We hope to make the entire file available to everyone soon. There is more good stuff along with the procedural documents.
Monday, September 29, 2014
The Witches of Mendocino Court Files Part 2
Here is the report from the Mendocino County Probation Department on
Mary Brunner. It is less kind to Mary than Sadie's report was to her. I suppose
it had something to do with Mary having been college educated and being
a mother. The report certainly frowned on Mary having allowed Cathran
Smith/Patricia Krenwinkel to claim Michael as her own child.
We hope to make the entire file available to everyone soon. There is more good stuff along with the procedural documents.
We hope to make the entire file available to everyone soon. There is more good stuff along with the procedural documents.
Wow, it's weird to read how the "establishment" viewed this group of people. They could tell that Mary was being manipulated. She sure did fall into the wrong hands for someone so intelligent. She probably didn't have a lot of street smarts when she first met CM. She's very lucky she's living a normal life now, without being in prison anymore, because I have no doubt she would of been sent to Cielo & Waverly those two horrendous nights.
ReplyDeleteSeems to me she was kissed by being denied probation and given credit for time served, right? She walks with the 63 days served and doesn't have to serve probation. Am I right or did I miss something?
ReplyDeleteThat's the way I read it. too, Matt. The difference between Susan and Mary could have been Susan's prior Oregon conviction. Susan may have had her charges dismissed like the other three girls if not for Oregon. Regardless it does seem like the girls got off pretty light, just like Charlie did for the many times he was arrested.
ReplyDelete"Originally, the child was identified as Michael Smith, whose mother was Catherine Patricia Smith, with date of birth April 1, 1968."
ReplyDeleteAPRIL FOOLS!!!
Isn't Pooh Bears birthday April 1, 1968?
ReplyDeleteNot sure but I was making reference to the faking of the actual Mother.
ReplyDeleteThese people were so weird, they led a life faking almost everything! How can someone live like that?
ReplyDeleteThank you Deb for finding and uploading the documents, they’re quite fascinating!
ReplyDeleteWhile I’ve been massively interested in all things surrounding the Family for decades, I’m aware that some people here are level 500 in terms of the minutiae so if this particular question has already been covered, apologies in advance…
Does anyone have any information surrounding Mary’s individual circumstances prior to meet Charlie? I don’t think I’ve ever read any accounts of any emotional baggage she had prior to meeting Charlie. Let’s face it, most of the actors in the Family and their pre-existing issues, problems, etc. are the stuff of legend and it’s repeatedly put out there how Charlie identified what the issues were and played them to his advantage. Mother Mary, however – all I seem to hear is how she came from a home in the MidWest, got a degree, moved to Cali and was happily doing post grad study and employed in a library, even her employers were quite willing to re-hire her if she were wanting her job back. It just seems particularly weird as one minute she’s pursuing academia and the next she’s hooked up with someone who didn’t complete elementary school.
Not only was Mary the first, but she didn’t seem to fit the mold of the “typical” Family member as she completed university and didn’t outwardly exhibit any “issues”. The worst thing the probation office could say about her was that she had a “live and let live” attitude towards others.
So if any wizened contributors here might be able to fill in the blanks, it would be greatly appreciated.
bucpaul, you have it pretty much covered. What's documented in this file about her past prior to meeting Manson jives with what I have understood.
ReplyDeleteA young college graduate destined to have a family in suburbia and work in university libraries.
It would be very interesting to me at least for her to describe meeting M and what appealed to her. I can understand a yearning not to want to be a librarian but MANSON??? C'mon Mary write a book...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMatt I am a librarian too! Nothing wrong with that, although i work in a Law library, wich is worse but pays better.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely walk on the wild side in 67, but with someone like Manson? Not sure. But then one of the reasons a i'm interested in the family is the fact that, maybe, i would've liked the adventure. But i would be away before the trouble, no question about that!!
I can remember when i was young all i ever wanted was to know a good dealer, no hassle...Not like Charlie!
