Naptime for A Numbskull

February 8, 1947
Lincoln Heights

Transient Richard Dennis, 33, broke into Mrs. G.B. Blakeley’s home at 2730 Medford Street and absconded with the one thing most appealing to a sleepy sneak thief: an alarm clock. Unfortunately, he made it no farther than the front lawn before tucking in for a nice snooze. When the alarm went off, Richard slept right through it, but neighbors copped the buzz and called police, who nabbed the man on suspicion (strong suspicion) of burglary.

Kim Cooper

Kim Cooper is the creator of 1947project, the crime-a-day time travel blog that spawned Esotouric’s popular crime bus tours, including The Real Black Dahlia. She is the author of The Kept Girl, the acclaimed historical mystery starring the young Raymond Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe, and of The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. With husband Richard Schave, Kim curates the Salons and forensic science seminars of LAVA- The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. When the third generation Angeleno isn’t combing old newspapers for forgotten scandals, she is a passionate advocate for historic preservation of signage, vernacular architecture and writer’s homes. Kim was for many years the editrix of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture. Her books include Fall in Love For Life, Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, Lost in the Grooves and an oral history of Neutral Milk Hotel.

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Kim Cooper

Kim Cooper is the creator of 1947project, the crime-a-day time travel blog that spawned Esotouric’s popular crime bus tours, including The Real Black Dahlia. She is the author of The Kept Girl, the acclaimed historical mystery starring the young Raymond Chandler and the real-life Philip Marlowe, and of The Raymond Chandler Map of Los Angeles. With husband Richard Schave, Kim curates the Salons and forensic science seminars of LAVA- The Los Angeles Visionaries Association. When the third generation Angeleno isn’t combing old newspapers for forgotten scandals, she is a passionate advocate for historic preservation of signage, vernacular architecture and writer’s homes. Kim was for many years the editrix of Scram, a journal of unpopular culture. Her books include Fall in Love For Life, Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth, Lost in the Grooves and an oral history of Neutral Milk Hotel.

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  1. Edison’s Old Desk
    Opened; No ‘Spirit
    Messages’ in Pens

    WEST ORANGE, N.J., Feb. 8—(INS) Thomas A. Edison’s roll top desk was opened today for the first time since his death 15 years ago.

    It was opened by Charles Edison, who sealed it the day of his father’s death, October 18, 1931.

    Importance of the scientific papers in the desk could not be assessed immediately, but witnesses learned the answer to one question.

    There were no “spirit messagesâ€Â inside fountain pens in the desk as two New York mediums had claimed.

    + + +

    This was front page news in the Examiner, a short humorous item on the man who invented inventing.

    While the Examiner promised a detailed inventory in its weekly newsmagazine, The Times published the results in a feature combined with a photo of Edison’s son Charles, widow, Mina, (this was in the days before women had first names in the newspapers and were known as Mrs.), daughter Madeleine (Mrs. John E. Sloane) and Harvey S. Firestone, who said: “Capital isn’t that important in business. Experience isn’t that important. You can get both of these things. What is important is ideas.â€Â

    Edison’s desk contained stomach pills, mouthwash, a book he never got around to autographing, cigars, a joke that his son censored, doodles, notebooks and a piece of goldenrod rubber. (A little investigation shows that Edison was trying to make rubber from goldenrod but abandoned his experiments with the advent of synthetic rubber).

    And what’s this? Why it’s a drawer full of radioactive, highly toxic uranium nitrate. Was Edison experimenting with atomic power? Photography? The news stories don’t say.

    Apparently several spiritualists claimed that Edison had concealed messages in his fountain pens, but they were empty, his son said.

    Quote of the day: “When down in the mouth remember Jonah, he came out all right.â€Â
    Note found in Thomas Edison’s desk

    https://www.lmharnisch.com

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