Category Archives: LAPD

Black Dahlia Avenger: From Steve Hodel to James Ellroy to EBay

Posted on September 4, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. My goodness, one never knows what will turn up on Ebay. This morning I found a copy of “Black Dahlia Avenger” inscribed by Steve Hodel to James Ellroy, who wrote the introduction … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Uncategorized | Tagged #EBay, #James Ellroy, 1947, 2006, black dahlia, lapd, Steve Hodel | Comments Off

September 1, 1947: 1,000 World War II Veterans Now in LAPD Uniforms

Posted on September 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. They are building a new, young, military Police Department for Los Angeles these days with the men who helped to win the war on foreign battlefields … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, LAPD, World War II | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, lapd, World War II | Comments Off

Aug. 28, 1947: Diamond Street Gang Member Takes Murder Rap ‘for the Gang’

Posted on August 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The origins of Latino gangs are not well-documented in The Times, but the case of Earl D. Bush, 911 Diamond St., appears to be the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, Diamond Street Gang, Gangs, lapd | 2 Comments

Aug. 25, 1947: Police Investigate Death of Doctor’

Posted on August 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. A doctor and a mysterious death—of course, Dr. Manuel de J. Castillo came under suspicion, although I suspect it was only briefly—in the Black Dahlia case. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Medicine | Tagged 1947, black dahlia, crime and courts, lapd, medicine | 5 Comments

Aug. 25, 1907: Death at the Lummis House Over a Garden Hose

Posted on August 25, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 25, 1907 Los Angeles A 20-year-old Pueblo Indian from New Mexico was shot to death at the home of City Librarian Charles F. Lummis in a fight with a houseguest that … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, Charles Lummis, crime and courts | 1 Comment

Aug. 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 12-13, 1907 Los Angeles Despite the name Bismarck Cafe, police call the saloon at Main and Winston Streets the Bucket of Blood because it’s a continual source of crime and violence. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Main Street, Music, Streetcars | Tagged #Main Street, 1907, crime and courts, drunken debauchery, food and drink, labor, lapd | Comments Off

Aug. 11, 1947: Two Men Found Shot to Death in Bizarre Mystery

Posted on August 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Someone found them shot to death on the floor of the Portal Motel at 2775 N. Cahuenga: two men completely clothed except for their shoes, each … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, cold cases, homicide, lapd | Comments Off

Black L.A. 1947: Elizabeth Ingalls to Pay Dora Jones $6,000 in Slavery Case; Sentenced to Fine and Probation

Posted on August 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1947: The Sentinel’s front page is full of news: Elizabeth Ingalls is sentenced in the San Diego slavery case to a fine of $2,500, three years probation and a $6,000 payment to Dora Jones. The Sentinel also reports … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, San Diego | Tagged #slavery, 1947, African Americans, crime and courts, Dora L. Jones, Elizabeth Ingalls, homicide, lapd, Los Angeles Sentinel, San Diego | 3 Comments

1947: The Year of Drinking Heavily

Posted on August 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. ARRESTS FOR INTOXICATION by calendar year 1937……….44,176 1938……….41,388 1939……….41,878 1940……….48,014 1941……….53,294 1942……….61,865 1943……….45,354 1944……….62,510 1945……….72,465 1946……….92,108 1947……….98,149 (a 222% increase over 1937) Felony Drunk Driving, 1947……………..365 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Food and Drink, LAPD | Tagged 1947, dui, food and drink, lapd, liquor violations | Comments Off

Aug. 1, 1907: Swarm of Bees Terrorizes Downtown Los Angeles

Posted on August 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 1, 1907 Los Angeles A mass of bees “wandering in from the country” swirled along Broadway, forcing dainty young women and the toughest police officer to seek cover in a vain … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, LAPD, Music, Streetcars | Tagged #DTLA, bees | 3 Comments

July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

Posted on July 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 31, 1907 Los Angeles After a delay due to illness, newsboy Charles “Winnipeg” Wilson took the stand to testify against Evelyn Ferguson, who is accused of shooting him because he was … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, beer, crime and courts | Comments Off

June 16, 1964: 2 Dead in Bizarre Drowning, Overdose; ‘All Three Had Been Drinking Heavily’

Posted on July 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. It was a follow-up to a post by Kim Cooper. Let’s suppose you and your sister came home from a hard day and found your husband … Continue reading →

Posted in 1964, Crime and Courts, LAPD | Tagged 1947, 1964, all three had been drinking heavily, crime and courts | 2 Comments

July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 28, 1907 Los Angeles City officials, hampered by a bramble bush of old and unenforced laws, have appointed deputy prosecutor Eddie to prune back outdated and unnecessary regulations from the early … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, City Hall, crime and courts, hunting, lapd | Comments Off

July 27, 1907: Mayor Harper Calls for More LAPD Officers, New Library, More Schools

Posted on July 27, 2018 by lmharnisch

Above, Mayor Harper’s goals for his administration. Note especially item No. 11–more police officers–and item No. 17: new schools. Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 27, 1907 Los Angeles One of Mayor Harper’s promises in taking over … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, City Hall, Education, LAPD, Streetcars | Comments Off

Black L.A. 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter Strangled; Suspect Released

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

5320 Holmes Ave., in the Pueblo Del Rio housing project, via Google Street View. July 24, 1947: The Sentinel reports that Benjamin Allen, 16, of 5217 McGarry St., is being held in the death of Vesta Belle Sapenter. Benjamin … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, African Americans, crime and courts, homicide, lapd, Los Angeles Sentinel | 3 Comments

July 26, 1947: Son Cleared of Killing Father During Attack on Mother

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. One night in July, Bernard Robert Monday Jr. finally had enough. The violence had been going on at least a decade, maybe longer. In 1937, when … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, domestic violence, homicide, lapd | 1 Comment

July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Her name was Vesta Belle and she was 17, an honor student at Jefferson High, a mile and a half from her home at 5320 Holmes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, African Americans, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | 5 Comments

July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 23, 1907 Los Angeles John Conroy, a career criminal, planned his work carefully: He would wait until 10 p.m., pry open the skylight of J.C. Fleming’s jewelry store at 531 S. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, Broadway, crime and courts, lapd | Comments Off

July 20, 1907: Court Calls Hundreds in Struggle to Seat Jury in Dr. Chan Case

Posted on July 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 20, 1907 Los Angeles The court summoned 80 prospective jurors to decide the case of Dr. Chan, who was accused of practicing medicine without a license, but more than half asked … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, crime and courts, jury duty | Comments Off

July 18, 1907: Santa Monica, Ocean Park Must Abate Sewage Discharge Into Ocean

Posted on July 18, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 18, 1907 Santa Monica Officials of Santa Monica and Ocean Park are fighting a lawsuit that seeks to block the discharge of raw sewage into the ocean. According to testimony, the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Environment, LAPD | Tagged #Santa Monica, 1907, Environment, Ocean Park, sewage | 1 Comment