Tag Archives: lapd

Aug. 12-13, 1907: Bucket of Blood Is a Den of Drunken Debauchery

Posted on August 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. Aug. 12-13, 1907 Los Angeles Despite the name Bismarck Cafe, police call the saloon at Main and Winston Streets the Bucket of Blood because it’s a continual source of crime and violence. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, 1908, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD, Main Street, Music, Streetcars | Tagged #Main Street, 1907, crime and courts, drunken debauchery, food and drink, labor, lapd | Comments Off

Aug. 11, 1947: Two Men Found Shot to Death in Bizarre Mystery

Posted on August 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Someone found them shot to death on the floor of the Portal Motel at 2775 N. Cahuenga: two men completely clothed except for their shoes, each … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Cold Cases, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, cold cases, homicide, lapd | Comments Off

Black L.A. 1947: Elizabeth Ingalls to Pay Dora Jones $6,000 in Slavery Case; Sentenced to Fine and Probation

Posted on August 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 31, 1947: The Sentinel’s front page is full of news: Elizabeth Ingalls is sentenced in the San Diego slavery case to a fine of $2,500, three years probation and a $6,000 payment to Dora Jones. The Sentinel also reports … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, San Diego | Tagged #slavery, 1947, African Americans, crime and courts, Dora L. Jones, Elizabeth Ingalls, homicide, lapd, Los Angeles Sentinel, San Diego | 3 Comments

1947: The Year of Drinking Heavily

Posted on August 1, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. ARRESTS FOR INTOXICATION by calendar year 1937……….44,176 1938……….41,388 1939……….41,878 1940……….48,014 1941……….53,294 1942……….61,865 1943……….45,354 1944……….62,510 1945……….72,465 1946……….92,108 1947……….98,149 (a 222% increase over 1937) Felony Drunk Driving, 1947……………..365 … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Food and Drink, LAPD | Tagged 1947, dui, food and drink, lapd, liquor violations | Comments Off

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

Posted on July 28, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 28, 1907 Los Angeles City officials, hampered by a bramble bush of old and unenforced laws, have appointed deputy prosecutor Eddie to prune back outdated and unnecessary regulations from the early … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Animals, City Hall, Crime and Courts, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, City Hall, crime and courts, hunting, lapd | Comments Off

Black L.A. 1947: Honor Student Vesta Belle Sapenter Strangled; Suspect Released

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

5320 Holmes Ave., in the Pueblo Del Rio housing project, via Google Street View. July 24, 1947: The Sentinel reports that Benjamin Allen, 16, of 5217 McGarry St., is being held in the death of Vesta Belle Sapenter. Benjamin … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, African Americans, crime and courts, homicide, lapd, Los Angeles Sentinel | 3 Comments

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

Posted on July 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. One night in July, Bernard Robert Monday Jr. finally had enough. The violence had been going on at least a decade, maybe longer. In 1937, when … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, domestic violence, homicide, lapd | 1 Comment

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

Posted on July 24, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Her name was Vesta Belle and she was 17, an honor student at Jefferson High, a mile and a half from her home at 5320 Holmes … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, African Americans, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | 5 Comments

July 23, 1907: A Belated Tribute to Heroic Officer

Posted on July 23, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. July 23, 1907 Los Angeles John Conroy, a career criminal, planned his work carefully: He would wait until 10 p.m., pry open the skylight of J.C. Fleming’s jewelry store at 531 S. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Books and Authors, LAPD, Streetcars, Transportation | Tagged 1907, Broadway, crime and courts, lapd | Comments Off

Black L.A. 1947: Postal Worker Finds Body of Rosenda Mondragon

Posted on July 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

July 10, 1947: The Sentinel publishes a picture of Newton Joshua, who discovered the body of Rosenda Mondragon. I don’t recall ever seeing his name in coverage of the killing.

