Tag Archives: crime and courts

Victor Segno: ‘How to Live 100 Years’

Posted on January 4, 2019 by lmharnisch

A. Victor Segno is my favorite Los Angeles charlatan. I wrote a feature about him for The Times in 2012.. The entire Daily Mirror post appears on Archive.org.

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Jan. 2, 1969: College Student Home on Vacation Killed, Dumped Off Mulholland

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

This is another story that I don’t remember at all. The original post is here at Archive.org. The killing of Marina Elizabeth Habe remains unsolved (I see that I garbled her name in the original post). See also Keith Thursby’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 1969, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, Keith Thursby | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another Fine Mess? Stan Laurel Accused of Planning to Bury Wife in Backyard

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

I have written more than 10,000 posts about L.A. history over the years and I don’t remember many of them. Like this one, which was turned into a “Then and Now” a feature that continued briefly after Cecilia Rasmussen left … Continue reading →

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LAPD Crime Statistics for 1957 | Looking Back at ‘Our Lawless City’

Posted on January 2, 2019 by lmharnisch

If you are a longtime reader, you may remember when the Daily Mirror was hosted by the Los Angeles Times. The Times holds the copyright on these items, even though the blog was killed in 2011 (thank you, Jimmy Orr), … Continue reading →

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Jan. 1, 1959: Paul Coates, Confidential File ‘Looking Back at ‘58; Looking Ahead to ‘59’

Posted on January 1, 2019 by lmharnisch

One of my particular joys in doing the Daily Mirror at the Los Angeles Times was rerunning Paul Coates’ columns, which originally appeared in the Mirror (d. 1962). I was particularly fortunate to have several excellent interns who transcribed them. … Continue reading →

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Dec. 31, 1907: Old Watchman, Beaten by Robbers, Revealed as Cocaine Addict

Posted on December 31, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 31, 1907 Los Angeles His name was W.H. Reynolds and the old watchman for E.H. Howard Contracting had laid out all night after being beaten up and thrown in the weeds … Continue reading →

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Dec. 30, 1907: Old Soldiers of the Civil War, Held as Drunks, Get Free Run of Jail

Posted on December 30, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 30, 1907 Los Angeles James Sullivan, 64, was a prisoner of the Confederates held at Belle Isle, Libby and Andersonville, where he and war correspondent Albert D. Richardson escaped by tunneling … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Civil War, Crime and Courts, Downtown, Food and Drink, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Dec. 30, 1907: Old Soldiers of the Civil War, Held as Drunks, Get Free Run of Jail

Black Dahlia: 6 Reasons Dr. George Hodel Didn’t Kill Elizabeth Short — No. 6 No Connection

Posted on December 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Elizabeth Short contrasted with the unidentified woman found in George Hodel’s photo album. Not at all the same. Here are six reasons Dr. George Hodel did not kill Elizabeth Short that you will need to know before watching the TNT … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Dec. 23, 1947: Baby Girl Abandoned at Downtown Restaurant With Christmas Card Pinned to Blanket

Posted on December 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The young mother asked the waitress at the cafe in the Subway Terminal Building to hold her baby for just a moment—and then she was gone. … Continue reading →

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Dec. 22, 1907: For I Was Homeless and You Ran Me In — L.A. Prepares for ‘Hobo Season’

Posted on December 22, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Homelessness is a more than century-old problem in Los Angeles — there are no easy or quick fixes. And yes, homeless people were put on the chain gang in 1907.    Dec. … Continue reading →

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Dec. 21, 1907: Desperate Girl, Alone and Friendless in L.A., Steals $10

Posted on December 21, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 21, 1907 Los Angeles Lillian Poelk was new to Los Angeles, with no friends and little more than a job as a waitress that didn’t quite cover the rent of her … Continue reading →

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Dec. 20, 1907: Miracle Doctor Fer-Don Cures Man of 90-Foot Tape Worm!

Posted on December 20, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 20,1907 Los Angeles Mr. C.D. Roberts of 1900 E. Main was feeling a bit unwell. He had bad headaches, an irregular appetite, saw dark spots before his eyes and felt as … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1909, LAPD, Medicine, Pasadena, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dec. 19, 1907: No, None of It Was His Fault

Posted on December 19, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 19, 1907 Los Angeles What you have to understand first about George White is that he isn’t to blame. Oh he’ll take his prison sentence for robbing the Hot Rivet Saloon, … Continue reading →

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Dec. 17, 1947: Frightening Food From the 1940s — ‘Unusual’ Fruitcake

Posted on December 17, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project..   Bonus factoid: The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a $2,500 fine against Hollywood book dealer Marcell Rodd for selling the obscene book “Call House … Continue reading →

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Dec. 16, 1947: Back Broken and Skull Fractured, Girl, 2 Dies of Abuse; Mother Gets 10 Years in Prison

Posted on December 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Somewhere, there’s 57-year-old man; maybe his name is Steven, or maybe his foster parents changed it. He doesn’t know much about himself except that his birthday … Continue reading →

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L.A. Daily Mirror Retro Holiday Shopping Guide

Posted on December 14, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: “Little Shoes,” about the murders of three little girls, may not be everybody’s idea of an appropriate holiday gift, but it is more than a “true crime” book. In “Little Shoes” Pamela Everett explores her family’s tragic history in … Continue reading →

Posted in 1937, Books and Authors, Crime and Courts, Homicide | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

December 12, 1907: The .45-Caliber Newspaper Ombudsman

Posted on December 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. December 12, 1907 Los Angeles via the Associated Press Goldfield, Nev.—J. Holtman Buck, editor of the Western Nevada Miner in Mina, Nev., shot Francis L. Burton to death during a fight over … Continue reading →

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1920: Police Raid Party at Ex-Mayor’s Home, Arrest 7 Men in Drag

Posted on December 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 10,1907 Los Angeles Mayor Arthur C. Harper happens to be in all sorts of trouble. He’s telling the newspapers that he has had enough of politics and won’t seek another term. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1909, 1912, City Hall, Crime and Courts, Downtown, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Follies Theater’s 1927 ‘Hot Mamma’ Show Led Court to Overturn Law on ‘Indecent Shows’

Posted on December 9, 2018 by lmharnisch

A EBay vendor posted this photo of a woman named Aline or Alene Carberry, and I could not resist unleashing the hounds of research. Bidding on the “Hot Mamma” photo is currently at $34.50.

Posted in 1927, Crime and Courts, Found on EBay, Photography, Stage | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Follies Theater’s 1927 ‘Hot Mamma’ Show Led Court to Overturn Law on ‘Indecent Shows’

Dec. 7, 1907: Morris Buck Hanged for Killing Mrs. Canfield, Former Employer

Posted on December 7, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Dec. 7, 1907 Los Angeles “I asked if she received the letter. She said she had. I asked her if she would loan me a sum of money to be paid back … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, 1911, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments