George Spahn George Spahn George Spahn (February 11, 1889 – September 22, 1974) was an American rancher who once owned the Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. Spahn (as did previous owner William S. Hart) rented the ranch to the movie industry to film Westerns. Spahn is chiefly remembered for his association with the Manson Family, due to his tolerance of the Manson group's residence on his property. At the ranch, Spahn housed Charles Manson and his followers in the late 60s. The 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others by Manson's devotees were allegedly hatched at the Spahn
Charles Manson as a tourist attraction after his death. According to Simone, Manson believed he would never die, and may simply have used the possibility of marriage as a way to encourage Burton and Hammond to continue visiting him and bringing him gifts. Together with co-author Heidi Jordan Ley, and with the assistance of some of Manson's fellow prisoners, Simone wrote a book about Manson and was seeking a publisher for it. Burton said on her web site that the reason the marriage did not take place is merely logistical. Manson was suffering from an infection and had been in a prison