The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1922-02-06
POLICE CROPPING
HELPLESSLY FOR
MYSTERY CLEWS
Search Letters and Pa
pers Again for Some
Possible Motion
Picture Actress Under
Official Suspicion =
Man Arrested and Re-
leased

Los Angeles, Feb. G.-Efforts of the
police department and the Sheriff's of
fee to solve the motion picture puzzle
of the Staying of William Desmond
Taylor, director, brought the officers
early today to cut back to the be-
ginning" a re-checking of the dead
mans papers in the hope of obtaining
a better clue than any yet evolved.
The early hours today found dep
uty sheriffs. municipal detectives and
officials of the mo ion picture COM
pany of which Taylor was a member,
gathered in the dead directors apart
ment again sorting over his letters
and documents, seeking for an elus-
i've something, overlooked before, that
might set them straight upon he trail
of his slayer.
This comparative setback followed
a day and night of unusual activities
in search for solution to the enigma.
Actor Is Arrested
Last night the word went forth that
an unnamed motion picture actor had
been taken to the county Jail for ques-
tioning as a suspect" and that his
connection with the case was consid-
cred so important that he had been
elected from the motion picture lot,
where he was at work with such speed
that he had not the time to remove
the make up from his face. At the
same time, two other motion picture
employees, one a camera man also,
were taken to Jail as possible material
witnesses.
These actions resulted from a report
that an actors automobile, distinct
ly painted machine, had been seen
near the Taylor apartments he night
of the murder
The actor was questioned for two
hours and then, still unable, it was
stated to tell definitely where he was
at the time Taylor was killed, was
hurried 20 the dead mans apartment
for a re-enactment of the crime as
the officers had reconstructed it.
Not Identified as Skuker
But residents OF the same bunga-
low court, who previously had given
statements that .hey had seen a man
skulking about the Taylor home the
night he was killed, were unable to
identify the actor as that man. He
was released but with instruc ions to
keep in touch with the officers. The
men taken as possible material wit
nesses also were given their freedom
again.
Yet the officers said the actor had
admitted ownership of the automob. lie
in question.
Women's Lingerie
While these matters were develop
ing, information came to the police of
the alleged possession by Taylor of
woman's silken lingerie. one piece
of which, a pink nightrobe, was re-
ported missing from his apartments
since his body was found One witness
was said to have stated, but not to
the police, that this particular robe
bore the embroidered initials of mo-
tion picture.
Close upon the heels of these dec
larations came the report that the po-
lice were searching for drug ped
der, who, it was limited, had sought
through Taylor 10 make delivery of
drugs to an actress who found it diff
cult to make her purchases direct. The
initials of the actress connected with
this phase of the case were said to
be the same as those on lhe night robe
reported missing from the Taylor
apartments.