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Chavez Ravine funds go elsewhere
County money intended to build roads into Dodger Stadium will be diverted to other projects.
Wait a minute! IMDB says this is W.R. Burnett's "Asphalt Jungle" turned into a western. |
 By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer
The Board of Supervisors found more than a million reasons not to wait for the Chavez Ravine legal mess to be settled.
With plans for a new baseball stadium still delayed in the courts, the supervisors agreed to use $1,350,000 allocated to build roads leading into the ballpark elsewhere in the county.
Supervisor Frank G. Bonelli said his proposal "does not indicate lack of faith that the Dodgers will ultimately have a ballpark" but that "they may be in the courts for years and meanwhile we need the roads in other sections of the county."
The plan was to split the money equally in the five supervisors' districts. Bonelli asked the road department to provide a list of the most needed projects.
A short story in The Times noted that Supervisor John Anson Ford said his district didn't need any new roads. Bonelli and Supervisor Warren Dorn, The Times reported, both said they could make good use of Ford's share.
keith.thursby@latimes.com
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The hanging tree
Once described as the oldest rubber tree on the American continent, it was actually an Australian fig ... maybe. Either way, it's gone now. And the rustlers who were supposedly hanged here must have been awfully short because the branches are low. 
2015 Long Beach Ave. in 1938 and, below, via Google maps' street view.
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Bowron defeats Shaw
Superior Court judge, elected with 65% of the vote, will take office Sept. 26. He says: 'This election, in no sense, is a personal triumph. This is not my fight. I have merely been part of a movement -- a most significant movement for clean government.' |
Above, The Times' lead editorial laments the recall of Mayor Frank Shaw and emphasizes the inexperience of Fletcher Bowron, noting with alarm his support from subversives and radicals.
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Chamberlain bows to Hitler |
Another historic day: Bowron is elected, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain concedes to Adolf Hitler on Czechoslovakia and California executes Albert Dyer in the murders of the "Three Babes of Inglewood." Note that Dyer was hanged, the method of execution used in California before the gas chamber.
In sports, the Los Angeles Angels take the pennant in the Pacific Coast League, beating the Oakland Acorns at Wrigley Field.
Plans are underway for the 1938 World Series to begin Oct. 5. It will be the last series for Yankee Lou Gehrig, the "Iron Horse." |
 Albert Dyer is executed |
 1938 World Series planned |
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Grateful family erects frontyard shrine
The doctor said Generosa Bruno was dying and there was nothing to save her. 'You might pray,' he told her family. And they did.
739 Yale St. in 1938 and, below, Yale Street via Google maps' street view.
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City voters decide on removing Mayor Shaw
Judge Bowron predicts that he will win the election by 85,000 votes. In fact, he took an early lead and defeated Shaw by 100,000 votes, The Times says. |
Above, a political ad for Mayor Frank Shaw. I'll have to check his photo file to see if he shaved off his mustache, which gives him an unfortunate resemblance to someone else in the news in 1938. |
The Times makes yet another appeal to retain corrupt government and preserve the status quo. Judge Fletcher Bowron is enthusiastically supported by "Communists and radical labor agitators," the editorial says. |
Legionnaires convention begins |
Sept. 16, 1938, a historic day for Los Angeles and the world. The Harry Raymond bombing and the trial of Police Capt. Earle Kynette culminate in the successful recall of Mayor Frank Shaw and the reform administration of Fletcher Bowron.
In Europe, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain meets with German Fuehrer Adolf Hitler over the fate of Czechoslovakia. "The 'freezing' of the dramatic bargaining with war or peace in Europe at stake gave Europe a brief breathing spell and appeared to have put off for six days at least the catastrophe that millions fear," the AP story says. |
 Clerk denies election is fixed. |
 350 mph at Bonneville Salt Flats |
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City attorney sees long battle for Chavez Ravine
Dodgers owner Walter O'Malley expects legal challenges to be resolved quickly and predicts stadium construction will begin in February 1959.
By Keith Thursby
Times staff writer
Jeane Hoffman's interview with Los Angeles City Atty. Roger Arnebergh would leave most Dodger fans planning to return to the Coliseum for more than just 1959.
Just to review, the Dodgers signed a deal with the city to move to Los Angeles and get a stadium in Chavez Ravine. Voters in June, 1958 passed Prop. B, approving the stadium plan. But about a month later, a Superior Court judge, acting on a taxpayer's lawsuit, declared the contract invalid and placed the Chavez Ravine plans in limbo.
Arnebergh said the city had filed a petition with the state Supreme Court to reverse the Superior Court decision. Unless the writ of prohibition was granted, "I don't think there's a chance we can get this thing cleared through the courts until 1960 and even with that break, I estimate it will take another year and a half to grade and build the location," Arnebergh said.
