Bullet of Mystery – Part 1

Los Angeles history in the 1900s is an acquired taste. Most people limit themselves to  the Raymond Chandler era, the 1930s through the 1950s, as if Philip Marlowe moonlighted as a historian. Perhaps they find the city’s horse-and-buggy days too remote, but for me that era is like watching a modern metropolis slowly rise from the dust of a Wild West town. I revisited 1901 when I met with Caroline Comport on Tuesday to help research her grandfather for a master’s thesis on how personal history shapes a family’s self-image. Or, as Caroline puts it, “How does who we think we are impact who we become?” After spending years at microfilm machines and in various archives, I am always amazed at the relative ease of doing research these days. Our session was at Foxy’s in Glendale (free Wi-Fi!) and we delved into Los Angeles history while toasting English muffins. Truly the civilized way.   To summarize the story of Caroline’s grandfather, Lionel F. Comport was shot in the back July 10, 1901, while delivering milk from a horse-drawn wagon at 20th and Toberman streets in the University Park neighborhood. Police suggested various motives (Robbery? Dispute over a woman? A mad assassin?) but despite an intense investigation, officers never found the attacker. The bullet  penetrated Comport’s intestines and by all expectations of medical care in that era, he should have died. However, he was rushed to a hospital (as fast as a horse-drawn ambulance would go, anyway) and survived the operation. He died in 1959 at the age of 79. Here’s a brief case study in how we went about the research:

Jim Murray, April 18, 1961

April 18, 1961: Talk about versatility. Today, Jim Murray writes about riding to hounds: “Here in Southern California, the traditions are being carried on by the West Hills Hunt Club, a doughty band of cavaliers who persevere against great odds. For one thing, the West Coast fox is an inferior being, little bigger than a common rodent, who has the rotten sportsmanship to climb trees to get away. For another, the coyotes substituted for the fox are too damn smart.”

Paul Coates, March 27, 1961

March 27, 1961: Paul Coates has the story of two students who went on vacation to Mexico and came back with a 12-year-old orphan.    And Mirror reader Jerry Feldner sends a letter about the artistry of bullfighting.

Matt Weinstock, March 8, 1961

March 8, 1961: Matt Weinstock updates an item about a man at “McWestlake” Park who was seen putting a duck in a shopping bag and carrying it away. It turns out that the man has been nursing the injured duck and carries it in a shopping bag to fool his landlady. DEAR LOSING: You are losing more than sleep. you are losing your marbles. A man who would give up a wife and three beautiful children for a woman who would permit him to do it needs a keeper. Stick to your own fireside, Buddy. You don't know when you're well off.

Matt Weinstock, Feb. 23, 1961

Feb. 23, 1961: Mildred and Gordon Gordon celebrate the sale of their suspense novel "Operation Terror" with … ice cream bars. In their early days, they had to give up ice cream bars because they were too expensive and ever since the desserts were a sentimental symbol of success, Matt Weinstock says.   DEAR ABBY: I am a boy who is 14. I take piano lessons and want to be a fashion designer. To most boys I am an ideal sissy. On the bus going home from school they pester me and try to pick a fight. Abby, I don't want to fight, although I think I could knock their stupid blocks off. Don't tell me to ignore them. It won't to any good.

Back in the News: Fred Otash

Feb. 15, 1961: Remember Fred Otash’s alleged involvement in the doping of racehorses? The private detective (and former LAPD officer) got probation.  ALSO Fred Otash on the Daily Mirror

Boy, 15, Hangs Self; Pound Killed His Dog

Feb. 11, 1961: Of all the headlines I have seen while doing the Daily Mirror, this is one of the worst. What a sad story. Coates, Weinstock and Abby are on the jump…

Jimmie Fidler in Hollywood, Feb. 8, 1941

Feb. 8, 1941: Tom Treanor, who was killed covering World War II for The Times, tells the story of Harry the deck steward on the S.S. Exeter from Lisbon, Portugal, to New York – and of the 10-year-old stowaway who charmed nearly everyone. What furor when Linda Darnell's pet rabbit hopped off to glory the other day! After her first near-collapse Linda spent $100 long-distancing her mamma about funeral arrangements in Hollywood's swank pet cemetery, Jimmie Fidler says.

Paul Coates, Jan. 18, 1961

Jan. 18, 1961: Paul Coates has an update on the Cat Ladies of Glendale!  ALSO The Cat Ladies of Glendale on the Daily Mirror And here

Matt Weinstock, Jan. 17, 1961

Jan. 17, 1961: Matt Weinstock reports on the number of people bitten by animals in December: dogs (922); cats (153); monkeys (20); hamsters (18); rats (13); rabbits (11); squirrels (6); skunks (1); ocelot (1); opossum (1); chimpanzee (1); chinchilla (1). DEAR ABBY: You did a great disservice to the young wife of a mentally sick husband when you advised her to stick with him.

Movieland Mystery Photo [Updated]

Los Angeles Times file photo

[Update: STRAIGHT FROM THE GOVERNOR -- Making motion picture history, Governor James V. Allred of Texas started cameras turning on the first scene of Paramount's "The Texas Rangers" via long-distance telephone from the Texas Centennial headquarters, Dallas, Texas, to director King Vidor's location site 1,000 miles away on the plains of New Mexico, near Gallup. Here Vidor, seated, is receiving the opening-scene direction tips as members of the cast, left to right, Jack Oakie, Fred MacMurray and Lloyd Nolan, wait for the word "action." The opening marks the first time that a governor has participated in the actual filming of a motion picture scene. [Filming “The Texas Rangers” in New Mexico?] This photo is just a bit strange … See if you can figure out what’s going on. More details on the jump.

Matt Weinstock, Dec. 16, 1960

Dec. 16, 1960: Matt Weinstock has the story of a cat that was taken to West Hollywood because its Bunker Hill home was to be torn down, but made its way back because it was evidently homesick.  CONFIDENTIAL TO "SO IN LOVE": He may mean it when he says he loves you, but that doesn't mean he intends to leave his wife.