Black Dahlia, Red Rose: The Crime, Corruption, and Cover-Up of America's Greatest Unsolved Murder

by Piu Eatwell

  58 out of his automobile: DA statement of Ann Toth dated December 13, 1949.

  58 back into his home: DA statement of Mark Hansen dated December 16, 1949.

  59 “from the time she came there”: DA statement of Ann Toth, dated February 28, 1950.

  59 telephone bill: DA statement of Ann Toth dated December 13, 1949.

  59 at least a month: DA, statement of Ann Toth dated December 13, 1949.

  59 “Mark stepped in between them”: DA statement of Ann Toth dated December 13, 1949.

  59 the fee was $1 each a night: Herald-Express, January 22, 1947.

  60 “More the sophisticated type”: See Los Angeles Examiner, January 18, 1947.

  60 mail . . . “copacetic”: DA statement of Ann Toth dated December 13, 1949.

  60 crying: DA statement of Mark Hansen dated December 16, 1949.

  60 “with her sister in Berkeley”: Quoted in Los Angeles Examiner, January 18, 1947.

  61 disliked her intensely: Herald-Express, January 17, 1947.

  61 must have stolen it: DA closure report dated February 20, 1951, entry relating to Mark Hansen.

  Chapter 7: The Big Sleep

  62 purse and a single shoe: See Los Angeles Times, January 25 and 26, 1947; Herald-Express, January 24, 1947—the day the shoe and bag were found.

  62 identify the shoe and purse: Herald-Express, January 25, 1947. Manley’s identification of the shoe and purse as those of Elizabeth Short was subsequently, apparently, questioned by Elvera and Dorothy French. (See Los Angeles Examiner, January 27, 1947; Herald-Express, January 27, 1947; Papers of James Richardson, UCLA special collections, Box 3, Folder 1, “Dahlia data.”) However, Robert Manley and not the Frenches was the person known to have last seen the Dahlia, and the fact that he actually took the shoes in his possession to have the taps repaired, and picked out the purse partly for Elizabeth’s distinctive perfume, makes his identification certainly correct.

  63 “bitter dislike”: Herald-Express, January 21, 1947.

  63 “Lynn Martin”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 29, 1947. Lynn was born in Chicago on January 25, 1931, but “always posed as 22 or over in Hollywood.” Adopted at age nine by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Meyer of Long Beach, she ran away from home three times, she told Deputy District Attorney Herbert Grossman. At thirteen she had married a soldier from Texas but believed that he had since obtained a divorce. She was picked up as a delinquent by Long Beach authorities and confined to the El Retiro School for Girls for thirteen months and released in June 1945. Two weeks later, she again ran away from the Meyer home and back to Hollywood. She lived with Elizabeth for short periods in 1946.

  63 “salesman” with a rap sheet: See DA statement of John F. Egger, February 7, 1950. “Wellington” was subsequently cleared of involvement in the murder, although he wrote a long and indignant letter that was published in the Herald-Express, complaining of his treatment at the hands of police and the press (Herald-Express, January 23, 1947; January 27, 1947).

  63 nude photographs of her: Los Angeles Times, January 29, 1947.

  64 Arthur was arrested in Tucson, Arizona: The late author and journalist John Gilmore has set forth an elaborate, unsubstantiated story that Beth was the “other” girl with Arthur James in Arizona, who managed to escape. See Gilmore papers Box 17, letter dated August 11, 1992, to Asa Bushnell; also documents relating to conviction of Arthur James, ibid. While the DA’s summary of Elizabeth’s movements has her in Medford and Miami in 1944, Gordon Fickling stated that he met her in Southern California in that year, before he went overseas. (See Los Angeles Examiner, January 18, 1947.)

  64 Joseph Dumais: See Los Angeles Times, February 6 and 7, 1947; Los Angeles Examiner, February 7 and 12, 1947; The Berkshire Evening Eagle, February 10, 1947.

  65 Edward Augele: Long Beach Independent, April 25, 1957.

  65 Melvin Robert Bailey: The Bradford Era, March 19, 1947; Los Angeles Examiner, March 19, 1947.

  65 Daniel Voorhees: Washington Times Herald, January 29, 1947; FBI memoranda and newspaper clippings dated January 29, 1947.

  66 Bill Payette to complain: Letter from Daily News journalist Chuck Chappell to Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith dated January 23, 1975, Huntington Library, Jack Smith papers, folder “Black Dahlia,” box S3.

