One gang was called the Cogents. The other was called the Black Wongs.
At least that's what The Times said. We don't know much more than that
except someone died in a fight outside the Kow Kong Benevolent Assn.,
510 N. Bernard St.
His name was Richard Sumii, 16, 3106 N. 9th Ave. It isn't clear whether
he was a member of the Black Wongs or the Cogents or whether he was
even in a gang. All we know is that he was an honor student at Dorsey
High.
Using The Times stories to reconstruct what happened is bit like
reassembling an ancient pot based on a few shards. Unfortunately, there
isn't much to go on.
Apparently there was a gang fight outside the Kow Kong center, where a
dance was being held. Louis T. Yamashiro, 17, 912 S. Valencia, and
Takeshi Masukawa, 18, went to Masukawa's home at 568 N. Virgil Ave.,
got a .45 and returned to the center. According to The Times, Yamashiro
pulled the .45 from his friend's waistband and was waving it around
when the gun went off, killing Sumii.
Unfortunately, that's all we have. The Times wrote nothing about a trial. Why Japanese American kids were at a Chinese youth center is something the newspaper never addressed.
California death records show that Louis Tsuneo Yamashiro died June 6, 1985, at the age of 44.
Below, a large number of prospective jurors in the Earle Kynette trial say that are against the death penalty ... A local fund-raising campaign, part of a national effort to aid European Jews, will focus largely on the movie industry, The Times says ...
The Great White Fleet arrives and the hills along the coast are blackened with people who have come to view the ships. Along the crumbling cliffs near Point Fermin, 40 people plunged 20 feet down a hillside when it gave way, The Times said. Apparently none of them were injured, at least not badly.
Crowds hoping to see the fleet overwhelm the city's mass transit system to the point of collapse. Passengers began arriving at the Pacific Electric depot (6th Street and Main) at 2 a.m. and by 6 a.m., the area was so crowded that they were boarding the cars before they arrived at the depot to be sure of getting a seat, The Times said.
"Before the day was half through, it was hard to fight your way within a block of the Pacific Electric Building. Main Street all the way to 9th [shout out to Bukowski Square!] was lined with men and women trying to jump the cars before they got to the depot.
"By the time the cars reached the point from which they were supposed to start, every one was jammed, with men and boys standing on the roofs and clinging to inch-wide ledges or to paint blisters on the perilous sides of the cars.
"Hundreds gave up the struggle altogether and went dejectedly home."
The crowds hoping to take the trains fared no better.
Chaos ruled at the Southern Pacific depot, with tickets sold "without system or sense," The Times said. Many people found a shortcut to the platform while other ticket buyers waited in vain to be allowed on the trains. The Southern Pacific's 11 a.m. train from Los Angeles to San Pedro was 3 1/2 hours late, The Times said.
You're wondering about autos.
"Had it not been for the long succession of overladen cars groaning by, you might have mistaken it for an automobile parade. There were thousands on the road.
"For weeks, every auto in this city has been engaged. Every garage has had 10 times the number of orders it could fill. By actual count there were 37 machines lying crippled in the ditch at one time yesterday."
As for the ships, "The approach of the fleet was magnificent," The Times said.
"It was first a long, single column of 16 ships turned slightly in toward Long Beach and giving the effect of a wide, oncoming line of prows plowing the water.
"Off Terminal Island, the column made a majestic turn to the left, sweeping around until the bow of the flagship pointed straight at the thronged cliffs, each battleship arriving at the tumbled swirlpools left by the turning Connecticut put across their helms and plowed after until the whole fleet was a vast Masonic triangle. Then came on in a tremendous, awe-inspiring battering ram 3 1/2 miles long."
Above, new apartments on Olympic near Albany within walking distance of the "business district." Surprisingly enough, this building is still standing. The structure lost the details of its roof line, presumably in one of the earthquakes over the last century, in a process I call "seismic Darwinism." The distance to
The Times is 2.1 miles, according to Google Maps, which may (or may not) be your definition of "walking distance." Here's the street view:
Above, note that Robin Ogle was drafted by the Dodgers as a first baseman in 1972. Below, The Times drops the nameplate for the Dodgers' mug shots and runs a nice, deep picture of Carl Erskine ... Also note the Jack Smith byline on the story about the murder of Cecil "Hard Rock" Thomas.
Above, fighting in the Holy Land ... Below, jury selection is nearly concluded in the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette in the Harry Raymond bombing ... Note the brief on the lawsuit brought by former child star Jackie Coogan against his mother and stepfather over the money he made as a youngster ... Police officers capture cattle that escaped from the meatpacking plant on Macy Street (now Cesar Chavez). Humorous stories about police chasing (and sometimes killing) livestock in downtown Los Angeles were a staple of local newspapers at least through the 1940s ... In an attempt to ease traffic congestion, the city widens and extends downtown streets.
