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

by Piu Eatwell

  102 Hahn’s Funeral Home: Testimony of John J. O’Mara, DA grand jury proceedings; DA report on Leslie Dillon by Frank Jemison (undated). Jemison’s report continues that William Cowger of Hahn’s Funeral Home, Oklahoma City, stated in a letter that he was unable to find payroll records for a “John Dillon,” which was the name Leslie Dillon told the police department he used while working there, nor any records for a Leslie Dillon.

  102 “women, women, women”: Testimony of private investigator Fred Witman at the DA grand jury proceedings.

  102 “soft, well-modulated voice”: Testimony of Officer Burns at the DA grand jury proceedings.

  102 Briargate Lodge was a long: Based on the testimony of John J. O’Mara and private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings (undated).

  102 prowling around: See testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara and private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  103 proffered an explanation: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  103 “would cut it low”: Testimony of the private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings. The account of the events in Banning given here is taken from the sworn evidence of Fred Witman, since Witman—as described later—was acting on Dr. De River’s instructions, and the doctor’s own testimony before the grand jury in 1949 was never transcribed.

  103 “motels, something like that”: Testimony of the private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  104 “juvenile penis” . . . “frustrated fellow”: See testimony of private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  104 “Shoots Out Girl’s Tooth”: The article (undated) was included in documents released to the author by the DA.

  105 two key facts: See undated report by Frank Jemison, DA investigator, in DA grand jury files: “A piece of flesh approximately one pound in weight was cut from the front of the left thigh, and there were various other small lacerations and cuts, two secrets that have been closely guarded by a few officers in connection with this investigation including the undersigned. They could only be answered by the person who committed this murder. The question is, what did this suspect do about the pubic hairs and what did he do with the piece of flesh cut from the front of the left thigh?” [author’s emphasis]. It is clear, therefore, that these were the two “secret facts” withheld for police questioning of suspects.

  105 rectum . . . vagina: A memorandum from Frank Jemison to H. L. Stanley of the DA’s office dated October 28, 1949, states: “The flesh cut from her left thigh weighing approximately one pound was found in her vagina and the pubic hair was found in the rectum.” The private investigator Fred Witman, in his testimony to the DA’s Officers Veitch and Stanley, alluded to the pubic hair being inserted into the “fundament.” He also stated that Dillon knew this. Curiously, Frank Jemison’s memorandum states: “There were no cigarette burns and no tattoo marks on the body.” This does not correlate with the statement of Officer Mary Unkefer, who was certain that Elizabeth had a rose tattoo on the top of the left leg, whose position would correlate with the square of flesh that had been removed and inserted into the vagina. (See page 17.) Dr. De River, in an interview with the writer Donald Freed in 1953, stated categorically that a rose tattoo had been removed by the killer, and that Leslie Dillon knew what had been done with it. However, in line with his obligations of confidentiality, the doctor did not reveal to Freed or his uncle Wally Klein what that was. The interview with Donald Freed is discussed later in Chapter 21. It appears that the statement that there were “no cigarette burns or tattoo marks on the body” was made in an attempt to discredit De River, who said in his testimony to the grand jury that there were cigarette burns on the body (memorandum from Frank Jemison to H. L. Stanley, October 28, 1949). The author Steve Hodel claims to have been given a photograph from the autopsy of Elizabeth Short by the daughter of Lieutenant Harry Hansen, which shows the presence of cigarette burn marks on the body. If this is correct, then it suggests that certain crime scene photographs were improperly retained by Lieutenant Hansen—a grave irregularity.

  105 even the police did not know: Police Chief Clemence Horrall, in a press statement of January 1949, stated that Leslie Dillon knew details about the Dahlia murder that even the police did not know. What those details likely were is discussed on page 113.

