Tom Moran and Tom Sewell Fantasy by the Sea Peace Press: Culver City, CA, 1980 (1979) (Originally published by Beyond Baroque Foundation with a grant from the Visual Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts), 1926
Aimee Semple McPherson
"Aimee Semple McPherson disappeared from the Venice beach May 18, 1926. She had checked into her suite at the Ocean View Hotel and then walked to the sand with her secretary. The secretary ws reading from a Bible while McPherson waded into the surf.
"McPherson had become one of the wealthiest and most exciting evangelists in American history. She thrived on publicity and used elaborate sets and pageantry to dramatize her sermons at the Angelus Temple in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles. When she failed to return from her swim an intensive headline-capturing search was launched.
"Airplanes scanned the water's surface for signs of the missing woman. Deep-sea divers plodded along the ocean floor. Five thousand of "Sister Aimee's" followers came to the beach to help with the search and pray for their leader. One mourner committed suicide. A lifeguard drowned during his search for the evangelist's body.
"It was rumored that local amusement interests had a hand in her disappearance. McPherson had been advocating a referendum election to ban the Sunday dancing that was allowed at Venice by a special Los Angeles ordinance. Foul play was suspected.
"One month after her disappearance a memorial sevice was held at the Venice beach and flowers were strewn over the sea. Two days later McPherson reappeared outside Douglas, Arizona, telling a story of kidnapping, torture and escape across the Mexican desert.
[photo on p. 69 shows McPherson searchers with the Ocean Park Pier in the backgrond and signs indicating the Dome Theatre, the Rosemary Theater and Chop Suey.]
"Contradictions in the evangelist's story began to appear and charges that she had obstructed justice were filed against her. America enthusiastically followed the daily press coverage of the case's bizarre turns until prosecution was suddenly halted and all charges against the evangelist were dropped in 1927."