Parasol wielded in streetcar rage

Oct. 5, 1908: A “tall, well-built woman of stylish mode, wearing rimless spectacles and carrying a sunshade” attacked a conductor after the Pico Heights streetcar on which she was riding went past her stop, The Times reported.

She claimed that the conductor hadn’t called the street, even though he had, The Times said. She kept complaining, blocking the aisle, until he tried to push her aside so passengers could get off at Pico Boulevard and Westlake Avenue.

“Turning furiously on the conductor, she struck him several times with her parasol and once or twice with her fist,” The Times said. “In doing so, her spectacles dropped and were broken.”

In the ensuing scuffle, the woman knocked the conductor onto the street. He pulled her off, boarded and left her standing in the street as the trolley departed.