by Paul R. Spitzzeri
Pressing on with our deep dive into the report of the Los Angeles City Auditor, Lewis H. Schwaebe, covering municipal operations for the year ending 30 November 1904, there is a brief section on the appointments made by the mayor, who, until a little more than a week after the reporting period was Democrat Meredith P. Snyder, though he was then replaced by Republican Owen McAleer.
By terms of the city charter, the chief executive chose a clerk who was also secretary of the Police Pension and Fireman’s Relief and Pension funds; a buildings superintendent; the dog catcher and pound keeper; the commissioners of the boards of the departments of Civil Service, Police, Fire, Parks, Health, Public Library, Water ; Public Art; and Children’s Playground.
With respect to the Municipal Art Commission, it was one of the few to include women, with two of the five members being Helen Rowell Washburn (1850-1932), wife of a banker and who was a president of the Ruskin Art Club and also a member of the Juvenile Court Commission, and Mary Hancock Hunt (1856-1930), the wife of well-known architect Sumner P. Hunt and who was a Los Angeles teacher and a president of the powerful women’s organization, the Ebell Club. Another member was prominent architect John Parkinson.
The commission reported that, in November 1903, the City Council established the entity as the Public Art Committee with the provision that it include at least one woman member and that it was to have no funding, though provided with a meeting space at City Hall, while it might be later incorporated into the city charter. There were eight duties:
To work for the gradual elimination of ugliness from the conspicuous parts of the city.
To study into methods used in Eastern and European Municipalities for rendering the city more beautiful.
To pass upon plans for public buildings and other public undertakings from the point of view of art.
To make public protest against any form of private vandalism that would tend to destroy the beauty of a neighborhood.
To use every possible method to reduce the pole nuisance in redience districts.
To encourage the planting of shade trees among the residence streets, with systematic method in selection of variety and in the location of the trees.
To study into methods used elsewhere to reduce the bill-board nuisance.
To help arouse public sentiment in favor of a beautiful city.
It is interesting to ponder the meaning of “conspicuous parts of the city” as well as “private vandalism,” but, otherwise, the commission was formed out of the ferment of the City Beautiful Movement, which became widely popular after the World’s Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 and revolutionized urban planning in architecture, landscape and other aspects through a sense of order that was to promote livability in urban areas, though its influence waned after the Roaring Twenties.
On 23 January 1905, the organization’s name was changed to the Municipal Art Commission, but the members noted that “as the Commission has not been invested with any executive power, nor provided with funds, being a semi-official body, it has not been able to accomplish the many things that suggested themselves.” Rather it could only advise and suggest through “its moral influence” what might be done, including major initiatives such as the creation of an art gallery; working with the Southwestern Branch of the Archaeological Institute of America, headed locally by Charles F. Lummis, to building a museum—this became the Southwest Museum, opened in 1914; and providing for a dedicated library building “worthy of the city;” small (what we’d call “pocket”) parks established along streets and at intersections.
The commission also suggested soliciting “public spirited citizens” for donations of land for parks and for gifts of statues, fountains and other elements for these, while also providing for paintings in the proposed art gallery. It agreed with city officials and the Park and Outdoor Association for the creation of a children’s recreation area in the 7th Ward of the city and called for similar institutions “in crowded parts of the city.”
As to development, the entity pushed for street improvements “to greatly advance the artistic beauty of our city;” called trees along thoroughfares “one of the most valuable assets of our metropolis;” called for following the contours of the topography and avoiding too much cutting and filling when allowing new tracts; the bridges and tunnels have aesthetic elements; that residential streets without streetcar lines be limited to 40-foot width and adequately landscaped and with proper curbs and sidewalks; that fences at bridges, poles and reservoirs be painted or stained green; and that a “fine boulevard” connect Elysian and Griffith parks.
Moreover, the commission implored officials to enforce ordinances on waste and debris on streets; signs on bridges; billboard height; the dropping of contents on overloaded wagons on thoroughfares; limiting smoke; and removing poles in the exclusive areas near the University of Southern California with provision for conduits underground instead. It also “strongly urges such action” on “offensive and unsightly condition of vacant lots and other premises;” the overabundance of poles; and “the offensive character of certain bill-boards” with a proposed tax per square yard.
With respect to recent successes, the organization pointed to the ordinance requiring two miles of wires below ground annually; the acquisition of the well-known Sycamore Grove in Highland Park, Marion Park at Angelino Heights, and Terrace Park on Pico Boulevard west of downtown for city parks; the Seventh Ward children’s playground; oiling of residential streets, though where was unspecified, it can be assumed in well-to-do sections of the city; and the “laying out of such residence tracts as Chester Place and Westmoreland Place” with these having “received the warm approval of the Art Commission.”
