Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph used for article dated June 20, 1935. In 1922, Clara Phillips, a former chorus girl, learned the identity of her husband's mistress, Alberta Meadows. Fueled by jealousy and rage, Phillips went on to purchase a claw hammer, then, in the company of her friend Peggy Caffee, sought out Meadows and assaulted her. The animal-like attack against Meadows, who was left disemboweled and with a severally mauled face, earned Phillips the name "Tiger Woman." Phillips was found guilty and sentenced to ten years in prison for the crime of passion. She escaped from the Los Angeles County prison in 1922 and was found in Honduras in 1923. She was an inmate at San Quentin from 1923 until 1932, when she was transferred to the original California Institution for Women in Tehachapi. She was released on parole in 1935. Clara Phillips, also known as the "Tiger Woman," is accompanied by sheriff Gene Biscailuz (center) at Le Grande Station in Los Angeles after she was captured and brought back from Arizona. Phillips fled from California the day after she brutally murdered Alberta Meadows, her husband's mistress.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;20 x 15 cm. Photographic prints
La Grande Station (Los Angeles, Calif.) Murderers--California--Los Angeles Sheriffs--California--Los Angeles County Murder--California--Los Angeles Railroad stations--California--Los Angeles Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.
