Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes. Darby Day Jr. and Bernice Lundstrom were from Chicago. He was the son of the wealthy head of the Life Insurance Underwriter's Association and she was a 21 year-old divorcee looking for another husband. They met in 1924, married and moved to Beverly Hills, California to escape the cold Chicago winters. Her family and his mother also moved to Beverly Hills. Lundstrom grew demanding and erratic in the marriage, insisting on a separate home for herself and threatening suicide. In February, 1925, Lundstrom threw nitric acid into Day's face at his home. The acid permanently damaged his face and he lost vision in one eye. Lundstrom was later arrested and stood trial. Defense experts claimed she had the mind of a ten-year-old, but when the jury saw the gruesome photos of Day's injuries, she was convicted and sentenced to 1 to 14 years. Her appeal was denied and she was sent to San Quentin Prison in Northern California in August, 1926. Day divorced her in December, 1926. Shocking those who knew him, Day made a plea to the Gorvernor to pardon Lundstrom, but he was denied. She served 14 months and was out by the end of 1927. Day died in Santa Monica, California on February 4, 1928 during surgery to remove an abdominal abcess. Photograph used for an article dated January 7, 1927; the caption reads "Bernice Day, who threw acid in the face of her ex-husband, is kept busy with tasks in the women's department." Day is wearing a hat and two strands of pearls. She was sent to San Quentin Prison upon conviction of that crime in 1926.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
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