A brief “Oil Inspector’s Report” noted that 570 business houses were inspected at which kerosene or coal oil was sold and it stated that since a recent ordinance was passed requiring tests, “no lamp explosions” were reported. Also analyzed was the crude oil used for city streets and this was determined to be a cost saving for the municipality in assuring the highest quality was maintained because about 10% was “deducted for temperature, water and sediment.” Still, concluded Charles H. Blackmar, who was the third person to fill the position, “there are many opportunities for improvement, which I hope to carry out.” Expenses, 80% of which were in salaries, were slightly offset by license fees, fines at the police court, and office fees, so that the totals were both over $4,200.
For the Los Angeles Police Department, the annual report was issued by Chief William A. Hammel, namesake son of a German-born doctor of many years in Los Angeles and who was said to have been the physician of President James K. Polk during the 1840s. Hammel confessed to harboring “a pardonable pride in the achievements and successful labors” of his department. Summarizing the exhibits presented subsequently, the chief noted that there were 8,220 arrests and 38 apprehensions of fugitives, along with 653 detentions of “suspicious characters” and of 57 “insane persons,” for a total of just shy of 9,000. For the 8,220 arrests, Hammel touted a conviction rate of 88%, of which just 136 were felonies, while 61 other cases of that degree were pending.
As to lost and stolen property, the amount recovered was well in excess of $34,000, while an exhibit on patrols showed that there were over 5,700 calls to which there were responses totaling 7,400 miles, with 6,400 prisoners taken to the central police station and over 500 injured persons conveyed to the receiving hospital. For officers at the court, more than 2,600 jurors were summoned, 2,400 witness subpoenaed and nearly 10,500 letters and telegrams answered. For the jail, almost 120,000 meals were served and it was especially noted that the total cost was just under $7,000 or below 6 cents per meal, while almost 4,000 instances of medical care were provided at the receiving hospital by the police surgeon.
For handling of funds, Hammel reported that officers collected and paid to the police courts partial fines of just shy of $7,200, while the total of fines and forfeited bail was over $34,300. The chief added that “the chain gang from the City Jail has done excellent work” with a daily average of about three dozen prisoners putting in an aggregate of 12,162 days “in making cuts, fills and grades in the roads and streets of the hill sections of the city.” While pleased with his department’s efforts, Hammel added that “still better results from increased numbers and facilities are to be hoped for.”
The chief continued that “the press and our citizens advocated to such an extent the increasing of the force” that forty new officers were approved by the Council and half appointed to date. Additionally, the Council approved new substations in Boyle Heights and South Los Angeles, making for three of these, including one in East Los Angeles closed by Hammel’s predecessor, Charles Elton, to help provide residents “the police protection to which they are entitled.” Also of note was the ordering of “an electric patrol wagon,” soon to be delivered, the installation of a telephone exchange at the central station to increase efficiency, and the creation of a property clerk.
This individual, however, shared space under a stairway with sergeants, which demonstrated the need for larger quarters for the department, as well as more jail space, especially for women, and for the receiving hospital. To keep pace with the latest boom in the city and region, which began with the turn of the 20th century, with Hammel stating “few realize the fact that the police work increases about in proportion to the increase of population, it was hoped that these could be realized. The chief, however, added, that it might be problematic “for financial reasons, [to] at present entertain the proposition to build a large addition to our police building and city jail.” For the hospital, he asked for two assistants for the police surgeon.
After mentioning a recent successful experiment for a new signal system, Hammel concluded by thanking the Council and the Board of Police Commissioners, established by the charter of 1888 (previously, the mayor, council president and chief constituted the board) “for the uniform kindness and consideration shown me, and for your hearty co-operation at all times, without which it would have been impossible to have obtained desirable results.” He avowed the discipline in the ranks and the work of the department was excellent and thanked the staff at the LAPD for their efforts and “assistance in obtaining the satisfactory results of our year’s work.” The chief, however, left office later in 1905 and, having been county sheriff from 1899 to 1902, he returned to that position in 1907, serving for seven years.
As for the exhibits, the arrest table shows that 52% were for those who were deemed drunk and 97% of them were convicted. 653 arrests, or 7%, were on general “suspicion” with no adjudication figures provided, while a similar percentage were detained on misdemeanor allegations and 86% of them were found guilty. Those nabbed for disturbing the peace were about 6% of all cases, though the rate of conviction was about 64%, and there were 490 vagrancy arrests of which 86% were determined to be guilty. “Fast Driving” involved 108 persons jailed and 90% convicted.
