We recently heard from "RW", who as a young boy hung around the farmhouse in Carson, CA that was rented by members of the Straight Satans MC Club SFV and was visited by Manson. Here are some memories he has shared with us:
I don't know much about Manson from back then. Only seen him at the house a couple times. I didn't know who he was just heard people calling him Charlie. But when he was around I was sent home the same when the Pres of the M/C was around.RW will be checking this post, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.
The house was on the corner of Carson and Martin St. in Carson, surrounded by farm fields. I lived about 3 blocks away on Martin St. I started stopping by there on the way home from school and looking at the bikes. Skip and Anita took a liking to me and let me hang around doing little chores like cleaning bikes and bike parts, and taking some bikes apart the best I could (hot bikes).
Hung around there about 3 yrs. Until one day I went to the farm house and Skip and Carl had cut their hair and shaved their beards. They were in tennis shoes and t-shirts. Skip gave me his Mexican wool vest (I still have it). Skip, Anita and Carl got on their bikes and headed back to Oklahoma. They looked like college kids riding off on their choppers. The farm house was empty overnight. Skip, Anita, Carl, Guss and Zipper were the ones who lived at the farm for several yrs.
Interesting that RW was made to leave when Charlie was there, as he was when the club president was there. A sign of reverence?
ReplyDeleteThanks RW!!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting indeed Matt. Maybe it was because- in either case- The big trouble was coming around. Maybe not. Maybe it was some show of respect for two leaders.
But either way- they got the young one out of there when the really big shots came around and that is one of the first semi-attempts at keeping a kid out of harms way I have ever heard of related to this case , so that is interesting to me in itself...
Wow, thanks for sharing this information, RW. How strange that your friends would cut their hair and beards and ride off into the sunset, as it were. I would think that if the club were disbanding the members would find other local clubs to join. I found an article where 7 members of the Straight Satan's were arrested in 1971 for a murder. The article says that Fred Hafer was the acting president of the club. Is this the person you knew to be the president of the club when you were hanging around? Charges were dropped on six of the seven people but a man named Robert Driscoll was held to stand charges. Did you know Danny DeCarlo and his wife Miriam? What about Al Springer? I have always had the suspicion that the Straight Satan's were not an entirely legitimate 1%er club. Did you ever feel this upon reflecting back?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember to many names from back then or who the pres.of the m/c was. I was there from 68 to 70. There was a lot of people in and out at any giving time. There were some big weekend parties sometimes with 40+ bikes around.And there were a lot more 1%ers. then people think. Happy Thanksgiving. R.W.
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ReplyDelete"How strange that your friends would cut their hair and beards and ride off into the sunset, as it were."
ReplyDeleteI took this to mean that they were on the run and therefore changed their appearance. I'm a million miles from the outlaw world, but I think it's pretty common to cut or dye one's hair to avoid being ID'd by law enforcement, rival clubs, hippie death cults etc.
Makes sense, I've tried that.
DeleteLike I told Matt, I think there was just to much pressure on the club that it was better to get out of town. I'm sure most bikers felt the pinch at this time in So. Cal.
ReplyDeleteThe hippies sure felt the pinch around then....thanks to Charlie and his crew.
ReplyDeletehey rw my stepfather was founding vp of the straight satans and i can assure you they were 1%ers
ReplyDeleteson of liljerr - please email me:
ReplyDeletematt@eviliz.com
I.m still around. Skull valley, AZ Angle zone.Ray
ReplyDeleteMy father was I straight Satan he he knew Charles Manson I just learned of this did not know I knew you was a straight Satan he's old Now does not like to talk about my uncle hung out with with them he would tell me stories as a child my name is fredrik c hill just like my dad if anybody knew him please respond
ReplyDeleteI only remember a few names from the farm on the corner of Martin and Carson st in Carson the ones that lived there. Skip,Anita,Carl,Guss and Zipper. 1968 to 70.
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