Evening star., 1922-03-06
STUDY CONFESSION
IN TAYLOR MURDER.
Police Now Believe Writer Of
Letter Had Definite Con-
nection" With Crime.
By the Associated Press,

by tue Associated IreSS,, l.
Los ANGELES. Calf. March g.
Further checking on the latest "con-
fession" to the murder of William
Desmond Taylor. flm director ten
page document mailed from a small
Connecticut city-was planned Cor
today by officers assigned to the case.
According to the confession" as
described by the police. the "confes-
sor" was a husband with whose wife
Iaylor had had an affair. only to
"scorn" her later. Then the husband
and wife planned and executed the
murder, the document stated. The
name of a Hollywood man connected
with the motion picture industry was
signed to the Confession" but the
police stated they were certain that
the man had no guilty Knowledge of
the crime
They said, however, that despite the
fact that name they believed was
not the writer's was signed. they felt
inclined to believe the "confessor"
had some definite connection" with
the murder.
Tells How He Killed Taylor.
According to the letter, the film
director had had IAN affair." with the
writer's wife. Later the director had
"scorned" her. the wife confessed to
her husband. and the two of them
planned vengeance. the letter re-
counted.
The confession stated that the
night of the murder, February /, the
writer and his wife drove in an au-
tomobile to within two blocks of the
Taylor bungalow. There they parked
their car From a distance they saw
Mabel Normand, film actress, leaving
the apartment. escorted to her motor
INV h0 RI 1IFan n
Taylor's negro servant, talking with
William Davis, Miss Normand's
chauffeur.
While Taylor was talking with
Miss Normand, the Confession" con-
tinues, "the scorhed wife" slipped
through the open front door of the
directors bungalow and unlocked the
back door for her husband to enter.
When Taylor returned the wife
and husband confronted him.
Portions of the letter concerning the
actual meeting and the killing were
not given out. but, according to the
parts. the wife, after Taylor had been
slain. left by the back door, which
the husband locked after her and
then hurried to their automobile and
started the engine in readiness for a
quick departure when he rejoined
her.
Then the husband left calmly by
he would not be recognized If seen,
Joined his wife and drove away with
her.
Sands Not Writer of Letter.
Capt. Adams declared the hand
writing of the "confessor'' was simi-
lar to that of Edward F. Sands. miss
ing former butler-secretary to Tay-
lor. but pointed out that the con-
text precluded it's having been writ
ten by Sands. who was not married.
f1e name of man prominent in
the motion picture industry in Holly
wood was signed to the Connecti-
cut confession, according to Capt
Adams. A minute check of the
latter's movements had been made.
however. and the police are con-
vinced. they state, that he has no
intimate knowledge of the crime.
More than 300 persons in the
United States. one in England and
one in France have confessed" they
killed Taylor. but none of them has
signed his confession" except the
Connecticut writer, according to the
officials. Most of the letters appa-
rently We're from poorly educated
persons. ..
In addition, hundreds of other let
ters have been received, advancing
what the officers termed highly i'm
probable theories" concerning the
murder mystery and its solution.
TRACE OF SANDS CLAIMED.