My Conversations with Charles Manson

[ddnoe]

One of my brothers read a copy of my article of conversations with Charles Manson that is at http://www.crimemagazine.com/my-friends ... les-manson

My brother said, "He talks more like Jesus Christ than anyone I've ever read." No, my brother doesn't admire Charles Manson. Rather, my brother thinks that CM's habit of answering questions with parables, allegories, and the like is similar to the way the Jesus of the New Testament spoke.

What do others think of the conversations I had with the world's most notorious prisoner?

[Yooper]

I have to say that charisma is in the eye of the beholder. Based upon that, I can't imagine Manson's opinion of anything being of any value at all to me.

[patsy]

You must have the patience of a saint, Denise, to hang in there throughout a lot of that rambling. But there are some interesting parts to it all. His feelings that he expressed to you about Sharon's and Susan's deaths were a little curious. I doubt he could feel any compassion, but in Susan's case did he or did he just go with his seemingly glorious reality that she isn't dead. Who knows.

Seems I've heard a lot of negativity about Lincoln way back in the day, so maybe he somehow became instilled with some ideas that were prevalent at one time related to unhappiness with Lincoln in some ways.

I never thought the race issue was any part of the murders. Seems that the idea that he may have thought Terry Melcher still lived there may have played a part, but maybe only in the sense that he may have ranted about Terry in the presence of the group.

He seems to have survived mainly because he does live in his mind, and the very act of free association seems to feed his ego enough to have helped him actually adapt to his situation quite well.

[Angel]

Wouldn't waste one second of my time on him to feed into his need for attention.

[Allen]

I wrote to Charles Manson several years back. I've always been fascinated with how someone could be so evil and have no remorse for it. How someone could come to be like that. How their mind works. He answered me and he actually sent me three letters. I know what you mean about the rambling. Some of what he says actually made no sense to me what so ever. In one sentence he told me "I am not a preacher or a teacher if you want saved take a flight to spain. run with the bulls." In another part of a letter he told me "I don't need a pen pal. I am not in need of friends. who did you think you were writing a nice guy? think the worst of the worst and I am worse than you could think in 1000 years. " He told me I should take music lessons and become a music teacher. That I should always just stay one lesson ahead of my students. It would be an easy way to make money. he actually sent me a trust account withdrawal order to take money from his prison account for music lessons. he talked about how people are not always who and what they say they are. but a lot of it was just pure ramblings that it seemed only he understood the meaning behind. I have all my letters saved and his handwriting is very hard to read in some instances. its like chicken scratch.

[shakiboo]

He's what happens when there's no love, no faith, no hope, no joy, no caring, no gentle touch. He lives in his own mind, and even there he isn't of much value. He has no feelings for anyone, cares for no one, trusts no one, and never has. We'lll never know what his involvement was in the murders, but what ever it was it wasn't anything good. If evil is the total lack of goodness, then at that point in his life, I think he qualified. Even now as an old man, Who has alot of time to think about what he's done, there is no guilt, no remorse. He's already dead, and has been for most of his life. Of course this is just my opinion, based on what I've read about his childhood and what he did with his life.

[Fargo]

I never knew that charles manson owned a Packard. Now there was a car. As they used to say "Ask the man who owns one"

[Smudgeman]

I would never write to a killer, a murderer, it would only validate their presence in society.

[shakiboo]

I understand what you're saying, I don't think I could ever do it either. But in a way I'm glad that some people can and do. I alway's wonder why? or How? Especially with the serial killer's. What happend to make them so unhuman, they entered the world the same way we all did, what went so wrong that it made them what they became? Questions need to be answered, and maybe a way to catch such a thing early on and change it or them, can be found. Not only for them but for the many that will be murdered or harmed by them in some way. I've often wondered if there are people out there like them, but, for what-ever reason, never harm anyone.

[Yooper]

There's any number of people like Manson, a combination of con man and manipulator, always has been and always will be. Jim Jones is a good example. The con is in establishing himself as an authority figure to a number of extremely needy people. The manipulation is in getting them to do what he wants simply because he says so. The more needy they are, the more absolute the authority becomes.