So Dodger fans should be pessimistic, right? Not so, according to Walter O'Malley.
"I have been told that in six months the legal issue will be resolved and I am an optimist enough to believe that it will be decided in our favor," O'Malley said in an Aug. 16 story on his appearance at a Rotary Club luncheon. According to the story, O'Malley selected February 1959 as starting date for construction of the new stadium.
The Times' Hoffman also interviewed O'Malley for a story that ran Sept. 2. The topic was attendance, as in could the Dodgers someday attract up to 3 million fans a year?
"I'm delighted that we've done this well," O'Malley said. "I think we'll beat our all-time Ebbets Field record of 1,800,000 in a season in which we had to operate under difficulties to say the least--going without such traditional baseball features as beer, hot dogs in the stands, a roof on the park, etc."
As for the 1959 season, O'Malley planned to bring in the right-field fence and schedule more night games at the Coliseum. "Unlike Chicago, this is just not an afternoon town," he said. "And when we eventually get our own park, the next item will be to put more attention on auto parking, probably introducing valet parking for box seat holders."
keith.thursby@latimes.com
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Art 'Golden Boy' Aragon on the ropes
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Woman vanishes with family 'fortune'
We don't know when Stella Collins started lying. Maybe it was in 1940,
when she married Stanley. Or maybe it was later. We don't know why she
started lying and we certainly don't know how she continued the act all
those years. We don't even know how she got to Los Angeles. The only
thing we know is that when Stanley finally learned the truth, the meek
little man erupted in rage.
Stanley, 42, Stella , 41, and their two daughters lived with her
parents in Philadelphia. For the last 18 years, they had lived on what
she made as a waitress while banking everything Stanley earned as a
welder. Whenever life was difficult, perhaps they took consolation in
the knowledge that someday there would be enough money to buy a house
of their own.
As far as Stanley knew, their nest egg was growing nicely in two
Philadelphia banks until it reached $18,000 ($127,729.92 USD 2008).
Then one day in the summer of 1958, it came time to buy their dream
house. Stella went to get draw out their money--and vanished.
Police officers found her at 5th and Hill with no idea how she got to Los Angeles.
The Times' Jerry Hulse wrote:
She stared blankly through horn-rim glasses, words trembling on her thin, pale lips.
"I don't know," she answered softly. "I don't know."
She touched her straight, dark blond hair. "I've been trying to figure it out. I don't know how I got to Los Angeles."
"The only thing I remember is a man asking me, 'Are you sick?' I said I was. I was sick. This man called the police."
Could she remember her husband? Or her daughters?
"All I can remember is one daughter. That's all."
 Reporters met Stanley at the airport at 2 a.m. Did he need a ride to the city jail? The newsmen happily offered to take him.
During the drive, "he rested his stubbly chin in his hands and sighed in weary bewilderment," The Times said.
"I don't know what happened to the money," he said. "I'd been giving
her my paychecks since we were married. She told me we had $18,000 in
the bank, but she told my mother there was only $10,000.
"She must have been playing the ponies. I can't understand it. It hit
me right between the eyes when I found out the money was missing."
But when the mild little welder from Philadelphia saw his wife, he erupted.
"He flailed out with a suitcase and tried to hit a photographer between the eyes," The Times said.
"Hide! Hide!" he screamed to his wife as she stepped off the jail elevator.
Pulling his coat up over his face, he ran toward her but in his excitement, he went past her.
Stanley Collins of Philadelphia, still shielding himself with his coat,
grabbed Stella by the arm and dragged her outside to catch a taxi to
the airport as he punched and kicked at reporters.
After boarding the plane, "Stanley Collins, exhausted and discouraged, stared numbly out the window," The Times said.
All that was left of the mythical $18,000 was $2.67 ($18.95 USD 2007) that Stella had in her purse when she was picked up.
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Actress describes Communists
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Dodgers beat Cards, 2-1
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Capt. Eugene Plummer is featured in a story about Plummer Park in West
Hollywood. According to the caption, the revolver he's holding belonged to Joaquin Murietta.
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At left, Mayor Frank Shaw and actor Leo Carrillo help celebrate Los Angeles' 157th birthday. The activities include a 28-mile marathon around the perimeter of the original settlement as well as a national radio broadcast from the Avila Adobe.
Speaking of Frank Shaw, you would never know from The Times that he was facing a recall election. The only mention is on the editorial page: "The recall fight has to stoop to get under the subway."
Take a look at Joaquin Murietta's revolver. It appears to be a 12-shot.
