Category Archives: Crime and Courts

June 22, 1947: 21,000 Sign Petition for Federal Anti-Lynching Law

Posted on June 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The son of slaves and a World War I veteran, Edgar G. Brown was a frequent visitor to Los Angeles gathering support for various issues, such … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

June 22, 1907: She Wanted Sweetheart’s Picture — So He Gave Her a Wanted Poster

Posted on June 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 22, 1907 Los Angeles Let’s suppose for a moment that you are a handsome former Army sergeant who has served in the Philippines. Let’s further suppose that you get into a … Continue reading →

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Jan. 20, 1947: ‘Good Night. Sleep Peacefully With Compliments of Jacks’

Posted on June 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. I was talking with Siegel about seven o’clock on the Friday evening of his death. He called me at the office of Hollywood’s Daily Variety, for … Continue reading →

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

June 20, 1947: Dinner at Jacks at the Beach

Posted on June 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Good evening, Mr. Siegel. Welcome to Jacks at the Beach. I’ll be your waiter tonight. Would you like to start off with a drink? Here’s a … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: ‘Why Negro Girls Stay Single’ by Pauli Murray

Posted on June 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Update, March 28, 2023: Pauli Murray’s essay in Negro Digest is online at Archive.org. June 19, 1947: The Sentinel publishes a few paragraphs on Pauli Murray’s essay, which appeared in the July 1947 issue of “Negro Digest.” Murray’s essay is frequently … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Education | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

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

Posted on June 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 18, 1907 Los Angeles The victim: A collie named Baby The plaintiff: Hazel G. (or Ella M.) Schurger, 1156 S. Flower. The suspect: J.J. Brady of the Immigration Bureau, a next-door … Continue reading →

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June 17, 1947: Bank Robber Shot in Head During Gunfight With LAPD Officers

Posted on June 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post and originally appeared in 2005 on the 1947project. In the spring of 1968, Times reporter Charles Hillinger went up to San Luis Obispo for a story about a prison facility for elderly convicts, like … Continue reading →

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June 16, 1947: LAPD Officers Hidden in Bar Kill Watchman Stealing Liquor

Posted on June 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. This was a follow-up to Kim Cooper’s original post on Wanzy Patterson, an unfortunate watchman who was helping himself to liquor while guarding a bar. Two … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

June 16, 1907: Lawyer Edith Foulkes Handles Her Own Divorce Case

Posted on June 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 16, 1907 Los Angeles Despite the old saying—a lawyer who represents himself has a fool for a client—Edith Foulkes is a smart woman, at least in the courtroom. She can’t make … Continue reading →

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June 15, 2005: Remembering UCLA Professor Eric Monkkonen

Posted on June 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Times reports the death of UCLA professor Eric Monkkonen, who spent years studying murder in the U.S. and focused on Los Angeles. Among his many … Continue reading →

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‘Little Shoes’: An Author’s Journey of Discovery in Unlocking a Family Tragedy From 1930s L.A.

Posted on June 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

A family’s history is tricky even in the best of circumstances; the past may be sanitized and rewritten for consumption by the next generation. When tragedy is involved, family stories become murky or are simply locked away. So it was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black Dahlia: Who Is This Man?

Posted on June 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. I recently obtained an original copy of The Times’ March 28, 1971, story “Farewell, My Black Dahlia,” which includes the account of the “Boy on the Bicycle.” Here’s a color picture of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Black L.A. 1947: The Case of Godwin ‘Buddy’ Bush, Who Escaped From a Lynch Mob

Posted on June 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 12, 1947: Juanita Washington Goodman’s columns were a weekly feature in the Sentinel. In this one, she’s writes about Godwin/Goodwin “Buddy” Bush, who escaped from a mob that had taken him from the Jackson, N.C., jail May 23, 1947. … Continue reading →

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June 12, 1907: Woman Dies After Abortion, but Leaves Statement Against Doctor

Posted on June 12, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 12, 1907 Los Angeles At 19, Florence Grover was old enough to be in love and living with a man, and at 19, she was old enough to become a mother. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Abortion, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Medicine, Streetcars | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

June 9, 1907: Woman’s Bizarre Death Exposes a Family’s Curse

Posted on June 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 9, 1907 Los Angeles Olga Miller was a comely young thing who worked at the Hotel Rosslyn and was considered quite attractive despite the scar on her temple from shooting herself … Continue reading →

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Shout Out

Posted on June 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. General Motors [ISP Redacted] Windows 2000? Upgrade! The Netherlands [ISP Redacted] E! Entertainment [ISP Redacted] “E! Mysteries and Scandals,” my first TV interview, by the guy who did “Real Chases of the … Continue reading →

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June 6, 1947: American POW Recognizes Sadistic Japanese Prison Camp Guard in L.A. Store

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. On D-Day plus three years, Los Angeles was torn between the past and the future. And in one instance, the past and its aftermath were the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, World War II | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

June 6, 1907: Miner Sues Tenderfoot Prospector for Shooting Pet Horse

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 6, 1907 San Bernardino The miners of the Silver Lake camp out in San Bernardino didn’t take the tenderfoot too seriously. His name was Fred Myton and he presented himself as … Continue reading →

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June 2, 1947: Erwin Walker Pleads Insanity in ‘He Walked by Night’ Killing of CHP Officer

Posted on June 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Erwin Walker case is the crossroads of several important stories. The victim was Loren Roosevelt, fired in the 1930s as Arcadia’s police chief in an … Continue reading →

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June 1, 1907: Former L.A. Councilman Charged With Running Bordello

Posted on June 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 1, 1907 Los Angeles Voir dire, in which lawyers question prospective jurors, is a rough and tumble affair, especially when the case involves prostitution. The matter at hand involves Tom Savage, … Continue reading →

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