Category Archives: LAPD

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, April 2026

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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March 16, 1908: Homeless Camps in Mojave

March 16, 1908: The Times profiles camps of homeless men in Mojave. Continue reading

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March 15, 1907: In Which We Begin

March 16, 1907: The first post of the 1907 blog that I began March 15, 2006. Twenty years ago! Continue reading

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Black Dahlia Book Club – Coming March 17, 2026

Reminder: The third session of the Black Dahlia Book Club will meet March 17 at 10 a.m. on YouTube. This time I’ll look at a two-part retrospective on the case, published in 1949 in the Los Angeles Mirror in its “Someone Knows! series, and the radio show “Somebody Knows” from 1950. Continue reading

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March 10, 1914: LAPD Cracks Down on Non-Asian Women Working in ‘Oriental Cafes’

March 10, 1914: The LAPD cracks down on non-Asian women working in ‘Oriental cafes.’ Continue reading

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March 10, 1907: Religious Leader’s Last Words ‘I Will Return in 1,000 Years’

March 10, 1907: The world loses two religious leaders: Mary Baker Eddy and John Alexander Dowie, founder of Zion, Ill. Dowie’s last words were “I will return in a thousand years.” Continue reading

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March 5, 1959: Blinded by Bullet, Officer Shoots Gunman Who Killed Partner

March 5, 1959: Police Officer Ector A. Garcia, known for his skill in sketching crime suspects, kills the man who shot his partner despite being blinded by gunfire. Garcia became a noted police artist, publishing the book “Portraits of Crime.” Continue reading

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Black Dahlia: Ask Me Anything, March 2026

This month’s Ask Me Anything on the Black Dahlia case includes a progress report on Heaven Is HERE! and a possible appearance on Michael Connelly’s podcast. Continue reading

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