In sports, Times columnist Bill Henry files a report from the 1938 Davis Cup in Philadelphia. Henry writes about the bad luck of Pomona's Joan Bigler, who injured her eye with a curling iron on the eve of her semifinal match with Helen Bernhard ... Ben Hogan and Vic Ghezzi take the Hershey tournament with Paul Runyan and Sam Snead finishing second. It's the first of Hogan's 64 career tournaments.
Aviator Douglas "Wrong Way" Corringan takes an at-bat from Charlie Root during a game between the Cubs and the Reds at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, hits a foul ball--and runs to third base.
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Above, as published in The Times, Sept. 2, 1938, and below, via Google maps' street view.
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Above, another editorial in The Times' well-worn tradition of asking: "What's all the fuss I hear about ... recalling the corrupt mayor ... a federal anti-lynching law ... opening up America to the refugees of Europe? We don't need to recall the corrupt mayor ... we don't need a federal anti-lynching law ... we don't need to take in European refugees (they would just go on welfare). Things are fine just the way they are."
The key point, which is buried in the editorial, is mayoral candidate Fletcher Bowron's promise not to use the LAPD as strikebreakers.
At left, business as usual with the LAPD of the 1930s. And yes, they got off.
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At left, Mary Astor is thrown from a horse en route to filming scenes for an MGM movie at the Uplifters' Ranch. According to The Times, the horse was spooked by a passing car. Astor was taken to Santa Monica Hospital to be treated for back injuries.
Max Reinhardt stages a production of "Faust" starring Conrad Nagel at the outdoor Pilgrimage Theater in the Hollywood Hills. The Pilgrimage Theater was renamed the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre in 1976 as a tribute to the longtime county supervisor.
In sports, the Hollywood Stars beat the Los Angeles Angels 10-1 in the Civil War series ... The Giants beat the Cubs 6-2 ... The Pirates and the Boston Bees split a double-header. Boston takes the first game, 6-0, and Pittsburgh takes the second game, 4-3, after 14 innings.
"Pin smashing" is becoming increasingly popular in Los Angeles, says The Times, noting that "bowling is mighty easy on the eyes when Bette Morris goes into action..." Oh, you sports guys.
And Bob Ray, who has been covering the Pacific Coast League for The Times since 1924, is saluted with "Bob Ray Day" at Wrigley Field.
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Above, more proof, as if any were needed, that bad traffic is nothing new in Los Angeles. Note the traffic island in the center of the drawing, which is where people waited to board a streetcar.
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Voila! A 70-year-old attempt to deal with Los Angeles' traffic.
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Former Mayor John C. Porter adds an interesting wrinkle to the recall election by being coy as to whether he plans to run against Mayor Frank Shaw. The leading challenger, Judge Fletcher Bowron, is unimpressed. "I'm going to be elected regardless of how many run," he says.
Mayor Shaw, meanwhile, is praised for getting federal slum clearance money, and his wife is recovering from an appendix operation.
E.V. Durling asks: "Why do alleged experts in this country keep saying television as a general form of entertainment is not yet practical?"
And the city engineer hopes to relieve traffic by building an underpass on Figueroa beneath Temple.
In sports, the Angels and the Padres take turns "Snow White-ing" each other in a double header, 4-0 Angels and 5-0 Padres ... Light Horse Harry Cooper and Slammin' Sam Snead will meet for the Canadian Open championship. Catherine Malcolm wins the women's singles title in the National Public Courts Tennis Tournament in Griffith Park.
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August 17, 1958
Joan Marie Wrosch, a 17-year-old from Milwaukee with "eyes like a tiger," wired home for money. That's how they found her.
Milwaukee police had issued a fugitive warrant for her and her
boyfriend: Joan was a runaway and Elmo Monroe Schilling, 24, had
violated his parole for a burglary conviction. They had a room on the
fifth floor of the Alexandria Hotel, 5th and Spring, and until two days
ago were selling magazine subscriptions door to door. Their boss, Jim
Auteri, who also lived at the Alexandria, said he fired them because
Elmo kept flirting with the other women selling subscriptions.
Detective John R. "Jack" Lynn of the LAPD's bunco-fugitive detail, with
15 years on the force, was sent to the Alexandria to get Joan.
apparently believing she was alone. But when he got to the room, Elmo
was there and attacked him.
Elga Payne, a hotel janitor, said: "The cop was trying to get at his
gun but the other guy was beating him with his fists. Then the girl
came out of the room with a long pocketknife and began stabbing at the
cop."
Elmo yelled: "Hurry up and cut the ------ so I can get his gun!," Payne said.
Lynn cried out for Payne to help him, so Payne ran down to the lobby
and called for help. By the time help arrived, the couple had fled and
Lynn had staggered down to the lobby. He had superficial knife wounds,
a broken jaw and lost three teeth, The Times said.
