Los Angeles: Noir

[soup or man]

film noir
n.
1. A movie characterized by low-key lighting, a bleak urban setting, and corrupt, cynical characters.
2. The genre or style of such movies.

Los Angeles. December. 1951


Downtown. 1952


City Hall. 1951


City Hall. 1930


Downtown. 1976
image hosted on flickr


Unknown date. The US Bank Tower now stands on the site of the old Sunkist Building


Freeway. 1960


City Hall. And a blimp. 1954

[soup or man]

Crime

Downtown. 1939. X near the top of the photo show where a blonde woman was found stabbed to death. Lines represent the path of the murderer's car.


Los Angeles River. 1949. Body found.


Drunk Tank. Lincoln Heights Jail. 1956


Murder of Detective Lieut. Hugh A. Crowley. Westwood. 1932


Murder victim. 1920's.


Murdered woman. Long Beach. 1947

[soup or man]

If you've ever seen the movie 'Changeling' than this will be a real interest to you. And if not, it'll still be interesting. A bit of history of one of the most unique and cruel crimes in American history.

The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders — also known as the Wineville Chicken Murders — was a series of kidnappings and murders of young boys occurring in Los Angeles and Riverside County, California in 1928. The case received national attention and events related to it exposed corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department. The 2008 film Changeling is based upon events related to this case.

In 1926, Saskatchewan-born ranch owner Gordon Stewart Northcott took his 13-year-old nephew, Sanford Clark, from his home in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Before his sister, Jessie Clark, told the police about the situation, Northcott had beaten and sexually abused Clark. In September 1928, the Los Angeles Police Department visited the Northcott Ranch in Wineville. Police found Clark at the ranch and took him into custody.

Clark claimed that Northcott had kidnapped, molested, beaten, and killed several young boys with the apparent help of Northcott's mother, Sarah Louise Northcott. He had also forced Clark to participate. Clark said quicklime was used to dispose of the remains, and the bones had been dumped in the desert. The Northcotts had fled to Canada and they were arrested near Vernon, British Columbia.

Police found no complete bodies, but they discovered the personal effects of missing children, a blood-stained ax, and body parts, including bones, hair, and fingers, from three of the victims buried in lime near the chicken house at the Northcott ranch near Wineville – hence the name "Wineville Chicken Coop Murders." Wineville changed its name to Mira Loma on November 1, 1930, due in large part to the negative publicity surrounding the murders. Wineville Avenue, Wineville Road, Wineville Park and other geographic references provide reminders of the community's former name. Sanford Clark returned to Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Sarah Louise Northcott initially confessed to the murders, including that of 9-year-old Walter Collins. She later retracted her statement, as did Gordon Northcott, who had confessed to killing five boys

Upon her return from Canada, Sarah Louise pleaded guilty to killing Walter Collins. Superior Court Judge Morton sentenced her to life imprisonment on December 31, 1928, sparing her from execution because she was a woman. Sarah Northcott served her sentence at Tehachapi State Prison, and was paroled after fewer than 12 years. During her sentencing, Northcott claimed her son was innocent and made a variety of bizarre claims about his parentage, including that he was an illegitimate son by an English nobleman,[8] that she was Gordon's grandmother, and that he was the result of incest between her husband, George Cyrus Northcott, and their daughter. She also stated that as a child, Gordon was sexually abused by the entire family. Sarah Louise died in 1944.

On February 8, 1929, a 27-day trial before Judge George R. Freeman in Riverside County, California, ended. Gordon Northcott was convicted of the murders of an unidentified Mexican boy and brothers Lewis and Nelson Winslow (aged 12 and 10, respectively). The brothers had been reported missing from Pomona on May 16, 1928; however, it was believed Gordon may have had as many as 20 victims. The jury heard that he kidnapped, molested, tortured, killed, and dismembered these and other boys throughout 1928. On February 13, 1929, Judge Freeman sentenced Gordon to be hanged. The sentence was carried out on October 2, 1930.

Nine-year-old Walter Collins disappeared from his home in Mt. Washington, Los Angeles on March 10, 1928. His disappearance received nationwide attention and the Los Angeles Police Department followed up on hundreds of leads without success. The police faced negative publicity and increasing public pressure to solve the case until five months after Walter's disappearance, when a boy claiming to be Walter was found in DeKalb, Illinois. Letters and photographs were exchanged before Walter's mother, Christine Collins, who worked as a telephone operator, paid for the boy to be brought to Los Angeles. A public reunion was organized by the police, who hoped to negate the bad publicity they had received for their inability to solve this case and others. They also hoped the uplifting human interest story would deflect attention from a series of corruption scandals that had sullied the department's reputation. At the reunion, Christine Collins claimed that the boy was not Walter. She was told by the officer in charge of the case, police Captain J.J. Jones, to take the boy home to "try him out for a couple of weeks," and Collins agreed.

