4th of July Happenings in Early Long Beach

RECKONING PROFITS AT LONG BEACH: Fourth of July Crowd Spent Much Money. Railroads Kept Carrying Visitors Homeward Till Two Thirty A.M.

“The town has recovered its breath today and has spent a few hours in talking over the big crowd that was here on the Fourth. Some of the local philosophers of an arithmetical turn have been making computations on a basis of which they declare that Friday’s visitors spent between $15,000 and $20,000 in Long Beach. Meantime, there has today been the biggest visitation of the year with the exception of the great throng of Friday. Considering the great number of people here Friday the fact that there were only a few accidents and those of a minor character, is pronounced as marvelous.

Robert Carpenter of Fullerton, who was thrown from a tally-ho by a colliding electric car is on the way to recovery. An examination today showed that there were no bones broker, although he was badly bruised about the left shoulder and arm. The accident occurred on American avenue at the Magnolia avenue crossing. He whipped the horses in an effort to get across the tracks but failed. Robert Allen of Mayor Walker’s office, received painful but not serious injuries on his right hand by the premature explosion of a cannon cracker.

“The Long Beach Band sold for the afternoon and evening dances at the City Pavilion 2000 dancing programmes, indicating that at one time or another there were in al nearly 4000 dancers on the floor. The element of time solved the problem of carrying the visitors back to Los Angeles. The electric road was conveying them till long past midnight, and the last trainload of people on the Salt Lake Railroad reached Los Angeles at 2:30 o’clock this morning.”

FOUND DEAD IN A LONG BEACH BATHHOUSE. Body of Man Who Made a Fourth of July Trip Discovered.

“The body of a man was found in a lavatory in the rear of the bathhouse this afternoon. From letters and other articles found upon the body it was learned that the corpse was that of John J. Hogan, 555 Main Street, Los Angeles. A certificate, showing that he was a graduated pastry baker, issued by a Chicago hotel reference agency, in 1894, and a purse containing $8.60 were also found. The return portion of a ticket on the Los Angeles-Long Beach Electric Railroad, issued July 4th, which was in Hogan’s pocket, would indicate that he came here that day. There are no marks of violence upon the body, which is in a somewhat emaciated condition. It is thought death was due to natural causes.”

OFFICIALS AFTER ‘BLIND PIGS’ AGAIN: LONG BEACH POLICE RAID PLACES WHERE LIQUOR IS ALLEGED TO BE SOLD AND ARREST FOUR UPON WARRANTS

“The Fourth of July proved an unpleasant day for several Long Beachites for the hand of the law descended again upon a bunch of alleged ‘Blind Piggists.’ Warrants charging them with violations of the liquor license were served upon Dr. W. H. Prittle, owner of the drug store at Ocean and Locust avenues; and upon Bunnie Lustig and George Crocker, proprietor and clerk respectively in the Pacific pharmacy. They were released under heavy bonds. The city trustees have revoked the liquor license issued to Lustig. The $2000 worth of booze confiscated in his place last week will be destroyed tomorrow. Joseph Roddick, Prittle’s clerk, was arrested last week for violating the liquor ordinance. Lustig was fined $200 last week for a similar offense. … these arrests were made this forenoon. The town was “dry” this afternoon as a result and many complaints were heard from visitors suffering from the heat because they could get nothing stiffer than soda pop and ice cream.”

gerrie@beachcomber.news