The evening world., 1922-02-15
8 GUNMEN TRAPPED IN RAID
AS BAND OF BLACKMA|[ERS
HELD FOR TAYLOR GR|LU|NG
Federal Agents and Police Sur
round House and Take Gang
After a Battle, Only One
Man Getting Away.
Plot to Extort $4,000 From
Los Angeles Business Man IS
Linked Up With the Murder
of Film Director.

LOS ANGELES, Feb. Is -Eight
alleged blackmailers and proGcs
sional gunmen, arrested during tho
night. will be grilled by District At
torney Woolwine to-day as to theft
whereabouts on the night of the
murder of William Desmond Taylor,
movie director.
The eight amen were captured by
Federal agents after a pistol fight
In which many shots were fired.
They are being held on charges o.
conspiracy to eXtOrt $4,000 from a
wealthy Los Angeles business man
whose name is withheld. A niLLh
man, thought to have been wounded,
escaped.
In the arrests. the officers believe
they have broken up a rng which has
been cXtorting money from many
business men here bv sending letters
threatening death if they did not
comply with its demands, one 1usi-
ness man notified the authorities and
a plant was arranged.
&. Packets of paper slips, backed With
81 bills were placed behind a sign
board in compliance with the orders
of the alleged eXtortionists. ETe'y
available Government agent. deputy
sheriff and private investigator was
sent to surround the spot. man
nt N
took the packets. He was fired upon,
fell to the ground but arose quickly
and ran away. The officers followed
q trail of blood to the house where
the arrests were made.
The agents and deputy sheriffs
surrounded the house and rushed it..
\ volley from the windows and doors
greeted them but they forced an On.
trance and seized tho eight men. The
packets were found in the house, the
agents said, but the man who got
them was not believed to be among
those arrested.
One Federal agent said the arrests
might lead to a solution of the muir
der of Taylor.
A typewriter of peculiar make, with
which, it was charged, the threaten
ing letters were written, was found
In the house raidcd, it was said.
William Davis, chauffeur for Mabel
Normand, screen actress, was schCd .
hled for another questioning this
morning.
Sheriff's deputies, who cling to the
belief that Edward p. Sands, missing
former secretary butler to Taylor, had
nothing TO do with the case, were un-
derstood 10 have obtained some inlUr-
nation which made it desirable TO
have Davis quizzed again by the Dis
trict Attorney. 1t was understood the
additional information did not tend TO
involve Davis.
The chauffeur previously had cor
roborated the statement of Miss Nor
mand, who was one of the last to see
Taylor alive, that the director accom-
panied her to her automobile when
she left his apartments shortly before
he was slain.
Mack Scnnett, film producer and
manager for Miss Normand, has been
questioned by a representative of the
District Attorney in the hope he might
be able to give some information, but
without results. it is announced. Sen.
nett said he would be glad to aid the
authorities in every way.
Rewards totalling $4,000 have beer
offered for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the muir
dered. District Attorney WoolwinC
said to-day that none Of the princi-
pAls In the case has been eXonerated
- refuse absolutely to go into the
question of why numerous persons
| brought into the case have not beer
! exonerated. in view of their apparent
satisfactory statements" he said.