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687 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
Virginia asked her, "Well, did you do it?"
Susan looked at her and smiled and said, "Sure." Just like that.
Only the police had it wrong, she said. They had her holding the man while the boy stabbed him, which was silly, because she couldn't hold a big man like that. It was the other way round; the boy held him and she had stabbed him, four or five times.
What stunned Virginia, she would later say, was that Susan described it "just like it was a perfectly natural thing to do every day of the week."
Susan's conversations were not limited to murder. Subjects ranged from psychic phenomena to her experiences as a topless dancer in San Francisco. It was while there, she told Virginia, that she met "a man, this Charlie." He was the strongest man alive. He had been in prison but had never been broken. Susan said she followed his orders without question--they all did, all the kids who lived with him. He was their father, their leader, their love.
It was Charlie, she said, who had given her the name Sadie Mae Glutz.
"You know, there's a case right now, they are so far off track they don't even know what's happening."
Virginia asked, "What are you talking about?"
"That one on Benedict Canyon."
"Benedict Canyon? You don't mean Sharon Tate?"
"Yeah." With this Susan seemed to get very excited. The words came out in a rush. "You know who did it, don't you?"
"No."
"Well, you're looking at her."
Virginia gasped, "You've got to be kidding!"
Susan just smiled and said, "Huh-uh."
She asked the big question first: Why, Sadie, why? Because, Susan replied, we "wanted to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to stand up and take notice." But why the Tate house? Susan's answer was chilling in its simplicity: "It is isolated." The place had been picked at random.
In the twenty-five years that have elapsed since the atrocities which Charles Manson ordered and masterminded occurred, mass murder, as never before, has almost become a staple in our society. Disgruntled or demented killers flip out, go into a former place of employment, fast-food establishment, law firm, etc., and murder five to ten people or more. Such carnage no longer shocks a desensitized public when report on the evening news. But fortunately, as of this date, the singularity of Manson's evil and the particular brand of demonic murders he authored have not again been inflicted upon our nation. We can only hope that the ensuring years will be the same.
And while all the murders were certainly atrocious and unforgivable, what the bloodthirsty animalistic Susan Atkins did, not only to an eight and a half month pregnant Sharon Tate, but the disgusting act thrust upon her own baby made me sick! (not to mention what she did on the landing inside a building)
One of my favorite BEATLE songs (I Will) is on their White Album, and after reading this unsettling story, I don't think I will ever listen to it again without thinking of the human monster who believed messages within the lyrics were being sent to him (via code) to start an inter-racial war.
It is not surprising that Helter Skelter won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for best crime novel....it is truly a horror story....so read at your own risk!
Was startled and sorry to hear of Mr. Bugliosi's passing just a few days ago.....especially when CM is still above ground living off taxpayer dollars.
Vincent Bugliosi: August 18, 1934 - June 6, 1015.....A Brilliant and Brave Man! Rest in Peace.
(Thank you GR friend Susan for information regarding "Aquarius", a TV series on the Manson murders now showing On Demand)
Update: June 11, 2015
Had a marathon day of watching the entire first season of Aquarius......Yikes! Sadie (Susan Atkins) and CM were their despicable selves as depicted in the book, (although not quite as bad.....yet) and there are other characters who were disgustingly evil as well! I really did get a kick out of the vintage telephones, TV's, home decor and OMG the clothing and automobiles sure brought a smile to my face........but will there be a Season 2?