Detective Lieutenant Ray Giese and Los Angeles County District Attorney Buron Fitts examine soiled clothing possibly owned by Thomas Edward Dugger. Dugger, known as "Ape Man", was convicted of eleven felonies related to the robbery, kidnapings, and assault of three women. Dugger was indicted on April 4, 1935 and sentenced to death by the Supreme Court on February 18, 1936.
Pete Schneider on trial for manslaughter on May 16, 1935. Schneider was accused of causing the death of G.A. Schnabel in a beer parlor fight on February 17, 1935. Peter Joseph Schneider, known as Pete Schneider (August 20, 1895 - June 1, 1957) was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Cincinnati Reds (1914-1918) and New York Yankees (1919). He was born in Los Angeles, California.
District attorney Buron Fitts and his sister Mrs. Berthal Gregory appear with their attorneys Joseph Scott and Jerry Giesler to contend the charges of perjury brought against them by the grand jury. From left to right, standing, Buron Fitts, Joseph Scott, Mrs. Berthal Gregory, and Jerry Giesler.
District Attorney Buron Fitts meets with his advisors over the charges of perjury brought against him by the grand jury. From left to right in the front sits Buron Fitts and attorney Joseph Scott, and in the back stand attorneys Jerry Giesler, Jack Gilchrist, and Harold Judson.
Jury foreman John P. Buckley at the Los Angeles County Grandy Jury trial where District Attorney Buron Fitts was indicted on charges of perjury and bribery.
Detectives Miles Ledbetter and Thad Brown question Edward E. Holmes over the unexpected murder of his wife Mrs. Celia L. Holmes. From left to right, Miles Ledbetter, Edward E. Holmes, and Thad Brown.
William F. Gettle, kidnapping victim, is reunited with his four children (twins Betty and Bobby, and sons Billy and Jimmy) upon his homecoming.Gettle, Beverly Hills millionaire and businessman, was kidnapped from the grounds of his Arcadia ranch home during a party on the eve of May 9th. The kidnapping attracted a great deal of attention in the community, with Mrs. Gettle even addressing the kidnappers through the pages of the Los Angeles Times. The kidnappers demanded a $60,000 ransom for the return of Gettle, which Mrs. Gettle agreed to pay. However, before the ransom was paid, two detectives of the LAPD, Chester Burris and H.P. Gearhardt, broke the case after installing a dictaphone in the home of a bank robbery suspect. Information from the dictaphone led them to a La Crescenta home where Gettle was held. He was returned, unharmed, to his family on the eve of May 14th.
A photograph of Sidney T. Graves as he awaited transfer from the Los Angeles County Jail to San Quentin Penitentiary. Graves was convicted of bribery a year before, after accepting a sum of $80,000 in connection with the high San Gabriel dam project. At that time, Graves had been a county Supervisor. He was sentenced to one to fourteen years imprisonment for his crime.The other men in the photo are unidentified. Graves is seated, right.
Frank E. Walker, father of murder victim Frances Walker, sits in a crowded room. The young woman to his left is probably Melba Walker, Frances's sister. Her murder was connected to an affair with former deputy Sheriff Archie Carter.
Louis Payne covers his face with his hands and his hankerchief at his inquest, with father Lucius F. Payne at his side.Louis Rude Payne, 21 years of age, used a camping axe to kill his mother, Carrie L. Payne, and 15-year-old brother Robert in their Westwood mansion home. Louis R. Payne turned himself in for the killings of his mother and brother four to five days after their deaths, at a Huntington Beach police station. When he turned himself in, detectives found on his person both a letter and a telegram addressed to his father Lucius Payne, a St. Louis businessman, confessing to the crime, apologizing for his actions, and explaning that he did not know what impulse it was that drove him to the murders.Payne was convicted of the two murders, but found to be insane at the time of the crimes. He was confined to psychiatric treatment at the Mendocino State Hospital at Talmadge, in Mendocino County, CA. His father stood by him throughout his trial and conviction.
The kidnappers of William F. Gettle plead guilty to his abduction. From left to right standing between their lawyers, they are Roy A. Williams, Larry Kerrigan (real name Loren W. Feltus) and James F. Kirk. Gettle, wealthy Beverly Hills businessman, was kidnapped from the grounds of his Arcadia ranch home during a housewarming party on the eve of May 9th. The kidnapping attracted a great deal of attention in the community, with Mrs. Gettle even addressing the kidnappers through the pages of the Los Angeles Times. The kidnappers demanded a $60,000 ransom for the return of Gettle, which Mrs. Gettle agreed to pay. However, before the ransom was paid, two detectives of the LAPD, Chester Burris and H.P. Gearhardt, broke the case after installing a dictaphone in the home of a bank robbery suspect. Information from the dictaphone led them to a La Crescenta home where Gettle was held. He was returned, unharmed, to his family on the eve of May 14th.
William F. Gettle's three kidnappers, Larry Kerrigan (center left, in dark hat), James F. Kirk (at Kerrigan's left) and Roy A. Williams (at Williams' left) leave the Los Angeles County court house. The trio had pled guilty to the kidnapping of William F. Gettle, wealthy Beverly Hills businessman, and received life sentences at San Quentin penitentiary. However, they were then charged with the crime of attempted extortion through the mails. If convicted of said crime, they would lose the possibility of parole. May 28, 1934.
Photographs of businessman and millionaire William F. Gettle, likely used in relation to his kidnapping case of May 9-14, 1934. Gettle was kidnapped from the grounds of his Arcadia ranch home during a party on the eve of May 9th. The kidnapping attracted a great deal of attention in the community, with Mrs. Gettle even addressing the kidnappers through the pages of the Los Angeles Times. The kidnappers demanded a $60,000 ransom for the return of Gettle, which Mrs. Gettle agreed to pay. However, before the ransom was paid, two detectives of the LAPD, Chester Burris and H.P. Gearhardt, broke the case after installing a dictaphone in the home of a bank robbery suspect. Information from the dictaphone led them to a La Crescenta home where Gettle was held. He was returned, unharmed, to his family on the eve of May 14th.
Herman E. Hubler and his wife Anna L. Hubler, who are accused of involvement in a theater bank night fraud scandal. The couple convinced numerous community theaters to use their 14-year-old daughter Blanche, known as Goldilocks, to pull the winning ticket in the bank night lottery. Goldilocks would palm a fake ticket and the winner would be one of the Hubler's accomplices, Alexander Szymanski or Roy Keown. The defendants admitted to winning thousands of dollars through the scandal.
Herman E. Hubler and his wife Anna L. Hubler, who are accused of involvement in a theater bank night fraud scandal. The couple convinced numerous community theaters to use their 14-year-old daughter Blanche, known as Goldilocks, to pull the winning ticket in the bank night lottery. Goldilocks would palm a fake ticket and the winner would be one of the Hubler's accomplices, Alexander Szymanski or Roy Keown. The defendants admitted to winning thousands of dollars through the scandal.