Creek, California.

Watkins said that most of the family lived at 31062 Mulholland Highway, Malibu Station area, in February 1969. During this time, William Rex Cole stole a white 1967 VW and left it parked on a fire road two miles off Mulholland Highway. Also, during this time, Charlie Manson took a large wing tank from this area, and hauled it from the area in a 1936 Ford pickup, orange with an Oldsmobile engine. This pickup is owned by DECARLO, Danny. After this incident, Manson was arrested by Malibu Station for an unknown offense.

Watkins stated that the red Toyota recovered at Death Valley was stolen from Van Nuys by Bruce Davis. Two days after taking the Toyota, Davis bought about 95 gallons of gas in Ridgecrest, using a stolen credit card. TUFTS, Garth, accompanied Davis during this time.

About 9/5/69, Brenda McCann rented a 1969 Ford with a stolen credit card. With her when the Ford was rented were Paul Watkins, Gypsy, and "Scotty." Some credit cards were taken in a burglary at singer Jack Jones' residence in Sherman Oaks. Watkins stated this burglary was pulled by William Rex Cole. Some of the credit cards were used by Brenda McCann, Gypsy, and Patty; and were used at Bullocks. Also gasoline was purchased with a stolen credit card at a gas station next to Denny's Restaurant, Sand Canyon Road, Saugus.

Watkins said he saw a person known as BARRY, Stanley aka "Lanier," at Barker Ranch about 9/2/69, driving a 3/4 ton Chevrolet truck, brown or gold in color. Barry lives in Kingman, Arizona, can be contacted by phone #753-5005. Watkins said he had heard that Barry had been killed for an unknown reason. Watkins last saw Barry wearing black pants and a white shirt.

(Note: Stanley "Lanier" Berry was Robert "Bob" Berry's brother. Bob Berry married Juanita Wildebush. He was not killed. He passed May 10, 2009 and was living in Las Vegas.)

Regarding the rumor that a person known as "Shorty" had been killed, Watkins said Manson told him that Tufts had killed "Shorty". Watkins also stated that Tufts told him that he had killed "Shorty", that some of the girls dug a hole and put the body in it. Also at the site where Shorty was buried were Tufts, Manson, Bruce Davis, Tex Montgomery. Watkins did not know the location of burial site.

Watkins was asked to identify some of the members of the family. He stated that Ruth Ann SMITH is from Ukiah, and is 16 years old. Her father is Dean Moorehouse who is an ex-preacher from Ukiah, and was recently arrested for possession of LSD. Her maiden name is MOOREHOUSE, but recently she married a man named HUEVELHURST, who is in Hawaii.

 

Kathleen Wright's true name is thought to be SCHER or SHEARER and is from Woodland Hills. She used to live at Happy Trail, Topanga with Bob Beausoliel. She is 25 years old.

Diane Bluestein, aka "Snake," is her true name. Her mother works for Summer Hills School in San Fernando Valley. She is 16 years old, and lives in Canoga Park.

Leslie Sankston is from San Jose and came to Southern California with Bob Beausoliel.

Carol Matthews is 16 years old and is from the Glendale area.

Lynette Fromme is from the Huntington Beach area.

Interview with Watkins concluded at 3:30 p.m., on 10/15/69.

At 4:00 p.m., on 10/15/69, writers interviewed BARTELL, Susan Phyllis; who was only person of the group who had a driver's license showing her true identity. She stated she has been with the family only since about June 1969. She owns a 1958 Olds, #LTF 188, which was impounded by CHP. Found in her car was a Gulf credit card in name of J.C. Relles, #60-720-063-4. Bartell states this card was given to her in Sylmar by a WEBB, Bob. This card was reported as a stolen card to Gulf main office in Texas on 10/8/69. Bartell said she bought gas in Ridgecrest and signed the purchase receipt. She also bought gas in Barstow signing the purchase receipt. Bartell stated the card was used at the Holiday Inn on 10/12/69 in Barstow, purchase receipt signed by GILLIES, Catherine; she signed as RELLES, Penelope, with address in Mission Hills, California.

Next writers interviewed SCHWARM, Mary Ann. She stated she came to California from Portland, Oregon, about 9-15-69. She drove down from Portland in a red car, unknown make, with Vern THOMPSON, William Rex COLE, and Ed BAILEY. They all lived at 1109 W. Victory, Burbank, from 9-21-69 to 10-4-69, then they went to Death Valley.