  66 “I knew her as Libby”: Details of Christine Reynolds’s confession and citations are taken from: the Mirror, November 25, 1950; Herald-Express, November 25, 1950; LAPD officer’s memorandum dated November 24, 1950, Black Dahlia case; clippings in FBI and LAPD papers.

  67 woman of “Amazonian proportions”: Los Angeles Times, February 8, 1947.

  67 “bossy blonde”: Various supposed “sightings” of Short with a woman or women during the “missing week” included: at the Dugout Café on South Main Street on January 11; and at the Four-Star Grill, Hollywood Boulevard, on January 12 (Herald-Express, January 21, 1947).

  67 gay women staying at the Chancellor Apartments: DA statement of Mark Hansen dated December 16, 1949. On the other hand, Ann Toth in her interview with the DA stated that she went up to Beth’s room at the Chancellor a couple of times and the girls did not look queer to her (DA statement of Ann Toth dated February 28, 1950).

  67 “shoved it up her fucking pussy”: LAPD officer’s memorandum dated November 24 1950, Black Dahlia case.

  68 to “confess” to the murder: For example, Minnie Sepulveda; Mrs. Emily E. Williams of Tampa, Florida, who surrendered to the San Diego police with the confession that “Elizabeth Short stole my man, so I killed her and cut her up” (Los Angeles Examiner, January 29, 1947). A Mrs. Marie Grieme of Chicago claimed that an acquaintance, Mildred Kolian, who “looked like a man” and was known as “Billie,” “told me she had killed Beth Short in a jealous rage over Beth’s association with other people” (Los Angeles Examiner, March 5, 1947).

  68 Gerry Ramlow: Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 92.

  69 female homosexuality: For an in-depth portrayal and analysis of Hollywood’s “sewing circle” of lesbians and attitudes toward them in the golden age of American cinema, see Madsen, Axel, The Sewing Circle: Hollywood’s Greatest Secret—Female Stars Who Loved Other Women, Kindle edition, Open Road Distribution, 2015.

  70 Alice La Vere: Herald-Express, January 22, 1947.

  71 Ben Hecht also wrote an article: Herald-Express, February 1, 1947.

  71 Sergeant Peter Vetcher: See letter from FBI field office in Pittsburgh to Los Angeles field office dated March 27, 1947, revealed for the first time to the author in unredacted form.

  72 “queer woman surgeon in the Valley”: DA closure report of Frank B. Jemison dated February 20, 1951. Curiously, the report refers to Elizabeth as having been engaged to a flier named “Quin” as opposed to the correct name, Matt Gordon.

  72 Woody Guthrie: See Cray, Ed, Ramblin’ Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie, W. W. Norton, Kindle edition, 2012.

  73 “Princess Whitewing”: Los Angeles Times, January 29, 1947. The existence of Princess Whitewing was confirmed by an article in the Pittburgh Press, January 14, 1936, “ ‘To loaf like Real Indian’: Cherokee Princess’ Dream.”

  73 Mr. and Mrs. Johnson: Los Angeles Examiner, January 21, 1947.

  74 mistaken identity: Herald-Express, January 22, 1947.

  74 Buddy LaGore: Herald-Express, January 23, 1947.

  74 Myrl McBride: Los Angeles Times, January 17, 1947; Los Angeles Herald-Express, January 17, 1947.

  75 “a very meticulous person”: DA interview with Ann Toth dated December 13, 1949.

  75 “a make-up kit”: Herald-Express, January 20, 1947.

  76 the entire 123-pound corpse: Herald-Express, January 21, 1947.

  76 clean up the mess: See FBI office memorandum dated February 20, 1947 from SAC (special agent in charge) Los Angeles to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, revealed to the author for the first time in unredacted form. Richardson referred to “rumblings of incompetency in the police department.”

  76 moniker Harry “the Hat”: See intervie
w with Chuck Cheatham, crime reporter on the Long Beach Independent, in Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 73.

  76 joined the LAPD in 1926: See Henderson, Bruce, and Sam Summerlin, The Supersleuths, Macmillan, 1976, pp. 75–81; “Farewell, My Black Dahlia” in Los Angeles Times West magazine, March 28, 1971.

  77 Harry Watson: From an interview with Watson recounted in Wagner, Rob Leicester, Red Ink, White Lies, Dragonflyer Press, 2000, p. 237. Hansen’s name is spelled “Hanson’”in Wagner, but this was a common mistake, as manifested in a certificate awarded to Hansen himself by the L.A. Coroner’s Office.

  77 “real strange . . . couldn’t believe a word he said”: Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 104.

  77 Finis . . . the “bagman”: Author interview with Tony Valdez of Fox television. See also Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, interview with Chuck Cheatham, former reporter on the Long Beach Independent, p. 72; Nielson Himmel, reporter on Los Angeles Times, p. 102.

