Category Archives: LAPD

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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April 29, 1891: ‘The Chinese Murder,’

Posted on April 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 29, 1891: The Times reports the death of a Chinese woman named Ah Gue/Goot Gue, who was shot in the abdomen by her husband, Wong Ark/Gam Duck, outside a brothel on Apablasa Street. Ark allegedly killed Gue because she didn’t give him all the money he wanted for gambling. Continue reading →

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April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall Draws Crowds to Burbank Theater in ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’

Posted on April 29, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 29, 1907: Blanche Hall’s performance of ‘When Knighthood Was in Flower’ draws a mile-long line of people hoping to buy tickets at the Burbank Theater at Main and 6th Street. Continue reading →

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Reminder — My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is May 5

Posted on April 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: My Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case will be next Tuesday, May 5, at 10 a.m. at https://www.youtube.com/@lmharnisch/streams Continue reading →

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April 27, 1907: Man Badly Injured in Attack by Mule

Posted on April 27, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 27, 1907: W.S. Stanton was attacked by a vicious mule at the California Truck Company’s stables last night and seriously injured. When he attempted to take the harness off the animal it leaped to one side and kicked him on the thigh, knocking him down, then walked over him, cutting and lacerating the calves of his legs. Continue reading →

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Voices — Christine Collins, April 23, 1931

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1931: Walter Collins is “in good condition,” a prison report says. Collins was the husband of Christine Collins, whose story inspired the Clint Eastwood movie “Changeling.” Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for April 2026

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

In the fourth installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I looked at the portrayal of Elizabeth Short’s murder in early crime anthologies leading up to Jack Webb’s “The Badge” in 1958. Continue reading →

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April 20, 2008: Club Mecca Firebombing Victims Remembered

Posted on April 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 20, 2008: Remembering the victims of the Club Mecca Firebombing. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

Posted on April 14, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this session of the Black Dahlia Ask Me Anything, I address some of the claims in Michael Connelly’s 10-part podcast “Killer in the Code,” claiming a solution in the Black Dahlia and Zodiac cases. Continue reading →

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Reminder – My Next ‘Ask Me Anything’ on the Black Dahlia Case Is April 14

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

Reminder: The Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case is a week later than usual, April 14, 2026, at YouTube.com/LMHarnisch at 10 a.m. Pacific time. Continue reading →

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March 30, 1938: Times Opposes U.S. Haven for Jewish Refugees Fleeing Hitler

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1938: Los Angeles Times opposes U.S. haven for Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler. Continue reading →

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November 12, 1960: Former Mirror Writer Beaten to Death – Update

Posted on March 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

Revisiting a cold case from 1960: The hammer murder of reporter/rewrite man Roby Heard. Continue reading →

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March 25, 1907: Young Bike Messengers a Key Part of L.A. Drug, Sex Trade

Posted on March 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25, 1907: Young bike messengers perform an essential service in Los Angeles’ vice trade, providing information on where to buy drugs and where to find women of easy—if any—virtue. Continue reading →

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March 20, 1907: St. James Raises a Church — Burned in 1973 as Hate Crime Against Gays

Posted on March 20, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 20, 1907: St. James Methodist Episcopal Church plans a new building on the site of its current facility. The church was destroyed in 1973 in an apparent hate crime against gays. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1917, Architecture, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Religion, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on March 20, 1907: St. James Raises a Church — Burned in 1973 as Hate Crime Against Gays

March 18, 1907: In L.A. Schools, Young Ivan and Josefina Learn English

Posted on March 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 18, 1907: In this classroom, Onya, Ivan, Josefina and Leah learn to speak English, The Times’ Henrietta B. Freeman reports. Continue reading →

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Black Dahlia Book Club for March 2026

Posted on March 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

In this installment of the Black Dahlia Book Club, I discussed a two-part news feature from 1949 titled “Someone Knows!” and a 1950 radio show titled “Somebody Knows!” Continue reading →

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