The Proof Is In The "Putting"...

I hate loose ends.
Really I do.
Don't you?

And there are still a few pieces of evidence which were found at the Tate crime scene that beg to be "put" in their place; or rather, the people who put them there should see the light of day.

The origins of species are, as follows;
a) the Towel wrapped neatly under the noose of Jay , and
b) the Manhattan style framed eye-glasses , and
c) the Ear Witness evidence well after the Cielo murders had ended, are the pieces to which I refer, like so much Candlestick and Wrench in the Conservatory, in the hands of one Colonel Mustard...

At the time, the LAPD tried to "put" these pieces in their places, in terms of who did what, when, but failed in their investigations. Yet, until we have a clearer picture of who placed these items in their final positions, and why, we may never be able to formulate a clear image of the train wreck that hit 10050 Cielo Drive, from Midnight to 4am, Saturday August 9th, 1969.

A good friend of mine decided to turn back the clock for a weekend and dive into his Inter-Library Loan System for the 1986 tome, "Manson: In His Own Words" by former Manson cellmate Nuel Emmons. And my friend's trip down Manson's memory lane reminded me of an oft repeated rumour that Charlie had admitted to returning to the Cielo house the night of the murders. That, and the fact that there had been several ear witnesses who heard an argument and possible gun shots in the hours well after the killings had occurred in Benedict Canyon, have hung in animated suspension for almost 40 years.

Don't get me wrong; no one expects to glean the whole truth from Charlie, whether in oral or written form. But that little dude has a knack for serving up a small kernel of truth wrapped in layers of lies and, like a parlour game, it's up to us voyeurs to figure out who did what, where, and for what reason.

In "Manson In His Own Words", some 27 years after the fact, Charlie tells a tale of how he and a "partner" (never identified by Manson in his book or anywhere else, for that matter) drove back up to the Cielo property after Tex and the girls had returned from their night of blood-letting, to see his childrens' handiwork and to cover their tracks; quoting Manson,

"...concern for clues led me to get in the Ford and head for Bel Air. I took another member of our circle with me". "Approaching a house where you know there are dead bodies has a spine chilling effect. I think if I had been alone I might have forgotten about continuing any further. Neither of us spoke but we did go on to see the whole gory mess.Tex and Sadie's description had been accurate.What I was seeing was not a scene from some movie or some acid fantasy but real people who would never see the mornings sun. I had thoughts of creating a scene more in touch with a black against white retaliation but in looking around I lost the heart to carry out the plans. The two of us took towels and wiped every place where a fingerprint could have been left. I then placed the towel I had been using over the head of the head of the man inside the room. My partner had an old pair of glasses we had often used as a magnifying glass or a device to start a fire . We carefully wiped the glasses free of prints and dropped them on the floor so that when discovered they would be a misleading clue for police. Within an hour and twenty minutes of leaving Spahn we were back."[they left Spahn after the two am return of the killers] Charlie then crawled into bed with Stephanie as the day broke..."


At first glance, one could and probably should ignore what Charlie says. But through his countless interviews over the years, Manson has had a serial habit of giving you the truth wrapped in a fairytale, as to offer the listener a word game gift to unravel. If you take everything he has ever said on the murders, he has never actually lied about any aspect. He has just carefully woven the tale to exonerate him from all direct responsibility but the truth always lies in what he gives you.

So let's return to that sultry, windless summer night and be a buzzing fly on the blood-soaked corpses, shall we...

None of the Tate murderers have ever admitted to actually putting any kind of towel over Jay's head. The closest reference to said was given by Susan Atkins, in her December 5, 1969 Grand Jury testimony, when she admitted to using a towel to write the word "PIG" on the Tate front door and that after her "graffiti" was complete, had thrown the towel back into the living room, where it mysteriously landed under the noose on Jay's neck. That is one hell of a talented towel, my friends. Betcha that towel could leap small mushrooms in a single bound, too!

So, as always, I return to that Golden Rule; "First Testimony Is Always The Closest To The Truth" which could discount what Charlie says 27 years later and validate Susan's 1969 Grand Jury story of her towel throwing, except for those laws of physics which state that no inanimate object can weave its way under a tightly wrapped noose. That, and the fact, that Charlie's own words were only stated ONCE, and for all time, in 1986. So his book really was his first real testimony on the details of that awful night. The Golden Rule continues to apply.

And am I supposed to believe that Sadie would have been all that concerned about where her blood-writing instrument lay after her "work" was done? Two blood-soaked bodies and one blood-soaked purple scarf were lying not-so-gracefully on the Tate lawn, would a blood-soaked towel lying on the front porch be so over the top, esthetically speaking? And we all know what a clean-freak Sadie was at Spahn's, the official carrier of all things sexually transmitted. Yep, I buy that. She was just not going to be accused of being messy after the fact and purposely took time out of her busy schedule to throw that towel back in its rightful place in the living room...sure...blah, blah, blah...swampland...Florida...for sale...