As to crimes of assault with a deadly weapon or assault to kill, there were 27 arrests, with three convictions, while 10 cases were pending. There were a dozen rape or sexual assault apprehensions, with one conviction and four pending cases. Nine persons were arrested for murder, with four convicted and two cases pending. Nine miscellaneous felony arrests were made, with three guilty verdicts and one matter pending. Among the biggest concerns in the media were gambling and prostitution, with 123 of the former, and 69 convictions, or 56%, while the latter involved 58 apprehensions and a conviction rate of 81%. In subsequent years, there would be a good deal of effort devoted to “ill fame,” so these statistics would have gone up significantly.
For the patrol drivers report, the busiest month, not surprisingly, was December with 628 calls generating a response, while September was the quietest month at 374. In the jail department exhibit, there were 12,162 prisoners for the year with the peak of days worked by the chain gang being in May at 1,256, with December being second at 1,179, and the lowest number at 640 for September. It is noteworthy that 345 women were jailed, as were 154 minors, while “colored imprisoned” totaled 149 and the Chinese figure was at 59. There were thirty-eight deaths and the number of elderly “cared for” included 38 men and 13 women.
The report of sergeants included 16 disorderly saloons, 17 disorderly “bawdy houses,” and 1,313 “intoxicated persons sent home,” amid such mundane items as doors found open and secured and defective lights, streets, and hydrants and pipes. There were, however, over 9,500 unclassified reports, so one can only wonder what these entailed and why they were denoted as such. A personnel roster showed just over 180 members of the department, about 20 of whom were on the force as far back as the 1880s (the longest-serving was from 1885, and almost 50 joined during the Nineties. Seven officers were on retired disability and earning half-pay, with Captain W.C. Roberts being the oldest-serving officer, having joined the first day of 1885.
The Receiving Hospital statement by retiring police surgeon Dr. A.M. Smith showed that there 3,666 cases during the reporting year, with 43% treated for lacerations, 10% for fractures, 6.5% for contusions and 17% classified under miscellaneous. Just over fifty persons were treated for alcoholism, there were eighty amputations, seventy-eight for gunshot wounds, fifty for stab wounds, and fifty-one for poisoning.
On disbursements, salaries aggregated just over $185,000, with books and stationery totaling under $1,400; supplies of prisoner clothing and shoes and police equipment (being nearly 80% of the total) involving just over $1,000; furniture and fixtures being about $1,100; general expenses amounting to about $9,200 with 38% comprising repairs and a third under the heading of “Secret Service;” feeding prisoners coming to about $6,800; $3,100 under incidentals, including sundries being some 63% and others including photographing prisoners, telegrams, telephone and postage; the chain gang involving over $21,000 with almost all of it being the salaries of the captain, guards, “men and teams,” a humane officer and a police surgeon, and $744 being for tools and repairs. The work of the chain gang was measured by yards of dirt moved and this valued at north of $35,000 with the busiest month being March and the lightest being April and September.
Among the few women working for the LAPD were the police matrons of which there were two, Aletha Maxey Gilbert, a native of El Monte who has been the subject of a previous post here, and Mrs. Loretta McPeek. Gilbert, however, followed her mother Lucy, whose father Ira Thompson founded El Monte’s first hotel, the Willow Grove Inn. She was twice widowed, with Aletha’s father being Warren Maxey and the second being Thomas Gray, a farmer near modern Culver City. When Gray died, Lucy and Aletha moved to Los Angeles and became the first police matron in 1888, with Aletha hired as her assistant in 1902.
The report honored Lucy Gray “In Memoriam” as she was the only member of the department to die during the reporting year and it praised her “kindly deeds, untiring energy and thoroughly faithful devotion to duty.” Dying at 63 years of age from pneumonia on Leap Year Day, 1904 at her East Los Angeles Home, Gray was lionized:
She was a woman among women; she did things. Small and wiry, with a cool and unfaltering eye, she seemed not to know what fear was . . .
Mrs. Gray laid down rules that the most desperate of her women prisoners were forced to obey. The matron commanded them with a will of iron. She never called for assistance when a prisoner became violent. The brave little woman fought her battles alone and single-handed, and she always won.
Like most persons of unwavering courage, her heart was filled to overflowing with tenderness. She was a mother to the poor unfortunate women who were dragged from the streets and placed under restraint. She talked with them of the better and higher things in life, and many a woman left the jail better and purer, through her contact with the little gray-haired matron.
Once again, this City Auditor report is filled with valuable information about the diverse areas of the administration of Los Angeles municipal government, including this detail about the Los Angeles Police Department. With part ten, we’ll look at such areas as parks, the children’s playground department, and streets.