Quote of the Day: "The volume of traffic caused by the city's continued growth increases faster than outlets can be provided." -- Lloyd Aldrich, city engineer
Above, an update on the Doukhobors ... Below, the fleet is on its way! And so is Elinor Glyn!
Quote of the Day: "To swear to love for life is an insult to God. Love is an emotion placed in beings by God to induce them to re-create their species. It's an emotion which no human being can control and it leaves the body as quickly as it enters. " --Elinor Glyn, author of "Three Weeks," May 3, 1908
Los Angeles Examiner Negatives Collection in the the Regional History Collection
of USC Libraries
Dodgers and the Giants, opening day at the Coliseum.
William Dotson at USC's Doheny Library sent the Daily Mirror an
invitation to a reception for the "Mobsters, Molls and Mayhem" photo
exhibit and even though the event was several weeks ago, it's been on
our minds for several reasons because the gathering was one of those
troubling crossroads of fact, fiction and fantasy that seem to define
Los Angeles history.
Fiction was the first element the Daily Mirror encountered, as we saw
our old friend James Ellroy inspecting some of the photos culled from
the 80,000 images that were taken in 1958 and are available in the
Examiner collection. The "Demon Dog" of fiction was in a bright yellow
sweater that hardly seemed demonic. It was good to see the old boy;
it's been a while since the press event for "The Black Dahlia." We
chatted a bit. He's writing.
Fact, of course, is close to our hearts at the Daily Mirror so it was
gratifying to talk for a few moments with Tyson Gaskill, one of the
curators, about assembling the exhibit. We also chatted with USC
professor Greg Hise, who made some introductory remarks, and Catherine
Quinlan, dean of USC's libraries.
Tyson, who worked on the exhibit with Andrew Wulf and Jill Breznican,
said going through the old copies of the Examiner to select the images
was a revelation that shattered his preconceptions of the past. The
experience "forever changed my vision of the 1950s," he told the Daily
Mirror. "The 1950s were awful," he said. "It's hard to convey that. I
thought it was an era of tedium."
Greg, an associate professor of urban planning and history and
geography, took a broader view, noting the scope of the 1.8 million
images taken between 1920 and 1961 in USC's Examiner collection, along
with the photos in the "Dick" Whittington collection of commercial and
aerial photography. One of the best aspects of the photos, he said, is
that they portray issues like land use and immigration in a visual
manner rather than as abstractions. The Daily Mirror concurs: A woman
sitting on her front porch with a rifle (at left) to keep the state from taking
her home for a freeway speaks simply but powerfully about the issues of
transportation and housing.
Greg as well as Catherine touched on one troubling question that we're
sure keeps archivists awake at night: What will become of newspaper
images and corporate documents in the Digital Age? Both of them raised
the question of whether it would be possible to stage a similar exhibit
50 years from now using photos from the Los Angeles Times. In 2058,
will a 50-year-old CD still work and will jpeg still be a recognized
format? Let's cross our fingers.
While we were at it, we ran into the family of John B.T. Campbell, the
legendary--or notorious--editor of the Herald Express. Campbell was the
newsman who nicknamed many of Los Angeles' famous murders, according to
the late Aggie Underwood. The Daily Mirror didn't know, until meeting
his descendants, that he was nicknamed "The Tarantula."
We also said hello to Dace Taube of the Regional History Collection, to whom every researcher in Los Angeles owes an incredible debt of gratitude.
And finally, and this is what keeps the Daily Mirror awake at night,
comes fantasy. During the reception, we encountered an individual who
made elaborate claims of personal knowledge about one of the more
famous crimes in Los Angeles history. We listened politely, jotted down
a few notes and were saddened to discover that this person's tale, with
all its finely embroidered details, was utter rubbish. We suspect we
will never understand what makes people concoct such yarns. We just
wish they would stop.
"Mobsters, Molls and Mayhem" will be on display at Doheny Library through May 15. Tell them "Woof, Daddy-o."
Below, we have Paul Coates and his old pal from Palo Alto, Parkey Sharkey ... But what's this hidden in the ads for the burlesque houses? The Colony Club, Western and 149th Street, has the L.A. Dodgerettes! ... Then again, there's "Johni Dillinger" a.k.a. "Public Anatomy No. 1," at the Tiffany Club, 3260 W. 8th ... And note the comic at the Lake Club: Bert Henry. Henry did a bunch of "party records" for Fax Records ("Bert Henry in the Raw," "Bert Henry at the Hungry Thigh") before the head of the company, William H. Door, and his girlfriend were killed in a very nasty way in November 1963. Fax also released a disc titled "Sex Is My Business," which purported to be interviews with prostitutes. Most of the Fax discs turn up on EBay if you're patient. If anyone knows whatever became of Bert Henry, drop me a note.
