Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Black L.A. 1947: Postal Worker Finds Body of Rosenda Mondragon

Posted on July 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 10, 1947: The Sentinel publishes a picture of Newton Joshua, who discovered the body of Rosenda Mondragon. I don’t recall ever seeing his name in coverage of the killing.

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1947: Bookstore Owners Fined for Selling Obscene ‘Memoirs of Hecate County’

Posted on July 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. In the days when I lived in Hecate County, I had an uncomfortable neighbor, a man named Asa M. Stryker. He had at one time, he … Continue reading →

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July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon Strangled With Stocking

Posted on July 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Here’s a perfect illustration of the difference between The Times and the Examiner, which has a completely different version of Antonio Mondragon’s actions on the night … Continue reading →

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July 9, 1907: L.A. Converts Abandoned Church to House Inmates From Crowded Jail

Posted on July 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 9, 1907 Los Angeles Grace Methodist Episcopal Church on Hewitt Street was barren; the pastor had gone away and the congregation had moved on. And so the City Council, in struggling … Continue reading →

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July 7, 1947: 4,000 Bikers in ‘Gypsy Tour’ Wreak Havoc in Hollister

Posted on July 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

“Hey, Johnny, what are you rebelling against?” “What’ve you got?”

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July 4, 1947: Man Convicted of Dog Atrocity

Posted on July 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post that originally appeared on the 1947project, but in June rather than July. Oops.

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July 4, 1863: Los Angeles Celebrates the Fourth of July With Pic-Nics and Fire-Works

Posted on July 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

The complete July 4, 1863, issue of the Los Angeles Star is available from USC, which scanned  a copy at the Huntington. Note: This is an encore post from 2013. July 4, 1863: Los Angeles plans to celebrate the Fourth … Continue reading →

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July 3, 1907: Head of Anti-Fakers League Says Gunfire Was Real

Posted on July 3, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 3, 1907 Los Angeles Robert T. Hall, head of the Los Angeles Anti-Fakers League (or Anti-Fakers Society), says shots were fired at him as he returned from an outing to a … Continue reading →

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

Posted on July 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. This is, of course, a murder frequently tossed into the Black Dahlia file by crime books such as “The Cases That Haunt Us” and “Black Dahlia … Continue reading →

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June 29, 1907: Horribly Beaten, Wife Begs Police Not to Charge Husband, Refuses to Testify

Posted on June 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 29, 1907 Los Angeles Through the jail cell’s bars, the officer asked, “Where did you get that blood on your shirt?” E.H. Phelan, a barber at the Hotel Alexandria, said: “No, … Continue reading →

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Black L.A. 1947: Jury Selection Begins in San Diego Slavery Case

Posted on June 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, Cab Calloway is at the Million Dollar Theater with “Ding Dong Williams.”  June 26, 1947: Jury selection begins in San Diego in the case of Alfred and Elizabeth Ingalls, who are accused of holding Dora L. Jones as a … Continue reading →

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June 26, 1907: A Case of Elder Abuse?

Posted on June 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 26, 1907 Los Angeles Fred D. Samuels is a monster and nothing less, according to his aunt, Sister Kostka, assistant mother superior of the Ursuline Convent in Frontenac, Wis. As her … Continue reading →

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June 25, 1947: L.A. Times Praises Gangland Slaying of Bugsy Siegel

Posted on June 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Gov. Warren is justified in his concern over the growth of gangsterism in California, dramatized by the effective and efficient taking-off of the charming but unlamented … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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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