Evening star., 1922-02-10
PRESIDENT PRESENTS
TREATIES TO SENATE.
URGING RATIFICATION
FILM LAND RAKED
IN TAYLOR INQUIRY
Twelve Witnesses Heard and
as Many More Summoned
in Murder Case.
BY the Associa ted Press.


Los ANGELES. Calf, February 10.
After beginning pronounced sat
isfactory.".t district attorneys in
vestigation of the murder Of William
DesmoAd Taylor was expected to be
continued today with the possibility
that number of persons prominent
dn the motion picture world would be
summoned as witnesses.
Twelve persons, both men and
women. believed to have informa-
ton of value to the Investigators
have already been questioned by
Thomas Lee Woolwine, district attor-
ney. or by William C. Doran. his chief
deputy.
The information already obtained
was desired, 1t was said, for ground
work upon which to base the exam
ination of persons known to have
been closely associated with the dead
director.
Before District Attorney.
Those wio appeared at the district
attorneys Office so far in connection
with the investigation centralized
there included Charles Eyton. gen.
eral manager of the Famous Players
Laskey studios, where Taylor was
under a two-year contract.
Others were Douglas MacLean, film
actor, a neighbor Of Taylor, and his
wife and their maid: Henry Peavey,
lows. Taylor's chauffeur; Harry Fell
lows. Taylor's chaueffeur; Harry Eel
lows. the latter's brother and former
ly Taylor's chauffeur and more re-
Gently his assistant director; Verne
Dumas and Neil Harrington. oil op-
orators and neighbors of Taylor:
Charles Maigne, a film director; Ar
thur Hoyt. an actor and close
friend of Taylor, and Capt. r. A.
American Army, said he had an over
seas acquaintance with Taylor when
an officer in the British army.
Rumor has 1t that Mary Miles Min
ter, for whom Taylor formerly was
a director, also was closeted with the
Tuesday, before Mr. Woolwine
officially took charge Of the inquiry,
but there has been no confirmation
of this.
ActresSes to BE Called.
There has been no intimation as to
who would be summoned before the
district attorney today, but previous
inquiries by the police into the case
indicate that among the witnesses to
be summoned eventually before the
district attorney will be included Miss
Minter, Mabel Normand. whose let
ters to the dead director are now in
the possession of the district attor-
ney; Neva Gerber, said to have been
engaged to marry Taylor at one time
Claire Windsor, who had recently
dined an6 motored with him; Edna
Puryiance, formerly leading woman
for Charles Chaplin, and a neighbor
of Taylor, who was said to have tele-
phoned the news of the directors
murder to Miss Normand, and a num-
Der of others more or less prominent
in the motion picture colony.
Meantime the police search for Ed
ward F. Sands. formerly butler-secre-
tary for Taylor, continues. while the
sition that Sands had nothing to do
with the crime.
Both joined in declaring their dis
belief that Walter F. Underwood,
under arrest in Topeka, Kan, for
misappropriation of funds of a Los
Angeles company, had any connection
with the murder of Taylor. They
said, however. he is wanted on a
complaint sworn out by a bonding
company. charging misappropriation
of funds.
Miss Normand in Seclusion.
Miss Normand, one of the last per-
sons to see Taylor alive, remained in
seclusion at her home yesterday, re-
covering from the collapse she suf-
fered at the directors funeral Tues
day. At her home, however, a denial
was issued of the reports she had
stated that she had an alteration
with Taylor on the night he was mur-
dered Her letters were the reported
subject of the alteration.
Attorneys for Miss Minter declined
to comment on her purported visit
to the district attorney. One of them
was quoted as having said:
II can only say that Mary Miles
Minter Is cooperating with the Of
ficials and Is willing and ready to CO.
operate fully with them"
The police are credited in a news
paper story published today as stat
ing they had learned the origin Of
the pistol with which Taylor was
killed. No details are given.
DEFENDS MOVIE INDUSTRY.