And then there is Charlie's scenario;

"The two of us took towels and wiped every place where a fingerprint could have been left. I then placed the towel I had been using over the head of the head of the man inside the room."

Oh, to have DNA technology back then! Handling towels, wiping everything down, skins cells left behind, story solved; but it's 1969 and all we're left with is scenarios.

What is clear is the fact that that towel didn't put itself under Jay's noose; that it was placed by someone, whether during the murders or afterwards. And I find it hard to believe that in all the panic that ensued after Jay was shot and stabbed, that one of those strung-out killers took the time to neatly place a towel over Jay's bloody and swollen face and completely under that noose , as if to absolve themselves of the damage they had caused - like an ostrich head in sand - once its buried, everything disappears...yatta, yatta, yatta...swampland...Florida...still for sale...! Possible but is it Probable?

Then, there are those unaccounted for 3-4 minutes before the death of Sharon Tate. Could this have been the time that the killers settled down some and decided to hide Jay's swollen face from Sharon in a futile attempt to have her peacefully go to her own demise? Could Sadie or Tex have said, "Look, Sharon, we covered Jay, no need to worry, everything will be okay when I slit your cheek wide open with my buck knife and stab you 15 times in the chest with my bayonet." Possible but is it Probable?

During the time that Sadie was alone with Sharon, while Katie and Tex were outside frolicking with Gibby and Voytek, did she tuck that towel nicely under Jay's noose, so she could sit peacefully with Sharon and hold her attention while she told her she had no mercy for her and that she was going to die just like the others? Possibly. But why tuck the towel under the noose? Why not just place it lightly over his head? Was Sadie afraid that Jay, as in an awful remake of "The Night of the Living Dead" would jump up and whip the towel off his own head if she didn't fit it tightly under his noose? Possible but is it Probable?

No, someone went to the extra effort to cover up the wreckage that was Jay's face and neatly, ever so neatly, tuck that towel under Jay's noose. Someone who was sober enough to not want to view what was left; someone who had used the towel for some other purpose; someone who wasn't in a hurry nor distracted by people running from their own deaths. Does this describe the actions of Tex, Sadie, Katie, or Linda, for that matter? No, not really. And it's now 1986 and we're forced to deal with Charlie's version of events as the only one that fits. As sickening as it may be to admit, he may be giving us the truth, as he so often does.

The WRENCH placed in the Conservatory by Colonel Mustard and his "partner"...

Of the Manhattan framed eye-glasses...Charlie says;

"My partner had an old pair of glasses we had often used as a magnifying glass or a device to start a fire . We carefully wiped the glasses free of prints and dropped them on the floor so that when discovered they would be a misleading clue for police."

Ah, those vexing eye-glasses...

The LAPD tried their damnedest to uncover their origin and their owner, going well back into any visitors which could have accidentally lost their glasses while visiting or working for Rudy Altobelli, Terry Melcher and/or the Tate group...no one, nothing, zilch, nada.

The cops finally did uncover the company who ground the lenses and who sold those style of frames but the company had no identification on the purchaser, save for a description of the man who had given the prescription to the store;

"On 9-30-69, Doctor Sloan phoned this office [LAPD] from Falbrook, California (714-443-1075). He stated that on 9-3-69 [25 days after Cielo], a male Caucasian, approximately 25 years, 5-8, 135, brown and brown, with an oval face and short hair, came to his office wearing a pair of optical sunglasses. He stated he was teaching English at DelMar High School and gave an address which later proved not to exist. He stated his name was Owen Davis. He ordered a pair of reading glasses from Doctor Sloan. The doctor took the prescription from the sunglasses. The right eye was the same prescription as on our wanted flyer. The left eye was slightly off. Owen Davis never returned for the glasses (no deposit paid). The doctor has been unable to locate Davis as he did not teach at the school in DelMar."

And Charlie said;

"My partner had an old pair of glasses we had often used as a magnifying glass or a device to start a fire."

The one doesn't necessarily prove the other but it sort of makes the hair stand up on back of my neck anyways and scream BRUCE DAVIS, or is it just me? A man fitting his general description wants to obtain reading glasses with fake ID and yet never returns to pick up his order. Reading glasses this man needed but obviously did not have, as of 25 days after the Cielo murders...hmmmmmm...

And then, we have old Bruce voluntarily surrendering to authorities at the Hall of Justice, where outside in an impromptu media interview he hints at his involvement in many more murders beyond that of Gary Hinman and Shorty Shea. Why is it that when bad things happen to good people, Bruce Davis is somewhere in the shadows?

It is this author's belief, that IF Charlie went back up to Cielo, it was Bruce Davis who accompanied him as his "partner" and it was Bruce who dropped those unaccounted for eyeglasses near the steamer trunks of Sharon.















