The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-09-02

"A slight rift IN the cloud OF mystery
which has envelOped the death %
Norval L Harris. at first uronounced
a suicide b The police. was seen todsv
Shen his fanCee added her testimony to
the growing belief thar the 1resumptfon
Of Harris selI-destruCtfOn Is not wholly
tenabIS.
Further hope was incurred for an
early solution Of she entire tragedy
when Major Richard Sylvester. who yes
terday assumed personal charge OF the
reCpened investigation, detailed De
.tecfiNe Weldon. OF the Central Offce
. 60 thoroughly into the case as the
: -4fEresentatIye OF the Superintendent y
The report which Detective Weldon
VIII make 10 Major Sylvester VIII en-
brace the disposition Of the various
clues that cropped out after Efarris vas
found dead sunday last, which clues
however were hurrIedly dropped BY the
police formerly engaged in the investi-
saIiOn.
The renewed investigation viii be
thorough and. regardless OF whether
the finding of suicide Is approved or
whether the suspicion OF murder is more
fully justified. the department. through
Its head. VIII clear up the things that
were le1t unexplained during the pFelim-
mary cUTSOry saIaminatiOn-
Grounds for Suspicion.
: The Times has given wide publicity
TO these unexplained circumstances
since the police and the cOroner-s Office.
after an investigation Of but a few
hours. stigmaLized Harris as the de-
5stroyer OF his own life OF its own ac-
cord The Times has developed the case
I in an effort 10 show that there we're
number OF grounds jusJifying at least
a suspicion OF murder
II is learned today that Harris was
/ involved in two love affairs a. the time
OF his deatS- one was an affair ot the
heart. pure and simple, and was 70 have
illuminated in marriage during the
present month The other affair. evi-
idently, was not Of this character, for
Z II concerned a woman. presumably IN
/ BaltimGre, Of whom Harris hancss
L knew Nothing
This dsncee, whose name Is teing
withheld for the ureeSnt. Is now firmly
5 convinced that Harris was Interested in
{ al least one other WOman- and possibly
+ more. she IS Just as firmly convinced
4 that Harris did not take his own ifes
Z nor does she credit the statement Of the
! police that the various letters, supposed
I to be from 6, woman, which we're found
among Harris effects. were written by
: Harris 20 himself Harris was not 50 &c
/ centric as this. she declares and The
letters ring tue as indicative OF another
I love affair Of which he had kept his
! haucee in ignorance
Chided for Neglect
The Washington girl 70 whom Harris
was engaged wrote TO him last week re-
moustratins against his recent inatten-
ton. It appears that he had begun %
make regular visits TO Baltimore. some
times as often as three times q week
] Business was the excuse given his
Gancee, who was obliged TO frequently
chide Harris for his broken engage
ments here
hTe letters found in Harris room the
day his body was found. shot in the head
from the rear at Ninth and L streets
Baltimore. and one Of them. signed by
an unknown woman, asked Harris 70
T meet her IN that city Tuesday last
/ They also spoke Of an alleged recent
marriage between Harris and this woul-
an
The following features connected with
the death Of Harris are among the more
( important Yet . oe cleared Up. oerofe
suicide can be definitely accepted as the
{ solution Of the mystery
/ How Harris could have shot himself
( with a -3S-caliber gun IN the rear OF
| the head without burning bis flesh aud
| hair Experts say II could not have
been done
! Identity Of several men and women
in a summer garden with Harris a few
hours before his death and identity Of
the man Of the party with whom Harris
quarTeied.
Made Business Excuse.
Not long ago Norval was insisting
upon. our immediate marriage" she said
today. More recently, however, he be-
gan to break his regular engagements
with me and would always declare that
he had been called TO Baltimore on bust
Z ness
Last Monday he wrote me from BATH
more. He returned that nigh. and came
/ 10 see me He made another engage
. ment for Thursday night waited for
: him until 10 O'Clock. but he &iled TO
( show up
a few days before he was murdered
1 DO not believe that he committed sui
: eide-I wrote him letter asking him %
iexplain his strange conduct and remand