Charles Manson 1959-1960
1959 was a busy year for Charles Manson, he had been released from federal prison at Terminal Island in September 1958 and was on five years parole. By November of 1958 he had learned about pimping from his roommate, a Malibu bartender. According to Bugliosi, (1994 page 198) unknown to Manson he was being watched by the FBI because the FBI was looking for a former roommate of the bartender. Reports were made to his parole officer about Manson's pimping activities, the parole officer had a talk with him, told him to quit pimping which Manson denied he was doing. The parole officer felt it was only a matter of time before Manson was in more trouble.
May 1, 1959 Manson was arrested for trying to cash a forged US Treasury check for $37.50 at a grocery store in Los Angeles, he volunteered that he stole the check from the mail, two federal charges. ($37.50 in 1959 would be worth $313.92 in 2017) Manson was turned over to Secret Service agents for questioning. During the questioning the stolen check disappeared, it was thought that while the Agents had their backs turned Manson ate the check. However, the charges remained.
Manson's attorney made a deal with the prosecutors to have the mail theft charges dropped if he would plead guilty to the forgery. September 28 1959 Manson went before a judge. The probation department, a court ordered psychiatrist and the US Attorney's office all recommended prison time but an impassioned plea by Leona Musser aka Candy Stevens swayed the judge to give Manson a suspended 10 year prison sentence with five years probation. If Manson screwed up during the five years probation he would be sent directly to prison for his full ten year sentence.
Sometime during 1959 Manson had created a company called 3-Star Enterprises, Night Club, Radio and TV Productions with a man named Tony Cassino. Manson's business card said he was president and Cassino vice president. This business was operated out of Manson's residence at 6871 Franklin Ave. #306 Hollywood. The purpose of the business seemed to have been a lure for women that could be turned out for prostitution, it was never a bona fide business only one that existed on business cards. The apartment where Manson lived and worked out of was less than a block from Rosina Kroner's Franklin Ave. apartment where he would shoot Bernard Crowe 10 years later.
December 1959 saw Manson arrested twice, the first time for taking Leona aka Candy Stevens and another woman across state lines for the purpose of prostitution, from Needles CA to Lordsburg NM. This was a violation of the Mann Act a federal crime. Manson was held and questioned but ultimately released. According to Bugliosi, Manson thought he had beat the rap. Bugliosi also says that at this point Manson married Leona so that she would not be able to testify against him should the charges resurface. This does not seem to be true and we will get to that later in the post.
Manson's second arrest that month was December 31 1959 for auto theft and burglary. The charges were dropped for lack of evidence and law enforcement focused their investigations for those crimes on Manson's then roommate Harold Estel Blevins.
courtesy of http://mansonsbackporch.com/-library.html
Manson knew things were getting hot and it was only a matter of time before some of the things he had been charged with would catch up with him. In fact authorities were building a case for the Mann Act charges.
April 27 of 1960 a bench warrant was issued for Manson because a Federal Grand Jury had indicted him on the Mann Act charges. Manson was no where to be found.
June 1 1960 found Charles Manson being escorted from Mexico to the US Marshal's at the border in Laredo Texas. He was being kicked out of Mexico for being an "undesirable alien". He was held for the Mann Act charges awaiting transfer back to California.
Once Manson was extradited to California and placed in federal custody the forged US Treasury check eventually came back to bite him. On July 14 1960 the indictment for the Mann Act charge, also known as the White Slave Traffic Act (WSTA), was dismissed according to Manson's rap sheet. On July 21 1960 the forged check reared its ugly head. Manson knew that he had the 10 years suspended sentence hanging over him and fought the charge, he was able to it hold off for a while but on July 10 1961 he was held to serving his suspended sentence at McNeil Island in Washington state essentially for a probation violation.
Meanwhile, Leona who had been arrested for prostitution, had done some LA County jail time in 1959 and had testified to the Federal Grand Jury April 1960 in Los Angeles regarding the prostitution across state lines had cut and run, she went to Colorado where her family was living. She was pregnant with Charlie's second son Charles Luther Manson.
Charles Luther was born September 24 1960 in Denver Colorado.
Charlie had some opinions about Leona, their alleged marriage and even the paternity of their son which he related to Michael Channels in a 2002 letter.
http://mansonsbackporch.com/index.html
Translation: Leona Manson 1959 had a son Charles Manson Jr. in Denver CO I wondered about him-She is a tricky bitch I called her Wonderwoman We got a blood test and papers but never got married- She just forged the papers and filed divorce and got custody of my son
I was unable to find a marriage record for Charlie and Leona and there are good records for marriages in California during 1959 and 1960. Manson might be right about them taking out a marriage license but not using it. Although he is wrong about the year Charles Luther Manson was born.