SCHWARM said she rode from Burbank to Goler Wash in a rented white truck. She said Duane, Denny and COLE took turns driving the truck. Upon arriving at Goler Wash, the truck became stuck in the sand and was abandoned, later impounded by CHP.

SCHWARM said that on 10-4-69 Vern THOMPSON and Ed BAILEY took all her clothing, and left the residence at 1109 Victory, Burbank.

SCHWARM said that other persons followed the rented truck to Goler Wash in a 1958 Oldsmobile.

At this point in the interview, SCHWARM was shown some papers found in Bartell’s 1958 Ols, and SCHWARM then admitted her true name was VON AHN, Diane Marie; dob 11-16-50, and that she was a runaway from a probation department facility at 3543 South-East Belmont, Portland, Oregon. She left the facility 9-15-69.

At 9:00 pm, 10-15-69, writers interviewed COLE, William Rex; who was booked as HAMIC, David Lee. COLE was semi-cooperative during the interview. He stated he formerly lived at 1109 Victory Blvd., Burbank, with Duane SCHWARM. COLE said he formerly worked at Spahn Ranch, Chatsworth. When questioned if he knew anyone named “Shorty” at Spahn Ranch, COLE said he knew Donald SHEA who married a colored dancer in Las Vegas about two months ago. She owns an unknown type compact car.

COLE was then released by Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, as they had dropped their charges.

At 10:00 pm writers interviewed Bruce DAVIS who was uncooperative, would not answer any questions. A partial handwriting card was completed by DAVIS. This handwriting card was prepared for Agent Michaels, Alcohol, Firearms, Tax Unit, L.A. Office, as Mr. Michael’s office is preparing a case against DAVIS, who purchased a weapon signing forms in his alias name of Jack MC MILLAN.

At 10:40 pm, 10-15-69, Madeline COTTAGE, while being released by Inyo County Sheriff’s Department, told jailer she wanted to have charges filed on her as she helped steal the dune buggy with “Yankee Go Home” written on the rear of it. Writers then spoke to COTTAGE, and she again made same statement.

 

 The original report

Charles Manson: Portrait in Terror

Recently liberated., this only aired once on TV and has been a missing jewel ever since. The Kanarek interview is pure gold:

Deb here......

A few of you, in the comments, have asked when this video aired.

It was first shown February 13 1975 in Los Angeles at 11:30 PM on a program titled ABC's Wide World of Entertainment.  Wide World of Entertainment, later called ABC Late Night, was a series of programs hosted by various "stars" of the day and encompassed a variety of subjects.

Because it was aired late at night and not in "prime time" it was at the affiliates discretion as to what particular day it was aired.  Not all aired the program on the same day.

IMDb page on Wide World.  This particular show is not listed in the various episodes.

What Freaked Out Charlie?

 "Something freaked Manson out in early 1969 enough for him to prepare for the end of Western Civilization." (The Family pp.147)

Brooks Poston (Watson Trial):

“Q: While the rest of the family was at Barker Ranch, that is Manson, you and the others, did Manson ever leave Barker Ranch for Los Angeles and then return to Barkers?

A: Yes.

Q: When is the first time he did that?

A: He left in November.

Q: 1968?

A: Yes.

Q: When he returned to Barker Ranch did he say anything about what was happening in Los Angeles?

A: Yes, he said, "The shit's coming down."

Q: Did he say what he meant by that?

A: Yeah, that the revolution, the Black-White war was in the process of happening.

Q: This was in November of 1968?

A: Yes.

Q: Did he leave for Los Angeles several more times?

A: Yes.

Q: And when he returned, what would he say?

A: He also said the same thing; he said that it was really coming down fast.

Q: On New Year's Eve of 1969 did Manson again return to Barker Ranch from Los Angeles?

A: Yes.”

Paul Watkins (Watson Trial): 

“Q: How did it start out?

A: It started out in about New Year's -- as a matter of fact, it was New Year's Eve between 1968 and 1969, that Charlie was down in the city and the rest of the family was up at the Barker Ranch****

*****

Q: Did it happen at or about the time you met somebody by the name of Mr. Crockett?

A: Yes, it did. I will tell you about it. I was telling you I began to get rather disgusted and disheartened with what was going on at the ranch, because it got to be a revolution type scene where everyone was talking about revolution and we were collecting guns and building dune buggies and things like that --

Q: Let's stop this; let's tell us about collecting guns.

