Was there ever a prisoner that others were terrified of while in prison?
One of my drafting teachers held some classes in prisons. We asked him if this was a problem, being around criminals. He said, Just Once. I was taking an unusual route to the classroom one time because there was maintenance being done in the jail. I passed a person painting the walls and he never even looked away from his brushstrokes as I passed him. As I passed him in the middle of the hallway I got this feeling of dread and a cold crept down my spine. I quickened my pace and was relieved when I got to the closed door at the other end because I knew a guard would be waiting there on the other side to open the door. I was so relieved to step through that door as it clanged loudly behind me! I had no idea why the hallway had such an effect on me so I told the guard about my anxiety. He explained, “Yup, that’s pretty common. That painter you passed in the hallway was Charlie Manson.” “We keep him busy working alone painting the walls because nobody can stand to be in the same room with him. They all end up sick to their stomach or something just to be within 50 feet of him. ”

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