Category Archives: LAPD

Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Dec. 29, 1959

Posted on December 29, 2009 by lmharnisch

Incredibly, Old Con Game Still Works           The name of the game is “pigeon drop.”           And, like pinochle, it generally requires three players.           Unlike pinochle, however, two of them must be equipped with glib tongues.  The third player … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, LAPD, Mickey Cohen | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Dec. 29, 1959

The Empty Prophecy of Prohibition

Posted on December 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

 Detectives Brown, Barnett and Harry Raymond in a raid on a club in Little Tokyo. Dec. 28, 1919:  The Times analyzes the first six months of Prohibition and finds that many predictions have not come true. Some minor offenses have … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Food and Drink, Front Pages, LAPD, Nightclubs | Comments Off on The Empty Prophecy of Prohibition

An Actress and Her Dog

Posted on December 28, 2009 by lmharnisch

  "Five iron manhole caps, each weighing more than 100 pounds, shot into the air last night when "burn-out gas" in the sewer between Spring Street and the northeast corner of 1st and Main streets blew them higher than the … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, LAPD, Stage, Transportation | Comments Off on An Actress and Her Dog

Minister Vanishes After Predicting Christ’s Return on Christmas Day

Posted on December 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

Dec. 27, 1909: A mob in Hurley, Va., lynches Henry Pennington after he killed Samuel Baker, who was on his way to a Christmas program with his family. Pennington had run away, but Baker’s wife tricked him into coming back … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD | Comments Off on Minister Vanishes After Predicting Christ’s Return on Christmas Day

Fliers Spend Christmas Overhauling Planes for Aviation Week

Posted on December 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

Frances Nordstrom stars in “The Girl of the Golden West” at the Burbank.     View Larger Map 7th and Los Angeles Streets, via Google maps’ street view. Dec. 26, 1909: Fliers work on their airplanes on Christmas at the official … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 23, 1959

Posted on December 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Erring Blacklisters Sorry     A week after it was disclosed, the strange case of Louis Pollock is still the big talk among Hollywood writers.     Pollock has written a dozen screenplays and 30 television plays in the past five … Continue reading →

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A Mystery Photo That Is Not Arnold Stang

Posted on December 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Los Angeles Times file photo I have been told that this mystery photo from 2007 has been circulating on the Internet as Arnold Stang. Notice that when I originally posted the photo I said “Hint:  He’s not Arnold Stang.” This … Continue reading →

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51 Held in Gambling Raids

Posted on December 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

  “Oh, Man” by Clare Briggs. Dec. 22, 1919: Detectives with the help of the “purity squad” raid several fan tan games and arrest 51 people. Notice the detectives’ names, especially that of McAfee, who is the infamous Guy McAfee.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, City Hall, Comics, LAPD, Obituaries | 1 Comment

Pastor Accused of Stealing Church Funds, Eloping With Choir Member

Posted on December 22, 2009 by lmharnisch

Dec. 22, 1909: I had a difficult time picking a story this morning because the entire page is fascinating. First there’s the pastor from a small town in Indiana who is accused of stealing money from his church and eloping with … Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages, health, LAPD, Religion | 1 Comment

On the Frontiers of Medicine

Posted on December 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Receiving Hospital cot where more than 600 died. Dec. 19, 1909: “Within a few days the old rubber-covered cot at the Receiving Hospital in the Central Police Station will be removed, and a new and more sanitary operating stand … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, health, LAPD | Comments Off on On the Frontiers of Medicine

Matt Weinstock, Dec. 18, 1959

Posted on December 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

Code 3     Late one afternoon about two weeks ago, as Jack Fuller was driving past Pico Blvd. and Roxbury Dr., en route home from his job at the Hollywood office of civil defense, he saw a commotion inside the … Continue reading →

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Three Accused of Fraud in Newspaper Contest

Posted on December 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

  Dec. 13, 1909: Los Angeles police detain three people accused of swindling the Ogden, Utah, Evening Standard in a publicity campaign. Ogden Mayor William Glassman, a part-owner of the  paper, says the suspects conspired to take a $300 prize … Continue reading →

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December 12, 1959: Paul V. Coates – Confidential File

Posted on December 12, 2009 by lmharnisch

Mash Notes and Comment “Dear Paul– “Re your column in which you became confused over the use of the words ‘lay’ and ‘lie’ and settled by saying ‘get prone.’ ” ‘Lie’ would have been the correct word.  Intransitive, you know. … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Paul Coates, Suicide | 1 Comment

December 11, 1959: Matt Weinstock

Posted on December 11, 2009 by lmharnisch

L.A. Justice  As Ida Gutierrez, 44, a restaurant cashier, stepped from a 4 bus at Melrose and La Brea last Aug. 26 a woman who got off at the same time grabbed at a half-open package and excitedly accused her … Continue reading →

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Drunk Man Kills Food Wagon Vendor

Posted on December 8, 2009 by lmharnisch

What women want for Christmas: a desk. Dec. 8, 1909: The operator of a food wagon at 9th and Main streets is shot to death after refusing to give some food to a drunk man. The killer escapes through a … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 7, 1959

Posted on December 7, 2009 by lmharnisch

  The Rainbow's End     One by one the old landmarks are disappearing.  Last week the Rainbow, with its old-fashioned mahogany bar, folded.     The shabby Rainbow was known in bat cave circles as the saloon that cared.  Great men … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Homicide, LAPD, Matt Weinstock, Suicide | 2 Comments

Bank Robbers Captured

Posted on December 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

The Times publishes a map by Charles Owens, who later contributed to “Nuestro Pueblo.” This is about the earliest work of his I’ve seen in the paper.  The bank robbery story carries the byline of Otis M. Wiles, which is … Continue reading →

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Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Dec. 5, 1959

Posted on December 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Mash Notes and Comment       "Mr. Coates:     "In your column of last Wednesday, you delved into the timely issue of 'Is TV on the Up-and-Up?'     "You suggested, rather broadly, that maybe it isn't.     "You cited Desi … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, Front Pages, Homicide, LAPD, Mickey Cohen, San Fernando Valley | Comments Off on Paul V. Coates – Confidential File, Dec. 5, 1959

Couple Held in Bank Robbery

Posted on December 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

Police arrest Edward Hudson and “Jane Smith” in the Hellman bank holdup. Police also find the blue getaway car… … and a second vehicle. Authorities are pursuing Arthur Brown in the Hellman robbery.  Hudson and “Smith” are arrested in a … Continue reading →

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Matt Weinstock, Dec. 3, 1959

Posted on December 3, 2009 by lmharnisch

      Book Banning     In 1946 two Los Angeles booksellers were arrested for selling copies of Edmund Wilson's "Memoirs of Hecate County," which had been banned.  The book was ruled obscene and they were convicted.    Now, 13 years later, … Continue reading →

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