  78 Ernest Jerome Hopkins had noted that the LAPD: Hopkins, Ernest Jerome, Our Lawless Police: A Study of the Unlawful Enforcement of the Law, 1931, reprint, Da Capo Press, New York, 1972; Starr, Kevin, Embattled Dreams: California in War and Peace, 1940–1950, Oxford University Press, 2003.

  78 “police were the gangsters”: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad: Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles, Kindle edition, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2012.

  78 commander of the LAPD Patrol Bureau: See memorandum dated November 17, 1949, to Arthur L. Veitch, “In re Mark Hansen—Lola Titus incident,” DA grand jury documents.

  79 network of paid informants: Domanick, Joe, To Protect and to Serve: The LAPD’s Century of War in the City of Dreams, Pocket Books, 1995, p. 101.

  PART 2: DARK PASSAGE

  Chapter 8: The Letter

  83 “some day have to boast about it”: De River quoted in Life magazine, “I Killed Her,” March 24, 1947, p. 24.

  83 According to the doctor: Los Angeles Herald-Express, June 17, 1947.

  84 born on the Mississippi River: Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, Digital Data Werks, 2004, p. 273.

  84 degree from Tulane University: A detailed account of Dr. De River’s training and employment history is given in King, Brian, introduction to The Sexual Criminal: A Psychoanalytical Study, Bloat Books, 284.

  84 celebrity Hollywood physician: Life magazine, “I Killed Her,” March 24, 1947, p. 24.

  85 the doctor described the type: Ramsland, Katherine, The Mind of a Murderer: Privileged Access to the Demons That Drive Extreme Violence, Praeger, 2011, p. 52.

  85 clippings relating to the case: See Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, pp. 9–11; also Ramsland, Katherine, The Mind of a Murderer, pp. 51–2.

  86 sexual offender register: California (1947) was followed by Arizona (1951), Nevada (1961), Ohio (1963), and Alabama (1967). By 1989, twelve U.S. states had sexual offenders registers in place. See Thomas, Terry, The Registration and Monitoring of Sex Offenders: A Comparative Study, Routledge, 2011, p. 38.

  86 Chloe Davis: For a detailed discussion of the background and circumstances of the case, see Ramsland, Katherine, The Mind of a Murderer, Chapter 6.

  87 rival psychiatrist: Samuel M. Marcus, cited in King, Brian, The Sexual Criminal, p. xxxvi.

  87 “best qualified sex psychiatrist in the country”: King, Brian, The Sexual Criminal, p. li.

  88 in over twenty cases: The cases were listed by De River in proceedings before the City Council dated March 8, 1949. They included: Dyer; DeWitt Clinton Cook; Betty Hardaker; Arthur Eggers; Campbell McDonald; Spenalli; John Burton; Virginia McElhiney; Otto Steven Wilson; John Barto Case; John Honeycutt; Gieger; Peter Hernandez; Leslie Webster; Rudolph Rodriguez; Lee Burton; Raymond Latshaw; John Plannagon; Harold Hanson; and Robert Folks.

  88 children could identify them: Thomas, Terry, The Registration and Monitoring of Sex Offenders, p. 37.

  88 two decades away: See the discussion of the “age of conservatism” verses the “age of complacency” in Thomas, Terry, The Registration and Monitoring of Sex Offenders, pp. 37–38.

  88 receive the jury’s guilty verdict: Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, p. 15.

  88 lifelong friends after the case: Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, p. 14; King, Brian, The Sexual Criminal.

  89 secretly at her home: Interview with Aggie’s daughter-in-law Rilla, cited by Pacios, Mary, Childhood Shadows, p. 114. Dr. De River also told the writer Donald Freed that he met with Aggie Underwood to discuss the case in his meetings with Freed in the 1950s, discussed in detail in Chapter 21.

  89 “Jack Sand”: DA reports, “Correspondence between Dr J Paul de River and Leslie Dillon, alias Jack Sand.”

  90 lure the Dahlia killer: Information from author’s interview with Donald Freed in January 2016, referred to in detail in Chapter 21.

  90 doctor sent a response: Letter dated November 20, 1948, from J. Paul De River to Jack Sand, DA police reports.

  90 response from “Jack Sand”: Letter dated November 27, 1948, from Jack Sand to Dr. J Paul De River, DA police reports.

  90 “Jeff ’48”: The sketch was found among Dr. De River’s personal possessions and is reproduced in his daughter’s memoir (Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, p. 177). It is also referred to in the DA grand jury testimony of private investigator Fred Witman.

