62. Skyhorse and Mohawk

And, finally, before becoming a sympathy piece for accused murderers (and former Fountain tenants) Paul Skyhorse and Richard Mohawk, an article found on Pages 682-686 of the December 24, 1977 edition of The Nation entitled "Skyhorse and Mohawk: More Than a Murder Trial" by Dan Blackburn recounts briefly the senseless murder of cab driver George Aird in 1974.

Mention is made on Page 683 of the article about how Native Americans had established a camp on land they were then leasing from the Fountain of the World. Writes Blackburn:

The camp is located off a dusty road in Box Canyon and offers a substantial degree of seclusion. The land is owned by small religious cult called Fountain of the World. Members of the Charles Manson family used the site as a hideout after the Tate-LaBianca murders, and Manson considered trying to recruit cult members into helter-skelter scheme. Several years earlier, a guru and his flock were blown up there when a disgruntled follower used dynamite to emphasize his unhappiness over the holy man’s determination to appropriate all the women in the group for himself. The place has a certain history.

Hmmm...sounds like Blackburn got his information about the history of Fountain from Ed Sanders! Consequently, since he does not identify the source of the following information, it is unknown if the details he provides concerning the bargain AIM struck with the Fountain (also found on Page 683) are to be trusted:

AIM [American Indian Movement] leased the camp nearly a year before George Aird died there. The AIM representative negotiated a deal with the Fountain of the World under which they would pay an unusually low rent of $125 per month, plus the cost of utilities. The favorable rent was said to be due to the fact that the leader of the religious group felt American Indians were victims of discrimination, and because he believed himself to be in tune with their spirituality.

The Fountain members with whom I've spoken recall there being two separate groups of Native Americans living on the Fountain's property: (1) the group of good guys to whom they initially leased the property; and (2) a group of (obviously) not so good guys, including Skyhorse and Mohawk, who replaced the first group over time.