When did you start to do that?

A: It was about the spring of 1969”

It has been said that the shooting of Bernard Crowe was the ‘trigger’ that set Manson off, ‘freaked him out’ but Bernard Crowe was shot on July 1, 1969, seven months after these events and two months after Paul Watkins left the family because of Manson’s violent ideas. 

“Q: In late May, was it, 1969, at Spahn Ranch?

A: Yes.

Q: Charlie said, "We are going to have to show Blacky how to do it"?

A: Yes.

Q: Now, when Manson said this, what effect, if any, did it have on you?

A: Had a heck of an effect because I already knew how he had said it. It was supposed to be done and I didn't want to kill anybody. I didn't want to show him how to do it.

Q: So what did you do?

A: I left, left the family and went to the desert.

Q: How long after Manson told you that "We," apparently referring to the family, were going to have to do it, did you leave?

A: That day.

Q: You went up to Barker Ranch?

A: Yes.

Q: You didn't want to have anything to do with helter-skelter?

A: No, I didn't.

Q: Because you knew this would involve killing?

A: I suspected such.

Q: You didn't want to kill anyone?

A: Correct.”

By the middle of January Manson was obsessed with Helter Skelter. By the time the Family moved to the Gresham Street house (Yellow Submarine) from Barker, it would appear Manson was already over the top. 

“In January 1969, Watkins said, “we all moved into the Gresham Street house to get ready for Helter Skelter. So we could watch it coming down and see all of the things going on in the city. He [Charlie] called the Gresham Street  house ‘The Yellow Submarine’ from the Beatles’ movie. It was like a submarine in that when you were in it you weren’t allowed to go out. You could only peek out of the windows.”   Bugliosi, Vincent; Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.

It might be argued that the source of Manson’s ‘freak out’ was the Beatles, White Album. He returned on that New Years Eve, with a copy and made his ‘hep to the Beatles’ comment but on closer examination the Beatles only served to provide a framework for what Manson had already concocted from his Farad (Fard)-Nation of Islam- Book of Revelations-Racist ideas: the black versus white race war. The Beatles only gave it a name: Helter Skelter. They didn’t inspire it. 

“Charles Manson was already talking about an imminent black-white war when Gregg Jakobson first met him, in the spring of 1968. There was an underground expression current at the time, “the shit is coming down,” variously interpreted as meaning the day of judgment was at hand or all hell was breaking loose, and Charlie often used it in reference to the coming racial conflict. But he wasn’t rabid about it, Gregg said; it was just one of many subjects they discussed.”  Bugliosi, Vincent; Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.

“Q: Now, prior to New Year's he used to say the s-h-i-t was coming down fast?

A: Yes.

Q: But this particular occasion he came back to Barker and said, "Helter-skelter is coming down fast"?

A: Yes.

Q: So he substituted the word "helter-skelter" for "s-h-i-t"; is that correct?

A: Yes.

Q: Thereafter it was always "helter-skelter is coming down"?

A: Yes.”

(Brooks Poston: Watson Trial)

There were, in fact, coincidences in the songs on that record, ‘Sadie’ appeared in ‘Sexy Sadie’, the phrase ‘coming down fast’ appeared, ‘piggies’ were ‘whacked’ and the interesting ‘in’ that appeared in Revolution #1 tantalized. But every one of these can be explained by the common parlance or shared beliefs of the time (except ‘Sadie’). 

So what event or events triggered Manson’s freak-out? 

Here are some possible ‘suspects’. 

1. The Assassination of Alprentice ‘Bunchy’ Carter and John Huggins

On January 17, 1969 US Organization members gunned down Carter and Huggins at the Black Student Union meeting in Campbell Hall on the campus of UCLA.

Los Angeles Times, Saturday, January 18, 1969

 The Argument For

Both Carter and Huggins were Black Panthers. Carter was the LA chapter head and Huggins was a senior ‘Captain’. Carter, like many Panthers, was a ‘black muslim’ (The term here means Nation of Islam-influenced: 'Fard-ists'.) politicized and converted in Soledad prison.

The UCLA-Panther connection is present. They were gunned down on the UCLA campus, which happens to be the only Panther shooting (or Panther bodies found) on the UCLA campus, although neither were ‘dumped’ there. 

