Category Archives: Black Dahlia

July 2, 1947: Man Held in Strangling of Mary Tate

July 2, 1947: Oscar Hallgren is held in the killing of Mary Tate at 107 Weller Street, now Onizuka Street in Little Tokyo. Continue reading

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Reminder: My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is July 7

Reminder: I will be doing a live Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case, next Tuesday, July 7, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren Is Hallucinating About Knowing the Black Dahlia

Mamie Van Doren, age 95, is hallucinating about knowing Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

It’s a bit sad when a superannuated actor writes a memoir about what they think they “remember” about old Hollywood. There’s no truth to Mamie Van Doren’s claim that she knew Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. It’s all imagined. Continue reading

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June 18, 1907: Immigration Agent Accused of Poisoning Neighbor’s Dog

June 18, 1907: Hazel Schurger accuses neighbor J.J. Brady of poisoning her dog, Baby, with strychnine. Brady was freed after an examination showed that Baby was given a small dose of the poison, incapable of killing the dog immediately as Schurger described. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia Book Club for June 2026

In this episode of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I discussed Elizabeth Short’s FBI file, Michael Connelly’s Killer in the Code podcast, a James Ellroy sighting and more. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming June 16, 2026

Reminder: The next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club is June 16 at 10 a.m. Pacific time on YouTube.com/LMHarnisch This time I will discuss the FBI files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading

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June 3, 1907: Runaway Couple, Aided by Minister, Leave Parents at the Altar

June 3,1907: Dr. Harris Garcelon and Genevieve Smith dreaded the large, formal wedding her mother planned for them. After the rehearsal, the Rev. Baker P. Lee performed a small ceremony and the couple ran off to Salt Lake City, leaving Lee to inform Mrs. Smith of the couple’s flight. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, June 2026

In the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for June 2026, I took questions and highlighted David Oranchak’s final installment in his three-part video series on the false claims of Black Dahlia/Zodiac sleuth Alex Baber. Continue reading

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May 30, 1907: Hop Chung, Chinese Laundryman, Presses Zoning Case in Court

May 30, 1907: Hop Chung is arrested for opening a laundry in an area designated residential, but because he isn’t a U.S. citizen, he takes the case to federal court claiming there is no such thing as what we now know as zoning. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia – Elizabeth Short Letter Listed on EBay — Authentic or Not?

An EBay vendor has listed an undated letter, claiming that it is signed by Elizabeth Short. But is it authentic? Probably not. Continue reading

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Reminder — My Next Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia Case Is June 2

Reminder: I will be doing an Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case June 2, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on my YouTube channel: YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading

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May 21, 1907: J.G. Fleenor ‘Barefoot Burglar’ Talks!

May 21, 1907: In a jailhouse interview before he is taken to San Quentin, James G. Fleenor, the barefoot burglar, sets the record straight on his escapes, his relationship with a white woman and how he began a life of crime. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia Book Club for May 2026

In this month’s Black Dahlia Book Club, I discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and its portrayal of Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Teaser for Video Disproving Alleged Dahlia-Zodiac Link and ‘Cracking’ Zodiac’s Z13

YouTube teaser for David Oranchak’s video refuting Alex Baber’s claims that he has “solved” Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, and linked the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming May 19, 2026

Reminder: I will discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and the “Dragnet” radio show in the next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club, Tuesday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at http://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading

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May 9, 1907: Shriners Present a Colorful Array

May 9, 1907: The Shriners convention in Los Angeles was a huge gathering, it’s why Shrine Auditorium (the original, later destroyed in a fire) was built. Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, May 2026

The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for May 2026, focusing on whether the LAPD will release its files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading

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May 1, 1907: Runaway Horses and a Fleeing Motorcyclist on the Dangerous Streets of L.A.

May 1, 1907: Miss Gertrude Young, who lives at No. 525 Wall St., was knocked down by a motorcycle yesterday as she stepped from a streetcar at 7th and Hope streets. The rider of the machine hastened away. Miss Young was taken to the Clara Barton Hospital. Continue reading

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April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall Draws Crowds to Burbank Theater in ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’

April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall’s performance of ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ draws a mile-long line of people hoping to buy tickets at the Burbank Theater at Main and 6th Street. Continue reading

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