Now i am satisfied with my shrink and occasionally benzos. :P
Mary write a book!
ReplyDeleteI think it's in the Manson movie Mary said her existence before Charlie was very limited or something like that.
ReplyDeleteCome on Matt, the answer is right there in "MANSON" and Death to Pigs:
ReplyDelete"Go to work, come home, go to bed, go to work, come home.... It was really becoming a drag and then HE popped in and I took off."
There are only 2 worlds - the underworld and the other world where most of us just exist. As Paul Watkins sings: Are there OTHER worlds to explore ? Yeah, there's another one, but it can be very dangerous just to pretend you are exploring it. BUT that UNDERWORLD can also be very exciting and a really "far-out" place to dwell, IF you're willing to let your feet burned.
Remember, in the beginning there was only (1) world - until someone discovered if they created another world - they could be the grand master of that brand new imaginary world. To be a MEMBER of one world OR the OTHER - what is the difference ?
Which is the FIRST world and which world is just an ILLUSION ?
Hey no offense, Cris. I'm no anti-bibliotite. LOL
ReplyDeletebucpaul, you're absolutely right about how "odd" was the fact that Brunner left all she had accomplished to go after Manson.
ReplyDeleteIt's really the mistery about those girls falling in love with Charlie.
That's ok Matt! It's indeed a boring job sometimes, but pays the bills! LOL
It's not a mystery. The dude had power and great understanding - and he was always highly entertaining.
ReplyDeleteAll anyone has seen of Manson is post TLB interviews in prison. The Manson the girls met was an almost totally different guy.
That fact typically lacks any and all consideration by those who ponder the 'mystery.'
Very good remark Max.
ReplyDeleteWe can see in the trial videos that CM was not the wild mad man he was after all passed. He had beautiful eyes and a nice smile too.
Mr. Hendrickson made a good point too: there's an underground world that is very appeling to some people.
I'm glad i never found that dealer in my youth and i didn't burn my feet. Just a little.
Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She moved to Cali, so she was looking for something different. I imagine she was trying to live something other than what she had. Plus, M made her feel special. It's difficult to feel special in 'sconi when your not like everyone else. M, with his skills, gave her what she needed. What's more odd to me is that she moved back.
ReplyDeleteYes, I think Manson must have been extremely charismatic and brought these people into a magical mystery tour of adventure, rebellion, love and insight.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mr. Hendrickson in trying to understand Manson as a full human being. He's not just a bad man.
He did rub her the wrong way early on though by introducing another woman into their special relationship. So if he was just a bum she would've probably left him then.
Back in '67, Mary Brunner wasn't exactly regarded as a major beauty. Charles Manson, having spent half his life in institutions had learned to see beyond that and helped Mary Brunner to feel freer with those things that young people often struggle with, like sexual feelings, self image and internal issues, things that, especially in MB's day, children weren't brought up to speak and share freely about.
ReplyDeleteI feel it is too easily overlooked just what an explosion is caused within when one is given attention, listened to and told that the things they've been told all their lives are wrong actually aren't.
I once asked a teenage girl what she would rather have, a "boyfriend" that treated her like shit and went with other girls but who still claimed to be her man or to be alone with no boyfriend at all. I was amazed that she choose the former !
Sometimes, we're a little quick to judge things that those we comment on have done because hindsight is simple. Mary Brunner couldn't have forseen the events of the next three years in '67, anymore than any of us can see ahead to 2019 with certainty and clarity. We can't even do it when it comes to voting, come election time ! As the Igbo people say, "Onye ma echi ?" {who knows tomorrow ?}.
Given the preceeding two decades and the times {and the freedoms that young people were confronted with for the first time in human history}, I don't find it at all amazing that young people would be drawn to someone like Charles Manson. After all, all walks of life contain interesting, charismatic characters that have something to say that's worth hearing even if you disagree with those things. Neither am I surprised that some soldiers or police officers enjoy killing or at least can do so dispassionately. We are, after all, human, with all the contradictions and paradoxes that come with that.