  105 going through his belongings: Evidence of Officer John J. O’Mara and private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  105 “big mouths”: Testimony of Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  106 “change, very quickly”: Taken from the testimony of John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  106 “knocks them out”: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  106 obtained from some nurses: See testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  106 women’s loafer-style black suede shoes: A scaled photograph of the shoes included in the DA grand jury documents shows them to be approximately 9½ inches in length. A study measuring the size of shoe prints of male and female movie stars from the 1940s through the 1960s outside Grauman’s Chinese Theatre yielded the following measurements (in inches): MALE: Bob Hope, 8¾; Henry Fonda, 8¹⁄8; Gary Cooper, 8½; Roy Rogers, 9¼; John Wayne, 9³⁄8; Cary Grant, 9½; Rock Hudson, 8¹⁄8; George Murphy, 8³⁄8; Gregory Peck, 7¼; Cecil B. DeMille, 9¼; Clark Gable, 8½; Steve McQueen, 8³⁄8; Anthony Quinn, 9¹⁄8; Charlton Heston, 10½; Paul Newman, 9½; Frank Sinatra, 8½; Dick Van Dyke, 8¼; Sidney Poitier, 9½; Gene Kelly, 7³⁄8. FEMALE: Rita Hayworth, 6¼; Betty Grable, 6³⁄8; Anne Baxter, 7¹⁄8; Lana Turner, 6½; Bette Davis, 5³⁄8; Marilyn Monroe, 5³⁄8; Elizabeth Taylor, 7; Deborah Kerr, 6½; Julie Andrews, 6½. Study carried out for the author at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, October 2016.

  107 “watching the street markers”: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  Chapter 11: Deadline at Dawn

  108 Except in January 1949: The winter of 1948–9 was a record one in Los Angeles, with freezing temperatures and unaccustomed snow.

  108 Dillon opened the door: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  109 familiar with the area: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  110 “English. French”: Testimony of Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  110 “full of vitality” . . . “bouncing back”: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings. The observation that Dillon seemed constantly on a “high” was also made by Dr. De River in interview with the author Donald Freed. (See Chapter 21.)

  110 San Francisco: Testimony of Officer John J. O’Mara in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  111 sailed a postcard: King, Brian, The Sexual Criminal, p. xlv.

  111 reporter William Chance: King, Brian, The Sexual Criminal, p. xlv.

  112 Dillon was taken into custody: Testimony of Officer William Burns in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  112 At 2:45 p.m., he was booked: See DA report on Leslie Duane Dillon by Frank Jemison (undated).

  112 Harry “the Hat” . . . Captain Kearney: As reported in the testimony of Officer Harry Hansen in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  112 pills . . . razor blades . . . dog leash: Testimony of witness Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings; also testimony of J.J. O’Mara, ibid. A photograph of the dog leash released in the DA grand jury exhibits provides evidence of its condition and points of wear.

  113 Horrall . . . press conference: See Los Angeles Times, January 11, 1949; Los Angeles Examiner, January 11, 1949.

  114 “strangely reticent”: Interview with Georgia Dillon in Los Angeles Examiner, January 12, 1949.

  115 “Six feet tall”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 11, 1949.

  116 “knew the Dahlia, went out with her”: Los Angeles Examiner, Janu
ary 12, 1949.

  116 “checked out to the ultimate”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 12, 1949.

  116 “could know the things that Dillon knew”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 12, 1949.

  117 Jeff . . . the “secret details”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 12, 1949.

  117 “which I told you”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 12, 1949.

  117 San Francisco hotel: The San Joaquin Hotel. See DA report on Leslie Duane Dillon by Frank Jemison (undated).

  117 “he is a mythical alter ego”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 12, 1949.

  117 call came through: See the testimony of Officer Harry Hansen in the DA grand jury proceedings. Hansen states that Dillon was released at 11:00 or 11:30 a.m. in the morning.

  Chapter 12: Breaking Point

  118 utilities man for the movies: Los Angeles Examiner, January 13, 1949.

  118 “We have insufficient evidence”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 13, 1949.

  119 “I have been in custody”: Los Angeles Examiner, January 16, 1949.

  120 lie detector and scopolamine tests: Testimony of private investigator Fred Witman in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  121 attorney Morris Lavine: Los Angeles Times, “Cathedral’s Site a Legal Battleground,” December 2, 1996.

  122 with her and his wife in a bar: As reported by Officer Ahern in testimony before the DA grand jury proceedings.

  122 Jeff’s story changed: Los Angeles Times, January 14, 1949.

  122 2:00 to 11:00 p.m.: Chester Times (Pennsylvania), January 14, 1949.

