August 25-26, 1969 - Shea End
Nights along Santa Susana Pass are unbelievably dark, coffin black really, often filled with whipping tunnel winds. But on this night, no wind, no sound. Even the chirping cicadas took the night off. The valley around Spahn Ranch was so still, sounds, good and evil, traveled too well. Family member Barbara Hoyt (who sadly passed away from natural causes in 2017), who had been sleeping in Johnny Swartz's RV trailer since he left, noticed the deathly silence. It was welcomed. The doe-eyed beauty with the flowing brunette hair climbed into her sleeping bag, praying her nightmares would finally end. The guilt and shame she felt, knowing the Family was complicit in heinous crimes, had robbed her of sleep. Disturbing images flashed horrific in her dreams. Maybe this is the calm after the storm? Barbara rested her head on a blue lined, down pillow, void of any pillowcase. Suddenly, ear-piercing screams killed her rest. Screams, Barbara later said, never left her. *** The truck and tr...
