Author Archives: lmharnisch

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times

December 3, 1941: L.A. County Cuts Welfare Costs, Pays Immigrants to Go Back to Mexico — Updated

December 3, 1941: To reduce the welfare rolls, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approves paying $100 [$1,441.19 USD 2009] to immigrants to move back to Mexico. Continue reading →

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December 5, 1907: Man Accused of Scheme in Selling Daughter to Gypsies

December 5, 1907: A Los Angeles couple have a novel way of making money: Antonio Thompson and his wife sell their daughter Marie to the Gypsies, then go to court to get her back. According to statements taken in St. Louis, Marie has been sold off several times as a Gypsy princess. Continue reading →

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December 4, 1959: Matt Weinstock

December 4,1959: Matt Weinstock looks at the public relations industry’s attempts to improve its image. Continue reading →

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December 4, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

December 4, 1959: Paul Coates has the story of Roger “The Terrible” Touhy, Prohibition gangland boss who was finally released from prison. Continue reading →

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December 4, 1959: Mickey Cohen Arrested

December 4, 1959: Mickey Cohen is arrested in the cafe slaying of Jack “The Enforcer” Whalen. Cohen is a “perfect gentleman,” says companion Sandy Hashagen, 18. Continue reading →

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December 4, 1911: Man Arrested for ‘Masquerading in Female Attire’

December 4, 1911: Clarence Westfall, 22, is arrested for masquerading in female attire when the boat from San Diego docks in San Pedro. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, 1911, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Fashions, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on December 4, 1911: Man Arrested for ‘Masquerading in Female Attire’

December 4, 1907: Shooting on Baldwin Ranch Raises Tensions Between Chinese, Latino Workers

December 4, 1907: Shooting on Lucky Baldwin’s ranch raises tensions between Chinese and Latino workers. Continue reading →

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December 3, 1907: Gunman Kills LAPD Officer; Dies in Slow Agony Awaiting the Gallows

December 3,1907: Daniel Meskil kills LAPD Officer Patrick Lyons, who was trying to arrest Meskil and his companion, Rolla Robe. Meskil was sentenced to be hanged at San Quentin, but died of injuries from jumping off a roof during an escape attempt. Continue reading →

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December 2, 1958: Model stabbed, dumped off mountain highway

December 2, 1958: Model Charlotte Trosper is found stabbed to death in a clump of bushes off Angeles Crest Highway. Boyfriend Gerald Feasby was convicted in the killing. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1958, Courts, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Homicide | Comments Off on December 2, 1958: Model stabbed, dumped off mountain highway

Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, December 2025

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a brief introduction to the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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December 2, 1958: 90 die in Chicago school fire

December 2, 1958: Fire sweeps through Our Lady of the Angels school in Chicago, killing 92 children and three nuns. Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

A Daily Mirror gift suggestion: Mary Mallory’s latest: First Women of Hollywood. Continue reading →

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December 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock

December 1, 1959: Matt Weinstock writes about Los Angeles Times columnist Lee Shippey and discusses Shippey’s blindness. Continue reading →

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December 1, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

December 1, 1959: Jerry Lewis is a strange guy, Paul Coates writes, but this time the comedian is going to the aid of actor Jay Robinson, “Hollywood’s forgotten man.: Continue reading →

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December 1, 1938: California prepares to execute two killers at San Quentin

December 1, 1938: California prepares to use the new gas chamber for two executions rather than the previous method of hanging. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1938, @news, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Politics, Religion, Sports | Comments Off on December 1, 1938: California prepares to execute two killers at San Quentin

L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Shopping Guide

Note: This is a repost from 2013. True style never goes out of date, after all. We are being bombarded by stories about Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with videos of long lines at stores and the attendant consumer frenzy. … Continue reading →

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Movieland ‘Unsuitable’ Mystery Photo (Updated + + + +)

In this week’s exploration of “unsuitable” mystery movies, we have an especially “unsuitable” film, with this “unsuitable” mystery guest. Continue reading →

Posted in 1934, Film, Hollywood, Mystery Photo | Tagged , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Mary Mallory / Hollywood Heights – Altadena’s Lovely Christmas Tree Lane

To mark the opening of Christmas Tree lane, we have Mary Mallory’s encore post from 2012. Continue reading →

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December 1, 1907: L.A. Author Writes of Life in the Hollow Earth (No Sign of Lizard People)

December 1, 1907: The Times notes a new serial “The Smoky God,” by Willis Emerson, based on the papers of Olaf Jansen, who claimed to have explored the North Pole and met the inhabitants of the Earth’s interior. “A classic in Hollow Earth Literature!” Continue reading →

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November 30, 1959: Matt Weinstock

November 30, 1959: The mother of a middle school student tells Matt Weinstock: “You would be surprised at the number of students at this school who are being tutored just to make a C.” One girl is taking tranquilizers because she can’t keep up. Continue reading →

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