Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Why Can’t Anybody Get L.A. History Right?

Posted on September 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

The Times magazine magically transports San Francisco’s St. Francis Hotel  to Los Angeles! Ignorance about Los Angeles history is, alas, all around us. But imagine my dismay to discover this gaffe by The Times magazine –a separate publication by the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1921, Crime and Courts, Hollywood, LAPD, San Francisco | Tagged , , , , | 7 Comments

Married Couple Held in Blackmail of Single Woman for $27,000

Posted on September 27, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 27, 1963: I always thought blackmail was something that only occurred in old Perry Mason episodes, but here’s an actual case and it’s quite strange. It involves a married man blackmailing a single woman. No really! According to a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Animals, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Married Couple Held in Blackmail of Single Woman for $27,000

Barbara Graham Gets Death Sentence

Posted on September 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 23, 1953: Barbara Graham, John A. Santo and Emmett Perkins are convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Mabel Monahan. The jury returned the verdict without a recommendation of life in prison. “Mrs. Graham didn’t bat an eye,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Woman’s Body Found Behind Wall in Highland Park Home

Posted on September 13, 2013 by lmharnisch

Joseph and Anna Lewis, 2630 Johnston St., Highland Park, had been married for 42 when she disappeared. Not that Joseph, 72, a carpenter, was particularly concerned about her absence. Police were not informed of the disappearance until her daughter Shirley … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Suicide | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Sex Talk in Pasadena Canceled Due to Lack of Interest

Posted on September 12, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 12, 1953: Angry San Fernando Valley residents picket Lockheed’s plant in Van Nuys after a jet trainer crashed, killing Phyllis O’Kray, 16504 Chase St., Sepulveda. Lockheed executive Courtland S. Gross expressed regret over O’Kray’s death and noted that the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Aviation, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, San Fernando Valley | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Escaped Soldier Denies Attacking Former Screen Star

Posted on September 11, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 11, 1943: The Times features the Los Angeles Times-Army Ordnance in Action Show being held at Exposition Park. The Times promised that “visitors will see the massive 32-ton Gen. Sherman tanks whose tough armor and deadly firepower blasted the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Books and Authors, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Music, Tom Treanor, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Joaquin Murrieta’s Head on Display in San Francisco

Posted on September 10, 2013 by lmharnisch

What exists of the Sept. 3, 1853, issue of the Los Angeles Star, in the collection at the Huntington, is online at USC (although it can only be viewed after it is downloaded due to some malfunction in the interface) … Continue reading →

Posted in 1853, African Americans, Animals, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

‘Headline Happy’ by Florabel Muir

Posted on September 8, 2013 by lmharnisch

A copy of Florabel Muir’s “Headline Happy” has been listed on EBay for $75. Muir’s book is interesting, and tends to be priced high, but I would never pay that kind of money for a copy – especially with a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1950, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Headline Happy’ by Florabel Muir

Barbara Graham Sobs During Son’s Visit to Jail

Posted on September 6, 2013 by lmharnisch

Sept. 6, 1953: Barbara Graham, on trial in the Mabel Monahan killing, sobs “almost hysterically” as she holds her 18-month-old son, Tommy, during a visit at the Hall of Justice, The Times says. He was in the custody of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hill Street, Obituaries | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Barbara Graham Defense Wins Delay After Prosecution Bombshell

Posted on August 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 30, 1953: Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charles W. Fricke grants attorneys for Barbara Graham a slight delay in opening their defense after the prosecution closes with a “bombshell”: A transcript of a recorded conversation between Graham and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Art & Artists, Columnists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Paul Coates | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Parents Sue Doctor Who Said Baby Girl Was a Boy!

Posted on August 29, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 29, 1943: The family of Marine Cpl. Carroll E. Trego, a radio operator captured in the fall of Wake Island, receives a letter written from a prisoner of war camp in Shanghai. Dr. John M. Andrews is being sued … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Medicine, Streetcars, Transportation, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

War Hero Kills Rich Widow in Botched Burglary

Posted on August 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

Grant Edward Anderson was a war hero, a burglar and a killer. A paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne, Anderson served 19 months overseas, received two Purple Hearts,  and was awarded the Bronze Star for dragging four wounded men to safety … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Rocket Builder Steals Truckload of Equipment From Caltech

Posted on August 22, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 22, 1953: Fred Frank Wildemuth kills his wife because he didn’t want her to catch carbon monoxide poisoning from him. “I, the Jury” in 3-D at the Paramount theaters in Hollywood and downtown. A brilliant — and unidentified — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Music, Suicide | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L.A. French Benevolent Society Celebrates Founding in 1859

Posted on August 20, 2013 by lmharnisch

The entire Aug. 15, 1863, issue of the Los Angeles Star, scanned from a copy at the Huntington, is available from USC (in color) or the California Digital Newspaper Collection (black and white). Aug. 15, 1863: Another installment of the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1859, 1863, African Americans, City Hall, Civil War, Crime and Courts | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on L.A. French Benevolent Society Celebrates Founding in 1859

Man Held in Killing of Ex-Marine — Part 2

Posted on August 14, 2013 by lmharnisch

As strange as the tale of Michael Timothy Cavanaugh had been, the case became even more bizarre once he was arrested. After several days of denying that he knew ex-Marine Ralph Welch, even though he was driving Welch’s car and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1953, 1956, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Rose Parade Encounter Leads to Killing of Arcadia Woman

Posted on August 9, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 9, 1963: “In Saigon, 400 miles to the south, police geared for trouble as a young, unidentified monk announced plans to burn himself to death in the continuing Buddhist struggle for what they consider their civil rights and religious … Continue reading →

Posted in 1963, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Religion, Vietnam | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Millennial Moment: Prison Escapee Slaughters Family

Posted on August 2, 2013 by lmharnisch

Aug. 2, 1983: Terry Atkinson reviews the L.A. debut of the Eurythmics at the Palace, saying: “Move over, Chrissie Hynde and Martha Davis, and make room for Annie Lennox.” Kevin Cooper is arraigned in an attack that killed four people … Continue reading →

Posted in 1983, Comics, Crime and Courts, Millennial Moments, Music, Sports | 1 Comment

Tomahawk Murder: ‘It Must Have Been the Heat’

Posted on July 31, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1943: Los Angeles — and that is Los Angeles before air conditioning — bakes in a heat wave, temperatures so hot that it’s the reason for murder. “I had a sudden impulse; it must have been the heat,” … Continue reading →

Posted in 1943, Art & Artists, Comics, Crime and Courts, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, San Fernando Valley, Suicide, Theaters | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Preaching at the Court House

Posted on July 30, 2013 by lmharnisch

USC has taken its collection of the Los Angeles Star offline for indexing. Here’s a backup copy from the California Digital Newspaper Collection. July 25, 1863: A staunchly anti-Republican paper, the Star endorses the Democratic ticket, including John G. Downey … Continue reading →

Posted in 1863, Crime and Courts, Obituaries, Politics, Religion | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Black Doctor in Divorce Case Says Wife Tried to ‘Masquerade’ as White

Posted on July 23, 2013 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1923: The centennial of the Monroe Doctrine is celebrated at Exposition Park in the American Historical Revue and Motion Picture Exposition.. The U.S. Mint in San Francisco issued commemorative half dollars for the occasion. The Times says: “One … Continue reading →

Posted in 1823, 1923, African Americans, Art & Artists, Broadway, Comics, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Fires, Hill Street, Hollywood, Theaters | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments