Charlie sent Poston and Watkins to the Barker Ranch (mining claim) where they ran into Crocket. Crocket convinced them that Charlie had brainwashed them into being his slaves. To break them of Charlie's "control" Crocket had them work "his" mining claim (shovel ore DIRT out) in 100 degree + heat for days without end. He told them this was the only way to break from Charlie completely. Now imagine Merrick and I listening to this story right from Brooks and Watkins mouths (while Crocket sat there in poker-face)
The more I recall - the more I realize - this Manson case is undoubtedly the most bizarre tale ever!
Patty has never needed a father figure other than her actual father. He was darned near perfect and probably a big reason Patty never "got on the bus." RIP Daddy...16 years without you now.
Reading what Crockett did with Paul and Brooks, has doused me with a sense of embarrassed disbelief.
I had mentally filed Crockett as one of the ‘White Hats’ of this story. I’m sure this is an end result of watching too much Cisco Kid, Dragnet, and Superman with lashings of truth, justice, and the American Way. Yeah, the ‘only’ way to break Manson’s spell is to work in a commercial enterprise (I happen to own). I learned something new today.
In high school I was awaiting some sort of counseling (for goofing in class, not mainlining heroin) in the room where you would deliver absence slips signed by a parent or guardian. One of the grey haired ladies with cat eye glasses scolded me about being back again, then pointed to the wall of class presidents and whatever, then said “why can’t you be more like them?” Yes, there was a utilitarian shrine of those overachievers in black framed, 8 x 10 glossies, who attended our grand high school before.
So years pass, then in a fit of cosmic irony, I’m invited to speak to a group of students from my former high school for career day. I’m back in that same office area and noticed the wall of winners has been removed leaving a bare motif. So I ask one of the ladies behind the counter what happened to the photos of my many superiors. She said they were removed after one of them returned from Guyana’s Jonestown, called a press conference at the local Motel 6, then went in the bathroom and shot himself in the head on live TV. Apparently this was the last suicide of the Jim Jones cult.
So at that moment, my mental bar was adjusted, from trying to achieve some political office as a measure of success to…. NOT shooting myself, in a Motel 6’s bathroom on live TV, as the ultimate indication of being a winner. Live and learn.
Farflung, I think You're talking about a guy named Mike Prokes(the Guy who shot himself)He was a public relations guy for the peoples temple and one of just a few who escaped the mass suicides in Guyana. While I'm on the subject has anyone ever found out just how much Brooks Poston was involved with the Peoples Temple? I was going to do a Post on the L/S blog earlier this year on the connections between the Peoples Temple and the Manson Family but all I could find out for sure was one article on the Peoples Temple mentioning a Brooks Poston and Watkins admission that Manson knew Jones. Also some members of the Fountain of the World became aligned with the Peoples Temple at some point but that was it.
You know after I posted I knew someone would ask me that! No, what happened was when I signed up for my first Youtube account I had to come up with a name...I couldn't think of anything so I looked around the room,saw a book on Jonestown I was reading at the time,opened it up and the first name I saw was Mike Prokes. Changed Mike to Matt and there you go.
You are correct matt prokes, in that it was Mike Prokes who killed himself. Here’s an article about the event just above the story about Squeaky attacking another inmate with a claw hammer:
It’s nice to have a memory jogger like the Prokes suicide and Squeaky’s assault occurring on the same day. But I was wrong about Mike Prokes being the last suicide. Just under a year later there were two more suicides in Berkeley (naturally):
This reads like a subgroup started their own religion free of the Jones despotism, but still featuring suicide. A husband and wife succeeded, with a daughter failing in the attempt, while an oblivious son apparently survived while visiting the home. Illustrating the phrase- The family that prays together, slays together.
Jonestown was the first of my "odd" interests. I was fourteen living in the Bay Area when the massacre happened. I call it a massacre for a reason and that is because most of those people did not commit suicide. The children certainly didn't kill themselves (there were over 300 children) and the old people had no where to go, they were trapped. Most people don't know that the largest group of followers were old black women. By the time of the massacre Jim Jones was not in charge, he was ill and addicted to drugs. His wife, mistresses, and a group of other white women were in charge. Jones called for the deaths, but these women could have stopped. The question is, why didn't they?
Farflung would get a kick out of this one.
ReplyDeleteCharlie sent Poston and Watkins to the Barker Ranch (mining claim) where they ran into Crocket. Crocket convinced them that Charlie had brainwashed them into being his slaves. To break them of Charlie's "control" Crocket had them work "his" mining claim (shovel ore DIRT out) in 100 degree + heat for days without end. He told them this was the only way to break from Charlie completely. Now imagine Merrick and I listening to this story right from Brooks and Watkins mouths (while Crocket sat there in poker-face)
The more I recall - the more I realize - this Manson case is undoubtedly the most bizarre tale ever!
