Category Archives: LAPD

Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren Is Hallucinating About Knowing the Black Dahlia

Posted on June 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

Mamie Van Doren, age 95, is hallucinating about knowing Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Mamie Van Doren’s Invented Memories of Elizabeth Short

Posted on June 19, 2026 by lmharnisch

It’s a bit sad when a superannuated actor writes a memoir about what they think they “remember” about old Hollywood. There’s no truth to Mamie Van Doren’s claim that she knew Elizabeth Short, the Black Dahlia. It’s all imagined. Continue reading →

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

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1907: Hazel Schurger accuses neighbor J.J. Brady of poisoning her dog, Baby, with strychnine. Brady was freed after an examination showed that Baby was given a small dose of the poison, incapable of killing the dog immediately as Schurger described. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Fashions, Immigration, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Black Dahlia Book Club for June 2026

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this episode of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I discussed Elizabeth Short’s FBI file, Michael Connelly’s Killer in the Code podcast, a James Ellroy sighting and more. Continue reading →

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

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1947: Two LAPD officers staked out at a bar kill night watchman Wanzy Patterson, who crawled through a transom to steal liquor. Officers said they shot Patterson 11 times after he made a move toward his pistol. Continue reading →

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

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1907: Attorney Edith Foulkes sues her husband, Ralph, for divorce, saying he drank constantly. “Suspecting that his wife was beginning to consider her marriage a failure, he had talked in melancholy fashion of murder and suicide, somewhat to the martial discomfort of Mrs. Foulkes,” The Times said. Continue reading →

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June 3, 1907: Runaway Couple, Aided by Minister, Leave Parents at the Altar

Posted on June 3, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 3,1907: Dr. Harris Garcelon and Genevieve Smith dreaded the large, formal wedding her mother planned for them. After the rehearsal, the Rev. Baker P. Lee performed a small ceremony and the couple ran off to Salt Lake City, leaving Lee to inform Mrs. Smith of the couple’s flight. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, June 2026

Posted on June 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for June 2026, I took questions and highlighted David Oranchak’s final installment in his three-part video series on the false claims of Black Dahlia/Zodiac sleuth Alex Baber. Continue reading →

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May 29, 1908: Concert Pianist Put on Chain Gang in Crackdown on Gays

Posted on May 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 28, 1908: Concert pianist Peje Storck is put on chain gang after being arrested in a room full of men, pleading guilty to a reduced charge of “vagrancy.” Continue reading →

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Reminder — My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is June 2

Posted on May 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will be doing an Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case June 2, at 10 a.m. Pacific time on my YouTube channel: YouTube.com/LMHarnisch Continue reading →

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May 21, 1907: J.G. Fleenor ‘Barefoot Burglar’ Talks!

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1907: In a jailhouse interview before he is taken to San Quentin, James G. Fleenor, the barefoot burglar, sets the record straight on his escapes, his relationship with a white woman and how he began a life of crime. Continue reading →

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May 14, 1909: Man Swallows Carbolic Acid on Streetcar, Battles Conductor Before Dying

Posted on May 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 14, 1909: A man swallows carbolic acid on a streetcar, smashes windows and battles the conductor and motorman before dying. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Teaser for Video Disproving Alleged Dahlia-Zodiac Link and ‘Cracking’ Zodiac’s Z13

Posted on May 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

YouTube teaser for David Oranchak’s video refuting Alex Baber’s claims that he has “solved” Zodiac’s Z13 cipher, and linked the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming May 19, 2026

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: I will discuss Jack Webb’s 1958 book “The Badge” and the “Dragnet” radio show in the next session of the Black Dahlia Book Club, Tuesday, May 19, at 10 a.m. Pacific time at http://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

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May 12, 1908: Stanford Officials Open Unmarked Graves

Posted on May 12, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 12: 1908: “The Christ Kid” gets his nickname from posing as a preacher to the homeless whenever police are looking for him. Continue reading →

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May 9, 1907: Shriners Present a Colorful Array

Posted on May 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 9, 1907: The Shriners convention in Los Angeles was a huge gathering, it’s why Shrine Auditorium (the original, later destroyed in a fire) was built. Continue reading →

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May 7, 1938: Remembering Jack Parsons

Posted on May 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 7, 1938: Jack Parsons displays his re-creation of the pipe bomb used in the Harry Raymond bombing. In 1952, Parsons was fatally injured by an explosion in his garage. Continue reading →

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May 6, 1944: Woman’s Body Found in Trunk at Union Station

Posted on May 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 6, 1944: A trunk wrapped with wire and tied with rope arrives at Union Station, where people notice that it is leaking — and smells. Sent to the repair department for inspection, the trunk was opened, revealing a woman’s body wrapped in a sheet. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, May 2026

Posted on May 5, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case for May 2026, focusing on whether the LAPD will release its files on the Black Dahlia case. Continue reading →

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May 1, 1907: Runaway Horses and a Fleeing Motorcyclist on the Dangerous Streets of L.A.

Posted on May 1, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 1, 1907: Miss Gertrude Young, who lives at No. 525 Wall St., was knocked down by a motorcycle yesterday as she stepped from a streetcar at 7th and Hope streets. The rider of the machine hastened away. Miss Young was taken to the Clara Barton Hospital. Continue reading →

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