In Response to the recent George Spahn thread... A good friend, sent me an old article, with lots of information on George.
It was sent in PDF form, and took some real finagling, to get the multi-pages, to upload in fairly clear JPeg (picture) form.
It's in several "screenshots" and requires a bit of scrolling... but with some ingenuity, the entire article is readable, and enjoyable.
There's probably a way to display PDF files on here... but, I've yet to figure that one out. LOL To View Article, "Click" Below. Enjoy!!
32 comments:
Interesting article. George was quite a guy. Also very interesting about Ruby. I never knew all that about her.
It's too bad that George worked so hard all his life, only to have his fame (infamy) linked to a bunch of murdering hippies and to have to live in fear for the rest of his days.
Great article. I agree, Katie, interesting about Ruby Pearl and being in Capone's presence. Thank you Lynyrd for posting
Hi Lynn. I knew from reading about Ruby that she was a tough ole gal, but I didn't realize what she'd been through. I didn't know she wanted to be in show biz. Too bad it didn't work out.
What's funny is, as tough as the Manson gang was, I'm sure she never even blinked around them. I'll bet you they always walked softly around her. LOL.
If you go to find a grave and type in George Spahn, it brings up his memorial and one of his grandson's have posted on the site. Interesting he is buried in Hewhall- that's out aways from Simi and just before you get on the grapvine, which takes you up and over the mountains and into Central Valley, CA (close to Bakersfield and the Dwight Yokum song :)....
All I know about Newhall is that a lot of people go dirt biking up there and it is closed alot in the winter due to snow and ice
The road to Newhall....sorry, it's been a long day.
Thanks Lynn. That's interesting. It's funny how his 10 children didn't seem to be involved in his life. It's nice that the grandson made a tribute.
Bakersfield is quite a ways off. I've been there!!
Bakersfield and Dwight!!! :)
My sister lived in Fresno for years, then moved to Madera.
I loved going to see her in the summers. Even though it was 107 degrees during the day, it didn't seem that hot, and at night it cooled off.
Man...I miss those days!!
I must admit, I'm just getting around to actually reading the article now. LOL
Quite a read!
Well...
It seems "Mr. Poirot" was dead-on.
George had ten children, and according to this, "nearly all were named after his horses".
George operated a dairy farm - milk delivery business in Willow Grove Pennsylvania, before moving to California.
It actually says, George's father was killed after being kicked by a horse, when George was very young... yet, George still loved horses, and esentially made horses his life anyway.
I wonder if George's kids also came to CA or stayed back East. George is buried with his wife- no photo of her.
I wonder whatever happened to Ruby Pearl.
Hi Lynyrd. That was quite a read!
It was creepy about the part when George said that he would sit and listen to Charlie talk for hours, then he would hear Charlie leave, and then after a while start muttering to himself, and Charlie would reply!!! It's like he snuck off and was waiting for George to start muttering. CREEPY!!!
Lynn, I loved Fresno too!! Or as they called it then..."Fresburg". My niece was head cheerleader and was on the dance team when they moved to Madera, which is a stone's throw from Fresno. I know of the Bulldogs too!!
Man I loved that place!!!
My sister moved about 10 years ago all the way across the country to Pennsylvania. She was in Lancaster, and now lives in Lititz.
I've been there too about 4 times. Beautiful country as well.
Different...but still very beautiful. Lots and lots of history!!! On my next trip east, we plan to see NYC!!!
I have no idea what happened to Ruby. Anyone?
I wonder why George wasn't close to his children. Maybe he was a tough old guy that was hard to get close to. I don't know.
LadyRam posted that the children were trying to get him to sell the ranch because they were tired of the hippy influence. I'm sure that was a sore subject. The place was historic, but a dump none-the-less.
I've been through Bakersfield, but didn't stop. I think Bakersfield and Fresno are like twin cities. LOL.
No wonder George did not want to testify...if Charlie could sneak up like that...so could one of the Family....
Wonder who the girl on the hitching post was....a family member who had not left?
I have never been to PA. My other half lived in Philadelphia for awhile- he said it was NOT the city of Brotherly Love!
I haven't been to NYC in many years and was under adult supervision while I was there so would love to go back. I can't wait to hear about your trip and live vicariously through you!
Something I never understood - buried next to George is his wife - Martha Spahn - I was told she lived at the back ranch - anyone else ever hear that?
Hey Lynn, the cemetary is right at the 5 and 14 freeway, first offramp going east on the 14...nice cemetary, you need to check it out!
Lynn I was wondering who the couple at the first were too. I'm assuming they were just the rejects that stayed behind.
I'm sure that George was afraid to shut his eyes at night. The article told of all kinds of reporters coming out there to question him, and I can just imagine the ballyhoo going on at that time!! Poor guy, he didn't know what hit him.
I'm sure after he heard that they were the accused murderers that he was afraid someone would slit his throat in the night if he talked.
I've been to Philly too, on one of our jaunts, and I wasn't impressed with the city, but did enjoy seeing the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross' house, the area that used to be Ben Franklin's home (all torn down but you can still go there) and the cemetery where all the patriots are buried.
Also ate a philly cheese steak. HA HA.
My sister took me to Ephrata, PA, prounounced Ef-ra-ta. There's an old community there named The Ephrata Cloister. It's not a church, more like a cult, established in the 1700's.
Anyway, we went there for a tour, and I SWEAR it's haunted. I had to get outta there. HA HA.
When I finally do get to NYC I'll fill you in. Should be a hoot!!!
Kimchi, I don't know anything about his wife except what was mentioned in the article. I don't know what happened to her after they split.
