The Murder/Riddle Solution-Page 3
The Newsprint-Confetti Smoke Screen
The massive newspaper coverage
of the Dahlia case. Served LAPD well in obscuring the presence of their man
Ed. But it didn't quite hide him completely. Ed made some anonymous appearances
in LA newspapers. He showed up in the January 17 Herald-Express as Betty's
Long Beach-hospital boyfriend who was being sought for questioning. He showed
up in the January 22 Examiner as the man who registered in the hotel
with the Black Dahlia. He was in the January 22 Times as the man who
was looking for a room with a private bath with tub. He then made it to the
February 3 Herald as that same guy who was seeking a room with private
bath with tub. As Betty said previously, the three hotels Ed checked on the
evening of the 14th were in the Harbor District. Also as Betty said, Ed did
this because the managers at Ed's and Betty's south downtown-LA hotel were
becoming pesky. On all hotel checks, Ed parked his black "tow-rope-special" 1937
Ford sedan at least a block from the hotel. He had Liz and Beth cozily tucked
away in their separate suitcases which were locked in the car. But maybe they
were too big to fit in the trunk and were visible through the windows. Ed didn't
want to clearly show the car that would be seen at the show site the
next morning; and he didn't want to be visualized toting two big suitcases
in and out of a hotel room he'd use for only one night. The suitcase scenario
might've been suspicious, in retrospect, especially to hotel managers who would
never see the wife who needed a tub. . . And Ed's anonymous mug appeared beside
Betty's in newsphotos. But LAPD did a phenomenal obfuscation job. The public
never "saw" the real Dahlia murderer, although Dahlia-murderer Ed
was in front of their eyes more than once. A famous ex-LAPD-cop/author eyed
the meticulously prepared first installment in Ed's occult murder story and
believed he was looking at sales-promotion gimmickry by an LA newspaper. Ed
was the little man who wasn't there, even when he was there . . .
"Just the facts, ma'am."
In 1958, Jack Webb
published a book called The Badge. It has a haunting 10-page
summary of the Black Dahlia case. Webb was given material and "hints" on
its presentation by LAPD Ed anonymously appears in the summary. But
LAPD has changed Ed's occupation, and moved Ed's and Betty's hotel.
Webb has a "coded" paragraph in the segment. It goes: "Two
or three times, friends later remembered, Betty had hitched rides to
the Sixth Street area when she was out of funds. After a day or so,
she would reappear, mysteriously replenished. Where she got the money
never was known." LAPD knows full well that: the money
came from Ed; Betty and Ed rendezvoused in Hollywood, Betty did not
hitch rides; Betty and Ed spent the nights in their Washington Boulevard
hotel. But LAPD had a case to protect and Webb had a Dahlia summary.
In another paragraph, Webb says that no-name Ed signed in as "Mr.
and Mrs." Webb later asks: "Was the killer The Dahlia's lover
or husband who felt he had been betrayed?" LAPD knew Ed had used, "Barnes
and wife." And they had to say, "Howdy, Ed, we know
damn well you did it!"
But this "Hello, Ed" was analogous to sound of a tree toppling in
Nowhereville. Dahlia-murderer Ed had long ago ceased to exist, save as a memory
and an LAPD secret. It's time for the public to know Ed Burns, and the real
Black Dahlia murder.
Cat and Mouse
On January 22 the Examiner printed
the item about the Dahlia and a man, Ed, being traced to the hotel
on Washington. I think the public had already OD'd on Black Dahlia
reportage and had no idea that the guy was the Dahlia killer. The pictures
of Betty and killer Ed seemed purposely conspicuous. Was LAPD using
this article to cause Betty's killer to surface? Ed surfaced. Two days
after seeing his smiling face beside Betty's, Ed mailed his first correspondence.
And he'd done unsquare dealing: he had included another photo
of himself and Betty. What killer would mail cops a photo of himself
with his victim? A killer who knew cops had pics of him with
his victim might. Ed did. And he'd sent the packet pronto. He knew
LAPD had picked up his trail and would be seeing him soon. He thought
it'd look funny if they found Betty's stuff with him. A day later,
Betty's purse and shoes showed up at an LA dump: more booty to shed
before LAPD showed up. This likely was a Harry Hansen/Finis Brown stratagem
that worked. And it fortified their strong suspicion that the guy in
the photos with Betty was her murderer. LAPD used the press to throw
other smog-and-mirrors verbiage at Ed and the public. Captain Jack
Donahoe's hokum about looking for a "shack in a thinly populated
district outside the city" was part of it. I'm sure LAPD had by
then deduced that the abattoir was the hotel room. And Donahoe's telling
killer BD he could "turn in" in the homicide squadroom was
heavy smog. LAPD should've deciphered Ed's first two messages
by now.
Ed and Red and the French Connection
Elizabeth Short told the Frenches about
her "green-eyed" LA beau. She often played games, like mendaciously
blaming bug-bite marks on her arms on a tiff she'd had with a jealous
San Diego boyfriend. But the jealous LA man and Betty's fear of him
were real. Elvera French knew it. Elvera knew that the man was an Ed
who worked in a Long Beach hospital. LAPD muted Elvera about the name "Ed" and
other info about Betty's and Ed's relationship. But Elvera saw dark
danger in Ed that Betty didn't see. When Elvera heard "mutilated
girl found in LA lot" news, she "knew" the girl was
Betty Short. And maybe Red Manley had heard black stuff about Ed. Finis
Brown said Red knew more than he was revealing. Finis was thinking
of Ed. LAPD might've silenced Red about Ed. Red had schizoid mental
problems unrelated to his fateful flirtation with the Dahlia. But maybe
Red Manley's supersonic downward spiral was mainly due to guilt: an
unwarranted guilt related to not talking Elizabeth Short out of again
calling on an insanely jealous and possessive Ed Burns . . .
. . . Drifting Inexorably Toward Her Fate .
. .
Betty had Manley drive her to an area
near the hotel and the LA Santa Fe Depot. She again called on Ed. She
thought she could sweet-talk his into loaning her train fare to Chicago.
And maybe she thought that if she restricted the with-Ed setting to
their hotel room, she'd be OK with managers and other guests there
with them; she walked to the hotel on the 9th and the 12th,
she didn't get into Ed's car. Red might have given Betty bring-on-the-guilt
erroneous advice on this.
Strangers in the Night and Day
Ed Burns and Betty never really knew each other.
Ed must have thought Betty would be happy to move in with a "stable" guy
who "loved" her and would take care of her. He probably believed
she eventually would see the light and would "settle down." And Betty
apparently thought Ed was like other men she'd known. Guys had become jealous
and possessive around her before. Maybe that was why an Army MP she'd been
living with in '43 had given her a bad beating. That might've been why Joe
Fickling and Betty went their separate ways. Joe was jealous of sailors who
were hanging around the hotel at 53 Linden Avenue in Long Beach. And Betty
might have made up that "insanely jealous, dark-haired Italian boyfriend" in
San Diego. Jealousy in men was something Betty could handle. And men other
than Ed had pleaded with Betty to move in with them, or to let them fix her
up with a place to stay. There was a short, dark-complected fellow who'd helped
her with rent at one of her residences in Hollywood. He wanted to put her up
in an apartment in Beverly Hills. Betty refused his offer. He let go and rode
off into the Santa Monica sunset . . . But the lovesick Ed would not and could
not let go. He'd fallen for Betty way too hard. Betty probably began to grasp
this fact in the early part of December of '46. That was when she rode a Greyhound
bus to San Diego. But Betty must have still believed that Ed Burns was pretty
much like a normal guy: she called on him again after she had returned to Los
Angeles. It was a one-for-the-books mistake
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Articles
The Five Not-So-Missing Days
Red Manley had driven Betty from San Diego
to LA on Thursday, 1/9/47. He'd waited as she'd checked her luggage
into a bus-depot locker, then he'd driven her to the Biltmore Hotel.
They'd said "good-bye" in the lobby at 6:30 p.m. Betty stayed
in the vicinity of the Biltmore for three hours, then walked to the
fateful hotel on Washington. Betty and Ed spent this night in their
hotel. They must've agreed to meet at their hotel on Sunday, because
they met at their hotel at 11 a.m. on Sunday. Where was Betty from
Friday morning until Sunday morning? I'd say the reported sighting
by Christenia Salisbury should be believed. Betty had worked for Ms.
Salisbury in '44 and '45 in the former showgirl's Miami, Florida restaurant.
Salisbury allegedly saw Betty with two tipsy women on Friday night
outside Club Tabu, on the Strip. Betty allegedly told her ex-boss that
she was staying with the tight twosome at their place in the San Fernando
Valley. This makes sense. Betty's luggage was in the depot locker;
the ladies had lady-stuff Betty could use until Sunday. Betty likely
stayed with the Valley girls until Sunday, when they dropped her off
in downtown LA. And how did Ed Burns make sure Betty would keep
her date with fate? Previously, Betty told us how Ed had tricked her
into thinking he'd loan her money for a train trip to Chicago. Maybe
he did another devious thing. Maybe he told Betty he'd pick up her
luggage for her: she'd have her stuff with her as soon as she arrived
at the hotel. That would be great! If Betty decided she did want to
go to Chicago, Ed would drive her right to the Union Pacific train
station . . . So Betty wouldn't bug out on Ed Burns again: he had her
luggage claim ticket, in other words her suitcases, and her
Chicago-trip fare . . . What a sicko scenario! . . .
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