Charles Manson | Cult Chronicles

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Most people know of Charles Manson, the evil things he has done, and the people that helped him do them. He was the leader of the Manson Family cult, and together they brutally murdered several innocent people in their aim to create a race war.

In this post, I will write about Charles and his younger years leading up to what he became in the '60s.

Attention! The content of this article or section may seem obscene or offensive to some readers.

His Early Life

Charles Manson was born No Name Maddox on November 12th, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother was 16 years old Kathleen Maddox. He never met his father and his young mother was an alcoholic and a prostitute. Kathleen never showed any maternal instincts at all towards Charles, and it was reported that Kathleen once traded him for a pitcher of beer when he was just a baby.

Charles eventually received his name from one of her lovers William Manson. Kathleen married William but their marriage didn't last long.

In 1939 when he was 5 years old his mother and uncle were arrested for robbery. They were sentenced to 5 years in prison for their crime. Charles moved in with his religious aunt and his disciplinarian uncle. His uncle would call him a sissy and made him wear a dress to school once to teach Charles how to fight and act like a man.

His first acts of deceit started while he was still young. As Manson's family had little money they couldn't afford to buy fancy gifts at Christmas. He would watch his classmates playing with their toys and felt like they were mocking him. So Manson decided to gather as many toys as he could and set them on fire. He also convinced some young girls at his school to attack a boy he didn't like. When the principal asked them why they did it they said that Charlie made them do it. When they questioned him about what happened he said he didn't tell them to do anything, and that they couldn't blame him for something he didn't do.

Manson didn't have many friends and his mother was never around for him.

In 1942 his mother was released from prison on parole, and when she returned she gave Charles a hug. A hug that Charles would say is the only happy childhood memory he had. However, this would not last long and Kathleen returned to her alcoholic and promiscuous ways. She would bring her lovers home and even disappear for days on end. As a result, Charles would spend most of his youth at the homes of different relatives.

As the years went on he would get used to his life of crime and loneliness. He didn't have many friends and started to steal. At the age of 9 he was sent to reform school for the first time and after only 10 months he escaped. He tried to return home to his mother but when he got home she refused to take him back.

Manson was in and out of different institutions throughout his childhood. He would attempt to escape several times but he would always be returned. He also claimed that during his time in one of the reforms schools he was beaten and raped consistently by bigger boys and members of staff.

Manson's Wives and Children

Manson married a young waitress named Rosalie Willis in 1955, the couple had a son and called him Charles Manson Jnr. However, when Manson was sent back to jail she divorced him. 

Manson would marry for the second time in 1959, but this time to a woman called Candy Stevens. He had another son with Candy, and they called him Charles Luther Manson. Sadly this would also end in divorce when Manson returned to jail.

His Life in Prison

By 1959 Charles had been arrested for drug use, pimping, stealing, fraud, domestic abuse, and the rape of a young boy.

Alvin 'Creepy' Kapris

While in jail Manson studied Scientology and found a love for music. He started to learn the six-string guitar, drums and even started to write his own songs. He did this with the help of the notorious gangster Alvin Karpis. When asked about Manson this is what Karpis had to say:

"There was something unmistakably unusual about Manson. He was a runt of sorts, but found his place as an experienced manipulator of others. I did feel manipulated, and under circumstances where it hadn't been necessary."

Manson was released in 1967 at the age of 32 years old. He had spent half of his life behind bars and didn't want to be released. He begged them to reconsider and said: 

"I know I won't be able to adjust to the world, not after I spent all my life locked up and my mind was free."

All he wanted was to walk around the yard in the sunshine and play his guitar. However, his request was denied and he was released back into society. After his release, he moved to San Francisco, and this is where he would start forming the Manson Family cult. 

The cult would go on to murder and mutilate many innocent people, including the heavily pregnant actress Sharon Tate in her own home. 

What are your thoughts on Charles Manson? Do you think he was born evil, or do you think his upbringing was the reason he acted the way he did? Let me know what you think in the comments.