The Washington herald., 1920-10-25
ALLCLUES FAIL
In MURDER OF
MAI. SCANLAND
Relatives Unable to Aid Po-
lice in Search for Mo-
tive of Crime.
JURORS GIVE VERDICT
Decide He Was Struck Over
Head With Blunt In
Strument.
JURORS GIVE VERDICT

Without information from Texas
which might present a motive for
the killing Of Maj. Frank Scanland,
whose body was found in a tract of
woods a mile north of Alexandria,
Va, Friday night, and with the fail
ure of relatives who arrived here
yesterday to advance any possible
motive for the officers violent death,
police last night were temporarily
blocked in their search for the mur-
derer.
At a coroner's inquest conducted
by DIR. B. H. Swain in Alexandria
yesterday, jurors returned the YER
dict that "Scanland was murdered
by being struck over the head with
some blunt instrument by parties
unknown to the jury"
J. w. May Cleared.
Testimony of four witnesses
Frank Utterback, who found the
body; Detective Sergt. Howard NJ.
Vermillion, Who investigated Scan
lands presence at the Raleigh; Sher-
in A. c. Clements. of Arlington
County; and Constable A. H. Rich
ards-failed to shed light on the
manner of Scanland's death.
Possibility Of J. William May. an
automobile mechanic, of Alexandria,
having knowledge of the manner
Of Scanland's death was shattered
yesterday when the man appeared
before Inspector of Detectives Cliff
ford L. Grant and presented evi-
dence which cleared away any be-
lief that he had been with Scan
land between the time the officer
left the Raleigh Hotel and the time
Of his death.
Fail to Aid Police.
Mrs. ]. william May, estranged
wife of the Alexandria man, drew
May into the case by her presence
Saturday in front. of the place OF
autopsy in Alexandria. At that
time she said her husband and three
Dther men had broken into her home
last Monday night and she wanted
10 look at Scanland'S body because
the description of the murdered man
led her to believe he was one or
the men who had accompanied her
husband.
Mrs. Alice Scanland. of Youngs-
town. n. Y, Scanlands wife, and
the officers two sisters-Mrs. ]. B.
Crabbs and DR.. Louise Scanland.
Of Louisville, Ky. - arrived here
yesterday. but were unable to give
the police any information con-
Cerning ScanIand's activities in this
city.
Mrs. Scanland said she had re-
ceived one letter from her husband
since his arrival in Washington,
and that there had been nothing in
the letter to indicate the officer
was then in trouble, financially or
otherwise, or that. he anticipated
trouble.
With the mans two sisters. she
expressed the belief that SCanland
was murdered. and she did not give
credenCe to the theory that her
husband had met with an accident
near the spot where the body was
found.
Wrong Interpretation.
Mrs. Scanland said she had no
information that her husband was
in financial straits before his death,
and she added: He certainly had
no need to be-"
My letter TO my husband, found
in his effects at the hotel" she said
was wrongly interpreted. The
phrase, getting along somehow had
no reference to finances. Frank had
written me that he was troubled by
asthma, with which he has been ar
aicted since his return overseas
where he was gassed
No FinancieI Trouble.
My husband would not have beer
In financial need if we had known
it. l do not think he was. We are
investigating whether he had anv
money in San Antonio. Tex, bank
where, he kept his funds while at
Fort Sam Houston, Tex. Unless he
had Withdrawn it he should have
had plenty Of money to care for any
small debts such as he incurred al
the Raleigh"
Mrs. Scanland said she knew OF
no recent receipt of any amount Of
money by her husband, which might
have established robbery as the mo-
tive for his death.
She also said that she knew moth
ing of a message found in Scan.
lands effects, dated at Austin, Tex.
in which he was addressed as "Dea:
Daddy, and which was signed
Your Child" following a reference
n a LANA Rpsa