Below, Dodgers over the Giants, 13-1, in San Francisco. Tomorrow is the Big Day in L.A., with a Dodger motorcade from City Hall to the Coliseum, The Times says ... Police investigate whether the late Johnny Stompanato was blackmailing Hollywood figures, but the main suspect's death is a bit of an obstacle ... Gary Cooper gets a face-lift. In three years, he'll be gone ... Chimps in space! ...
Above, Shirley Temple, Peter Lorre and Mickey Mouse ... Below, what do we have in Gothic type above the masthead? Yes, it is Easter Sunday in 1938 ... At least 16 Arabs die in a fight between British troops and terrorists in the Holy Land ... A devoted dog pays daily visits to the grave of its master in a Bloomington, Ind., cemetery ... Britain and Italy sign an agreement that "pulls powers from the abyss of war."
Here's a model home at 2270 Brentford Road in San Marino. Zillow says the house is still there and is valued at $975,000. I'll try to swing by there today and get a picture of it.
Above, spiritual advancement- - or the lack of it -- becomes grounds for a divorce. Below, "Elephants Stampede" is a two-word headline that says: "Read me." The noise of fire engines rushing to a spectacular 5,000-gallon gasoline blaze in Riverside frightened the elephants of a traveling circus. The fleeing animals rampage through the city, killing a woman, injuring several men and "breaking down palm trees and small buildings" before being captured ... Los Angeles prepares for tomorrow's arrival of the Great White Fleet.
After all the months of planning,
negotiations and expectations, the Dodgers played their first game on the West
Coast and were shut out in San
Francisco, 8-0.
Frank Finch, reporting for The Times,
might have been a little rough on Los
Angeles’ new team. Here’s how he started his game
story:
California’s
long-awaited entry into big league baseball became a reality today, but it was
a colossal flop if you happened to be a Los
Angeles rooter.
At
least Giants fans hadn’t started chanting “Beat L.A.” yet.
The New York Times took a different
approach, given their place on the other coast. One headline:Giants Beat Dodgers in Coast Debut; Games
Everywhere But Here
Some familiar names played big parts
in the opening game. Don Drysdale started for the Dodgers but was replaced in
the fourth inning. Willie Mays drove in a couple runs and Orlando Cepeda hit a
home run.
Stone Age etiquette: Married women have no first names. And I love the line about the proper way to address "trades people."
Gosh, Louise Davis' etiquette columns are turning into a guilty pleasure. Check out her advice from 1961. Husband passed away? Parents dead? Children never call? Quit sniveling into your linen napkin, woman, and get over it! The sooner you stop, the sooner we girls can get back to what's really important, like who's been invited to the Throckmorton-Smythes' dinner party at the club and comparing notes on what sororities our daughters are pledging (Ooohhh! Chi Omega legacy!).
Below, an old-fashioned lunatic--really crazy--is on trial in the killing of his ex-wife, who used to sleep with a knife under her pillow. He uses the "everything went black" defense ... The Police Board appoints a committee to study scam artists who specialize in the occult: "slate writers, trance mediums," etc. ... 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.
Pope Paul VI makes history with a 14-hour visit to the U.S. The Times devotes 11 pages to the pontiff, including a transcript of the pope's remarks at the U.N. (Pages 4 and 7), a page of photographs and sidebars on the reactions not only of the Roman Catholic faithful but of New Yorkers at large. In addition to a plea for peace, the pope called for rejection of "artificial birth control" and support for universal membership in the U.N., The Times said.
Quotes of the Day:
"In the ecumenical spirit of the times, the first appearance of a pope in the New World struck deeply into the wellsprings of goodwill among men of many faiths. And from his fervent appeal in the resplendent General Assembly hall of the United Nations echoed forth a peculiarly eloquent cry for peace." --Robert J. Donovan, Times staff writer
"No more war, never again war," Pope Paul VI, address to the United Nations
Above, the Dodgers get a champagne welcome from Lawrence Welk at the Aragon Ballroom. Below, can it really be 50 years since Van Cliburn won the Tchaikovsky piano competition? And in case you're wondering: Liu Shi-kun and Lev Vlasenko tied for second place. Daniel Pollack of Los Angeles was awarded eighth place ... Mary Livingston is just fine, by the way....
