Clifford Rue was a man ahead of his time and behind on payments to his bookie.
A former Marine who changed his name from Rubenstein for business purposes, Rue had been working at his father's liquor store when he persuaded some friends to join him in an unusual venture.
Rue was the type who couldn't get enough of sports statistics. Today, he probably would be in a dozen fantasy leagues and spend all his time on the computer.
But in the 1950s, access to sports information was far more restricted. Rue badgered sportswriters and newspaper editors with phone calls for updates until he wore out their patience. So in 1955 he talked some friends into putting up enough money to begin a free sports information service.
According to Time magazine, Rue's Sports Information Results hired 17 researchers to answer 18,000 sports questions a day. Queries included "What's the largest football score ever run up?" or "What is the maximum speed of a duck?" To make a profit, the service sold ads that were played over the phone before callers got their answers.
After an initial success, the venture apparently went under. Rue began working at the Seville, a nightclub at 7969 Santa Monica Blvd., and operated a credit business called Trans-National Budget Plan. He and his wife were also working on a dress shop she planned to open at 12236 Ventura Blvd.
Along the way, Rue ran up gambling debts on sporting events until he owed $4,200 (more than $29,000 when adjusted for inflation) to Morris "Goldie" Goldsworth, a bookie who split his time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles. But while Rue was losing money to Goldsworth, he also won $700 from a wholesale jeweler named David Solomon.
On the afternoon of Oct. 16, 1958, Solomon visited Rue, who was doing some remodeling work at the dress shop, and paid $200 on his debts.
Later that day, Goldsworth arrived at the shop in what The Times described as a hard-topped convertible. Police found his car four days later parked about four blocks away at 3809 Rhodes Ave. after a neighbor complained that the convertible had been left in front of his house.
When Officer E.C. Hayes responded to the call, he noticed that blood had dripped from the trunk onto the back bumper. While he was waiting for detectives, Hayes removed the back seat and saw a body.
Goldsworth, 52, had been shot and beaten in the head. His pockets were turned inside-out. All that police found on him were a white handkerchief and half a pack of cigarettes. Further investigation revealed dried flecks of paint on the body.
