New Baron Harringa Link found in DA Reports

Newly discovered research links Ernst von Harringa (“The Baron”) to vehicle at the Franklin House, and to the neighborhood, with his immediate family living just doors away from 1948 Lone Woman Murder victim, Gladys Kern. 

Do new findings in the DA transcripts provide further confirmation that George Hodel was “well connected” to law-enforcement and more specifically, to L.A.’s “top cop”?

Below we see an excerpted scan of the original DA Hodel Bugging Transcripts. It is from the morning of March 9, 1950. Dr. Hodel has just treated an unidentified patient and given him eye drops. The man with a German accent (Harringa, still unidentified on the morning of March 9th) is also at the Franklin House talking with George Hodel. Detectives run DMV’s (Department of Motor Vehicle registrations) on the vehicles parked out front of the residence. (The following day, Sgt. Belle will call detectives and according to the transcripts, misidentify the German as “Baron Herringer.” (Actual spelling of his name being Harringa)

 

 

I have highlighted above two of the vehicle names and registrations found in the transcript.  First let us examine the registered owner, on the bottom line. Who was Mary Valla, 2212 N. Nella Vista, L.A?  Through Voter Registration records and an obituary, I was able to determine that she was the mother of Alene Valla, aka, Mrs. Alene Von Harringa, the wife of “Baron” Ernst Von Harringa. As can be seen in the below Voter Registration record, all four family members show the same residence address: 2124 S. Beverly Glen in 1950.

1950 Los Angeles Voter Registration

   

Mary Valla Obituary Feb. 18, 1968 Long Beach Independent Press Telegram

 

However, her vehicle, (1936 Packard, License 60A8 150) was obviously being driven that day by her son-in-law, Ernst Harringa. It was registered in her name to an address just one mile away from the Franklin House. It should also be noted that the address was just around the corner from the 1948 Gladys Kern crime scene.

Dr. Hodel Franklin House in relationship to Mary Valla house and Kern crime scene

 

Map showing Mary Valla residence (230 yds) from 1948 Gladys Kern Murder location

(SKH Note- In the 1948 Kern murder, immediately after the killing, two men were seen exiting the Kern crime scene.  A composite drawing obtained of the one suspect was almost a picture perfect look-alike of George Hodel. (Moustache airbrushed out in GHH photo for comparison purposes.) The second suspect’s description was never released to the public. This new information raises the obvious question. Did Ernst Harringa, Hodel’s longtime friend, have a prior history of assaulting women with George, which predated their 1950 basement assault?)

 

F.E. Mattoon – Was George Hodel doctoring and “connected” to L.A.’s top law enforcement officer?

The second registration of interest in the DA Hodel Transcript was on a 1935 Packard license number, 75P 319, registered to: F.E. Mattoon, 251 S. Lucerne Ave, Los Angeles. Was Mattoon the patient George was treating with eye drops? Who was F.E. Mattoon? 

We will never know for sure, but you can bet the registration information definitely got the immediate attention of DA investigators. Why? 

Because F.E. (Frank) Mattoon, in 1950, then in his early nineties, was the uncle of Everett Mattoon, and Everett Mattoon, then age 58, was the top ranking law enforcement officer in Los Angeles and the No. 2 cop in the entire state. Everett Mattoon, was one of the most powerful politicians in California, and before becoming Deputy AG, had been L.A.County’s Chief Counselor. In that capacity he certainly would have known L.A. County’s Chief V.D. Control Officer, George Hodel. 

My guess is that if it was a Mattoon being treated at the Franklin House is was most likely Everett. His uncle’s advanced age, would probably have required a doctor’s house call, though maybe not? (Legend has it that men were a lot tougher back then.)

The point here is that it underscores what is reflected in earlier transcribed conversations between George Hodel and Ernst Harringa where George say’s, “This is the best payoff I’ve seen between law enforcement agencies. ..You do not have the right connections made.”  … Hodel then states, “I’d like to get a connection made in the D.A.’s office.” (Feb. 18, 7:35 P.M. transcript)

       Everett Mattoon, Dep. AG  office in L.A. residence in Beverly Hills

 

(SKH Note- On March 9, 1950, the day that the Mattoon car was seen parked in front of the Hodel residence, Everett Mattoon was still Assistant Attorney General of California in charge of the Los Angeles Office.)

  Map showing both Frank & Everett Mattoon residences in relation to Franklin House

                        ( Frank Mattoon home 4 miles —  Everett Mattoon home 8 miles) 

 

MATTOON UPDATE – July 1, 2009–

From information received today from a confidential/reliable source I have been able to establish that the MATTOON vehicle had a legitimate reason for being parked in the area that did not involve any connection to Dr. George Hodel.

Further, based on that information I believe we can RULE OUT (with a high degree of certainty) our earlier speculation that a MATTOON family member may have been the patient visiting Dr. George Hill Hodel on the morning of March 9, 1950.