Besides the blind (forgive the pun!) alley that the cops found regarding the origin of those oh, so stylish Manhattans, no other plausible scenario has been given by any other Manson Family member, convicted killer or otherwise. And with no familiar ties back to Altobelli, Melcher or Tate - friends, maids, gardeners or delivery men - we are left with a pair of men's eyeglasses on a floor where no men's eyeglasses belonged, and only Charlie's story of the who and the why.

The cop's daughter in me grinned when she first saw where the glasses had been discovered, by the trunks, out in full view, near the foyer to the front door. The only thing that was missing was a pink neon sign arrow flashing the letters "Red Herring Clue Here" to the cops.

The CANDLESTICK in the Conservatory put there by Colonel Mustard and his "partner"...

Then, finally, one is left with all those ear witnesses in the Canyon, who heard sounds well after the killings would have ended but still in those early morning hours of August 9th, who distinctly heard voices and reports akin to gunfire in the direction of 10050 Cielo;

"(0200 hours to 0300 hours) Mr. Emmet Steele, 9951 Beverly Grove Drive maintains two trained hunting dogs at his residence. These dogs do not generally respond to ordinary traffic or house noises in the vicinity, but become highly excited and bark and howl when they hear gunshots. On 8-9-69, between 0200 and 0300, both dogs became highly excited, barking and howling. Mr. Steele went out and calmed the dogs, checked the area but could see nothing. Mr. Steele did not hear any gunshots himself but was concerned about a Lavender Volkswagen-type dune buggy, XSP 193, and a black foreign-type motorcycle, possibly a Triumph, that have been seen and reported driving about the area for the past six weeks in the late night and early morning hours. These two vehicles have not been connected with the incident at this time."

Dune buggy, huh... dune buggies can backfire, can't they? I wonder if the LAPD checked that license plate and found it was stolen?

"(Approximately 0330 hours) Mr. Marceau Mounton, an employee of the Bel Air Patrol, works 2130 to 0530. Mr Mounton was on a fixed post assignment at 10231 Charring Cross on 8-8/9-69, from 2130 to 0530. At approximately 0330, Mr. Mounton heard what he first believed to be three backfires, but on reflection, felt the reports were too sharp and short to be backfires. He said the reports were too close together, and one shortly there after. Mr. Mounton was positioned on the south side of the residence and could not be sure from what direction the sound came. This location is approximately 1/4 mile south of the location of occurrence and below the mouth of the canyon. When Mr. Mounton went off duty at 0530 he mentioned this occurrence to Mr. Karlson.., the deskman at Bel Air Patrol."

If a security guard doesn't recognise gun fire, as American guards carry handguns, who then would?

"(0400 hours) At 0400. Mr. Bullington was stopped in front of 2175 Summit Ridge Drive. He was parked facing northbound with the driver's window down and heart what he believed to be three shots. They sounded as if they came from some distance to the west. The sequence was one shot, a 2/3 second pause, another shot, a 4/5 second pause, and a final shot. Mr. Bullington contacted Bel Air Patrol by radio (Mr. Karlson...states time was 0411) and reported this."

"(0411 hours) Mr. Karlson was on duty on 8-9-69, and at 0411 was contacted by radio by patrolman Bullington of Bel Air Patrol who had stopped at 2175 Summit Ridge. Officer Bullington reported to Karlson he had heard three shots spaced several seconds apart. Karlson called West Los Angeles desk at 0412 and reported this to an unknown officer who stated, 'I hope we don't have a murder. We just had A woman-screaming call in that area."

Woman-screaming call, huh? Does anyone know if old Brenda (Nancy Pitman) was asleep soundly on her mattress, at Spahn Ranch, in those wee hours, I wonder?

"(0400 hours) Carlos Gill, 9955 Beverly Grove Drive, Carlos is a Mexican national, 14 years of age. He had been asleep, awoke at 2300 hours and began writing letters in his room. From his bedroom located on the opposite side of Benedict Canyon, it is possible to look directly across the canyon at approximately the same elevation and view the front of the Polanski residence. The distance is estimated as approximately 1/4 to 1/2 mile. At approximately 0400 hours he heard the sound of voices arguing. He believed it was three or four persons. The argument increased in volume and became more heated. It lasted approximately one minute and then subsided abruptly. He indicated that in his opinion the sounds originated from the direction of the Polanski residence. At the time of the occurrence he stood by the window in his lighted room and looked in that direction but could see nothing. He said that the severity of the argument so frightened him that he went immediately to bed after closing the window."
Charlie, Bruce and Brenda, and maybe even Clem...these people seem to pop up wherever murder and mayhem have occurred...what are the odds?

There's just too much going on in that Canyon well after the Cielo killers finished their "handiwork" that it leaves a gaping hole and too many whys and wherefores unanswered.

And remember, Charlie has a habit of never actually lying about anything.

In 1986, he may have given us all the gift of truth but no one wanted to consider the ramifications of what that truth represented. Maybe we still don't. But it'd be nice if the envelope, when it was opened on the Manson boardgame, actually pointed to the Colonel and his wares, wouldn't it?