A lot of people don't know this, but the Manson story could have been very different in the Summer of 69. Here is my take on what could have happened:
July 1969:
* Tex watson burns a drug dealer, Lotsapoppa(Bernard Crowe), by not coming back with the dope that he sold him. Crowe calls Spahn Ranch looking for Charles. T.J. Walleman, the family member who answered the phone, thinks that he is looking for Manson because they only knew Watson as "Tex". He can't find Manson or Watson, and tells Bernard this, who threatens to kill the girl if Watson doesn't get him his dope in 24 hours. A day later, Watson still hadn't returned. Crowe calls the ranch, Manson answers, and Crowe said that he killed Tex's girlfriend. When Tex returns a few days later, Manson tells him what happened, and that he is no longer welcome at the ranch. Watson, frustrated, packs his bags and heads back home to Texas.
* A short time later, some members of the Straight Satan motorcycle gang show up and claim that they were sold some bad Mescaline by Manson and Bobby Beausoleil. They threaten Bobby's life by putting their arm around his neck and holding a knife up to his face, demanding that they get their money back.
* Bobby, along with Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner, go to visit Gary Hinman, their dope dealer. They explain to him what happened, and he said that the didn't have any money. An argument ensued, and Bobby is acting very tense, but cooler heads prevail. Hinman turns over the deed to his vehicles as payment to the two bikers, and they give the vehicles to the Straight Satans.
If those two drug-related incidents would have been similar to what I described, Sharon Tate would have lived a lot longer, and we might not know who Charles Manson is. Also, Vincent Bugliosi wouldn't be as nearly as wealthy today.