Robert Hendrickson
Poston jumped from one father figure to the next. Crockett was a slight improvement over Charlie and Jim Jones, but just more of the same really.
ReplyDeletePatty has never needed a father figure other than her actual father. He was darned near perfect and probably a big reason Patty never "got on the bus." RIP Daddy...16 years without you now.
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that Crockett and Manson didn't become buddies. With their similar philosophies, I bet the two combined would have done some insane shit.
ReplyDeleteReading what Crockett did with Paul and Brooks, has doused me with a sense of embarrassed disbelief.
ReplyDeleteI had mentally filed Crockett as one of the ‘White Hats’ of this story. I’m sure this is an end result of watching too much Cisco Kid, Dragnet, and Superman with lashings of truth, justice, and the American Way. Yeah, the ‘only’ way to break Manson’s spell is to work in a commercial enterprise (I happen to own). I learned something new today.
In high school I was awaiting some sort of counseling (for goofing in class, not mainlining heroin) in the room where you would deliver absence slips signed by a parent or guardian. One of the grey haired ladies with cat eye glasses scolded me about being back again, then pointed to the wall of class presidents and whatever, then said “why can’t you be more like them?” Yes, there was a utilitarian shrine of those overachievers in black framed, 8 x 10 glossies, who attended our grand high school before.
So years pass, then in a fit of cosmic irony, I’m invited to speak to a group of students from my former high school for career day. I’m back in that same office area and noticed the wall of winners has been removed leaving a bare motif. So I ask one of the ladies behind the counter what happened to the photos of my many superiors. She said they were removed after one of them returned from Guyana’s Jonestown, called a press conference at the local Motel 6, then went in the bathroom and shot himself in the head on live TV. Apparently this was the last suicide of the Jim Jones cult.
So at that moment, my mental bar was adjusted, from trying to achieve some political office as a measure of success to…. NOT shooting myself, in a Motel 6’s bathroom on live TV, as the ultimate indication of being a winner. Live and learn.
Farf,
ReplyDeleteI was half expecting you to say Little Paul had been one of your class presidents.
Farflung,
ReplyDeleteI think You're talking about a guy named Mike Prokes(the Guy who shot himself)He was a public relations guy for the peoples temple and one of just a few who escaped the mass suicides in Guyana.
While I'm on the subject has anyone ever found out just how much Brooks Poston was involved with the Peoples Temple?
I was going to do a Post on the L/S blog earlier this year on the connections between the Peoples Temple and the Manson Family but all I could find out for sure was one article on the Peoples Temple mentioning a Brooks Poston and Watkins admission that Manson knew Jones.
Also some members of the Fountain of the World became aligned with the Peoples Temple at some point but that was it.
Any relation, Matt?
ReplyDeleteYou know after I posted I knew someone would ask me that!
ReplyDeleteNo, what happened was when I signed up for my first Youtube account I had to come up with a name...I couldn't think of anything so I looked around the room,saw a book on Jonestown I was reading at the time,opened it up and the first name I saw was Mike Prokes.
Changed Mike to Matt and there you go.
Strange coincidence though...
ReplyDeleteYou are correct matt prokes, in that it was Mike Prokes who killed himself. Here’s an article about the event just above the story about Squeaky attacking another inmate with a claw hammer:
ReplyDeleteProkes and Squeaky
It’s nice to have a memory jogger like the Prokes suicide and Squeaky’s assault occurring on the same day. But I was wrong about Mike Prokes being the last suicide. Just under a year later there were two more suicides in Berkeley (naturally):
More Jonestown suicides
This reads like a subgroup started their own religion free of the Jones despotism, but still featuring suicide. A husband and wife succeeded, with a daughter failing in the attempt, while an oblivious son apparently survived while visiting the home. Illustrating the phrase- The family that prays together, slays together.
I wonder why video of prokes last press conference hasn't surfaced.
ReplyDeletePatty would not want to see that after getting suckerpunched with the Bud Dwyer footage. Very bad.
ReplyDeleteFrom what i understand the actual shooting itself wasn't on film.
ReplyDeleteOK good, ty Matt P.
ReplyDeleteHe made a statement to the press then went into the bathroom and did what he did.
ReplyDeleteJonestown was the first of my "odd" interests. I was fourteen living in the Bay Area when the massacre happened. I call it a massacre for a reason and that is because most of those people did not commit suicide. The children certainly didn't kill themselves (there were over 300 children) and the old people had no where to go, they were trapped. Most people don't know that the largest group of followers were old black women. By the time of the massacre Jim Jones was not in charge, he was ill and addicted to drugs. His wife, mistresses, and a group of other white women were in charge. Jones called for the deaths, but these women could have stopped. The question is, why didn't they?
ReplyDelete