It might be that Leona told her parents that she and Manson were married because of the stigma of having a child out of wedlock at that time. Consider the divorce papers which do not state an exact date for the marriage. The papers simply say they were married in the Spring of 1959. (section 2 of the first page) There are not too many women that don't remember the date of their marriage.
I also have a little bit on Charles Luther Manson. According to Social Security Claims Index, Charles Luther changed his name to Jay Charles Warner in 1976. This gives his date and place of birth as well as his death date.
Let's pause here and reflect. How is it possible that both Rosalie and Leona changed the names of their sons from Charles Manson to Jay? Also, both of the Jay's died in Colorado. oo--ee--oo
Here is a record of a traffic ticket that was issued to Jay Warner that gives his physical description. He was relatively tall considering the height of his supposed father and he had blond hair and blue eyes. Leona was fairly short, too, going by her yearbook pictures in group shots.
Manson served his 10 years, less time off for good behavior and was given a mandatory release March 21 1967. A mandatory release differs from a release granted by a parole board hearing. The terms of parole are less stringent and the time on parole after the release is limited to the time the prisoner would have served had he done the entire 10 years of the sentence in prison. In Manson's case he was taken into custody June 1 1960 by the US Marshal's in Laredo Texas, starting the clock. His time on parole would have been finished by June 1 1970.
Posted by DebS at 12:02:00 AM
Labels: Candy Stevens, Charles Luther Manson, Charles Manson, Leona Musser, Vincent Bugliosi
MHN said...
Deb S your work is amazing, as ever. Thank you - really enjoyed this and learned a good deal I didn't already know.
One question: there's no way on earth someone like Charlie could afford to live in real estate on that spot now, is there? I was surprised when I google-mapped it. Was the area completely different in the 60s, or what? How did Charlie afford to maintain an apartment in the area? Was he that good at pimping or was the area a dive back then?
Always nice to read any reference to the Mann Act, something I first learned of through reading Nabokov's wonderful 'Lolita', where the pedophile Humbert Humbert is amused at the irony of its name, and cites a real-life prosecution under the Mann Act: "Had I done to Dolly, perhaps, what Frank Lasalle, a fifty-year-old mechanic had done to eleven-year-old Sally Horner in 1948?"
brownrice said...
...or Chuck Berry to Janice Norine Escalanti 11 years later...
Fascinating post, Deb. I took particular note of the press clipping about him being "confused" when he was picked up after being booted out of Mexico. I've seen Charlie talk about his time in Mexico in a few places and he often talks about taking psychedelics there for the first time... "tripping with the Yaqui Indians" and such. I've always been a bit dubious of this (not least of all because despite a popular 60s book that said otherwise, the Yaquis didn't actually take psychedelics). By the sounds of that press report though he may well have had "a bit too much to dream" before leaving Mexico...
Robert C said...
A nice synopsis of a few years of Manson's life that only reinforces my belief that he has no sympathy or remorse for anything thus reducing himself down to animal level with every indication he just wasn't going to stop hurting people. And then he never showed much intelligence because he kept getting caught !!!
I was never much aware of any time he spent in Mexico and wonder specifically why he was evicted as a bad hombre ? I'd think one would have to work pretty hard to make that happen. My take on his professed 'confused' state is it had more to do with his trying to get out of whatever he was caught doing and also avoid answering questions. Instant amnesia !!!
I don't know about the Yaqui in particular but always read virtually all Southwest American and Northern Mexican indians used peyote/mescaline in their rituals at one time or another to varying degrees. Some say also true extending down into S. America.
grimtraveller said...
Those years seem to be a microcosm of Charlie's overall criminal career....
he may well have had "a bit too much to dream"
Although he was in at the vanguard of psychedelic drug experience, I'm of the opinion that Charlie was one of those people for whom drugs really had a detrimental effect. Some people can trip for years and seem to glow from the experience.
Some do not.
Deb S said...
Let's pause here and reflect. How is it possible that both Rosalie and Leona changed the names of their sons from Charles Manson to Jay?
Maybe it was the power of Jay Cee !!
I used to work with someone that knew someone who had a son called Ricardo that died. The woman later had another son whom she named....Ricardo.
When I first read "Helter Skelter" I thought it was really weird that Charlie named his first two sons "Charles." Until later I learned that the boxer George Foreman called five of his sons "George" and a daughter "Georgetta."
I'm one of those people that would never name any child of mine after me. "Get your own name !"
starviego said...
Laredo Times June 7, 1960
"Mason(sic) Waives Formal Removal Proceedings"
I find it interesting that Manson would have rated mention in the local paper. You'd think that arrests at international border crossings are not that uncommon. Was there something unique or unusual about the Manson case?
