Nov. 23, 1957
Los Angeles
Julius L. Schlosser was a successful, wealthy auto executive who owned
Chevrolet dealerships at 1015 S. Western Ave. and 4403 W. Adams. He
built a fine Glendale home in 1925 designed by Paul R. Williams before
moving to an even larger home at 449 S. Plymouth Blvd.*
But
this story has nothing to do with him. It's about what became of all
his money and all his belongings after he died in 1948, leaving a
widow, Laura, and an adopted teenage daughter, Patricia.
By
1957, Schlosser's 17-room Hancock Park mansion was lonely and forlorn,
as the hand-carved grandfather clock ticked off the passing hours for
the musty furnishings.
There were antique urns, statues and
figurines everywhere, and the floors were covered with big Persian
rugs. Someone must have once played the Louis XVI Steinway grand or one
of the other two pianos--or maybe they fooled around on the
harpsichord.
The 117-piece Steuben glassware set and the 96-piece Flora Danica Royal Copenhagen
were mute testimony to the grand meals once served on the 13-piece
custom dining ensemble. Maybe someone passed the time on the Brunswick
Balke pool table in the game room, where the walls were covered with
polo mallets, spears, swords, daggers and a gun collection: Flintlocks,
an 1873 Winchester and an 1864 Springfield.
Now there was just the two women that old place. Laura, 70, ailing and maybe disoriented, and Patricia, 25.
Under
Laura's bed, there was a suitcase that supposedly contained $500,000 in
cash. In the cedar chest, there was a cardboard box covered with
tinfoil that held all the diamonds.
When the complicated case
ended up in court, Patricia testified that Laura hit her in the eye and
clawed her face. Laura yelled "Lies! Lies!"
We don't which is
true, but either way, Patricia moved out July 12, 1957, after hiding
about $15,000 under some boards in the bathtub of the unused bathroom
off the game room. She took two fur coats and a gun.
While she
was gone, she began withdrawing money on the bank accounts held jointly
with her mother, claiming joint tenancy. There were bills to pay, she
said, and extensive real estate holdings, including a Hollywood
apartment house, to be attended to.
When she came back in
August after what she called a short vacation, Patricia found that
Laura's doctor, Vivagene A. Loop, had arranged for Arthwell C. Hayton
to be appointed as Laura's guardian. Instead of anything like
$500,000, there was nothing in the suitcase under the bed except a
couple of hairbrushes. The box containing the jewelry was gone, as was
the money hidden in the bathtub.
Patricia began court
proceedings to remove Hayton as Laura's guardian. According to the
testimony, Patricia, private detective Roderick Wilson and Dr. Richard
Barton broke into the home and took Laura to a hospital, saying that
she was unable to care for herself. Three hours later, Hayton had Laura
moved to a Glendale facility.
The case became more complex.
There were charges that Patricia was merely added to Laura's bank
accounts for convenience, denying her claims on half the money.
Testimony also revealed that most of the Schlossers' financial
interests were handled by Edward Wong, who used to run a Chinese
restaurant.
Other business matters were allocated to Flora M. Carter,
the landlady of the Hollywood apartment house, who had been paroled
after serving a sentence at the California Institution for Women in
Corona for grand theft.
The court eventually convened a
session at the Schlosser mansion. Laura sat on a lounge in the
downstairs library while reporters prowled the home. In the end, the
judge rejected Patricia's plea to remove Hayton as her mother's
guardian.
And then the case evaporated. Laura died in 1961,
survived by Patricia L. Schell and two grandchildren. Her obituary
noted: "Guardians were appointed but suits for recovery of the funds
never came to trial."
The contents of the mansion were auctioned off by order of the Superior Court, Jan. 12, 1964.
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*A Chevrolet dealer who lived on Plymouth? Only in L.A.
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