Category Archives: Crime and Courts

Not a Coward

Posted on December 9, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 9, 1907Los AngelesMayor Harper has restored E.J. Bowen to his old job in the Fire Department after the rookie police officer was fired for allegedly being a coward—a charge that Bowen, who is black, blames on racism.Bowen transferred to … Continue reading →

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Note to "Dahlia Avenger" Fans

Posted on December 7, 2006 by lmharnisch

Here’s a publicity still of “Maddy” Comfort from “Kiss Me Deadly” for sale on EBay. Her name is also spelled “Mattie” and “Mady.”Comfort is referred to in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s files on George Hodel. Investigators checking on … Continue reading →

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The Price of a Daughter

Posted on December 5, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 5, 1907St. LouisA Los Angeles couple have a novel way of making money: Antonio Thompson and his wife sell their daughter Marie to the Gypsies, then go to court to get her back. According to statements taken in St. … Continue reading →

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Ambush in Arcadia

Posted on December 4, 2006 by lmharnisch

Dec. 4, 1907ArcadiaCharley Chew, the water superintendent on the Lucky Baldwin ranch, had fired two Mexican workers several months ago and one dark night near the Unruh residence, they ambushed him, shooting him in the back. Chew drew his pistol … Continue reading →

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In the Days Before Polonium

Posted on November 30, 2006 by lmharnisch

In the Days Before PoloniumNov. 30, 1907Los AngelesA secret witness in the trial of the Mexican revolutionaries—kept under close guard because his life has been threatened—went into convulsions shortly after eating a meal that apparently contained strychnine.  Trinidad Vasquez, identified by … Continue reading →

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Matzo Brawl!

Posted on November 29, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 29, 1907Los AngelesOh Those Shriners: Recall, if you will, the grisly train wreck that killed a large number of Shriners returning from their convention in Los Angeles. It seems that one of them, George F. Hageman, inadvertently touched off … Continue reading →

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Who Are Those Guys?

Posted on November 27, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 27, 1907Los Angeles A shadowy, global conspiracy of anarchists is being described in the trial of revolutionaries Ricardo Flores Magon, Antonio Villareal and Librado Rivera in federal court. The fourth defendant, L. Gutierrez De Lara, was charged separately with … Continue reading →

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The Murderous Mother

Posted on November 21, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 21, 1907Los Angeles The woman who threw her baby from an inbound train was arrested at her mother’s home at 12th Street and San Pedro after the girl’s nurse contacted authorities, saying that she read about the incident in … Continue reading →

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Highwaymen Captured

Posted on November 20, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 20, 1907Los Angeles Police battling the current crime wave say they have arrested two men who staged daring holdups on the Ascot Park and Eastlake streetcars, robbing the motormen and conductors as the cars reached the ends of their … Continue reading →

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Crime Wave Sweeps L.A.

Posted on November 19, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 19, 1907Los Angeles An influx of crooks, petty hoodlums and vagrants drawn by good weather and horse racing at Santa Anita are blamed for a siege of crime throughout the city. The jail is so crowded—300 being held in … Continue reading →

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Religious Recycling

Posted on November 18, 2006 by lmharnisch

Nov. 18, 1907South PasadenaCalvary Presbyterian Church at Center (now El Centro) and Fremont was dedicated in a service featuring prominent local religious leaders, including Dr. John Willis Baer, president of Occidental College.The Times notes that the original church building was … Continue reading →

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Deadlier Than Male

Posted on November 14, 2006 by lmharnisch

Sept. 19, 1907Los Angeles “Hidden somewhere in Los Angeles is a daredevil Spanish woman who should be standing with the Mexican revolutionaries when they are arraigned here in the United States Court,” The Times says. “Letters recently confiscated show that … Continue reading →

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Danger Point

Posted on November 1, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 31, 1907Los Angeles John J. Mooney, 23, a Southern Pacific machinist who recently arrived from Butte, Mont., was aboard the West 2nd Street car on his way to be initiated in the Modern Woodmen of America when the brakes … Continue reading →

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Gilbert and Sullivan Said It Best

Posted on October 28, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 28, 1907Los AngelesYou know the song even if you’ve never seen “Pirates of Penzance”: A policeman’s lot is not an easy one” and that is doubly true for one anonymous former LAPD chief.The ex-chief has nothing but complaints: “It … Continue reading →

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An American Education

Posted on October 19, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 19, 1907Los AngelesOn a visit to Japan, K. Tsuneda of California met an attractive young woman named Toku. Telling her family that he was a wealthy Stanford student, Tsuneda married Toku and they embarked for the United States so … Continue reading →

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2 Die in Tong War

Posted on October 13, 2006 by lmharnisch

Oct. 13, 1907Los AngelesGunmen imported from out of town by the Hop Sing Tong entered the tailor shop of Lem Sing at 806 Juan St. in Chinatown and under the pretense of having some clothing made, wounded him when he … Continue reading →

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Bob Belden, Black Dahlia, "Genesis"

Posted on October 1, 2006 by lmharnisch
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Bob Belden, Black Dahlia

Posted on October 1, 2006 by lmharnisch
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Disharmony

Posted on September 26, 2006 by lmharnisch

Sept. 26, 1907Long Beach Marco Vessella, conductor of Long Beach’s Royal Italian Band, has had nothing but trouble with Special Officer W.D. Cason after firing him from his job as ticket taker. On one September evening, Vessella and a young … Continue reading →

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Brian De Palma’s ‘The Black Dahlia’

Posted on September 14, 2006 by lmharnisch

“The Black Dahlia,” directed by Brian De Palma, screenplay by Josh Friedman based on the novel by James Ellroy. Starring Josh Hartnett (Dwight “Bucky” Bleichert), Aaron Eckhart (Leeland “Lee” Blanchard), Scarlett Johansson (Kay Lake), Hillary Swank (Madeleine Linscott) and Mia … Continue reading →

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