Tag Archives: crime and courts

July 31, 1907: After a Day at the Beach, Beer, a Fight and Gunshots

Posted on July 31, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1907: A day at the beach ends in a fight over beer. Evelyn Ferguson is accused of shooting newsboy Charles ‘Winnipeg’ Wilson with a policeman’s gun because Wilson was attacking her friend, who ‘was not in a condition to remember much about how it happened.’ Continue reading →

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July 28, 1907: L.A. Seeks to Clear Books of Old Laws on Bear Baiting, Quail Hunting by Streetcar Conductors

Posted on July 28, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 28, 1907: Los Angeles seeks to rid itself of outdated laws like hunting rabbits on Spring Street or conductors abandoning their streetcars to go quail hunting at the end of the line. Continue reading →

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July 26, 1947: Son Cleared of Killing Father During Attack on Mother

Posted on July 26, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 26, 1947: Son cleared of killing father during attack on mother. Continue reading →

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July 24, 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter, 17, Strangled

Posted on July 24, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 24, 1947: Vesta Belle Sapenter, an honor student at Jefferson High, is found partially undressed and strangled. Continue reading →

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July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 23, 1907: Police capture a burglar who entered a jewelry store through a skylight. Continue reading →

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July 21, 1947: Julie London Marries Jack Webb

Posted on July 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 21, 1947: Julie London marries Jack Webb. They divorce seven years later in one of the biggest settlements in local history. Someone asked her: “If you had your choice between half a million dollars and a happy home, which would you take?” She said: “A happy home.” Continue reading →

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July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon Strangled With Stocking

Posted on July 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon is found murdered. The Times and the Examiner have different accounts of the killing and the actions of her husband, Antonio. Continue reading →

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July 9, 1907: L.A. Converts Abandoned Church to House Inmates From Crowded Jail

Posted on July 9, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 9, 1907: The city rents an abandoned church for a temporarily jail. Continue reading →

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July 7, 1947: 4,000 Bikers in ‘Gypsy Tour’ Wreak Havoc in Hollister

Posted on July 7, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 7, 1947: Hollister, California, cleans up after the Highway Patrol chases thousands of motorcyclists out of town. The occasion was a “gypsy tour” of the American Motorcycle Association. The incident inspired the Marlon Brando movie “The Wild One.” Continue reading →

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July 2, 1947: Man Held in Strangling of Mary Tate

Posted on July 2, 2026 by lmharnisch

July 2, 1947: Oscar Hallgren is held in the killing of Mary Tate at 107 Weller Street, now Onizuka Street in Little Tokyo. Continue reading →

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June 25, 1947: L.A. Times Praises Gangland Slaying of Bugsy Siegel

Posted on June 25, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 25, 1947: The L.A. Times praises the gangland slaying of Bugsy Siegel: ‘The assassination of a crook is of no particular importance to a community, and grief at his passing is restricted to a minor and unselect circle.’ Continue reading →

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June 18, 1907: Immigration Agent Accused of Poisoning Neighbor’s Dog

Posted on June 18, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 18, 1907: Hazel Schurger accuses neighbor J.J. Brady of poisoning her dog, Baby, with strychnine. Brady was freed after an examination showed that Baby was given a small dose of the poison, incapable of killing the dog immediately as Schurger described. Continue reading →

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June 17, 1947: Bank Robber Shot in Head During Gunfight With LAPD Officers

Posted on June 17, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 17, 1947: Police shoot a bank robber in the head. Jesse Houston survives and becomes the shuffleboard champion at San Quentin and a noted gardener. Continue reading →

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June 16, 1947: LAPD Officers Hidden in Bar Kill Watchman Stealing Liquor

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1947: Two LAPD officers staked out at a bar kill night watchman Wanzy Patterson, who crawled through a transom to steal liquor. Officers said they shot Patterson 11 times after he made a move toward his pistol. Continue reading →

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June 16, 1907: Lawyer Edith Foulkes Handles Her Own Divorce Case

Posted on June 16, 2026 by lmharnisch

June 16, 1907: Attorney Edith Foulkes sues her husband, Ralph, for divorce, saying he drank constantly. “Suspecting that his wife was beginning to consider her marriage a failure, he had talked in melancholy fashion of murder and suicide, somewhat to the martial discomfort of Mrs. Foulkes,” The Times said. Continue reading →

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May 21, 1947: South Carolina Jury Acquits 28 in Lynching

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1947: A South Carolina jury acquits 28 people in the lynching of Willie Earle, who was suspected of killing a cabdriver. The Los Angeles Times editorializes that a federal anti-lynching law is unnecessary. Continue reading →

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May 21, 1907: J.G. Fleenor ‘Barefoot Burglar’ Talks!

Posted on May 21, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 21, 1907: In a jailhouse interview before he is taken to San Quentin, James G. Fleenor, the barefoot burglar, sets the record straight on his escapes, his relationship with a white woman and how he began a life of crime. Continue reading →

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May 8, 1947: Mixed Marriage Was Illegal, Louisiana Court Rules, Ordering Woman to Vacate Home for New Owner

Posted on May 8, 2026 by lmharnisch

May 8, 1947: A Louisiana court orders a Black woman to vacate her home of 28 years because her estranged husband, who was white, wanted to sell the home. The court ruled that they had never been married because interracial marriages were illegal. Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Real Estate | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

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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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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