Free Republic

A California parole panel on Thursday recommended for the first time that Charles Manson follower Robert Beausoleil be freed after serving nearly a half-century in prison for murder. Beausoleil, 71, was not involved in the most notorious killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others by the Manson “family” in 1969. He was convicted in the slaying of musician Gary Hinman that same year. Hinman was tortured for three days, according to testimony at previous parole hearings, including when Manson cut his face with a sword. Parole panels ruled against releasing Beausoleil 18 prior times. California’s incoming governor, Gavin Newsom,...

Cajuns Seek Remains of Guerrilla Leader By CAIN BURDEAU Associated Press Writer Wed Jun 1,12:42 PM ET NEW ORLEANS - For Louisiana's Cajuns, Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil was their Che Guevara, their Thomas Jefferson, their Moses. But the gravesite of the 18th-century guerrilla fighter has long been a mystery. Now, historians and archaeologists — some of them descendants of the Acadian leader — are hoping to find his bones. The search is part of an Acadian renaissance movement that has sprung up since the 1960s to honor the music, art, language and customs of Louisiana's Cajun people, the Acadians' direct...