Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-12
8 WOMEN SOUGHT
IN ELWELL MURDER
Number Of Female Friends
Known to Have Keys to
His Apartment
SUICIDE THEORY DROPPED

NeW hOrk, June l2.-Ihe names OF
several women who had keys to Joseph
! BOVINE Elwell's home. at 244 West
Seventieth street, are in the hands of the
police, who arc seeking them today in
hope of clearing up Elwcll's murder.
The number OF persons entrusted with
keys by the wealthy turfman and the
foremost authority on bridge whist, Is
not known, but ut least three women
were among them. according to Edward
Rhodes, who had been Mr.. Elwell's
chauffeur for three years. Early today
the police had been unable to find any
) of them.
at may be that one Of these wcmen."
Rhodes is quoted as saying, "was mar
: ried and that her husband found out
about her friendship for Mr.. Elwell
and in some way got hold Of her key"
After hours Of investigation the de-
tectives admitted today that Elwclls
murder is one Of the most puzzling in
recent years. They are convinced,
however, that he was slain by some one
he knew we'll, possibly some one he had
admitted to his drawing room after day.
light yesterday.
| Suicide Theory Abandoned
They have established the approx
mate time he was shot, but they have
been unable to account for his move
ments from about = a. IN. until he
reached home. The theory of suicide
was abaDdoned soon after he was found.
In the first place the pistol has not been
found, and the doctors say from the
nature of the wound.-a bullet through
his brain-he could not have moved or
have concealed it or thrown it away.
There are no powder burns such as
would have resulted from holding the
weapon near. His friends declare he
was not the type Of man who would
take his life for any cause, and there
is no known reason why he should have
done so. Nor has any motive been
found for his murder. In tracing his
movements the detectives learned that
he was a member of dinner party
given at the Ritz Carlton.
When the party broke up about
a. M, Mr.. Elwell was in excellent
spirits, as he had been all evening.
The others left in Mr.. Lewisohn's car,
but Mr.. Elwell started on foot in For
ty second street toward Eighth ave-
nue..
Sometime during tho carly hours be
reached the Sevspticth street house.
where he lived alone, He never ote
there. II was said. unless some of his
friends came before breakfast, Then
Mrs. Marie Larson. Of 324 East Fifty
second street. who came in daily to nut
, the house in order. cooked the meal
Robbery Not Motive
After arriving yesterday he removed
his evening clothes in his room up
stairs, folded them neatly, threw roll
of money amounting to about SIOO on
the bed and placed beside it jewclry
valued at about $1,000. The presence
of the money and jewelry there when
the body was found proves robbery was
not the object Of the murder.
At 7:3O a. M, the postman showed
several letters under the door Those
are the letters found neor Mr.. Elwcll
on a colIapsible card table, He had
opened only one. dated Latonia, Ky.,
, from his western race horse trainer, II
, had fallen on n rug beside him. and
near it was the cartridge shell from the
| automatic, he was chair. his