[Fargo]

Has anyone here ever written to a person who they think was wrongfully convicted ?

Jeff Macdonald comes to mind, I don't think he did it.

Forget about Pam Smart no matter what she says she did it, or should I say she had it done.

[shakiboo]

No, I haven't, but can't imagine anything worse then being innocent, and no one believing me. Then being locked away for it!! But it happens.......Fargo, what makes you think that Jeff Macdonald is innocent, if you don't mind my asking...

[twinsrwe]

I haven't written to a person I think was wrongfully convicted, either. I am also curious as to why you think Jeffrey MacDonald is innocent, Fargo.

[kssunflower]

Fatal Vision...great book. Add me to the list of curious also.

[Fargo]

Fatal Vision was theory, Macdonald sued the author over the book and got an out of court settlement.

Macdonald had no obvious motive.One of the army personal saw a woman with a floppy hat in the area as Macdonald described her in the house. I don't recall the names now but both one man and one woman confessed to the crime to other people.

Much of the prosecutions case was based on the forensics that showed that Macdonald's DNA was in the house and of course he lived there. Macdonald checked on all three members of his family after the attack that would explain their blood on him and vice versa.

The crime scene was not cared for as it should have been. They destroyed the house and the crime scene ( without notifying Macdonald or his defense )after it had been sealed for about 14 years, that way no more testing could be done from that evidence.

There was an episode on American Justice and a good one on Unsolved Mysteries Final Appeal about it.

If I said that I thought that Pam Smart was innocent I bet you would really be curious.

[shakiboo]

You're right, Fargo, about Pam Smart lol I'd want to know, why? Enquiring minds want to know...... He (Macdonald) is still in prison isn't he? I read the book, "Fatal Vision" and also saw Unsolved Mysteries, I thought that he had done it, if not, then there's another good example of not everything is as it seems. His whole manner, and actions helped get him convicted. Not to mention the far out story he came up with, and his injuries, so little, compared to the rest of his families. But anyway, thanks for sharing that, it is interesting

[twinsrwe]

Wow, Fargo, because of you I am now convinced that Jeff MacDonald is indeed innocent.

I read Joe McGinniss’ book, Fatal Vision, as well as saw the movie by the same title, and was convinced that Jeff MacDonald was guilty due to the overwhelming evidence that was presented in both. I haven’t steadied the MacDonald case for some time, so, I didn’t realize that a new book, by Jerry Allen Potter and Fred Bost, titled "Fatal Justice", was even published. I also didn’t realize that Jeff had sued McGinniss for fraud and breach of contract, and that he won a settlement of approximately a third of a million dollars in 1987.

Because of the information you provided, I did some research and found several very interesting web sites that really opened my eyes:

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/noto ... ald/1.html

This web site is truly amazing. Go through each category and decide for yourself:

http://www.themacdonaldcase.org/index.html

This web site is in regards to the book "Fatal Justice" by Jerry Allen Potter and Fred Bost.

http://articles.sfgate.com/1995-03-05/b ... al-justice

The following article was published just 4 days ago on Tuesday April the 19th, and updated on the 20th:

http://www.krqe.com/dpps/military/Court ... se_3780442

Reading through the above articles, a thought came to me that Joe McGinniss and Arnold Brown are two peas in a pod! They both published a book that was classified as non-fiction, did a great deal of embellishing, and accomplished convincing the public that what was in their book was indeed the truth and nothing but the truth. The big difference is that Arnold Brown’s book led us to believe that someone other than the accused was the actual killer, where Joe McGinniss’ book led us to believe that an innocent man was the actual killer. In my opinion, McGinniss’ book has done a lot more damage.

Although I am 100% convinced that Jeff MacDonald is innocent, a very small amount of doubt crept into my thinking when I came across this web site:

http://www.statementanalysis.com/macdonald/

I find the above information fascinating, but how true is this analysis?