Category Archives: #courts

Veteran Burglar Convicted Again

Posted on June 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 22, 1899: Adjusted for inflation, these suits cost $51.10-$102.20. I was curious as to what "door key nippers" might be. Evidently they were some type of lock-picking device. I found this story: Feb. 16, 1903: "Stealing was going on … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Sheriff’s Father Near Death

Posted on June 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 21, 1899: New bicycles cost $766.47 to $1,021.96, adjusted for inflation. The father of future Los Angeles County Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz is near death.

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Mother Kills Dance Teacher Who Molested Daughter

Posted on June 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 21, 1889: Mattie Marlette accuses dance teacher Alfred Sullivan of molesting her 3-year-old daughter and shoots him to death. Many people, especially the noirists, prefer the papers of the 1930s and '40s, but I think the 1880s-1910 period is … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide | 1 Comment

GOP Unbeatable, Nixon Says!

Posted on June 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 20, 1959: This Isn't Any Laughing Matter, Ted." The newspapers of the 1950s are full of stories about callous police officers (usually the LAPD, sometimes Beverly Hills) handing out traffic tickets. It must have been quite a phenomenon. Richard … Continue reading →

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Drunks and Small Boys in Trouble!

Posted on June 20, 2009 by lmharnisch
Posted in #courts, Downtown, LAPD | Comments Off on Drunks and Small Boys in Trouble!

5 Die of Diphtheria on Eastside

Posted on June 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 19, 1889: Isaac Hall, a "cheeky Negro" is arrested.

Posted in #courts | 1 Comment

Governor Urged to Revive Crime Commission; A Dodger Retires

Posted on June 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Hey! Come Back Here!" County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn calls on Gov. Pat Brown to reactivate the state crime commission after reports of organized crime in California, while Mickey Cohen calls the whole matter a joke. "It's ridiculous. These false statements … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Comics, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Mickey Cohen, Sports | 2 Comments

Cannibalism on the Frontier

Posted on June 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Colorado Supreme Court weighs the case of Alfred Packer in the deaths of five men …   … Packer admitted killing one man but said it was in self-defense. He also admits eating their bodies.

Posted in #courts | 1 Comment

A Kinder, Simpler Time: Your Rights

Posted on June 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1953: Irwin Edelman, Pershing Square orator, is enmeshed in the Rosenberg case. He was convicted in 1949 as a "vagrant dissolute person" in a case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1953, he sought refuge in … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown | Comments Off on A Kinder, Simpler Time: Your Rights

Elderly Woman Fights Officer

Posted on June 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

  June 17, 1899: Officer Shand attempts to arrest Magdalena Schultz and after a terrible fight, subdues her with help from Deputy Johnston.

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Man Tries to Kill Woman Who Rejected Him

Posted on June 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 17, 1889: Charley Harper is accused of trying to kill Mrs. Brown because she wouldn't live with him.

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Man Kills Wife, Attempts Suicide

Posted on June 15, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 15, 1899: Earl Hanchett kills his wife and attempts suicide. The nurse who was hired to tend their baby says: "Why didn't you do as good a job on yourself as you did on her?" Hanchett lived to stand … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown, Homicide, Suicide | Comments Off on Man Kills Wife, Attempts Suicide

Ex-Officer Goes Crazy on Drugs, Alcohol

Posted on June 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 14, 1889: Louis Silverstein is drinking, taking drugs and writing letters to civic officials. 

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San Francisco Court Bans Strip Scene in Play

Posted on June 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

  June 13, 1899: San Francisco audiences are crowding the theater to see the "widely advertised disrobing scene" in Leon Gandillot's "The Turtle." Oct. 23, 1989: Sadie Martinot's scandalous scene in "The Turtle."   May 9, 1923: Sadie Martinot, star … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Stage | Comments Off on San Francisco Court Bans Strip Scene in Play

Cop With Long Memory Recognizes Old-Time Convict

Posted on June 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1899: A police officer with a long memory recognizes a man pretending to be insane as Harry Nichols, who earned a reputation for landscaping during his prison terms at Folsom and San Quentin. He was "one of the … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Man Kills Wife, Lover

Posted on June 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 10, 1930

Posted in #courts, Homicide | Comments Off on Man Kills Wife, Lover

Cigar Store Fined for Having Slot Machine

Posted on June 9, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 9, 1899: Elias Cohn is fined $60 for having a nickel slot machine in his cigar store, 115-117 S. Spring St.

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Girl Describes Beatings by Stepmother

Posted on June 8, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 8, 1889: Florence Harper was beaten until her blood-soaked clothes stuck to her skin.

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Minstrels and the Salvation Army — Charles Ives Would Love It

Posted on June 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

June 7, 1889 Pairing a minstrel show and a Salvation Army band sounds like something Charles Ives might have liked. June 7, 1899: A jail inmate says a trusty beat him with a heavy set of keys.

Posted in #courts, City Hall, Downtown, LAPD, Music, Religion, Stage | Comments Off on Minstrels and the Salvation Army — Charles Ives Would Love It

Teacher Puts the Broom to Process Server in Communist Probe; Meet Wilt Chamberlain

Posted on June 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

"Terry, What's Wrong?" Police have few leads in the beating of boxing promoter Jackie Leonard, who was left partially paralyzed. Leonard had testified before the State Athletic Commission on corruption in prizefighting. Kindergarten teacher Ruth Adair Bishop, 54, whacks Grant … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Comics, Fashion, Film, Hollywood, Lakers, Religion, Sports | 3 Comments