Three weeks later, Christine Collins returned to see Captain Jones and persisted in her claim that the boy was not Walter. Even though she was armed with dental records proving her case, Jones had Collins committed to the psychiatric ward at Los Angeles County Hospital under a "Code 12" internment—a term used to jail or commit someone who was deemed difficult or an inconvenience. During Collins' incarceration, Jones questioned the boy, who admitted to being 12-year-old Arthur Hutchins Jr., a runaway from Illinois, but who was originally from Iowa. A drifter at a roadside café in Illinois had told Hutchins of his resemblance to the missing Walter, so Hutchins came up with the plan to impersonate him. His motive was to get to Hollywood so he could meet his favorite actor, Tom Mix. Collins was released ten days after Hutchins admitted that he was not her son, and filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department. This aspect of the case is depicted in the 2008 film Changeling, although in the film Hutchins does not confess until after Mrs. Collins has been released.

Collins went on to win a lawsuit against Jones and was awarded $10,800, which Jones never paid. Five years after Gordon Northcott's execution, one of the boys previously thought to be murdered by Northcott was found alive and well. As Walter Collins' body had not been found, Christine Collins still hoped that Walter had survived. She continued to search for him for the rest of her life, but she died without ever knowing her son's fate. The last public record of Christine Collins is from 1941, when she attempted to collect a $15,562 judgment against Captain Jones (by then a retired police officer) in the Superior Court.

In 1933 Arthur J. Hutchins, Jr. wrote about how and why he impersonated the missing boy. Hutchins' biological mother had died when he was 9 years old, and he had been living with his stepmother, Violet Hutchins. He pretended to be Walter Collins to get as far away as possible from her. After living on the road for a month he arrived in DeKalb. When police brought him in, they began to ask him questions about Walter Collins. Originally, Hutchins stated that he did not know about Walter, but changed his story when he saw the possibility of getting to California.

After Arthur Hutchins reached adulthood, he sold concessions at carnivals. He eventually moved back to California as a horse trainer and jockey. He died of a blood clot in 1954, leaving behind a wife and young daughter, Carol. According to Carol Hutchins, "My dad was full of adventure. In my mind, he could do no wrong."

Sanford's older sister, Jessie, became suspicious of the letters Sanford was forced to send home from Northcott's ranch that assured the family he was well. She went to the ranch and stayed several days. However, she became terrified of Northcott, left and told authorities her brother was in the country illegally.

Sanford Clark was never tried for murder, but was sentenced to five years at the Whittier State School (later renamed the Fred C. Nelles Youth Correctional Facility). His sentence was later commuted to 23 months. After his release, he was deported to his native Canada. Clark's son, Jerry Clark, credits Clark's sisters June and Jessie, associate prosecution counsel Loyal C. Kelley, and the Whittier State School for helping save Sanford from Gordon Northcott.

Clark served in World War II, and then worked for 28 years for the Canadian postal service. He married, and he and his wife, June, adopted and raised two sons. They were married for 55 years and were involved in many different organizations. Sanford Clark died in 1991 at age 78.

The parties involved.

Christine Collins


Walter Collins


Arthur Hutchens


Sanford Clark


Gordon Northcott


The Wineville Chicken Coop

[Kenni]

I love this thread Soup! keep 'em coming!

[christos-greece]

Interesting photo-thread keep those photos coming

[soup or man]

Spring Street. Downtown. 1939


Sunset and Vine. Hollywood. Date Unknown


Biltmore Hotel. Downtown. 1943


LA County Courthouse and Hall of Records. 1920


Bunker Hill. 1886


Bunker Hill. 1898


Richfield Tower. 1952


Wilshire Blvd. 1937


City Hall. 1927


Downtown. 1928


Beverly Hills. 1942


Downtown. 1949


Chinatown. Date unknown.

[soup or man]

Bullocks Wilshire. 1954


Downtown. 1954


Benidix Building. Downtown. Date unknown.


Bunker Hill. 1969


LA Times Building. 1939


Downtown. Date unknown.


Bunker Hill. 1960

[soup or man]

Crime

Pacific Electric train vs Car. 1951


Suicide by carbon monoxide. 1951


Stabbing victim (?) 1950


Murder. 1932


Mob hit. 1933


Carol Landis suicide. 1948


Carol Landis


Suicide jumper in mid air.

[m4rcin]

Amazing thread dude!

[soup or man]

Richfield Tower

[soup or man]

Pellisser Building (Wiltern Theatre)

[soup or man]

Downtown construction.

[Kenni]

I'm enamored with this thread!


Hard to believe that the last of these beautiful Victorian homes were demolished or moved from Bunker Hill in Downtown by the 1960's.

[Deanb]

really great idea, love it, gives LA a very classical feel

[soup or man]

Downtown .1940's

[hossoso]

Incredible thread.

[Doukan]

nice work homie!!!

[Shezan]

an SSC mile stone Thread

[soup or man]

Rose Parade. 1946


Figueroa Street Tunnels. 1938


Pasadena. 1954


City Hall. 1951. The fog is actually caused by the first Atomic Bomb test in Nevada. Some 300 miles away.


Ralph's Supermarket. Santa Monica. 1953


Barnes and Noble Bookstore. Santa Monica. Today.


Ralph's. Beverly Hills. 1949


Cinegrill at the Roosevelt Hotel. Hollywood. 1949


Tom Breneman's Nightclub. Hollywood. 1947




Wilshire Blvd. 1949


Sunset and Vine Sandwich Shop. Hollywood. 1926

[Kenni]

Enjoyable!