  91 crisscross lacerations: See the witness statement of Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings: “This kind of rushed drawing . . . criss-cross . . .”

  91 a very “loyal lad”: Letter dated December 11, 1948, from Jack Sand to Dr. J. Paul De River, DA police reports.

  91 “Especial delivar”: Testimony of Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  92 term of intimacy: Testimony of Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  Chapter 9: The Suspect

  93 Clemence B. Horrall: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad: Covert Cops, the Mob, and the Battle for Los Angeles, Kindle edition, St. Martin’s Griffin, 2012.

  93 forced to resign: Buntin, John, L.A. Noir: The Struggle for the Soul of America’s Most Seductive City, Kindle edition, Broadway Books, 2009.

  93 Harry Raymond got into his car: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad.

  94 “retired” to Mexico: Austin, John, Hollywood’s Greatest Mysteries, SPI Books, 1994, p. 78.

  95 Lieutenant William Burns: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad.

  95 late in December 1948: Date based on the testimonies of Willie Burns and Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA 1949 grand jury proceedings.

  95 as head of the Homicide detail a year back: See interview with retired LAPD Police Captain Ed Jokisch by Larry Harnisch in the Daily Mirror, Voices, August 7, 2011, Part 1. Captain Kearney was transferred from Narcotics to head the Homicide detail in September 1947, when Donahoe was taken off Homicide and transferred back to Robbery.

  95 to tail Jack: Private investigator Fred Witman, in September 1949, told Deputy DA Arthur Veitch and Chief H. L. Stanley of the DA’s Bureau of Investigation about the tailing of “Jack Sand” (later discovered to be Leslie Dillon). Officer “Jones” has never been identified, although an officer named “Jones” was listed in the DA documents as being involved in the case. Witman’s testimony to Veitch and Stanley effectively triggered the subsequent grand jury investigation of the handling of the Dahlia case. The undercover Miami operation was curiously left out of the testimony given by officers of both the Gangster Squad and Homicide detail before the grand jury and was not confirmed (or denied) by the DA investigators’ evaluations of Witman’s testimony.

  96 Leslie Duane Dillon: See entry for Leslie D. Dillon in U.S. Social Security Death Index, Number: 445-07-6209; Issue State: Oklahoma; Issue Date: Before 1951. Birth date is given as July 24, 1921; although in other documents date of birth is given as July 4, 1921. (See, for example, U.S. Social Security Claims and Applications Index under Leslie Duane Dillon.)

  96 father, Ray, was a metal worker: Interview in
the Los Angeles Examiner with Leslie Dillon’s mother, Mamie, January 11, 1949.

  96 cook in a local restaurant: See U.S. Federal Census entry under Leslie Dillon, Year: 1930; Census Place: Cushing, Payne, Oklahoma; Roll: 1925; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0007; Image: 104.0; FHL microfilm: 2341659.

  96 His aliases were many: “Jack Sand” is the alias used by Dillon in correspondence with Dr. De River, and Dillon himself normally went by the name of “Jack.” (See interview with Dillon’s daughter on page 233.) The alias of “Jack Diamond” is referred to by Fred Witman. The other aliases are referred to in the U.S. Social Security Claims and Application Index: “June 1937: Name listed as LESLIE DUANE DILLON; Apr 1953: Name listed as JACK DILLON MAXIM; 07 Feb 1989: Name listed as LESLIE D DILLON.” Dillon also went by the name of a friend, Woody.

  97 ballpoint pen: See DA testimony of Fred Witman: “I photographed an inside page [of the True Detective magazine article], incomplete but where it bore a ballpoint pencil mark after the legend, ‘Be there tomorrow afternoon late. Would like to see you. Red.’ ”

  97 “This is the man”: The source for the statement is Fred Witman’s testimony to Veitch and Stanley. As noted above, the Miami undercover operation was not referred to in the grand jury proceedings and not referenced by the DA investigators’ reports, either to confirm or deny it occurred.

  98 assigned to members of the Gangster Squad: See DA testimony of Officer Archie B. Case in 1949 grand jury proceedings.

  Chapter 10: Behind Locked Doors

  100 Sergeant John J. O’Mara: See Lieberman, Paul, The Gangster Squad.

  101 did not want to come to Los Angeles: Based on the testimony of private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  101 impossible to obtain suitable rooms: See testimony of private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  102 doctor conversed with Dillon: Details of the conversation between Dillon and O’Mara are taken from the testimony of John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings (undated). The Gangster Squad was issued with two 1940 unmarked Fords in which to perform their assignments.