Hansen was one of the first people contacted by LAPD detectives after they opened the killer's package. In his formal statement, Hansen explained to the police and reporters that the address book had been stolen from his residence sometime during the period when Elizabeth had lived there in the summer of 1946. It was now clear it was she who had taken it.
Hansen said that he owned and lived at 6024 Carlos Avenue, in Hollywood, just behind his club. Hansen often rented out single rooms to girls, especially those who wanted to work for him or were trying to break into the business. He admitted having rented a room to Elizabeth for about a month during the summer of 1946 but, almost in the same sentence, adamantly denied ever being intimately involved with her or even ever having dated her. He added that he was aware that Elizabeth had dated many different men while she was living there, including 'a language teacher I know, and many other persons, mostly hoodlums whom I wouldn't even let in my house.'
Anne Toth, also present at his interview, took offense at his comment that Elizabeth had dated 'hoodlums.' 'She was a nice girl,' Toth said. 'She was quiet, she didn't drink and she didn't smoke, and we ought to look on the good side of people.'
Hansen identified the brown leather address book as his, saying it had been 'sent to me from Denmark, my native country.' He believed it had been taken from his desk; he hadn't known where it had gone until he had seen it pictured in the newspaper. As for the names in the book, 'There were no entries in the book,' Hansen said, 'no names of any individuals when I last saw it.'
He thought Elizabeth Short had stolen the address book, along with an item he described as a 'memorandum and calendar book,' which had also disappeared from his desk at roughly the same time that Short had moved out. In defining his relationship with the victim as simply that of landlord/tenant, he said that reports in the papers that he had dated Short were erroneous. Further, he claimed no knowledge of the crime either before or after the fact, telling reporters, 'The last time I saw Elizabeth Short was last Christmas, three weeks before she was murdered.'
Monday, January 27, 1947
In a second postcard mailed to the
Here it is
Turning in Wed
Jan. 29 10 A.M.
Had my fun at police
Black Dahlia Avenger
In his public statement about the note, Captain Donahoe said he believed that the postcard was 'legitimate' and might well be the 'message to follow' that the killer had promised to send in his original pasted-up note. 'The fact that the postcard was printed rather than lettered with words cut out of newspapers,' Donahoe said, 'also supports the theory that the killer intends to turn himself in to the police, and no longer needs to take pains to conceal his identity.' By the killer's signature line, 'Black Dahlia Avenger,' he surmised, 'he is indicating that he murdered Elizabeth Short for some avenged wrong, either real or imagined. So far we haven't seen any evidence of that, but we hope that the killer who is writing these notes keeps his promise to turn himself in on Wednesday.' In a public message, Donahoe promised the killer, 'If you want to surrender as indicated by the postcard now in our hands, I will meet you at any public location at any time or at the homicide detail office in the City Hall. Communicate immediately by telephoning MI 5211 extension 2521, or by mail.'
That same day, police were reviewing a separate typed message they believed was written by a woman — because there were lipstick smudges on the paper — and mailed to the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office. In the letter the writer described in detail an incident involving Elizabeth Short that probably took place at a Hollywood nightclub a day or two prior to the murder. Captain Donahoe refused to release any details of the letter except to say, 'it described an incident that might relate to the Elizabeth Short slaying. Detectives will also investigate a location described in the letter, and check out other details before its contents are made public.' A handwritten notation on the outside of the envelope indicated, 'Sorry, Greenwich Village, not Cotton Club.'
The details of this letter were kept strictly confidential in a meeting between LAPD's Captain Jack Donahoe and then district attorney Simpson.
That same day, the police also released this public statement: 'A complete roundup of the 75 names in the Mark Hansen address book was completed yesterday without adding anything to the sorry story that is already known.'
Tuesday, January 28, 1947.
The analysis of the printed postcard in which the suspect had promised to turn himself in revealed that he had used a 'new ballpoint pen' when he wrote the address of the
Wednesday, January 29, 1947
The newspapers and police received two additional notes, purportedly from the suspect, that were published on the front page of the dailies. Note #3 was again assembled out of pasted letters cut from newspapers, and said:
Dahlia's Killer Cracking,
Wants Terms
Note #4 was assembled the same way and promised:
