In August of 1933, 19-year-old Burmah White, a hairdresser and former Santa Ana High School student, and her husband of less than one week, twenty-eight year old Thomas White, an ex-con, spent their honeymoon on a crime spree. The couple perpetrated ten stick-ups, seven in a single evening; but the worst of their crimes was the shooting of a popular elementary school teacher, Cora Withington, and a former publisher, Crombie Allen, who was teaching her how to drive his new car. They were stopped at a light when a car driven by a young blonde woman pulled up alongside them, and a man brandishing a gun jumped out of the vehicle. The bandit pointed his weapon at Withington's head and said, "Shell out, sweetheart..." Just as Withington and Allen were handing over their valuables there was a gunshot - and it tore through Miss Withington's left eye, came out near the right eye and ripped a hole in Allen's neck. Despite his injury, Allen memorized the license plate number of the bandit's car. Both victims survived their wounds, but Allen was permanently blinded. White's lack of remorse and abrasive demeanor were great fodder for the press, but earned the young widow a guilty conviction on eleven felony counts, and she was sentenced to a term of from 30 years to life. She began serving her time at San Quentin, but was ultimately transferred to the Women's Prison at Tehachapi where, in 1935, Aggie Underwood interviewed her and a few of the other inmates for a multi-part series on women in prison. Underwood noted that her attitude had completely changed and White even wrote an open letter to young women entitled "Crime Never Pays." White was denied parole a few times before she was discharged on December 1, 1941. She'd served less than eight years for her part in the 1933 crime spree. Upon her release, White vanished from public view. Photograph caption dated September 25, 1933 reads, "Children, teachers and mothers of the P.T.A. at the Third Street School gathered to pay 'a debt of love' to Cora B. Whitington, who was shot and blinded for life by the 'ruthless' bandit. As a loving tribute to the teacher whose career was so wantonly taken from her, the little group founded the 'Cora B. Withington fund.' The photo shows some of Miss Withington's former pupils with Mrs. Louise Dermody, school principal; Mrs. E. Earl Moody, mrs. Hall Ashley, P.T.A. president, and Mrs. W. K. Young. The fund, for which contributions will be received, is to be used to defray Miss Withington's expenses for the rest of her life."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 26 cm. Photographic prints
Third Street School (Los Angeles, Calif.) Third Street School (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Faculty Third Street School (Los Angeles, Calif.)--Students Fund raising--California--Los Angeles Teachers--California--Los Angeles Women--California--Los Angeles Children--California--Los Angeles Group portraits Portrait photographs Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
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