Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-07-13
.LWELL ATTACKED
'|bY UNKNOWN MEN
Police Seek Two Persons Be-
Iieved implic ated in Turf
mans Murder
NEW MYSTERY DEVELOPS

New York. July 13.-That Joseph
4owne Flwell was assaulted BY two
MEN ON the sidewalk six hours before
his death near the New Amsterdam
IHcatre on Forty second street is the
lltest story being investigated BY New
Work police.
Elwell. according to the story. iumned
itto taxicab to escape from his
nhsailants. One of them hailed another
ttxi and ordered the driver to take him
u Elwelps home.
This assault Is said to have taken
p!ace after Elwell had parted from Mr..
abd Mrs. Walter Lewisohn. Miss Viola
Ktsus and Mr.. Octavio Figueroa. with
whom he had been spending the eve
Ming.
IT has been learned that the story
reached the police some time ago ana
that they have been investigating II 80
ctetly. The men who committed the
sfsault are said to have Wccupied a
table neur that of the I.cwisohn Elwcll
pprty at the Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic
, Trrrformance at the New Amsterdam.
They are said to have been men OF FL
wells own station in life and two names
phrporting to be the names OF these
s6sailants have been turned over to the
rplice.
The story is that these men had one
or two women in their company and
that when Elwell's friends left him in
front OF the theatre they left both
women and attacked him.
The women. II is said. tried at once
tp interfere, and this gave Elwcll a
chance to board taxicab and escape.
One of the men remained with tho
women while the other gave chase to
the bridge whist expert
Motive for Attack Unknown
Just what motive the party should
have had for the attack is no: known.
Int IL has been surmised that the two
men had cherished some grudgc OF long
standing. Their meeting on the thea =
tfe roof is believed to have been acci-
dental
In the statements which various per.
spns have supplied the officials there
ORE certain instances which seemingly
tend to corroborate this story. There
70. for instance. the statement of ne
gro taxicab chauffeur to the effect that
he took man in a brown business suit
from Broadway and Forty second street
% the Elwell residence at about =
o'clock on the morning on which ElwCll
4 vas slain.
1t was at first supposed that this
(haufeur had taken Elwcn home. but
- EIwell wore a dinner coat this sup
position appears on its face to be
erroneous. 10 was also recalled that
this chauffeur had stated that his pas. .
srnger mt first told him to drive him
D 204 West Seventeen street. aud upor
arriving nt that house discovered thai
\ was tn, wrong address and asked
% be taken to the house two door.
vest of the big apartment which was
IA, where Elwcll lived
New Mystery Develops
z A mystifying feature of the story lies
d the fact that Elwcll was not slain
until about 8 o'clock. and officials find
& = difficult to imagine why a man who
1bllowed him home at > a. M. if that
11an was the slayer. should have waited
ok hours before killing him. II was
pointed out yesterday if this man saw
something which indicated that there
Tns another person on the premises he
might have waited until that other per
sons departure.
"SuppoSc. an investigator said yes.
trrday. that one Of Elwcll's racing as
sociates happened to be in the house
and that Elwell came downstairs to let
This associate out of tho house at about
O'Clock. that he thereupon picked up
His mail and sat down to read it, 1t
would be the most natural thing for the
nan who had been watching the house
70 enter at This moment. slay ElwelI
and leave. There arc any number of
Ways in which he might have obtained
admission. II is also casy to see why
the man who had spent the night with
bim should hesitate about admitting the
tact, If he said that he left Elwcll' :
house at s o'clock and Elwell was found
murdered at 8 %. suspicion would nat
hrally fall upon him. The innocent
man might reasonably be expected to
try TO keep his visit to the place a
Secret."