Herriman Saturday

Friday, December 6 1907 --A play version of E.W. Hornung's Raffles the Amateur Cracksman opens at the Mason Theatre to a tepid review from Examiner critic Othemon Stevens. Stevens interviews a Pinkerton man and a retired police detective after the show, they poo-poo the concept of a high society gent engaging in criminal activities "barring high finance." Why indeed would a gentleman bother to get up from his mahogany desk in order to commit his robberies?



Saturday, December 7 1907 --The original Santa Anita horse-racing park opened today for what ultimately would only be two seasons of racing. The park failed in part because new California laws made it impossible for bookmakers to ply their gambling trade.