The New York herald., 1922-02-15
Sheriff Summons Mabel
Normand's Driver to Check
Up on Story.
OFFERS $4,000 REWARD
Famous Players Company
Which Employed Director,
Issues Statement.

Special Dispatch to THE New York HERALD.
Los ANGELES, Feb. 14.-St. Valen-
. tines Day finds the Taylor murder
completely mystifying, although four
teen days have passed since the mo-
tion picture director was slain.
The story Of the retired sea cap
tain, Charles Carson, told in San
Francisco to-day is regarded here as
Just another one Of "those things
Which means there had been so much
of the futile running down of wild
stories and bogus tips that Los An
Eeles is skeptical of any sort of Taylor
case yarns and probably will be in
tredulous when the murderer is caught
IF he or she ever is.
Nevertheless, the sea dogs assertion
that two gunmen told him in Lathrop
last October they were going to meet
q man named Sands, who wanted to
"get even" with a motion picture man.
will be checked up so far as possible.
At the same time the Los Angeles
District Attorney and police are well
aware that gunmen Except in the
moves) are not in the habit of conf1ding
contemplated crimes TO casually met sea
captains or anybody else, and that Oc-
tober was a long time ago.
1t was unexpectedly made known to-
hight that William Davis, Mabel Nor
mand's chauffeur, probably will be asked
TO return to the Sheriff's office for
further questioning tomorrow.
n Cixy vi q
already has told everything he says he
knows, but it is supposed the Sheriff's
office. which has an investigation func-
ton in criminal cases unlike that of the
New York Sheriff. wishes to get more
detailed information. According to an
unconfirmed rumor, additional infor-
nation" has been obtained and the
chauffeur will be asked what he thinks
OF il.
Escorted Star to Car.
Davis Is the only corroborative wit
ness to the account of the evening of
the shooting which Miss Normand has
given. She and he agree perfectly. The
car stopped in front of the apartment
court in which Taylor lived at about
z i. NJ. It was there because Taylor
had told Miss Normand he had book
for her and she called to get 1t. She
emerged from the apartment about Z As
o'clock. Taylor accompanied her through
the court and TO the car distance OF
perhaps 100 feet. They chatted a mo-
ment and the car drove off. These are
the facts as given by Miss Normand and
her chauffeur. No member of families
I'm other apartments facing the large
court saw Taylor escort Mabel Normand
TO her car
Neither as a matter of fact did they
see Miss Normand leave the car and go
to Taylor's home so that neither fact is
highly significant as bearing on the
narrative of these two witnesses. The
only point in mentioning them here Is
that as Taylor certainly was killed not
long after Miss Normand's departure,
everything that took place in the vicin-
fly in the preceding half hour or hour
has its place in the investigation.
Rewards for the capture of The mur-
Ccrer were raised to-day to total o,
.3.500. A few days ago the Screen
Writers Guild, which is working to pro-
tect the reputation or Taylor and the
movie people generally, offered $1,000
To-day the Famous Players-Lasky Co
by which Taylor was employed
ctfered $4,000. In addition, a Los
Angeles newspaper has offered $1,000 to
any one giving 1t exclusive information
4
d $4,000 Additional Reward.
The notice posted to-day reads.
The Famous Players-Lasky Cor
poration hereby offers and agrees to
pay tine sum of $4,000 reward to
the person or persons furnishing in
formation to the District Attorney
OF Los Angeles County resulting in
the arrest and conv! lien OF the
slayer of William Desmond Taylor,
that Is to say, In the event sucn in
formation is furnished by more than
one person such reward is to be di-
vided equally among such persons.
The total reward In any event Is
not to exceed $4,000. Address all
communications and submit all in
formation to Thomas Lee Wooiwine
District Attorney of Los Ergeles
County. Los Angeles, Cal.
Charles Eyton. manager of the Fa-
nous Players-Lasky Studio, made this
offer public after a forty-fve minute
interview with the District Attorney.
He indicated the eagerness Of the mo-
tion picture profession to assist in UNI
tangling a mystery which has damaged
the whole film industry.
District Attorney Woolwine inter-
viewed to-day Carl NJ. Meister, a driver
told detectives of having as passengers
on the night OF the murder party OF
suspicious PERSONS one OF whom alighted
from his car near the Taylor home.
After long conference with the taxi
cab driver. whose story was one woven
with mystery, Mr.. Woolwlne announced
he had failed ito get anywhere with
Meister's story"
An afternoon pink sheet to-day had n
story OF bootlegger who, while deliver
ing haif pint bottles in the Taylor neigh
borhood on the evening OF the murder.
heard shot and saw woman hurry
away from the Taylor house. The boot
logger recalled the time of the shot at
cxactly :51 Il. NJ. The District Attor-
ney had talk with him. He said he
wasn't there himself, but he got the
story from n man who was, and besides.
he said, he wasn't a bootlegger. An APP
pointment was made twice for the sec
ond man to meet the District Attorney,
hi Ia.s l..a \.