May 7, 1938

Above, theater manager Boris Posner is accused of "misconduct" while measuring young women for a beauty contest. Charges were eventually dismissed and he vanished from the pages of The Times ... In Cleveland, welfare recipients overwhelm relief stations, chanting "We want food."  Up to a third of the county's residents are on some form of public aid, The Times says ... Defense attorneys in the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette and two police officers imply that evidence was planted at the scene of the Harry Raymond bombing ... Parents of Helaine Judith Colan, who was born with a tumor on one of her eyes, refuse surgery that would leave her blind but might spare her life ... Note the article on William G. Bonelli and the state Board of Equalization. You may recall that Bonelli is the author of the 1954 self-published book "Billion Dollar Blackjack," about The Times. And don't believe the stories about The Times buying up every copy--that's just hype from bookdealers charging a fortune for the book. I picked up a first edition (with dust jacket in Brodart) for $4.95 a few years ago. 

 

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Jack Parsons, RIP

May 7, 1938

 

Above, John W. "Jack" Parsons poses with his replica of the pipe bomb used in an attempt to kill Harry Raymond. Parsons, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is an enigmatic figure who became the subject of much speculation surrounding a "mystery cult" after he died in a 1952 explosion. The blast destroyed his home laboratory on the former Busch estate in Pasadena and his grief-stricken mother committed suicide when she learned he had died.

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May 7, 1908

Above, an influential article by Harris Dickson appears in the Saturday Evening Post ... Below, the term "soul kiss" is 100 years old? Imagine that. What's this? The term "soul kiss" is attributed to Mary Pepper, a medium who is the pastor of the First Spiritual Church of Brooklyn, N.Y. Who knew? ... The Wright brothers fly 1,000 feet in their new aeroplane ... Sixteen bodies are found in Laporte, Ind. ... Click here for the Associated Press' update on the Gunness "death farm."

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May 6, 1938

Above, former President Hoover speaks to people at Union Station in Kansas City (yes, the headline says "Oklahomans") ... Italian troops and police quiet an angry crowd in Naples that had been waiting six hours to see Hitler and Mussolini. The crowd cheers when Hitler appears on the balcony of royal palace with King Victor Emmanuel and Crown Prince Humberto ... More arrests are expected in the Harry Raymond bombing ... On the jump, treasure hunter John Craig plans a dive in hopes of retrieving the crown jewels of the Empress Carlotta that were lost when a ship carrying refugees of the Mexican revolution sank 55 miles off Virginia.

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May 6, 1958

Above, Walter Alson has faith in Don Drysdale ... Below, Vice President Nixon says it's too early to declare whether he will run for president in 1960 ... Southern California prepares for a simulated atomic blast ... And Dennis Crosby is astonished to discover that his Las Vegas wedding to Pat Sheehan was performed by a Protestant minister and not a justice of the peace. Pat Crosby was granted a divorce in 1964 after testifying that Dennis drank heavily and disappeared for long periods of time ...  Dennis committed suicide in 1991 at the age of 56.

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Kathy Fiscus update

My post correcting the recent obituary on a former Pasadena firefighter who falsely claimed that he rescued Kathy Fiscus brought this response from Clyde Harp, one of the five men who helped dig her out in 1949:

Thank for clearing up the record.

I was there as one of the rescuers digging through dirt, quicksand, and water 94' down the rescue shaft and took turns with Bill Yancey, "Whitey" Blickensderfer, A. O. Kelly, and Herb Herpel and a few others. I was the youngest at age 25.

On my third trip down I crawled through the small, short tunnel we'd dug over to the well, I made the first cut into the well and found Kathy Fiscus' body. Water gushed out so I had to be hauled up quick. The doctor went down after the water was pumped out and then Bill Yancey retrieved her. That memory is as fresh 59 years later as it was those nearly 3 days and nights.

Thanks - Clyde Harp

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May 6, 1938

Germany plans to move thousands of Austrian Jews, and The Times buries the story with a one-column hed on Page 8. Below, how does Margaret Bourke-White get those terrific pictures? Why she smokes Camels! 

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May 6, 1908

Above, an update in the divorce case of Henry Lord ... The judge doesn't even bother to hear all the testimony before dissolving the marriage. What became of Augustine Emanuel Lord and coachman Harry Cameron? Alas, The Times is no help. It would be interesting to know the rest of the story. Below, nothing quite says "read me" like the headline "Gruesome Mystery" ... Unexplained disappearances, lots of bodies buried in the backyard and other strange events make for an early 20th century "death farm" in Laporte, Ind. In a few days, special excursion trains brought more than 15,000 curiosity seekers to the Gunness place.

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Mystery photo

OK, who are they?

• Max Baer (right)? Sorry, no.

• Carmen Basilio (right)? Sorry, no.

• Robert Ryan? Alas, no.

• Montgomery Clift? I'm afraid not.

• Fernando Lamas? Sorry, no.

• Ricardo Montalban and Johnny Indrisano? (Alexa Foreman) Absolutely right! The photo, dated Feb. 13, 1950, shows Montalban working with Indrisano for the film "Right Cross." Indrisano, a veteran prizefighter, died in 1968 at the age of 62.

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Cinco de Mayo

May 7, 1895

Above, the earliest reference I can find to Cinco de Mayo in The Times: A celebration in Tucson featuring the Philharmonic Band, otherwise known as the Club Filarmonico Tucsonense, led by Federico "Fred" Ronstadt. And, yes, that's the same family as Linda Ronstadt.

Below, the earliest reference I can find to a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Los Angeles.

May 6, 1896

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May 5, 1958

Above, migration of Los Angeles Jews to the Westside and the San Fernando Valley is reflected in the sale of the Eastside Jewish Community Center, 2317 Michigan. Below, Los Angeles begins Cinco de Mayo celebrations with a Sunday picnic, with more events to follow ... Valley clubwomen are being asked to return stolen cages of parakeets that were lent as table decorations for a charity ball ... The Times runs a historic picture of Mission La Purisima from 1885 by Adam Clark Vroman and a 1958 photo showing the mission's restoration ... Edward Teller and Clark Kerr are among the dignitaries addressing UC alumni at the Disneyland Hotel. Teller says that by 1973, it will be possible for one nation to control the world's weather.
 

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May 5, 1938

Above, Thelma Todd's famous (or notorious) Inn ... Below, George Sakalis says he was offered $3,000 to keep his mouth shut in the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette in the Harry Raymond bombing ... Jackie Coogan says he brought a lawsuit against his mother and stepfather over his earnings as a childhood actor because his stepfather was going to cash a $100,000 life insurance policy for $7,500 ... Mussolini reportedly tells Hitler, during the Fuehrer's visit to Rome, that he has nothing to gain from a military pact with Germany. On the jump, George Farley goes on trial on charges of killing Deputy City Marshals Leon W. Romer and T. Dwight Crittenden when they tried to serve an eviction notice. Farly, 54, an African American, has entered dual pleas of not guilty and not guilty by reason of insanity.

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