  122 friendly with Mark Hansen . . . helpful police officers: Testimony of Officer Finis Brown in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  123 after Leslie Dillon was released: Confirmed by Officer Ahern in testimony given in the DA grand jury proceedings; see also testimony of Fred Witman, ibid.

  124 Sara Boynoff . . . interview with Dr. De River: Los Angeles Daily News, January 20, 1949.

  124 Judge Scott: For discussion of the Chloe Davis case and the subsequent orders imposed by Judges Fox and Scott, see pages 86–87.

  124 doctor’s birth name: De River’s death certificate lists his name as “Joseph Paul deRiver,” his parents as “Paul M. deRiver, France,” and “Helen Harper, Louisiana,” and his birthday as November 6, 1894. There is, however, no recorded birth of someone with the surname “deRiver” in the year 1894. There is a record of birth of a Joseph L. Israel in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 15, 1894. According to the certificate the parents were Mayer Israel, merchant, and wife Rose Lazard, both from New Orleans.

  125 “blindly in hiring this man”: San Bernardino County Sun, January 22, 1949.

  125 hearing before the City Council: “Report of a Special Hearing of Police and Fire and Personnel Committees of the City Council of Los Angeles,” March 8, 1949. Reproduced in Daniel, Jacque, The Curse of the Black Dahlia, pp. 135–61.

  126 letter from a William A. Miller: Cited in King, Brian, The Sexual Criminal, p. liv.

  126 $100,000 claim: Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1949.

  127 Arthur Brigham Rose: Underwood, Aggie, Newspaperwoman (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1949), p. 178.

  Chapter 13: The Lodger

  128 Case . . . Waggoner: See testimonies of Officers Loren K. Waggoner and Archie Case at the DA grand jury proceedings.

  128 “Mayor of Watts”: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad.

  128 Con Keller: Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad. Keller’s surname was sometimes incorrectly given as “Keeler.”

  128 Ahern and Waggoner interviewed Jiggs Moore: See testimony of Officers Ahern and Waggoner at the DA grand jury proceedings. The statements of Jiggs Moore and Mr. Carriere were filed with the LAPD but have never been released.

  129 later that year: See testimony of Officer Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  130 Ardis Green . . . Ace Cains Nightclub: See memorandum re: identification of photographs of Leslie Dillon by Miss Ardis Green, alias Joy Powers, DA grand jury documents.

  130 day Beth split with Gordon Fickling: Ibid.

  130 Dillon’s mother, Mamie, had mentioned: Testimony of Officer Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  131 Hoffman . . . Lila Durant . . . Moorman: Taken from the testimonies of Officers Waggoner, Case, and Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings. Also the report (undated) of Officers Waggoner and Ward filed to Sergeant A. A. Beach of the University Division.

  132 had not reported the matter: Report of Officers Waggoner and Ward to Sergeant A. A. Beach of University Division, DA grand jury proceedings.

  133 January 7 . . . 18: From the testimony of Officer Waggoner at the DA grand jury proceedings. Officer Ahern put the dates of arrival as January 10 and departure as January 17.

  134 she had destroyed them: Testimony of Officer Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  135 Tommy Harlow: Among the documents admitted into evidence in the DA grand jury proceedings was a teletype from the police department at Fort Worth, Texas. It described Harlow as thirty-eight years old, five-foot-seven-and-a-half inches, 170 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He had lived for many years in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, before coming out West. On January 3, 1949, Officers Kenard and Sawyer interviewed Mr. Sam Rutherford and C. J. Bernard, who said Harlow had left about May or June 1948 and was believed to be doing construction work in Harlem City.

  135 Harlow told Officers Waggoner and Ahern: Taken from the testimony of Officers Waggoner and Ahern during the DA grand jury proceedings. Additional citations from documents admitted into evidence by Fred Witman in testimony given to Lieutenant Frank B. Jemison and DDA Arthur L. Veitch.

  135 trailer parked outside the house: Taken from: report of Lieutenant Burns dated January 8, 1949; report of Burns, Greilly, and Jones dated February 16, 1949. Both reports cited in testimony by Fred Witman to Lieutenant Frank B. Jemison and DDA Arthur L. Veitch in the DA grand jury proceedings. The reports have never been released.