You'd be surprised what turns up in local papers.
We sponsored a concert once. The tent we rented was too big according to the local zoning ordinances and we were given a hard time by the authorities. It made the front page. So no, I'm not in the least bit surprised little-known Manson made the paper.
Ever been to Laredo? Trust me, not much happens there.
DebS said...
MMHN Chapter 2 of Emmons book has Charlie saying that his apartment in Hollywood was a bit pricier than in other areas where he could have lived. He apparently did have a roommate which would have cut his costs in half but he felt the need to have more girls in his stable to meet his costs. The location was near an area where he could charge the johns a higher price, too.
I checked on the building when writing up this post and found that each apartment in the whole building is now rented out to individuals on a monthly basis through AirBNB at a premium price.
Brownrice, it may have been a combination of both tripping on the drugs and playing dumb!
Robert C Again, in chapter 2 of Emmons book Charlie talks about the Yaqui and how he was able to get them to share their mushrooms with him. I'm thinking that it wasn't actually mushrooms but rather peyote. This part of the chapter mentions Mexico City as if that is where the Yaqui were located but most of the Yaqui lived in the Mexican state of Sonora with some settlements branching north to Arizona. However Charlie was taken by Mexican authorities to Laredo which is a good distance to the east of where the Yaqui's lived. So, as with a lot related to Manson, it's a bit blurry but the newspaper clippings given their age at least verify some of the story.
Starviego, reporters would sit in on the court proceedings, large and small to try to pick up news stories. I expect that Charlie's demeanor in court was different enough from those with other similar charges for the reporter to report on it. Actually reporters still use this practice to come up with newsworthy items.
MHN said:
"One question: there's no way on earth someone like Charlie could afford to live in real estate on that spot now, is there? I was surprised when I google-mapped it. Was the area completely different in the 60s, or what? How did Charlie afford to maintain an apartment in the area? Was he that good at pimping or was the area a dive back then?"
Rentals were inexpensive in that area off of the Main Street of Hollywood Blvd back then. The rental market compared to the population was much more robust than now. Also, that doesn't look like a 60s building to me, so it's possible that the building wasn't as "modern" as it is now. It looks more like a 70s building to me. The whole area, save the great old hotels, has been "gentrified".
Jenn, I was getting ready to invoke the G-word too. It happens everywhere. Try buying a house in The Height now which was nothing more than a musicians ghetto when Manson happened upon it.
ColScott said...
That building is not in the greatest location. It probably rents out well to tourists cause you can walk to Hollywood Boulevard. Remember though that that area has as long as I have known it since the mid 70s been pretty sketchy. Hollywood was a dream put forth by movie merchants. It was never a place anyone wanted to live. Read some Hollywood history and you see things like Marilyn Monroe living in shitty apartments in the area.
I repeat this is not a nice area unless you love- Traffic, Tourists, Drunks and Church Fuckers like Dreath
ColScott said:
"Church Fuckers like Dreath."
Hmm, not sure what a 'church fucker' is.... must be a slam at Christians. ("C14?" "Miss!")
"Donny" you really need to get back into your nurse practitioner at get your meds balanced again.
Sorry (to the rest).
Cool post, Deb. I can almost 'hear' Manson feigning ignorance telling the Federales to take him back to the US and meeting the G-men at the border.....oops.
Guida Diehl said...
"(not least of all because despite a popular 60s book that said otherwise, the Yaquis didn't actually take psychedelics)" -brownrice
This makes me wonder if Charlie ever read any Carlos Castaneda- or maybe he picked up the "Yaquis took peyote" idea from other people who had. Or maybe it was just a popular piece of misinformation floating round at the time. Then again, the information on Charlie & reading is conflicting- according to some he was illiterate & banned books at Spahn's, and according to others he was well-versed in the Bible and Heinlein. Maybe the Yaquis read 'Stranger In A Strange Land' to him.
Deb is a wizard btw.
According to Tim Leary (who got stuck in a cell next to him after being extradited from Afghanistan), Charlie immediately sent a long-haired trustee to Leary with gifts of honey (a rarity in lock-up), cigarettes & books. One of the books was Castanada's "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui way of knowledge". (from Leary's autobiography- "Flashback")
I don't doubt Charlie copped some mushrooms or peyote from Indians in Mexico but I seriously doubt it was from Yaquis. He also refers to 'em at different times as Aztecs (which apparently the Yaqui were not). I don't really see him as a particularly accurate ethnographer. He also referred to Bobby Beausolleil as "The Frenchman" and he wasn't actually French :-)
The major sources of info about Charlie's south-of-the-border sojourn are Emmon's & Shreck's books both of which are very filtered renderings of what Charlie said happened... which makes it kinda hard to figure out really (that's why I find the press cutting interesting... it at least backs up the basic outline). From memory, the Indians he'd scored off wound up tieing him up mid-trip and calling the federales, who dropped him at Laredo once they spotted his warrant. Both Emmons & Shreck say this all happened near Mexico city which (as Deb pointed out) is a long way from Yaqui territory.
