New-York tribune., 1922-02-12
Claims Taylor
Is His Father,
Long Missing 9
Gan Francisco Man Asserts
Murdered Film Director
Married Actress i'll 1890
and Later Deserted Her
Traced Him by a Picture
Bears Marked Resemblance
to Victim Of Assassin,
and Will Seek Estate

GAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 11.--Possi
h;rtv that William Desmond Taylor
80. twice married and that son now
!. living in San Francisco was a fea-
.urc Of to days Developments in the in
vestigation into the life of the slain
motion picture director. Authorities
,sr. say the claims of Miss Ethel Daisy
ne.na-Tannor. the New York daughter
Of Taylor. to his estate Will be CON
tc.ted by the San Francisco claimant.
William Edward Taylor of 1866
Tuen.v-second Street, this city, says he
!. ,onfaent the victim Of the mysteri-
Gus staying in Los Angeles was ms
father He will 60 to Los Angeles
T"osdev with Dick Lee, San Francisco
de+eetivo. to place his proofs before
tba nubl;r administrator there and to
IN bis story TO District Attorney
Woolwire.
bo-e to.night, William d. Taylor mar
rtod olive Randall at Wallace. Kan. in
1900 Later they moved to Laramie
We whore a son was born. Subse
onentlv Tavlor deserted his wife and
ehild. Mrs. Taylor died in Cheyenne,
Wyo., in 1902.
Reared by Grandparents
William Edwrd Taylor, so the story
runs, was taken by his grandfather.
John Randall, to farm near Linds
borg. Kan. where he lived with his
crsndparents and attended school In
1905. while still boy. he came to Cal
ifornia. and worked for a time for
Lucky Baldwin breaking colts near
Los Angeles. He came to San Fran
cisco in 1906. and has lived here and
at Larkspur, in Marin County, ever
since.
"The motion picture director killed
in Los Angeles was my father" Taylor
said to-day. "As to whether or not |
shall be able to prove it remains to be
seen. The reasons upon which | base
my belief may not appeal to the au-
thorites, but at least I can tell nv
story and let them investigate it,
"The thought Of any possible connec-
tion between motion picture director
killed in Los Angeles and myself never
once occurred to me until | saw Will
liam Desmond Taylor's picture in the
paper. Even though have no rccollec-
ton of ever having seen my father,
there was nothing strange about recog-
nzing his picture. For years, ever
since was little shaver on the farm
back in Kansas, ! had carried a pic
ture of him. The pose was Identical
it was the same man.
"Tn 1910 my grandfather died and
went back to Lindsborg to claim my
mothers share in his estate. The ad-
ministrator, t'rantz Johnson, said l
would have to prove who my father
was. twas at that time that | made
my first serious attempt to discover his
identity and whereabouts.
Told He Was Brilliant Man
Prom the investigation l then made
snd from things told me by my grand
father. l learned my father had been
born in Ireland and educated in Eng
land. He was pictured as brilliant
man, but one somewhat given to drink
ing He was interested in theatri Gals,
o. IN a show of some sort.
~ finally satisfied the administrator
Of my grandfather's estate as to my
parentage, received my share of the
and came back to San Fran
cisco, where I have lived the last two
years. 7 am convinced from what has
been told me of my father that he and
the Los Angeles director we're one and
the same man. The people who told me
these things still are living back in
Kansas Colorado and Wyoming, and it
ought not to be difficult to determine
the truth of the matter"
The San Francisco claimant to the
Taylor estate undeniably bears a strong
resem blance to the slain film director.
The fact is freely commented on by the
aut har 'cbo &c b,- foc
are more rugged, but the likeness is
unmistakablc He looks to be about
thirty years old. is married and has
four children. He is employed by
fruit concern and bears an excellent
reputation.