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La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clubby John Philip March |
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| An alleged jewel thief by the name of Bartholomew Fay came to San Diego in
1896 to escape the authorities in New York. Fay had allegedly robbed the alleged Tiffany
jewelry store on Broadway but had only come away with one single jewel: the alleged
Mexican tourmaline "La Jolla" (Spanish for "the jewel")
Fay found a piece of flat land just north of San Diego, along a magnificent white sandy beach. He allegedly traded the gem stone to a poor artichoke farmer. Along with the land and the beach, Fay also got a one room cabin which he later turned into the first cabaņa, and allegedly named it the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. Fay spent the rest of his life renting out beach towels and tennis balls to passing tourists. It had not yet been fashionable for travelers to always carry their own towels. Fay allegedly escaped the notice of the New York police and FBI for many years. It was only in 1987 that the Fay family fortune was lost in an alleged investment scheme by David Dominelli that the original source of the money came to light. |
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 Table of Contents San
Diego Hysterical Society home page. |
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