Category Archives: Crime and Courts

September 13, 1963: Woman’s Body Found Behind Wall in Highland Park Home

Posted on September 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 13, 1963: Joseph Lewis of Highland Park wasn’t terribly concerned when his wife, Anna, disappeared. It was only when her daughter returned from vacation that police were notified. Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

September 12, 1944: Wife Stabs Venice Man to Death

Posted on September 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 12, 1944: September 12, 1944: Charles Holdren, 45, lived at 1515 Trolleyway, Venice, with his wife, Ellen, and daughters from a previous marriage. He worked as a fish cutter and after Charles and Ellen had spent Sunday drinking heavily, he decided to go to bed. Continue reading →

Posted in 1944, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

September 8, 1907: Actor Guilty of ‘Mashing’ Young Woman

Posted on September 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 8, 1907: A judge fines Jack Foster, a handsome, blond actor who is the toast of the vaudeville circuit, $90 in lieu of time on the city chain gang after the entertainer flirted with a young lady waiting for her husband to return from buying a cigar. Continue reading →

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September 3, 1943: Los Angeles Tattoo Shops

Posted on September 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 2, 1943: One of my favorite finds from the city archives — a visit to Los Angeles’ tattoo shops. Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Libraries, Photography, World War II | Comments Off on September 3, 1943: Los Angeles Tattoo Shops

September 1, 1947: 1,000 World War II Veterans Now in LAPD Uniforms

Posted on September 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

September 1, 1947: More than 1,000 new LAPD officers are World War II veterans. “We’re going to have a young and strong Police Department,” Assistant Chief Joe Reed says. Continue reading →

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August 31, 1907: The Year in Liquor — 20 Gallons of Beer for Every Man, Woman and Child in U.S.

Posted on August 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 31, 1907: Distillers produced 20 gallons of beer and 1.4 gallons of whiskey for every man, woman and child in America, the U.S. says. Continue reading →

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August 30, 1953: Barbara Graham Defense Wins Delay After Prosecution Bombshell

Posted on August 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 30, 1953: Judge Charles Fricke grants a delay to attorneys for Barbara Graham after the prosecution discloses a recorded conversation between Graham and an undercover police officer. Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on August 30, 1953: Barbara Graham Defense Wins Delay After Prosecution Bombshell

August 28, 1947: Diamond Street Gang Member Takes Murder Rap ‘for the Gang’

Posted on August 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 28, 1947: Earl Bush, 19, member of the Diamond Street gang, says he’s taking a killing rap for the gang. Continue reading →

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August 25, 1907: Death at the Lummis House Over a Garden Hose

Posted on August 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 25, 1907: Death at the Lummis House in a fight that began over a garden hose. Continue reading →

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August 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Posted on August 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 12, 1907: The L.A. Times describes the Bismark Cafe, known to police as the Bucket of Blood, as “drunken debauchery among girls of tender ages, painted women and men.” It is an “immoral pesthole” where “young girls are enticed nightly do drink and listen to a band concert.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Main Street, Music, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on August 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

August 2, 1947: Los Angeles County Clerk Refuses Marriage License for Interracial Couple

Posted on August 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

August 2, 1947: Los Angeles County clerk refuses marriage license for interracial couple. Continue reading →

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July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

Posted on July 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1907: A day at the beach ends in a fight over beer. Evelyn Ferguson is accused of shooting newsboy Charles ‘Winnipeg’ Wilson with a policeman’s gun because Wilson was attacking her friend, who ‘was not in a condition to remember much about how it happened.’ Continue reading →

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July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1907: Los Angeles seeks to rid itself of outdated laws like hunting rabbits on Spring Street or conductors abandoning their streetcars to go quail hunting at the end of the line. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

July 27, 1947: Chinese Author Visits Dr. George Hodel

Posted on July 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 27, 1947: Chinese author Helena Kuo visits Dr. George Hodel. Continue reading →

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July 26, 1947: Son Cleared of Killing Father During Attack on Mother

Posted on July 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 26, 1947: Son cleared of killing father during attack on mother. Continue reading →

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July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: Vesta Belle Sapenter, an honor student at Jefferson High, is found partially undressed and strangled. Continue reading →

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July 21, 1947: Julie London Marries Jack Webb

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 21, 1947: Julie London marries Jack Webb. They divorce seven years later in one of the biggest settlements in local history. Someone asked her: “If you had your choice between half a million dollars and a happy home, which would you take?” She said: “A happy home.” Continue reading →

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July 18, 1907: Santa Monica, Ocean Park Must Abate Sewage Discharge Into Ocean

Posted on July 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 18, 1907: Officials of Santa Monica and Ocean Park are fighting a lawsuit that seeks to block the discharge of raw sewage into the ocean. Continue reading →

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July 17, 1907: Hollywood Organizes to Catch Serial Arsonist

Posted on July 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 17, 1907:
A serial arsonist has been at work in Hollywood, setting six fires in the last three weeks. The community’s small volunteer fire department has been overwhelmed by the crimes. Continue reading →

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July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon Strangled With Stocking

Posted on July 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon is found murdered. The Times and the Examiner have different accounts of the killing and the actions of her husband, Antonio. Continue reading →

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