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Sullivan (Edward S.) papers
7111
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
USC Libraries Special Collections
Title: Edward S. Sullivan papers
Creator:
Sullivan, Edward S.
Identifier/Call Number: 7111
Physical Description:
4.42 Linear Feet
7 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1930-1970
Abstract: A photographic and manuscript archive created and compiled by Edward S. Sullivan, a Los Angeles-based correspondent for the
seminal crime publication
True Detective, whose ground-level journalistic techniques often blurred the line between reportage and private investigation. The photo
portion of the archive contains "evidence" of hundreds of murders, assaults, stick-ups, forgeries, and other criminal acts
spanning from the 1930s through the 1960s. The majority of these images were used as illustrations for Sullivan's true-crime
articles, either for
True Detective or his freelance work for other publications. The material is mostly related to criminal activity in California, but adjacent
western states, as well as Mexico, are also represented. Aside from the photographs, the collection contains Sullivan's case
folders, presumably used as research or reference for his work. All of the case files include newspaper clippings and about
half contain some sort of manuscript notations by Sullivan, primarily notes from interviews with sources on both sides of
the law, and they are composed with the dashed-off, slang-heavy prose of a "gumshoe" detective.
This note was adapted from the seller's description.
Language of Material:
English
.
A photographic and manuscript archive created and compiled by Edward S. Sullivan, a Los Angeles-based correspondent for the
seminal crime publication
True Detective.
The collection holds approximately 1200 photographic prints containing "evidence" of hundreds of murders, assaults, stick-ups,
forgeries, grifts, kidnappings, dog-poisonings, and other criminal acts spanning from the 1930s through the 1960s. The majority
of these images were used as illustrations for Sullivan's true-crime articles, either for
True Detective or his freelance work for other publications. The material is mostly related to criminal activity in California (Los Angeles,
the San Francisco Bay Area, the Central Valley, San Diego, etc.) but adjacent western states, as well as Mexico, are also
represented. About half of the folders are sorted alphabetically, containing either single photos or groups of related images,
and the other half of the folders are related to individual cases.
Many of the photographs were taken by Sullivan himself. His personal law enforcement connections, along with
True Detective's positive depictions of police, allowed him a level of access not necessarily available to his colleagues in the trade.
Most of the prints have typed labels affixed to the bottom which functioned as notes to the art department or as captions
for publication. One example notation accompanies a photograph of the rear entrance to a suburban home, reading: "BACK DOOR
OF GRANDMA'S APARTMENT ...HERE HER SON ENTERED TO FIND THE BODY."
The remaining portion of the photographs were either printed by Sullivan from negatives that he sourced, or wire photographs
acquired from news agencies such as United Press International (UPI) or Acme. Before his time with
True Detective, Sullivan was a copy editor for the
Los Angeles Examiner and a reporter from the San Francisco branch of the International News Service before that. It is likely the photographs
pertaining to crimes in the 1930s and 1940s were used in conjunction with his work with these or other publications.
The collection includes photographs and files related to many important cases of California's crime history, such as the murder
of George Alberts by three merchant seamen in Alameda, a case which was prosecuted by a young Earl Warren and derided by many
activists as an anti-union frame-job; Lucille Miller, a woman who gained notoriety for orchestrating a real life "double indemnity"
scam; and the trial of David Lamson, a Stanford professor accused of murdering his wife in what is considered to be one of
the state's first "trials of the century." These appear alongside many other photographs of crimes and characters such as
Florentino "The Cat" Ortega, a burglar and murderer who "bore a puma tattoo and prowled like a cat."
Aside from the photographs, the collection contains 50 case files, presumably used as research or reference for Sullivan's
work. All of the files organized by case include newspaper clippings pasted in chronologically. About half of the case files
contain a system of manuscript notation by Sullivan, primarily notes from interviews with sources on both sides of the law,
and they are composed with the dashed-off, slang-heavy prose of a private "gumshoe" investigator. Notating a police sergeant's
initial conclusion about a 1956 murder in Van Nuys, Sullivan writes "CONSENSUS: someone who knew her; no struggle...half dozen
partial prints--good nuff to eliminate--strange prints--killer--odd he so careless...no hot suspect at moment."
One of the case files contains the notes of an interview with Ian Hemensely, dubbed "the Hollywood Raffles" (an allusion
to a fictional gentleman thief). Hemensely was a burglar from Rhodesia who broke into the Bel-Air homes of celebrities such
as Zsa Zsa Gabor and Rosemary Lane, and often wrote apologetic poems on the walls of his victims' homes. Accompanying the
file are photographic mugshots of one of Hemensely's associates, Ernie "Casino" Candiottio, and one of Raffles himself, with
Sullivan's affixed caption reading, "NOTE YELLOW HAIR DYE WEARING OFF."
Some of the case files contain ephemera such as wanted posters, police bulletins, and--in one case--a flyer circulated to
dentists in the Riverside area with images of a Jane Doe's dentures and a caption inquiring, "Did you make these teeth?" Additionally,
there are a handful of carbon copies of letters that Sullivan sent to the
True Detective editors in New York which further showcase Sullivan's closeness to sources and ability to procure information. One such example
involves a story about a woman arrested for arranging the murder of her husband on Halloween night. In a letter about his
research for the story, Sullivan writes that the accused wife "admitted to the police in confidence that she had a long standing
lesbian affair with [the shooter], but told them she would deny it on the stand."
This note was adapted from the seller's description.
Advance notice required for access.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Department of Special
Collections at specol@usc.edu. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Rights Statement for Archival Description
Finding aid description and metadata are licensed under an Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased from Daniel Oliver LLC, February 11, 2021.
[Box/folder no. or item name], Edward S. Sullivan papers, Collection no. 7111, Regional History Collection, Special Collections,
USC Libraries, University of Southern California
The following students from CORE 450: Los Angeles: A Polymathic Inquiry (2022-2023 cohort) processed and described the collection's
case files: Xyla Abella, Kendall Damon, Beatrix Heard, Sol Lagos, Gabrielle Latimore, Jared Levine, Tomás Manea, Saniya Patel,
Sam Rios, Kristina Shea, Karthik Srinivasan, and Eliana Yeager.
Material grouped under the "Newspaper clippings" and "Photographs" series is unprocessed.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Crime and the press -- California -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Criminal investigation -- California -- Los Angeles -- Archival resources
Criminal investigation -- History -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Private investigators -- California -- Los Angeles -- 20th century -- Archival resources
True crime stories -- California -- 20th century -- Archival resources
Case files
Photographs
News photographs
Newspaper clippings
Wire photographs
Sullivan, Edward S. -- Archives