Tag Archives: 1908

May 6, 1908: Shocked Judge Grants Divorce; Bodies Found at Indiana Murder Farm

Posted on May 6, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 6, 1908: A judge in Connecticut grants a divorce to Henry Lord with details so shocking that the judge stays the proceedings. And crowds visit the Indiana murder farm. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Courts, Crime and Courts, Front Pages, Homicide | Tagged 1908, Belle Gunness, death farm | Leave a comment

April 23, 1908: Whiskey Is a Health Tonic

Posted on April 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 23, 1908: Whiskey is a health tonic! Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Food and Drink | Tagged #prohibition, 1908, alcohol, liquor | Comments Off

April 22, 1908: Beer Is a Health Drink

Posted on April 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 22, 1908: Beer is a health drink, especially good for “the weak and the convalescent.” “When beer is pure, there is nothing more healthful.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, health | Tagged 1908, beer | Comments Off

April 21, 1908: Dispute Over Black and White Children Playing Together Turns Deadly

Posted on April 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 21, 1908: In Memphis, a quarrel between women over Black and white children playing together leads to a fight and then a shooting. And a crackdown on sending birth control information through the mail. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Abortion, African Americans, Countdown to Watts, Front Pages, health, Homicide, Politics | Tagged #Great White Fleet, 1908, birth control, Brownsville incident, Hearst | Comments Off

April 15, 1908: Accused Wife Killer Says ‘Everything Went Black’

Posted on April 15, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 15,1908: Quong Wai, who is fighting a deportation order, says he is an American born in San Francisco. He says immigration officers arrested him at a streetcar station without reason. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages, Homicide, Music | Tagged 1908 | Comments Off

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s Nerve Syrup Cures ‘Fits’

Posted on April 13, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 13, 1908: Dr. Hoffman’s “Nerve Syrup” has a pleasant taste and cures epilepsy, St. Vitus Dance and nervous trouble. What exactly is in it? The ad isn’t saying. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Front Pages, health, Science, Transportation, UFOs | Tagged 1908, transportation | Comments Off

April 2, 1908: Great White Fleet Out of Tunes, Seeks Songs in the Key of Sea

Posted on April 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

April 2, 1908: Sailors of the Great White Fleet are tired of the same old songs and want something new to sing, maybe “I’m Afraid to Go Home in the Dark.” Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages, Music, Transportation | Tagged #employment, 1908, transportation | Comments Off

March 31, 1908: Traveling Blacksmith Shoes Fire Department Horses

Posted on March 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 31, 1908: A traveling blacksmith shoes the Fire Department’s horses, rather than taking the horses to the farrier. The last fire horse, Blackie, retired in 1923 and spent the rest of his life at Griffith Park, where he died in 1939. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Animals, Transportation | Tagged 1908, Fire Department, horses | Comments Off

March 30, 1908: U.S. Seeks to Deport Immigrant Radicals From L.A.

Posted on March 30, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 30, 1908: U.S. immigration official interviews prisoners and mental patients in L.A. in a campaign to deport immigrant radicals. Continue reading →

Posted in 1908, Front Pages | Tagged 1908, radicals, reds | Comments Off

March 25, 1908: U.S. Advisor to Japan Assassinated in San Francisco

Posted on March 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 25, 1908: The U.S. advisor to Japan, Durham W. Stevens, is assassinated in San Francisco. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages | Tagged 1908, Koreans | 2 Comments

March 22, 1908: Plans for a New Hall of Records

Posted on March 22, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 22, 1908: Los Angeles plans a new Hall of Records. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Architecture, City Hall, Downtown, Front Pages | Tagged 1908, Hall of Records | Comments Off

March 21, 1908: Black Minister Convicted of Speaking on a Corner Without a License

Posted on March 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

The Reds of Los Angeles who marched on behalf of the Rev. G.W. Woodbey, a Black minister, are dealt a setback when he was found guilty of speaking on the streets without a license. Also: The city renames 50 streets, and a former assistant cashier at the Examiner blames his embezzlement spree on women and racing. Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, Front Pages, Religion | Tagged 1908, African Americans, religion, Socialism | 3 Comments

March 16, 1908: Homeless Camps in Mojave

Posted on March 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

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

Posted in 1908, Front Pages, LAPD | Tagged 1908, downtown L.A., homeless | Comments Off

March 11, 1908: Masked Night Riders Terrorize Blacks

Posted on March 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

March 11, 1908: Masked Night Riders Terrorize Blacks in Kentucky Towns. Continue reading →

Posted in Front Pages | Tagged 1908 | Comments Off

February 11, 1908: The Latest in Men’s Shoes

Posted on February 11, 2026 by lmharnisch

February 11, 1908: The latest in men’s shoes. Question: Should the local Japanese American community be allowed to welcome the Great White Fleet when it visits Los Angeles? Continue reading →

Posted in #courts, 1908, Front Pages | Tagged #courts, #Great White Fleet, 1908 | 1 Comment

December 26, 1907: Minister Rejects New ‘Godless’ U.S. Coins

Posted on December 26, 2025 by lmharnisch

December 26, 1907: The Rev. W.A. Jones of Knoxville Presbyterian Church refuses the congregation’s gift of $100 because it consists of newly redesigned $20 gold pieces that do not bear the motto “In God We Trust.” Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Religion | Tagged 1907, 1908, In God We Trust, religion, U.S. mint | Comments Off

November 21, 1907: Mother, 17, Throws Baby From Train to Hide ‘Shame’ From Family

Posted on November 21, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 21, 1907: Louise Williams is arrested on charges of throwing her baby from an inbound train. “She was suddenly overwhelmed with the shame of meeting her mother and sisters at Los Angeles, who had not learned of her ruin,” her attorney said. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged #trains, 1907, 1908, African Americans, crime and courts, infanticide | Comments Off

November 16, 1907: Husband in Elaborate Disguise Shoots Estranged Wife on Streetcar

Posted on November 16, 2025 by lmharnisch

November 16,1907: Frederick Cook faces trial for shooting his estranged wife on a streetcar, disguising himself so she wouldn’t recognize him. Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, 1908, crime and courts, domestic violence, homicide, roller skating | Comments Off

Dec. 26, 1907: Minister Rejects New ‘Godless’ U.S. Coins

Posted on December 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 26, 1907 Pittsburgh, by direct wire to The Times As Christmas celebrations concluded at Knoxville Presbyterian Church, the congregation presented the Rev. W.A. Jones with $100 ($2,052.36 USD 2005). A banker … Continue reading →