Above, as the darkness of the Nazis spreads across Europe, Jews in Los Angeles prepare to celebrate Passover. Below, attorneys for the three defendants in the Harry Raymond bombing are reportedly at odds over Police Capt. Earle Kynette's ploy of changing his appearance ... And jury selection grinds forward ... President Roosevelt urges recovery and relief funding and will give a fireside chat this evening.
Quote of the Day: "It is too much to hope that Nazi Germany of today will collapse in the near future. It is silly to expect Nazi power will not expand its influence over a greater portion of Europe and possibly the world." --Paul C. Smith, general manager of the San Francisco Chronicle, describing his recent European tour with former President Hoover
Above, stock up at Jevne's. Below, Alexander Parquett, a plasterer from Maine, wasn't expected to live after he fractured his skull in a two-story fall at the Masonic Temple under construction at Figueroa and Pico. But he pulled through, at least for several days. After that, there is no further mention of him in The Times. A Jefferson Day celebration at Levy's isn't especially popular. Only 40 Democrats attend, and many politicians send their regrets, including Mayor Harper, The Times says.
KNOB-FM (103.1) went on the air in August 1957 as the world's first all-jazz station under the ownership of Sleepy Stein, The Times said. According to an Aug. 18, 1957, story by Don Page, the station had received permission to raise its power to 70,000 watts and would be moving 97.9-FM. However a 1958 story says the station wanted to raise its power to 7,000 watts.
By 1966, the station had moved to Anaheim and was sold to Jack and Jeannette Banoczi and by October of that year KNOB-FM had a pop music format. Several 1984 stories say the station was in Anaheim and had an easy listening format. Think MOR: Barry Manilow, Kenny Rogers and Olivia Newton-John. In 1986, the station went to "love rock" and in 1988, it became KSKQ-FM, all-Spanish contemporary.
Alex "Sleepy" Stein died July 27, 2000, at the age of 81. The Los Angeles Jazz Institute has a collection of his material.
The Professional Building gets an overhaul, mostly a facade and new elevators that don't require an operator. It was later torn down and was a parking lot for many years. I didn't know until now that this neighborhood was called Crown Hill.
Above, the Jewish community of Vienna struggles to survive under the Nazis. Below, the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette begins in the Harry Raymond bombing and Kynette arrives in court having transformed his appearance ... Former City Atty. Erwin P. Werner and his wife, Helen, are convicted of soliciting a $10,000 bribe ($142,995.37 USD 2007) to drop charges against promoter William McNeil ... Author and Assistant Atty. Gen. Thurmond Arnold says that every male writer needs four women but declines to speculate on how many men a woman writer would need ... The state grants temporary fare increases on streetcar lines because the companies are reporting increased expenses due to higher wages and Social Security taxes and a loss in revenue from recent flooding and a decline in business ... And men working near the University of California's atom smasher become radioactive, according to a Caltech physicist who suggests that this might be unhealthy. UC researchers have prepared elaborate safety shields as a precaution, The Times says.
Above, wouldn't it be fun to know what exactly is in Dr. Hoffman's Nerve Syrup? Below, the sad tale of a woman believed to be Mrs. W.I. Roberts, who died after collapsing in line at the Pacific Electric Depot, 6th Street and Main. Unfortunately, I can't find any further stories on whether she was conclusively identified ... The Times reports the death of Lt. C.A.L. Totten, who upset his colleagues on the Yale faculty by issuing predictions of such events as the Russo-Japanese War, the San Francisco earthquake (he was apparently correct on those two) and the end of the world (we're still waiting on that one) ... And be sure to see Los Angeles Hay Storage, 1620 E. 7th, for the finest in equine comestibles.
Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.
Keith Thursby. Keith has been an editor at The Times in news, sports and design since 1986. The Rams moved to St. Louis on his first day as assistant sports editor of the paper's Orange County edition. He grew up in Norwalk and lives in Irvine.
One gang was called the Cogents. The other was called the Black Wongs.
At least that's what The Times said. We don't know much more than that
except someone died in a fight outside the Kow Kong Benevolent Assn.,
510 N. Bernard St. 
Larry Harnisch. The leading Black Dahlia expert and a collaborator in the 1947project, Harnisch has been a copy editor at The Times since 1988. He has appeared on many TV shows discussing the Dahlia case, notably "James Ellroy's Feast of Death."
Join him for a spin through old Los Angeles in the Mirror's radio car. Keep your eyes open for Mickey Cohen and Tempest Storm. It's quite a ride.
The reporter's badge belonged to Sid Hughes (1908-1958), legendary reporter who worked at nearly every newspaper in Los Angeles.
Keith Thursby. Keith has been an editor at The Times in news, sports and design since 1986. The Rams moved to St. Louis on his first day as assistant sports editor of the paper's Orange County edition. He grew up in Norwalk and lives in Irvine.