Category Archives: Homicide

A Baffling Murder in Denver

Posted on May 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

Clayton Street via Google maps’ street view. May 11, 1910: Catherine (or Katherine) Wilson is found stuffed into a packing crate at 1054 Clayton St. and suspicion focuses on a Japanese man supposedly hired to help her move in. The … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide | 1 Comment

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, May 7, 1940

Posted on May 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

  May 7, 1940: “Walter Pidgeon and John Carroll are packing tackle for a fishing trek to Texas Gulf resorts,” Jimmie Fidler says. 

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Beverly Hills Confidential

Posted on April 25, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 25, 1960: Beverly Hills Police Chief Clinton H. Anderson describes the Johnny Stompanato killing in “Beverly Hills Is My Beat.” The book, which also covers the Bugsy Siegel murder,  is readily available via Bookfinder. On the jump, hundreds … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Dodgers, Homicide, Nightclubs, Sports | 1 Comment

The Mysterious Death of Morgan Shiveley

Posted on April 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

  April 21, 1910: The Times publishes an update in the curious death of Morgan Shiveley (or Shively),  in which an examination of bloody fingerprints merely deepens the mystery.Charges against the Stones were eventually dismissed and the case was abandoned.

Posted in #courts, Homicide | 3 Comments

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, April 18, 1960

Posted on April 18, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Southern Lawyer Still Fights for Son     Charles Lee Guy Jr. is a man who takes disappointment with a minimum of emotion.       I learned that 2 1/2 years ago, when I met him for the first time. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Columnists, Homicide, Paul Coates | 1 Comment

Harvey Glatman Update

Posted on April 2, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Oct. 31, 1958: Harvey Glatman admits killing Judith Ann Dull, Shirley Ann Bridgeford and Ruth Mercado. I was recently contacted by Det. Steve Ainsworth of the Boulder County, Colo., Sheriff’s Office regarding a 1954 Jane Doe who may be … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide, LAPD | 1 Comment

Fatal Jealousy Over Sister’s Wardrobe

Posted on March 23, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 23, 1910: Catherine Manx, 16, is charged with poisoning her older sister Elizabeth, 19, out of jealousy over her wardrobe, The Times says. Catherine says she bought the strychnine on behalf of a stranger. The chloroform was for cleaning, … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Fashion, Homicide | 2 Comments

A Baffling Case – Solved

Posted on March 21, 2010 by lmharnisch

March 21, 1910: Rancher David W. Dwire, a powerfully built Los Feliz rancher, is found shot to death, completely clothed except for his right foot. His missing hat, shoe and stocking are found 100 yards away. Is it murder or … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, Suicide | 1 Comment

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 17, 1960

Posted on March 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Further Reaction to White 'Negro'     A $1 bill and  a $5 bill found their respective ways through the U.S. mails this week, onto my desk.     Both came to me as a result of the articles I printed … Continue reading →

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Segregated Businesses May Be Legal, Eisenhower Says

Posted on March 17, 2010 by lmharnisch

  March 17, 1960: On the jump, more about Cheryl Crane’s transfer to El Retiro School for Girls in the San Fernando Valley … President Eisenhower says it may be legal for private businesses to bar African Americans or any … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Comics, Countdown to Watts, Education, Film, Food and Drink, Hollywood, Homicide, Mickey Cohen, Religion | Comments Off on Segregated Businesses May Be Legal, Eisenhower Says

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 16, 1960

Posted on March 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Story of White 'Negro' Fascinated the World     If I sound like a numb, it's because I am.     I devoted a pair of articles last week to John Howard Griffin, a man with an engrossing story to tell. … Continue reading →

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Dietrich Backs Von Sternberg in ‘Blue Angel’ Lawsuit

Posted on March 16, 2010 by lmharnisch

   March 16, 1960: Marlene Dietrich gives a deposition in Josef von Sternberg’s suit against 20th Century Fox over its remake of “The Blue Angel.” On the jump, a murder suspect kills a hospital attendant after being declared sane … … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Countdown to Watts, Dodgers, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, Mickey Cohen, Sports | Comments Off on Dietrich Backs Von Sternberg in ‘Blue Angel’ Lawsuit

Mistrial Declared in Finch Case

Posted on March 13, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Photograph by Nelson Tiffany / Mirror News Attorney Grant Cooper, left, and Dr. R. Bernard Finch await verdict. March 13, 1960: The judge declares a mistrial after jurors deadlock on verdicts against Dr. R. Bernard Finch and Carole Tregoff … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates, Confidential File, March 12, 1960

Posted on March 12, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Uh-oh. Mash Notes and Comments     "Dear Paul,     "Ever ask yourself WHY so many women look worse after they return from the powder room than they did before they entered?     "Ask Ed Cabrera, the lighting specialist whom … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 11, 1960

Posted on March 11, 2010 by lmharnisch

  Deep South's Constant Sullen Hate, Contempt, Sadism Bared (Second of two articles)     John Howard Griffin became a Negro by choice.     He did it with special pills, ultraviolet ray treatments and vegetable dyes.     And he did it … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Columnists, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, Homicide, Paul Coates | 2 Comments

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 10, 1960

Posted on March 10, 2010 by lmharnisch

The book Coates is talking about is, of course, "Black Like Me." DARING THE 'HATE STARE' A White Man Turns Negro (This is the first of two exclusive columns on the remarkable story of a white author who turned "Negro" … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 9, 1960

Posted on March 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

Father, Son Talk Over the Slaying of Seven     In his 57 years, stolid Ralph Whitney never made a more difficult phone call.      He placed it late yesterday afternoon from the quiet Pomona Valley community of Upland to the … Continue reading →

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Kennedy, Nixon Lead in New Hampshire

Posted on March 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

On the jump, an attorney seeks to keep state officials from removing Alice Marie Combs, 4, center, from her foster home in an effort to find a more intellectually stimulating family for the girl, who has an IQ of 138. … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, Film, Hollywood, Homicide, JFK, Politics, Richard Nixon, Sports | Comments Off on Kennedy, Nixon Lead in New Hampshire

Black Dahlia on Display

Posted on March 9, 2010 by lmharnisch

  One of many mistakes in the Black Dahlia poster from “Behind-the-Scenes: The LAPD Homicide Experience.” Notice that the location is wrong – the body was actually half a block away. Note: Most of the media’s attention to the LAPD’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD | 5 Comments

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, March 7, 1960

Posted on March 7, 2010 by lmharnisch

Alarmed Officials Often Alarming     In case you haven't noticed, all public officials worth their salt have, for years, been opposed to traffic accidents.     They're against drunk drivers, speeders, reckless drivers — any individuals who endanger the lives of … Continue reading →

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