Joan and Elmo got past the 50 officers who canvassed skid row and made
it to San Francisco before they were arrested Sept. 15, 1958, still
armed with Lynn's .38 revolver. After being charged with attempted
murder, Elmo was convicted in the beating and sentenced to one to 10
years in prison. His sentencing was delayed so that Milwaukee
authorities could decide whether to extradite him for trial on charges
of violating his parole.
The Times never followed up on the case, so we don't know what became
of Elmo or Joan. According to the Social Security Index, Elmo M.
Schilling died Feb. 3, 2004, in Wisconsin. A man named John R. Lynn,
born Aug. 26, 1914, died in Los Angeles on June 17, 1973, but it is
unclear if this is the former detective.
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I was going through The Times' photos of Spring Street and became rather irked that someone labeled this image in grease pencil. This is the intersection of Main, Temple and Spring before Spring was realigned.
Then I noticed this inscription on the back. Most of it was illegible, but I could make out "demolished by runaway team." A mystery!
Voila! The Newmark Fountain!
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In 1892, the fountain was destroyed in a
spectacular accident in which a runaway team of four horses belonging to D.F. Donegan raced down
Temple Street. One horse was killed instantly and another had to be shot,
The Times said. D.F. Donegan was a major city contractor who owned a
large stable that was often cited for poor conditions. The city tried
to collect damages for the fountain and Donegan filed a counterclaim
for the cost of the dead horses, saying that the fountain was an
obstacle in the street.
In November 1893, Donegan finally
agreed to replace the fountain. "It is a handsome piece of work and an
ornament to the section of the city in which it is erected," The Times
said.
Did the person who made the notation on the back of the photo actually witness the accident? We can only wonder.
Bonus fact: As far as I can determine, Sand Street vanished long ago, but intersected with Broadway north of Temple at the southern entrance of the Broadway tunnel, which has also disappeared.
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Some things apparently do not change. Today, people steal copper wiring and manhole covers and sell them for scrap metal. In the 1930s, bronze plaques were apparently at risk.
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The Fremont Gate to Elysian Park, 1549 N. Broadway, via Google Maps' street view.
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A nice little feature by Tim Turner, Times columnist and author, March 3, 1937. Turner wrote "Bullets, Bottles and Gardenias" and "Turn Off the Sunshine" about Los Angeles.
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Read on »
Photograph by the Los Angeles Times
This picture shows the later stages in the realignment of Spring Street. Demolition workers have sheared off the fronts of several buildings.
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One of the most recognizable downtown landmarks--the Hall of Records (1908-1973).
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Barely visible behind the Hall of Records is the courthouse, demolished after the Long Beach earthquake, and the Hall of Justice at Temple and Broadway, which has survived. Today, of course, Spring goes just east of the Hall of Justice.
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Photograph by the Los Angeles Times
Here's another view of Spring, published May 19. 1929. Notice that we now have the newer style streetlights--and that one of the buildings has disappeared.
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Here's a better view of the Hall of Records.
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What else do we find in 1929? Aha! At left, traffic semaphore (and you thought they only existed in cartoons). And above, a crosswalk. I do not recall seeing a crosswalk in any earlier pictures I have examined of Spring, Broadway or Main. I'll have to do a little more digging.
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For a moment, I was thrilled because I thought these posters were advertising Erich von Stroheim's "Greed" (wouldn't that be cool?). Unfortunately, no. These posters are advertising auto dealer Perry H. Greer, who was running for mayor in 1929. Note the posters for the other candidates: Porter and Quinn.
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Moss Photographer, 315 W. Pico St. WE stmore 2301, Los Angeles, Cal.
Unfortunately, The Times' Spring Street photo file has nothing that shows the transition at 1st Street in the critical period of the 1900s to the 1920s. Suddenly, we go from horses and buggies to what we recognize as a modern streetscape with vestiges of the past.
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And for comparison, here's Spring Street today via Google maps' street view.
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The most prominent feature in our photo is City Hall, which opened in 1927. The city government formally transferred operations to City Hall on April 16, 1928. (A note on the back dates the photo to 1928).
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Whatever the date, we find stacks of lumber in the street that could be for scaffolding or a reviewing stand.
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Notice that Spring Street still has a kink in it. The Bank of Italy, 225 N. Spring, just past of City Hall, skews off at an angle. (Bonus fact: The institution merged with the Bank of America of California in 1930).
According to The Times, demolition of the buildings between Temple and Sunset Boulevard to allow realignment of Spring Street got underway in late 1930. The buildings to be torn down included the old Hall of Justice and an old County Jail being used as a storehouse. The Times predicted that realignment of Spring would improve the flow of traffic.
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