Paul Coates, April 7, 1961

April 7, 1961: I came across a letter to the editor (on the jump) about Gov. Pat Brown’s grant of clemency for William Erwin “Machine Gun” Walker, which I overlooked (so many stories, only one Larry Harnisch). Walker was given the death sentence in the 1946 killing of California Highway Patrol Officer Loren Roosevelt. The incident was the basis for the film “He Walked by Night,” which was the genesis of “Dragnet.”  Paul Coates has an item about two local gangs named the Rebels, one in North Hollywood that causes trouble and another in East L.A. that takes part in sports and organizes community projects. And an Air National Guard F-100 shoots down a B-52 during practice maneuvers. "Something happened," an Air Force spokesman says.