  136 he had worked for Tommy Harlow: Report of Officers Burns, Greilly, and Jones dated February 16, 1949. Cited in evidence by Fred Witman in testimony to Lieutenant Frank B. Jemison and DDA Arthur L. Veitch in the DA grand jury proceedings. The report has never been released. See also the testimony of Officer Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings. Mrs. McCromber’s testimony established the crucial point that Dillon worked on-and-off for Harlow, and therefore visited Los Angeles intermittently, even when he was based in San Francisco, over the latter part of December 1946 and January 1947.

  137 sleep at one of the units: Report by Officers Ahern and Waggoner cited in evidence by Fred Witman to Lieutenant Frank B. Jemison and DDA Arthur L. Veitch in the DA grand jury proceedings. The report has never been released.

  137 Leslie Dillon was the man who had visited: See testimony of Officer Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  138 “ ‘This is the girl that was there’ ”: As recounted by Officer Waggoner in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  138 “remember things”: Further details from the important report filed with Sergeant A. A. Beach by Officers Waggoner and Ward, included in the DA grand jury proceedings documents.

  138 took a liking to Archie Case: See testimony of Officer Ahern in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  139 Dillon looked like the man who had been sick: Statement of James Hurst dated April 15, 1949, referred to in DA document dated November 23, 1949, and titled “Evidence and Declarations Tending to Connect or Disconnect Leslie Dillon to the Murders of Elizabeth Short, Jeanne French, and Gladys Kern.”

  140 who could have been Leslie Dillon: Statement of Burt Moorman dated March 16th, 1949, referred to in DA document dated November 23, 1949, and titled “Evidence and declarations tending to connect or disconnect Leslie Dillon to the murders of Elizabeth Short, Jeanne French, and Gladys Kern.”

  141 “fellow from Batavia”: Testimony of Officer Waggoner in the DA grand jury proceedings. Also report of Officers Waggoner and Ward to Sergeant A. A. Beach of University Division, DA gra
nd jury proceedings.

  141 “Dutch Embassy or Danish consulate”: Testimony of H. Hoffman in the DA grand jury proceedings, December 28, 1949.

  142 “have me shot or something”: See report filed by Officers Waggoner and Ward with Sergeant A. A. Beach in the DA grand jury proceedings.

  143 Clora Hoffman also recalled: Ibid.

  143 “remember some of the things that happened”: Ibid.

  144 Occupation of Aster Motel: Some of the witnesses (especially the Moormans) were confused as to which cabins various guests stayed in. On this issue the account of the Hoffmans has been preferred, as they were the actual owners of the motel, and can be assumed to have been the most familiar with the cabins.

  144 “just couldn’t figure it out”: See testimony of Officer Waggoner in the DA grand jury proceedings. The “official” reason for Waggoner being taken off the Gangster detail was that his father had just become a bail bondsman.

  144 “never did learn the reason why”: Waggoner quoted in the Long Beach Independent, December 2, 1949.

  145 allocation of resources . . . was so poor: Officer Waggoner told the 1949 grand jury that he asked to be taken off the Dahlia case because there was an inadequate supply of nighttime patrol cars at the University Division.

  145 submitted a final joint report: The very important report by Officers Waggoner and Ward addressed to Sergeant Beach of University, which is filed with the DA grand jury proceedings. The actual report is undated, but from the testimony of Garth Ward it appears to have been filed at the end of their assignment, i.e., end of July or early August 1949. The report was certainly written up after the shooting of Mark Hansen on July 15, as it makes reference to this event.

  Chapter 14: Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye

  146 General William Worton: Buntin, John, L.A. Noir.

  148 Brenda Allen, Hollywood’s: For a detailed account of this scandal, see Lieberman, Paul, Gangster Squad; also Buntin, John, L.A. Noir.

  148 mysteriously stalled: Buntin, John, L.A. Noir.

  149 charity lotteries were raided: San Bernardino County Sun, June 29, 1949.

  149 few believed he personally knew: Buntin, John, L.A. Noir, footnote to Chapter 12; Woods, J. Gerald, “The Progressive and the Police: Urban Reform and the Professionalization of the Los Angeles Police,” UCLA dissertation, 1973, p. 408.