Category Archives: LAPD

Telephone Bandit Goes on Rampage

Posted on May 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 27, 1939: The Telephone Bandit shoots up pay phones to keep victims from reporting holdups.

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Woman Attempts Suicide in Los Angeles River

Posted on May 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 27, 1919.

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Girl, 9, Killed in Los Feliz

Posted on May 26, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 26, 1909: Ben Elliott is taken into custody in the rape and murder of 9-year-old Anna Poltera/Polera on Los Feliz Road. Amateur detectives hinder investigation! A Sept. 4, 1921, feature on unsolved killings refers to the LAPD's "homicide book," … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off

Found on EBay — Angel City in Turmoil

Posted on May 25, 2009 by lmharnisch

A copy of Guy Finney's "Angel City in Turmoil" has been listed on EBay. (Note, the artwork at left is from my copy of the book, not the one listed for sale). "Angel City" is one of those self-published "tell-all" … Continue reading →

Posted in books, City Hall, LAPD | Comments Off

Nuestro Pueblo: L.A.’s Fountains

Posted on May 24, 2009 by lmharnisch

Declared a slum in 1939, the old Central Station on 1st Street between Broadway and Hill wasn't demolished until August 1955, below. The Central Station figured in the Carl Warr bombing case of 1912 and William Hickman's kidnapping and murder … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Downtown, LAPD, Nuestro Pueblo | Comments Off

Woman Tells of Being Shot by Stalker; Dodgers Beat Giants, May 23, 1959

Posted on May 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

"I'll Be Darned." "It was about dusk when my mother and I and my 5-year-old son, James H., returned from shopping. For months I had been living in fear for my life at the hands of Mr. Mason…." Customs agents … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, books, Comics, Dodgers, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Politics, Sports, Suicide | Comments Off

State Athletic Commission Investigates Boxing, Cartoon Death Match, May 20, 1959

Posted on May 20, 2009 by lmharnisch

Isn't the Ambassador Hotel great? Oh wait, we let L.A. Unified tear it down. View this page Gangster Squad Officer J.J. "Jack" O'Mara calls on Joe Sica with a subpoena. Unfortunately, the runover of the story didn't get microfilmed. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Architecture, Comics, Education, Fashion, LAPD, Music, Nightclubs, Politics, Richard Nixon, Transportation | Comments Off

Cashing In on Murder Victims

Posted on May 19, 2009 by lmharnisch

Every so often, someone decides that what the world needs more than anything else is a grisly "Black Dahlia" doll. This one is offered by a vendor named "dolls and dead things" and started life as a Barbie. I already … Continue reading →

Posted in LAPD | 1 Comment

Woman Attacks Officer in Court, May 18, 1939

Posted on May 18, 2009 by lmharnisch

I'm conducting an experiment today. Some readers have complained that the page is slow to load. About three weeks ago, we went to Typepad's new, "improved" editor, which changed the way "the platform" handles images. A full newspaper page weighs … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD, Transportation | 6 Comments

The Era of Fear and Prophesies of Doom, May 17, 1959

Posted on May 17, 2009 by lmharnisch

Gaaah! What were they thinking? No wonder these were on sale! This Sunday paper is an alarming time capsule with fear and anxiety on every page, plus a little sex here and there. At left, "What We Must Know About … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, art and artists, books, Comics, Dodgers, Downtown, Film, Freeways, Front Pages, Hollywood, LAPD, Religion, Richard Nixon, Transportation | Comments Off

Enemy Agents Kidnap Book Publisher, May 14, 1939

Posted on May 14, 2009 by lmharnisch

Publisher George Putnam, former husband of the late Amelia Earhart… … releases a book titled "The Man Who Killed Hitler" … … and some mysterious men with German accents don't like it … … They grab him at his … Continue reading →

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End of Watch — Jack Horrall, 1926 – 2009

Posted on May 13, 2009 by lmharnisch

Oct. 17, 1930: Jack Horrall, 4, is the police mascot. Retired LAPD Officer Jack Horrall, the son of former Police Chief Clemence C.B. Horrall, died Monday at the age of 82. The family says: Jack had a truly illustrious life. … Continue reading →

Posted in City Hall, LAPD, Obituaries | 1 Comment

L.A. Orders Two-Man Streetcar Crews, May 11, 1939

Posted on May 11, 2009 by lmharnisch

These old papers are fantastic; all you have to do is stick a shovel in the dirt and you strike gold. At left and above, Los Angeles struggles to solve its problems with congested traffic. The Times shows work … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Film, Front Pages, Hollywood, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries, Sports | Comments Off

Bianchi Charged as Hillside Strangler; Nolan Ryan on Baseball, May 10, 1979

Posted on May 10, 2009 by lmharnisch

May 10, 1979: Gas rationing, a SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) agreement with the Soviets and Dial Torgerson reports from Jerusalem that U.N. troops turn back an Israeli force pursuing Palestinian guerrillas into Lebanon. Former security guard Kenneth Allesio Bianchi, … Continue reading →

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Cinco de Mayo, LAPD Seeks New Chief, May 6, 1939

Posted on May 6, 2009 by lmharnisch

For Cinco de Mayo, The Times features — children in Scandinavian costumes celebrating Hans Christian Andersen. Above, selection of the next LAPD chief is going to prove interesting. At left, Cinco de Mayo art, plus a photo of three women … Continue reading →

Posted in Downtown, Front Pages, LAPD | Comments Off

Man Charged With Defrauding Widows, July 20, 1900

Posted on May 5, 2009 by lmharnisch

I came across this story while researching the Arcade Station and think it's too wonderful not to share. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, LAPD | 1 Comment

Paul V. Coates — Confidential File, May 1, 1959

Posted on May 1, 2009 by lmharnisch

CONFIDENTIAL FILE Has the Black Hand a Grip on Our City? Without trumpets to announce his arrival or news cameras to record it, a very controversial young man slipped into town yesterday. His name: Alvin H. Goldstein Jr. For … Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Columnists, LAPD, Paul Coates | Comments Off

Death by the Numbers, 1948

Posted on April 27, 2009 by lmharnisch

1948: Knives are almost as popular as guns as a murder weapon. On Sunday, I was part of a Festival of Books panel on California crime, and the final question dealt with gun control. I said I was surprised … Continue reading →

Posted in Homicide, LAPD | Comments Off

Daily Mirror at the Festival of Books

Posted on April 23, 2009 by lmharnisch

I planned to not say very much about appearing at the Festival of Books, but people have been asking about "History: The Underbelly of California," which will be presented at 2 p.m. Sunday at Haines 39. The panel will feature … Continue reading →

Posted in books, Film, Hollywood, LAPD, Weblogs | 1 Comment

Matt Weinstock — April 21, 1959

Posted on April 21, 2009 by lmharnisch

No Deal This corner's continuing seminar on the subject "Do Mr. Parker's boys hand out too many traffic citations?" is at a stalemate. The deadlock has to do with a case recently presented here in which a motorist who lives … Continue reading →

Posted in Columnists, LAPD, Matt Weinstock | Comments Off