It would have been well known. Manson didn’t read newspapers and there was a lot of notoriety about this event. Carter was the leader of the LA Panthers and the former ‘Mayor of the Ghetto’ or ‘Mayor of Watts’ depending on what you read. He was also a former high-ranking member of the Slauson street gang and commander of Renegade Slauson a group who could make the Crips, cower.

They looked like they were ready to start a war. Three hours later, ostensibly to prevent retaliation against US, 150 LAPD descended on Huggin’s home and arrested 17 Panthers confiscating a small arsenal of weapons including military carbines and home made bombs. 

The Argument Against

By the time the Family relocated to the Yellow Submarine Manson was already 'freaked'. The murders happened on January 17th. The murders don’t fit Watkins and Poston’s timeline of November-December 1968. 

The US Organization carried out the murders. This was one black militant group against another, the Panthers. This doesn’t fit Manson’s Helter Skelter. Blacks should have been killing whites. 

2. The Strange Case of Frank ‘Captain Franco’ Diggs

Here is how Elaine Brown, one time head of the Black Panthers, describes Diggs: 

“Frank Diggs, Captain Franco, was reputedly leader of the Panther underground. He had spent twelve years in Sing Sing Prison in New York on robbery and murder charges. Now he was Bunchy’s right hand. 

****

Franco was slightly insane, Ericka had told me. Prison had done it. He thought he had been fed peas in prison that contained small microphones, which, remaining in his body, allowed  guards and police to monitor his life. That was why, even now, he lived so carefully, outright paranoid about everything, especially dirt. He showered at least twice a day and never wore any item of clothing more than once without it being cleaned or washed. He polished his shoes daily, tops and bottoms. The result was spectacular. 

****

‘You don’t have to be afraid, Sister Elaine [Diggs said]. I would make it so beautiful for you. Other than making love to a Sister, downing a pig is the greatest feeling in the world. Have you ever seen a pig shot with a .45 automatic, Sister Elaine?’”

Brown, Elaine. A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story (Kindle Locations 2636-2638). Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

By all accounts Diggs was Bunchy Carter’s ‘enforcer’. His preferred weapon a .45 automatic. He was also the LA Panther with ties to the ‘underground’ which is a nice way of saying he was the one who obtained dope and more importantly difficult to obtain guns like military grade carbines. 

What makes Diggs’ murder strange is the fact no one seems to agree where it took place, when it took place or how he was killed. There is also almost a complete lack of information about the murder and only one mention in the press. Given the FBI (COINTELPRO) was at its anti-Panther pinnacle in late 1968 this event should have garnered more publicity, especially given the claims (by some) that Diggs was killed by his own people. Instead, this is the only record of the event I could find. 

Independent Press Telegram, Saturday, December 21, 1968

Most other mentions of the murder are inaccurate, including Elaine Brown's. Main and 157th is not in Long Beach it’s in West Compton and he was killed on December 19th not the 30th or the first and he was shot twice in the head: 

“Franco had been killed. He had been shot in the head three times in an alley in Long Beach. It had happened earlier that evening [December 30].”  Brown, Elaine. A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story

“The slaying of Frank Diggs in Los Angeles in December, 1968, suggests the same ruthless discipline at work within the Panther party. His lacerated body, with two bullet holes in the chest, was found in an alley.” Who Will Bell the Panthers, James Kilpatrick, The Fresno Bee, June 20, 1970. 

“December 30: Los Angeles Panther Frank Diggs is shot in the head and killed by police agents.” Black Panther Party, Pieces of History: 1966 - 1969

“On Jan. 1, 1969, Captain Franco (Frank Diggs), the reputed leader of the BPP's local underground apparatus, was shot dead in an alley in Long Beach.” The FBI's War on the Black Panther Party's Southern California Chapter

“Franko Diggs, forty, who was a captain in the Black Panther Party, was found fatally shot in the Watts section of Los Angeles on December 19, 1968. No witnesses to the shooting could be found, but the police identified the murder weapon from the bullets as a foreign-made 9-mm. automatic pistol. Almost a year later, when the Los Angeles police crime laboratory was doing routine ballistics tests on eighteen weapons seized in a raid on Black Panther headquarters early in 1969, it was found that one of the confiscated Panther automatics ballistically matched the bullet that had killed Diggs.” The Black Panthers and the Police: A Pattern of Genocide? NEW YORKER, February 13, 1971 by Edward Jay Epstein

Epstein puts an end the discussion by claiming Panthers killed Diggs. His accusation is picked up and repeated by other ‘law and order’ writers at the time. Kilpatrick, above, was the first to make the claim. The problem is no source is cited for this information and there does not appear to be one that I could find. Diggs was Bunchy Carter’s ‘enforcer’. While it is possible US murdered Diggs, a Panther murder, given his connection, seems unlikely. 

