Charles Manson
...to Kathleen Maddox. At the
time, she was a promiscuous sixteen year old who drank too much and got into a lot of trouble. Two years
later, Kathleen filed suit against Charles' dad, Colonel Scott of Ashland, Kentucky, for child support,
which she was awarded but never received. Kathleen was briefly married to William Manson who gave his
name to Charles. Kathleen had a habit of disappearing for days and weeks at a time, leaving Charlie with
his grandmother or aunt. Charles Manson in Nuel Emmons' book, MANSON IN HIS OWN WORDS
describes his family: "Kathleen was the youngest of three children from the marriage of Nancy and
Charles Maddox. Her parents loved her and meant well by her, but they were fanatical in their religious
beliefs. Especially Grandma, who dominated the household. She was stern and unwavering in her
interpretation of God's will, and demanded that those within her home abide by her view of God's wishes."
( Emmons pg 32) When Kathleen and her brother were both sentenced to the penitentiary for armed
robbery, Charlie got sent off to live with his aunt and uncle in McMechen, West Virginia. The aunt was
very religious and strict in true contrast to his mother's permissiveness.
When Kathleen was released from jail, she was not responsible enough to take care of Charles,
preferring her life of promiscuity and hard drinking to any kind of normal lifestyle. Charles had no stability
in his life. Always being passed around to someone new, he moved from one dingy house to another, the
only stability he had were the friendships that he made on the streets. Manson tells the story that circulated
within his family: "Mom was in a café one afternoon with me on her lap. The waitress, a would-be mother
without a child of her own, jokingly told my mom she'd buy me from her. Mom...
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