Arizona republican., 1920-09-24
FORMER PHOENIX
 RESIDENT VICTIM
 IF MURDER PLOT. IN LOS ANGELES

Inc 6I9CoNery or ehe DooV oT
 Jacob Charles Denton, Los Angeles
 capitalist and former resident of
 Phoenix, buried in the cellar of his
 home at 675 Catalina street in Los
 Angeles yesterday noon brought to
 light what the police of Los An
 geIes characterize as the most
 weird murder story in the history
 of that city. Denton disappeared
 about June 1, after writing to his
 f5-year- old daughter, Frances Den
 ton, 314 Fourth street, that he
 would stop a few hours in Phoenix
 to visit with her en route to the
 east on a business trip. He failed
 to arrive, and after two weeks
 without a word from him, Miss
 Denton became disturbed and
 started an investigation through
 P. H. Hays and R. Alice, local at
 torneys, which ended yesterday in
 the finding of the body by private
 investigator.
 The body was buried under several tons of earth in dramatically sealed box in a secret room in the cellar of Denton's home. A pistol with which the Los Angeles police believe Denton was shot to oeath was found in che room in which, according to the police, he was slain. Letters drawing atten- tion to three women were found in the room and the police are searching for these women. Revenge is thought to be the motive for the crime.
 Police detectives called into the case by the private investigator who had discovered the body learned that Den ton had given up an apartment and had been occupying at the time of his disappearance room in the house where his body was found. They searched the room and found numerous letters pistol and blood stains. Find Murder Pistol
 One chamber. of the pistoI contained a cartridge of the wrong caliber. De- tectives said this indicated that the | weapon had been used to shoot Denton and then the discharged shell replaced hurriedly and carelessly with the one 1 of wrong caliber. The blood stains l fixed the room as the location of the l tragedy, they said.
 Since divorced from his first wife, | Mrs. Sarah Denton of this city, MT. | Denton had written almost daily to his daughter. On May 31 he wrote asking her to meet him at the station in Phoe- nix early in June. Miss Denton met | the trains from Los Angeles for four days, but he failed to arrive She 1 went to the office of Hays & Alice her | fathers attorneys in Phoenix, for ad . vice, and they began an investigation into the mystery. It was learned that 1 Denton had also written to friends ir Prescott and Kansas City telling then of trip he planned to take east about June l, but had failed to call on them.
 Attorneys Hays and Alice learned ir | their investigations that no checks haC been drawn against Denton's bank ac- counts in Phoenix or in Los Angeles since about June l. They wrote tC Judge Ross Avery of the superior court of Los Angeles county, a persona friend of Denton, asking that he carry on an investigation in that city. The judge was unable to get any informa- tion about Denton, but did secure iron a Mrs. Pete, housekeeper for Dentor in Los Angeles, a testamentary docu-
 nent purporting to be Denton's las will.
 Mystery in Document The document was written by Den
 ton on May 15 of this year and begal as follows: 'If anything should hap
 pen to me or in case of death, whic' | must come to all" Later in the doc | ument he again made the statement | If anything should happen to me. | The purported will gave 75 per cent O
 his estate to his daughter, Frances
 and the remaining 25 per cent went f
 a fund for home for children of un known parentage.
 II Mrs. Pete told Judge Avery that Den
 ton had packed his grips for the tri east, but had left them setting in tn
 hall of his home and had never com | back to get them. Mrs Pete. accord I | the Denton home in Los Angeles fo l about 30 days following the disappear
 ance of Denton. She is said to hay l driven his automobile about the cit
 and entertained in the home Then sh l disappeared.
 II Judge Avery had an investigatio carried on through the office of tn l county attorney in Los Angeles withou i results Reports were received tha Denton had been seen in Seattle i T. July and later he was seen. accordin to the report, walking about the street in Los Angeles. At this time he
 said to have been minus an arm II Expect Arrests
 l. Last Monday Hays & Alice wrote q firm of attorneys in Los Angele | sending them all the data of their in
 vesugations and asking their help i 1 carrying on the work. Yesterday noo
 Mir. Hays received a wire from R. \ 1 Blodget, a member of the firm, whic | l read Denton murdered and burie l in basement. Have just notified th | police" Late last night MT. Hays re -'' Continued on page 9