The claim is precisely the type of information the FBI would have blared like Joshua’s trumpets and yet there is no mention of Diggs in the newspapers of the time or the FBI files. A Panther hit on a Panther is precisely the type of information the FBI was struggling to make up in 1968. They’d have dropped to their knees thanking the Lord above if they had been handed these ballistics. Instead…..crickets. 

Then again, since I make my living being paranoid, the absence of any Panther rhetoric in response to Diggs’ death at the time or now is highly unusual. Here is what Elaine Brown (not a particularly trustworthy reporter) says. She is typically ‘all in’ on the ‘FBI plot to exterminate the Panthers’. It fills the pages of her book:

"In December of 1968, one of our comrades, Frank "Franco" Diggs, was killed in an alley in Long Beach. We, to this minute, can't trace how that happened. Franco was one of the key figures in the formation of the chapter and probably one of the people closest to Bunchy Carter."

The Argument For

Unless you are a conspiracy buff (I'm not), there is none. 

If you are a conspiracy buff here are a few questions that might make you go 'hmmm': Is this the Panther Manson actually killed? He is essentially a gunrunner and drug dealer. He may have been dumped in an alley (not at UCLA). Why does anyone believe that Manson or anyone else believed Bernard Crowe was a Panther when they knew who he was-a drug dealer? Diggs was killed by a 9mm, isn’t that a Family favorite? Hinman? LaBianca? Where did Manson get his small arsenal, confiscated at Spahn? Wouldn’t killing an actual Panther, especially Diggs give Manson a real reason to be paranoid they were after him?

I was told that because Diggs’ murder is listed as ‘unsolved’ (and given its age, probably closed and destroyed) a request for information to LAPD or LASO will be declined. 

The Argument Against

The murder is too obscure. It gained little notoriety. Even Panthers who were close to it at the time (Elaine Brown) get the facts wrong and again it is a Panther being killed so it doesn’t fit Helter Skelter. 

3. The Murder of Bryan Clay

On December 9, 1968 at 9:40 p.m. three black youths approached 18 year old Bryan Clay on fraternity row on the USC campus and for no apparent reason stabbed him to death. At least that is what Manson likely heard. 

Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, December 11, 1968

Trivia: Paul Fitzgerald represented the murderer. 

USC is a ‘private’ institution. Tuition was high. The student body was drawn primarily from affluent, white families. One fraternity brother described USC like this: ‘We are a white island in a black sea and you have to face it.” 

The Argument For

The murder of Clay fits Helter Skelter. Blacks leave the ghetto and kill whitey. Its timing is right, early December 1969. It is a seemingly random murder (unless you read). It is a black murdering an affluent white young man in a ‘rich’ (Fraternity Row) neighborhood. Because it involved a black man killing a white man it received a good deal of press at the time so it likely was common knowledge. 

It also eerily foreshadows the murders to come eight months later: a knife-wielding killer(s) invades a ‘white bastion’ and murders a wealthy white young man. 

Did this influence Manson? Is that why, despite the multiple guns at Spahn, Manson sent knives? Certainly he should have realized the Panthers were about guns, not knives. Didn’t he know about the Panthers appearing armed at the state legislature? That act, incidentally, spawned the most restrictive anti-Second Amendment (right to bear arms) law in history- a law signed by Governor Ronald Reagan- because openly armed black men showed up at the capital. Guns were the whole point of the Panthers. It stirred memories of ‘armed slaves’ and scared white people. Was he trying to tie the later murders back to Clay? 

Not likely. 

The Argument Against

I’ll leave the arguments for you. 

4. The Times

Of course it could have been the times. Until January 1968 there were no Black Panthers in LA and likely they didn’t even make an impression until a month or so later. Then they were there and a big, scary presence. 

The membership of the LA Panthers was drawn from the Slausons a street gang (the 1968 equivalent of the Crips or Bloods) and went on to demonstrate a willingness to further the revolution ‘by any means necessary’. 

On August 5, 1968 during the Watts Festival commemorating the Watts riots police followed a carload of Panthers to Ham's Mobil Service Station (The Crenshaw Shootout) supposedly because they turned suspiciously into a driveway and then backed out. When three of the four Panthers refused to respond to police commands a shootout followed. By all accounts the Panthers fired first. Three Panthers were killed and two police officers were wounded. 

“If anything, the fact that these Panthers stood their ground and fought the police to the death strengthened the Party’s revolutionary credentials and drew new recruits, including alienated Vietnam War hero Geronimo Pratt.”  Bloom, Joshua; Martin, Waldo E., Jr.. Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party (p. 216). University of California Press. Kindle Edition.

The Redlands Daily Facts, Tuesday, August 6, 1968

Look who was also involved: our friend Frank Diggs.

After this event LA Panther rhetoric became increasingly threatening. The feud also developed between the Panthers and the US Organization that culminated in the deaths of ‘Bunchy’ Carter and John Huggins (and others).

The Argument For 

It certainly looked like a black revolution was imminent. Even the Panthers believed  it was occurring.

“Readers today may have difficulty imagining a  revolution in the United States. But in the late 1960s, many thousands of young black people, despite the potentially fatal outcome of their actions, joined the Black Panther Party and dedicated their lives to revolutionary struggle”.  Bloom, Joshua; Martin, Waldo E., Jr.. Black against Empire: The History and Politics of the Black Panther Party (p. 2). University of California Press. Kindle Edition.

The Argument Against

This was a ‘slow burn’ and nothing of any significance happened in November-December 1968 on this timeline. Manson may have seen this all happening and viewed it from the perspective of his apocalyptic hallucination but nothing on the timeline stands out as a catalyst after August 5th.

I do wonder if Manson used the anniversary of the Watts Riots (August 11-15, 1965) as his focal point for the murders but like many of his schemes screwed up the details, getting the precise date wrong. 

“While at the Gresham Street house, Manson had told Watkins that the atrocious murders would occur that summer.  It was almost summer now and the blacks were showing no signs of rising up to fulfill their karma.”  Bugliosi, Vincent; Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders . W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.

Something, did, indeed, freak Manson out in late 1968 or early 1969.

“We didn't know when it was happening -- like I'd look out the window and wonder if it was going to happen today, you know -- think what was the quickest way to get to shelter if it was to happen right now.” Paul Watkins. 

The Bottomless Pit

Perhaps one of the most fantastic stories connected with Charles Manson and his "Family" is that of their attempts to locate a "bottomless pit" in Death Valley where they would ride out the Helter Skelter race war brought on by their lethal Cielo/Waverly jumpstarts.

Leslie Van Houten recalled the "Family's" attempts to locate the bottomless pit in her interview with her attorney Marvin Part on December 29, 1969 (Transcript courtesy of Cielodrive.com): 

MISS VAN HOUTEN: "But we — after that, we started decide — seeing where we were in this position, because we knew that we were part of this Revolutions — of the Revelations in the Bible. We knew that we had a part in it.

"And so we read, and it talked about a hole in the desert or going to the Kingdom. We found out — we started looking into the Death Valley, what’s underneath Death Valley, and we found out there was the Armagosa River and blind fish and all kinds of things that just made us believe that there was a whole world underneath. And that some of the Montezuma’s people are already under there waiting for us.

"And that what would happen is that about a couple thousand of the chosen people — white people — would go down into the center of the earth and stay there for about fifty years. And then there would Athens or — I can’t remember all the names, but something was going to happen. And then we were going to come back up.

And this was when we — the earth would be all black.

"Because to go into the hole, you would have to be perfect in your mind and in your body."

MR. PART:  "Now, how were you supposed to get down to the center of the earth?"

MISS VAN HOUTEN:  "Well, we hadn’t quite figured it out yet. We were looking for the hole.

"That’s what we were doing in the desert with the dune buggies. And that’s why we needed more dune buggies.

"And we were — we had a good idea that it was in the Death Valley area, but we weren’t sure just where.

"And we weren’t quite — we weren’t quite sure of how it was going to work, where we’re going to get in there.

"But maybe it was going to be rigged up from someone who’d gone down before, that it would have water on the top and then like the water would like move away — go away somehow by some kind of mechanism.

"And if we played around the hole enough that went down there, we’d find it out.

And then we could just walk down it and then we’d have to float down a river, one of the rivers, and then it would take us down and take about — I think about two weeks, we figured it out, to get down to the center.

"And then once we got to the center we’d be tiny, and everything would be great big, magnified, like the pearls.

