Category Archives: 1907

November 23, 1907: Baby Murdered With Ax, Half-Eaten by Pigs in Garbage Heap

Posted on November 23, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 23, 1907: Trigger Warning — half-eaten body of baby found in ranch’s pig pen. Continue reading →

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November 22, 1907: Son Beats Father With Baseball Bat to Protect Mother; Bleeding and Shot in the Head, She Vows Eternal Love

Posted on November 22, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 22, 1907: Though beaten and shot in the head by her drunk husband, Ellen Larkin vowed her eternal love and said he could come home as soon as he recovered from being beaten with a baseball bat by their son to protect his mother. Continue reading →

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November 21, 1907: Mother, 17, Throws Baby From Train to Hide ‘Shame’ From Family

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 1907: Louise Williams is arrested on charges of throwing her baby from an inbound train. “She was suddenly overwhelmed with the shame of meeting her mother and sisters at Los Angeles, who had not learned of her ruin,” her attorney said. Continue reading →

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November 20, 1907: Police Capture Streetcar Bandits

Posted on November 20, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 20, 1907: Police arrest two men who staged daring holdups on the Ascot Park and Eastlake streetcars, robbing the motormen and conductors as the cars reached the ends of their routes. Continue reading →

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November 19, 1907: Crime Wave Sweeps L.A.

Posted on November 19, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 19, 1907: An influx of crooks, petty hoodlums and vagrants drawn by good weather and horse racing at Santa Anita are blamed for a siege of crime throughout the city. Continue reading →

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November 17, 1907: A #MeToo Moment in the Monkey House; Opera Tenors in Trouble

Posted on November 17, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 17, 1907: A detective in Central Park’s monkey house arrests Leon Cazauran, brought to New York to sing in “Thais” at Oscar Hammerstein’s Manhattan Operahouse, and his companion, Claude Modjeska, “a copper-colored young man,” The Times says. The charge was attempting to corrupt small boys Continue reading →

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November 16, 1907: Husband in Elaborate Disguise Shoots Estranged Wife on Streetcar

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16,1907: Frederick Cook faces trial for shooting his estranged wife on a streetcar, disguising himself so she wouldn’t recognize him. Continue reading →

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November 15, 1907: Charles Mulford Robinson Drafts a Los Angeles of the Future

Posted on November 15, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 15, 1907: Charles Mulford Robinson proposes a grand boulevard for downtown Los Angeles, from a proposed Union Station ending at a new public library and art gallery. And a new City Hall. Continue reading →

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November 13, 1907: Revolutionary Defense Fund

Posted on November 13, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 13, 1907: An uproarious meeting is held at Simpson Auditorium to raise money for four Mexican revolutionaries held in the county jail. Antonio Rodriguez, who spoke in Spanish, Job Harriman and defense attorney A.R. Holston attacked the Mexican government, U.S. officials and the police. Continue reading →

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November 12, 1907: A Bad Way With Horses

Posted on November 12, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 12, 1907: John P. Shumway Jr. is badly injured when the carriage he was driving collided with the 11th Street trolley. Shumway was thrown about 20 feet, striking the pavement head-first, and the horse ran for the stable, pulling what was left of the smashed carriage, witnesses said. Continue reading →

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November 11, 1907: Cad Told the Truth Only Once — He Wasn’t Worthy of Her

Posted on November 11, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 11, 1907: On a trip to Topeka, Kans., to visit relatives, Lena River Packard of Los Angeles met Edgar (or Edwin) Campbell Arnold, a wealthy wholesale druggist who quickly became her constant companion and ardent suitor. Love soon blossomed and in a few months, Edgar arrived in Los Angeles to claim his bride. Continue reading →

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November 10, 1907: Story of L.A. Real Estate Is Dislocation, Dislocation, Dislocation

Posted on November 10, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 10, 1907: What sort of monument do we leave for real estate developers? For John B. Althouse, who built hundreds of homes in the Wilshire district, as well as the West Adams district and the San Gabriel Valley, the answer might be nondescript offices and vacant lots. Continue reading →

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Nov. 9, 1907: ‘We Are Revolutionists!’ Supporters Call for Release of Ricardo Flores Magon

Posted on November 9, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 9, 1907: Local sympathizers, anarchists and socialists are organizing a mass meeting to protest the imprisonment of Ricardo Flores Magon, Librado Rivera, Antonio Villareal and L. Gutierrez De Lara, who are being held on charges of trying to overthrow the Mexican government. Continue reading →

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November 6, 1907: An EBay Mystery

Posted on November 6, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 6, 1907: The case of the mysterious postcard, offered on EBay, an encore post from 2006. Continue reading →

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November 5, 1907: Bride Travels From Scotland to Marry Fiance Seeking Better Life in L.A.

Posted on November 5, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 5, 1907: John Richie led the bass section of the choir at St. Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, Scotland, while Testristina Adams was a contralto. They sang in the choir for about 10 years, and fell in love.
Two years ago, John left Scotland and came to Los Angeles, but not before asking Testristina to marry him. Continue reading →

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November 4, 1907: Final Crash Finishes Off Ford Runabout, but Driver Survives to Race Again

Posted on November 4, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 4, 1907: Luck finally runs out for Eugene Rowe’s runabout, which was repaired after being smashed by a trolley, then crashed during practice for the Thanksgiving run. Continue reading →

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November 3, 1907: A House With Curb Appeal

Posted on November 3, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 3, 1907: Mrs. E.N. Eskey is building this 10-room house in Pico Heights, on Van Ness just south of Pico. Continue reading →

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October 30, 1907: ‘Brat Frat’ Defies Ban by L.A. High School

Posted on October 30, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 30: 1907: The young men of Los Angeles High School have issued a direct challenge to the Board of Education, defying its authority by enlisting fraternity members despite a ban issued last year. Continue reading →

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October 29, 1907: ‘Oh, God, The Bassoon!’ Musicians Union Dispute Becomes Operatic

Posted on October 29, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 29, 1907: A labor dispute forces an opera company’s performance of “Mignon” to use local players, almost entirely unrehearsed, leading the conductor to exclaim: “Oh, God, the bassoon!” Continue reading →

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October 28, 1907: Former LAPD Chief Calls It ‘Most Detestable Job Ever Created’

Posted on October 28, 2025 by lmharnisch

October 28, 1907: A former LAPD chief says the job is the worst in the city. Continue reading →

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