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, homicide, lapd, Rosenda Mondragon | Comments Off

July 9, 1947: Rosenda Mondragon Strangled With Stocking

Posted on July 10, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. Here’s a perfect illustration of the difference between The Times and the Examiner, which has a completely different version of Antonio Mondragon’s actions on the night … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, homicide, lapd, Rosenda Mondragon | Comments Off

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

Posted on July 2, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. This is, of course, a murder frequently tossed into the Black Dahlia file by crime books such as “The Cases That Haunt Us” and “Black Dahlia … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, Black Dahia, crime and courts, homicide, lapd | 1 Comment

June 29, 1907: Horribly Beaten, Wife Begs Police Not to Charge Husband, Refuses to Testify

Posted on June 29, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. June 29, 1907 Los Angeles Through the jail cell’s bars, the officer asked, “Where did you get that blood on your shirt?” E.H. Phelan, a barber at the Hotel Alexandria, said: “No, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1907, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Streetcars | Tagged 1907, crime and courts, domestic violence, lapd | Comments Off

June 26, 1947: ‘White’ or ‘Negro?’ LAPD Holds Sentinel Columnist for Having Two Driver’s Licenses

Posted on June 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 26, 1947: Los Angeles Sentinel columnist Edward Robinson takes a trip to the University Station after LAPD officers discover that he is carrying two driver’s licenses. One identifies him as “white” and the other identifies him as “Negro.” With … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, Columnists | Tagged 1947, Edward Robinson, lapd, Los Angeles Sentinel | 2 Comments

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

Posted on June 16, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. This was a follow-up to Kim Cooper’s original post on Wanzy Patterson, an unfortunate watchman who was helping himself to liquor while guarding a bar. Two … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Crime and Courts, Food and Drink, LAPD | Tagged 1947, crime and courts, lapd, Negro Alley, Wanzy Patterson | 3 Comments

June 15, 2005: Remembering UCLA Professor Eric Monkkonen

Posted on June 15, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. The Times reports the death of UCLA professor Eric Monkkonen, who spent years studying murder in the U.S. and focused on Los Angeles. Among his many … Continue reading →

Posted in 2006, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD, Obituaries | Tagged 2006, crime and courts, Eric Monkkonen, homicide, lapd, obituaries | Comments Off

Black Dahlia: Who Is This Man?

Posted on June 13, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2006. I recently obtained an original copy of The Times’ March 28, 1971, story “Farewell, My Black Dahlia,” which includes the account of the “Boy on the Bicycle.” Here’s a color picture of … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Another Good Story Ruined, Black Dahlia, Books and Authors, Cold Cases, Crime and Courts, Donald Wolfe, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged black dahlia, cold cases, crime and courts, donald wolfe, homicide, lapd | 1 Comment

June 11, 1947: Hillary Brooke Tries Out Job as Reporter

Posted on June 11, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 that originally appeared on the 1947project. Somehow I’d like to think that Brooke wrote the marijuana bust story as she was studying for her role in “I Cover Big Town” (apparently not … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Film, Hollywood, LAPD | Tagged 1947, film, Hillary Brooke, hollywood, lapd | 2 Comments

Black L.A. 1947: 5 LAPD Officers Injured in 3 Fights

Posted on June 6, 2018 by lmharnisch

June 5, 1947: Christopher W. Bankhead, who was injured in a plane crash during World War II, dies of a heart “ailment” while cutting a customer’s hair at William McKinney’s barbershop, 4012 S. Central Ave. LAPD Officers S. Goldman and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, African Americans, LAPD, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender | Tagged 1947, African Americans, Georgia Street Receiving Hospital, lapd, LGBTQ, Los Angeles Sentinel | 2 Comments

May 26, 1947: Otto Parzyjegla and the Killing of Alfred Haij

Posted on May 26, 2018 by lmharnisch

Note: This is an encore post from 2005 and originally appeared on the 1947project. As tragic as it is, the Otto Parzyjegla case is wonderful example of the distinct contrasts between the murder of Alfred Haij and Elizabeth Short, and … Continue reading →

Posted in 1947, Black Dahlia, Crime and Courts, Homicide, LAPD | Tagged 1947, black dahlia, crime and courts, homicide, lapd, Otto Parzyjegla | Comments Off