"It talks about the pearls. There’d be giant pearls, and we’d be just little tiny, about maybe five inches compared to everything else."

MR. PART:  "You say it talks about the pearls. Who talks about the pearls?"

MISS VAN HOUTEN:  "At the end of Revelations, in the very last book, almost to the last page, it says that the kingdom will have giant pearls.

"I don’t know who said it — I don’t know who wrote it — but it talks about that, and gold everywhere."

(Van Houten also discusses the Hole briefly in this interview from 1975.)

Recalling Charles Manson's alleged obsession with the pit, sometime Manson associate  Brooks Poston told Inyo County deputy sheriff Don Ward during an October 3, 1969 interrogation at Barker Ranch that the pit was "a cave that he [Manson] says is underneath Death Valley and leads down to a sea of gold that the Indians know about…. [Manson said] every tuned-in tribe of people that's ever lived have escaped the destruction of their race by going underground, literally, and they're all living in a golden city where there's a river that runs through it of milk and honey, and a tree that bears twelve kinds of fruit, a different fruit each month…. and you don't need to bring candles nor any flashlights down there. [Manson] says it will be all lit up because…. the walls will glow and it won't be cold and it won't be too hot. There will be warm springs and fresh water, and people are already down there waiting for him." (Helter Skelter, page 313)

Whence sprang this weird story of paradise in an infinite hole in Death Valley? 

With regard to the "Manson Family" there are several supposed sources for the belief that Manson and his associates could disappear into a bottomless pit to wait out Helter Skelter. One of these sources, as mentioned by Van Houten in her Part interview, was from Chapter Nine from the Book of Revelations in the Bible, specifically,  "And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth; and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit…. and there came out of the pit locusts upon the earth; and unto them was given power, as scorpions of the earth have power…." 

Another supposed reference to the pit and "the Family's" equally supposed obsession with it comes from the Beatles' song "Helter Skelter," the alleged anthem behind the Tate-LaBianca murders, wherein Paul McCartney sings, "When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide," a lyric which, according to the prosecution at Manson's murder trial, referred to "the Family" going into the bottomless pit and then returning to the Earth's surface post-Helter Skelter. 

Although Charles Manson very possibly made some note of the bottomless pit mentioned in Revelation 9, he likely did so because he had already heard of another bottomless pit, namely the one mentioned in Indian and mining lore in the area around Death Valley. 

In his 1930 classic book Death Valley author Bourke Lee explained. "The Great Basin Paiute lived surrounded by weird, unearthly beings. They lived in the air above him and in the ground beneath him. They were in the trees, below the surface of the water, in caves and niches in the rock, on the plain and high in the mountains. The U-nu-pits were the commonest of this host of evil spirits. Most evils and mishaps were attributed to the activity of the U-nu-pits. They made their homes in the high cliffs and searched the desert for foolish and unwary people, whom they carried of to toss of the brink of some high canyon wall. No Paiute ever slipped off a high trail to his death solely as a result of his own carelessness or because a rotten path had crumbled beneath him. To the Paiute mind it was clear that the man who fell had been tripped by a U-nu-pits, or that a U-nu-pits had prepared the trail to trap him.

"The Yan-tups were the evil spirits of the springs. They lived in the ground around the subterranean sources of the mountain waterholes. They came out of their deep hiding places at night and say on the surface of the water singing in low, doleful voices. The often seized little children who went to the springs for water and carried them off to hidden caverns."

Besides these examples from Native American lore there are also fairly modern day stories about seemingly bottomless pits and the people who supposedly dwell therein. Here are two of them, as recounted in Mysterious California, by Mike Marinacci (and previously presented here on the MF Blog): 

"Tom Wilson [was] a Charoc Indian who was a Death Valley guide in the 1920s. Wilson said that when he was a boy, his grandfather told him he had found a tunnel that extended for miles beneath the valley. Walking its length, the man ended up at an underground chamber where a race of fair-skinned people dwelt.

"Welcomed by these subterraneans, Wilson's grandfather lived with the for a while. The people spoke a strange foreign language, wore clothes made of a leatherlike substance and illuminated their home with a pale greenish-yellow light of unknown origin.

"The Indian eventually resurface and returned to his people, who were understandably skeptical about his adventure. But Tom Wilson believed that the old man hadn't lied, and he spent the rest of his life searching for the entry of this underground world, convinced until his death in 1968 that it actually existed somewhere beneath Death Valley."