Another great post, Deb.
I once saw a documentary where the narrator said something to the effect that the Mann Act was designed with the intent of imprisoning fighter Jack Johnson. Every time the act comes up I wonder if that was true.
He also referred to Bobby Beausolleil as "The Frenchman" and he wasn't actually French
The first time I saw Bobby's name in print, because I was doing French at school, I was intrigued that it meant "beautiful sun." I've tended to assume that he refers to him as 'The Frenchman' because his name is French.
I don't doubt Charlie copped some mushrooms or peyote
The way he describes his first acid trip and what it did to him has always made me wonder whether he really did try mushrooms back in the late 50s/early 60s.
it may have been a combination of both tripping on the drugs and playing dumb!
One of my favourite Charlie comebacks was when some interviewer asked him about how he controlled peoples minds with LSD and he shot back something to the effect that "you don't use acid to control nobody's mind. Actually, it just may uncontrol the mind !"
grimtraveller said:
"I've tended to assume that he refers to him as 'The Frenchman' because his name is French."
Yeah... I sorta got that. I guess what I was trying to say is that (from what I can see) Charlie was never much of a stickler for calling people by their actual names, preferring instead to christen them with whatever allegorical nickname seemed appropriate to him at the time. I could well imagine him calling ANY First Nations people that gave him mushrooms (or peyote) "Yaqui"... particularly given the cultural cache that was foisted on 'em by Castanada at the time... whether they were actually from that tribe probably wouldn't matter too much to ol' Chuckles (I'd imagine). Then you've got Emmons & Shreck taking what he says at face value and reporting it, each with their own particular bias & agenda...
[OT] Castaneda. I devoured that series of books as a teen. Unfortunately he was full of shit.
Same, Matt... same... and yes he was.
StillGrooving said...
My hat is off to anyone who can read Manson's scribbling and translate it.
But like Sanders and Schreck it was worth the read for the entertainment value. The difference is that Castaneda was good enough to get me to read 12 books!
David- why do you find it so hard to stay on topic? Your ad hominum attacks are certainly not very helpful
what I was trying to say is that (from what I can see) Charlie was never much of a stickler for calling people by their actual names, preferring instead to christen them with whatever allegorical nickname seemed appropriate to him at the time. I could well imagine him calling ANY First Nations people that gave him mushrooms (or peyote) "Yaqui"
Yeah, good point. I remember seeing him in an interview with a BBC journalist making points about the the English and the Irish when he was asked about race wars about 23 years ago. Had it been anyone else, I would've thought it was rather lazy, but not Charlie ! And in a relatively recent taped phone call, he refers to Ouisch as an Indian which I thought was funny as it got various bloggers debating whether she actually was one.
simon davis said...
G'day Col, how ya going bigfella ? Now have you got your reading and comprehension under control ? It wasn't too good last time we spoke. I see that your spelling is now letting you down. Keep working at it mate, I have great confidence in you.
HellzBellz said...
Just a funny fact in the name changing from Manson to Warner... Marilyn Mansons real name is Brian Warner....
Hans, you just blew my mind.
Mr. Humphrat said...
I didn't realize until now that Bobby Beausoleil's mother's family name was Mattox.
Youre Welcome Matt !! My pleasure !!
According to the 1930 census Bobby Beausoleil's grandfather spoke French, born in Quebec, so yeah, Charlie was right-Bobby was a Frenchman, partly. And following his mom's side, Mattox, back into the 1700s it seems they were Delaware Indians, although I won't swear to it.
I was thinking about Charlie's time in Mexico and whether he was in the desert and loved the desert from that time. And did he get any of his philosophies from there.
Mr Humphrat perhaps one thing Charlie might have gotten from Mexico was an interest in Nazi's. The area south of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo on the Mexican side of the boarder was where the Nazi's set up pre WWII to establish espionage operations, namely in the city of Monterrey Mexico about 140 miles from Laredo.
wow interesting Deb.
PaulH said...
Does anyone have a copy of the police papers for Manson's arrest on March 30, 1969 for assaulting Danny DeCarlo's wife, Miriam? I think it was from the Devonshire Police Station. THANKS SO MUCH. Paul