I thought it strange she was buried there too. I wonder what type of relationship she had with the children, if any.
Next time we head up to Bakersfield or Fresno, I will definitely check it out. I think we have stopped in Newhall to fill up and use the rest room. We usually stop in Modesto (I think) at the Fruit Patch Stand- love that place!
Lynn said>>>>
"No wonder George did not want to testify...if Charlie could sneak up like that...so could one of the Family"....
Being blind... the poor guy probably didn't sleep for 2 years, after the murders.
Kimchi said>>>>
"Something I never understood - buried next to George is his wife - Martha Spahn - I was told she lived at the back ranch - anyone else ever hear that"?
This is gonna sound like a stupid question... but, when did he marry this Martha?
That's not the divorced wife, he had 10 kids with is it?
He did divorce her didn't he?
Did he re-marry at 80+ years old, after the murders?
I'm confused.
Who is this woman?? LOL
One minute, Spahn's completely alone after the "family" moves out... with Ruby dragging him around by the cloth of his sleeve (LOL)... a few years later, he's being buried with a wife... who lives in a back ranch?
Did I miss something? LOLOL : )
This guy Spahn, gets more women at 80+, and blind evidently... than most eligible bachelors in their prime. hahaha
I'd really like to know more about Spahn's relationship with his kids, and what their opinions were, of the whole situation.
Seven of the ten children's names are listed in the article.
I wonder if we could find something along those lines.
Looks like he had mostly girls.
I wonder why he went blind?
I love the picture on this thread. He's stepping out of some building looking like he's going to step right into a paint can. Poor thing. That door is marked "private". I wonder what went on behind that door?? HA HA.
BTW that door could use some paint. Squeaky??? LOL.
Well... there's a couple paint cans, and a roller tray there.
Maybe someone was about to paint the door. LOL
George is dressed rather well there... button-up shirt, tie, vest, slacks, black leather shoes...
Maybe he WAS expecting Squeaky! LOLOL
Or Ruby?
Or Martha?
This guy had more women at his disposal than Elvis. : )
Ruby Pearl bought a ranch in Oregon. Dunno about her after that.
Two of Georges kids kept a relationship with him.
Could the hitching post couple be Clem and Nancy? Those two lived at Spahn's a while after Charlie was arrested. Several of the Family can be seen in Manson73 after Charlie's arrest. Even Bruce.
>>MrPoirot said: Ruby Pearl bought a ranch in Oregon. Dunno about her after that.
Two of Georges kids kept a relationship with him.>>>
Thanks for the info.
>>>Could the hitching post couple be Clem and Nancy? Those two lived at Spahn's a while after Charlie was arrested. Several of the Family can be seen in Manson73 after Charlie's arrest. Even Bruce.>>>
That's a good question. Clem and Nancy? Was Nancy still around????
George was looking pretty spiffy in that photo. Yes, he looks like he was defintely expecting female company. HA HA.
Poor guy, he lived long before the ADA really started taking action. The ranch was obviously not built to accommodate the visually impaired.
Gypsy came to mind, regarding the "hitching-post" girl.
She seems to be the one revealing flesh, and romancing the most, in the Hendrickson film, if I remember correctly. LOL
If you go to Chapter 28 in "The Family", you can read about how the family was accepted back at the ranch by George and why..you can read about his kids, including the one that I made reference to, Jim,(there was always a lot of tension with him and he periodically would try to run M and family off the ranch)and how close Manson came to owning the place.
I'm sure that George spent many sleepless nights after the arrests following the TLB murders. Many family members stayed on for quite some time, including Bruce(for awhile),Clem, Gypsy, Sandy, Squeaky,Nancy, Kevin, Little Paul, Juan Flynn, Country Sue Bartell, Dennis Rice. And it wasn't paranoia on George's part...the danger was very real. During this time, Zero, aka Christopher Jesus, aka John Phillip Haught, "committed suicide" a la Russian roulette at Mark Ross' house on Club House Drive.
And for those of my colleagues here who are enamored with Country Sue and her strikingly lovely green eyes, here's a little food for thought...One day Ed Sanders rode with Sue from Spahn's to the Free Clinic in L.A. On the drive there, he brought up that he had heard that the cops were saying that Donkey Dan DeCarlo had murdered Zero. Sue quickly said, "No, he wasn't at the murder" (ruh-roh), then caught herself and added,"I mean, whatever it was...Danny wasn't there." She went on to tell him that Cappy, Claudia, Bruce Davis and others were in the living room, while SHE, babelicious Sue herself, held him while he died. I dunno about you, but that bars her from the babe list for me for all time and eternity! And you have to wonder what Zero's last thoughts were as he looked into those eyes of hers while he shuddered his last. To coin a Sander's phrase: oo ee oo!! Way too creepy for me...........
Almost forgot...Lynyrd, isn't Gay Talese the same guy who wrote all those books about the Mafia crime families in the '70's?? Very interesting!!!
Hi LadyRam.
Honestly, I'm not too familiar with the man.
His official website is here:
http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/talese/about.html
Quite a bit of interesting stuff on there.
There's a whole "interviews" tab, showcasing interview footage.
Pictures of him with M. Ali, and other folks.
I can't see Sue Bartell as killing Zero. I can't see Zero playing russian roulette with a fully loaded revolver. The death/murder/suicide of Zero was not very well investigated. I get the feeling the cops didn't care how he died.
I suppose it is possible that Zero deliberately committed suicide.If he was murdered I'd suspect Bruce. I know when Bug told Leslie ib prison that Zero was dead she was shocked.
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