[1968! - GS]

"At one point, Wilson teamed up with a prospector named White, who claimed that he too had found strange underground dwellings in Death Valley. White had been exploring an abandoned mine in Wingate Pass when he fell into a hidden tunnel that led to a series of rooms.

"The rooms were filled with leather-clad human mummies. Gold bars and other fabulous treasures were stacked in piles around them. There was a passageway leading beyond the rooms as well, lit by an eerie greenish-yellow light. But White dared not explore any further, fearful of what might lie beyond.

"White visited the rooms three more times, once with his wife and once with another miner. But he was unable to locate the cavern later when accompanied by Tom Wilson and a group of archeologists, although they did find a curious dead-end tunnel into the solid rock. The area around Wingate Pass was eventually absorbed into the China Lake Naval Weapons Center, and is now closed to the public." 

If there is a bottomless pit in the Death Valley area, where might its entrance be?

One likely candidate is the Devils Hole, a water-filled opening in the earth located about a dozen miles northeast of the town of Death Valley Junction. Although explored extensively, the depth of the water in Devils Hole has never been determined, thus making it an excellent candidate as an entrance into the pit. 

The entrance to the Devils Hole

In June of 1965, just a little over three years before Manson et al.'s initial arrival in the desert,  three amateur scuba divers from Las Vegas ventured into the Hole for some surreptitious recreational diving. Two of them never returned to the surface, and despite a days-long search by scores of would-be rescuers from all over the western U.S., no trace of them was ever found. Manson and his companions absolutely knew about this tragedy, as Catherine "Gypsy" Share referred to it when she was interviewed for the June 25, 1970 Rolling Stone magazine article on "Charles Manson, The Most Dangerous Man Alive."

Headline From the Santa Cruz Sentinel, June 23, 1965

A scuba diver in the Devils Hole during the search for two divers who vanished there in 1965

Just a few hundred yards away from the Devils Hole to the north is another mysterious entryway into Death Valley's subterranean world, the Devils Hole Cave. The Devils Hole Cave also has no known bottom. In fact, it is not even known whether the Cave and the Hole are even connected, despite their close proximity to each other.  

The entrance to the Devils Hole Cave is secured by a welded steel cover to 

prevent unauthorized persons from entering. 

Also in the area are several spring fed pools that likewise have no known depth or origin.

One of the pools in the Devils Hole area. Nobody knows anything about them either. 

There are hundreds of vertical mine shafts in the Death Valley area that could also lead to an underground paradise. And still another entry candidate is the "blow hole" located in the southwestern side of  the Striped Butte in Butte Valley, just a half dozen or so miles from the Myers and Barker ranches.

And another mysterious natural phenomenon of the Death Valley area that might figure into the story is the Amargosa River, which flows in a generally southeasterly direction in the Amargosa Valley east of Death Valley proper adjacent to California Highway 127. Certainly it is one of the strangest rivers in the world. There are portions of the Amargosa that only exist as dry river beds. In other places it flows over the desert floor just like any other substantial stream. No one knows the origins or the source of water for the Amargosa River. Its beginnings and ends are mysteries, as is what happens to it between its wet and dry segments. Still, despite all of the unknowns, it is still regarded as "the longest underground river in the world." (Death Valley and the Amargosa, by Richard E. Lingenfelter)

*      *      *

So, how would all of these legends from Indian lore and miners' stories wind up connected with Charles Manson and his "Family?"

Because of his background of being raised in institutions Charles Manson is an extremely paranoid-type person, and his resulting proclivity for awareness means that he has an intense interest in anything that is going on around him. He likes to talk with people and find out what they know. And there can be no doubt that during his time in the desert Manson spoke with as many of the local residents as he could and that he absorbed everything they told him. Thus there can also be no doubt that Manson was aware of every Indian legend, every miner's tall tale or hallucination, and every legitimate news story about anything that occurred in Death Valley before he got there. Further, Manson's interests can be infectious, especially since another of his characteristics is that he likes to point out the interests of the life experience to those around him and, if possible, channel those interests into positive energy. Therefore, I find it completely believable that Manson, upon learning of various stories about a bottomless pit in the Death Valley area, would not only communicate those stories to the persons around him but that he would also even channel them into some kind of activity for his friends to engage in, as in, "Hey, I heard that there's a bottomless pit somewhere around here. Let's try to find it!" 

And that's where we get reminiscences of people like Leslie Van Houten who recall "the Family's" earnest search for such a hole.