Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Aug. 6, 1947: Asian Americans Sue Over Deed Restrictions Forcing Them Out of White Neighborhoods

Posted on August 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Petitions were filed in the Supreme Court of California here yesterday seeking to restrain the Superior Court from hearing injunction suits against two American-Orientals to restrain … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Aug. 6, 1947: Asian Americans Sue Over Deed Restrictions Forcing Them Out of White Neighborhoods

Aug. 5, 1947: Hitchhiking Couple Confess to ‘Kiss of Death’ Murder

Posted on August 5, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. “Last Wednesday, I killed a man.” Joseph stood tall for the news photographers, with his wife, Lois, by his side, a shock of hair swept down … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Aug. 5, 1947: Hitchhiking Couple Confess to ‘Kiss of Death’ Murder

Black L.A. 1947: Elizabeth Ingalls to Pay Dora Jones $6,000 in Slavery Case; Sentenced to Fine and Probation

Posted on August 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1947: The Sentinel’s front page is full of news: Elizabeth Ingalls is sentenced in the San Diego slavery case to a fine of $2,500, three years probation and a $6,000 payment to Dora Jones. The Sentinel also reports … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, San Diego | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

Posted on August 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

  Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Her name was Andrea and she was 24. His name was Sylvester and he was 26, a World War II veteran working at Lockheed. And … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Aug. 2, 1947: Los Angeles County Clerk Refuses Marriage License for Interracial Couple

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

Posted on July 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 31, 1907 Los Angeles After a delay due to illness, newsboy Charles “Winnipeg” Wilson took the stand to testify against Evelyn Ferguson, who is accused of shooting him because he was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Comments Off on July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

June 16, 1964: 2 Dead in Bizarre Drowning, Overdose; ‘All Three Had Been Drinking Heavily’

Posted on July 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. It was a follow-up to a post by Kim Cooper. Let’s suppose you and your sister came home from a hard day and found your husband … Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

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

Posted on July 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 28, 1907 Los Angeles City officials, hampered by a bramble bush of old and unenforced laws, have appointed deputy prosecutor Eddie to prune back outdated and unnecessary regulations from the early … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Black L.A. 1947: Elizabeth Ingalls Convicted in San Diego Slavery Case; Jury Deadlocks on Husband’s Guilt

Posted on July 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: The Sentinel reports that Elizabeth Ingalls was convicted on charges of holding Dora Jones in slavery. Sentencing was set for July 29. The jury deadlocked on charges against her husband, Albert. The Sentinel said that Dora Jones … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, San Diego | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Black L.A. 1947: Elizabeth Ingalls Convicted in San Diego Slavery Case; Jury Deadlocks on Husband’s Guilt

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

Posted on July 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. “Knowledge is desirable, but learning is pleasure.” That is one of the sayings of Author Helena Kuo, who came a long way from her native China … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on July 27, 1947: Chinese Author Visits Dr. George Hodel,

Black L.A. 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter Strangled; Suspect Released

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

5320 Holmes Ave., in the Pueblo Del Rio housing project, via Google Street View.   July 24, 1947: The Sentinel reports that Benjamin Allen, 16, of 5217 McGarry St., is being held in the death of Vesta Belle Sapenter. Benjamin … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

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

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. One night in July, Bernard Robert Monday Jr. finally had enough. The violence had been going on at least a decade, maybe longer. In 1937, when … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

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

Posted on July 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Her name was Vesta Belle and she was 17, an honor student at Jefferson High, a mile and a half from her home at 5320 Holmes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Found on EBay: Justice for the McNamaras

Posted on July 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

A vendor on EBay has listed one of the buttons that was created by the AFL to protest the trial of the McNamara brothers in the 1910 bombing of the Los Angeles Times. According to some accounts (possibly true, possibly … Continue reading →

Posted in 1910, Crime and Courts, Found on EBay | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Found on EBay: Justice for the McNamaras

July 21, 1947: Julie London Marries Jack Webb

Posted on July 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. In the courthouse corridor, just after she received one of the biggest divorce settlements in Los Angeles history, someone asked her: “If you had your choice … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Music, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: Sanitarium Offered for Woman on Trial in Slavery Case With Restitution to Victim

Posted on July 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 17, 1947: Clinton M. Arnold, special correspondent for the Los Angeles Sentinel, files updates on the case of Elizabeth Ingalls, who was accused of holding Dora Jones in slavery. In one recent development, Ruth Castendyke, one of Ingalls’ daughters, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Religion, San Diego | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Black L.A. 1947: Sanitarium Offered for Woman on Trial in Slavery Case With Restitution to Victim

Black L.A. 1947: NAACP to Sue Inglewood for Barring Blacks From Swimming Pool

Posted on July 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

The 1938 exploitation film “The Wages of Sin” is being shown at the Flo-Mills Theater. July 17, 1947: The NAACP charges that the city of Inglewood bars African Americans from the pool at Centinela Park. At an employee picnic sponsored … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Parks | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Black L.A. 1947: NAACP to Sue Inglewood for Barring Blacks From Swimming Pool

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

Posted on July 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 18, 1907 Santa Monica Officials of Santa Monica and Ocean Park are fighting a lawsuit that seeks to block the discharge of raw sewage into the ocean. According to testimony, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Environment, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

1939: B-Girls Busy on Skid Row Despite Ban

Posted on July 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

B-GIRLS BUSY ON SKID ROW DESPITE BAN Equalization Board’s Orders, City Police and Exposes Fail to Curb Honky-Tonks Note: This is a post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Yesterday, Examiner reporters again visited the liquor establishments to … Continue reading →

Posted in 1939, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

July 17, 1907: Hollywood Organizes to Catch Serial Arsonist

Posted on July 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 17, 1907 Los Angeles 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Fires, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on July 17, 1907: Hollywood Organizes to Catch Serial Arsonist

Black L.A. 1947 ‘I Didn’t Think I Had a Friend in the World,’ Dora Jones Testifies in Slavery Case

Posted on July 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 10, 1947: The Sentinel devotes a significant part of its front page to the San Diego slavery trial with a story by Clinton M. Arnold. The Sentinel said it was the only black weekly in the U.S. devoting so … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, San Diego | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Black L.A. 1947 ‘I Didn’t Think I Had a Friend in the World,’ Dora Jones Testifies in Slavery Case