The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1922-02-20
BELIEVES WOMAN
WAS INVOLVED In
TAYLOR MURDER
Sheriff Expects Test Will
Prove Clue to Slay-
er's Identity.

LOS ANGELES. Feb ia unique
tese>wilI be made in the investiga-
ton into the murder of William
Desmond Taylor, a test that may
determine the guilt of a woman.
Undersheriff Eugene Biscaluse.
who has declared that a woman Is
at the back of the murder; that
Jealousy was the motive. and that
the woman is a prominent actress.
will make the test.
while I cannot disclose the nn-
ture of the test" he said. 'I know
it cannot fail. II it shows what
expect. it will give a perfect
clew to the identity of the slayer
and will involve the woman
Mr.. Biscaluse would not give the
slightest hint as to the test.
May Lead to Arrest.
y The test will speak for itself"
he said. "If it fails to show any
evidence against the woman-and
II may Motive shall try something
else. But IL it does show anything
it will show it conclusively, and
there will be a scandal eelipsing
the sensation made by the murder
prove beyond all doubt that there
was a woman in the house when
the fatal shot was fired. The wom-
ha iof fnt, t.
custody. Yes: can say she has
been questioned before. She is one
of those mentioned in the case"
The sheriff's office, which has been
working more or less independently
on the murder. has been checking
up on the woman's anteccJents-
going over her history thoroughly.
talxing to her men friends and
women friends.
TraiSed to Gay Parties.
They have found out, the depu-
ties say, some shocking things con-
cerning her and her acquaintpnces
in the dream city of the movies:
and have trailed her through many
of the gayest of the gay parties in
pagan Hollywood.
Their contention that the murder
sprang out of jealousy is we'll
grounded, they declare, and they
expect to prove 1t before many
days.
Miss Mabel Normand, who left
Los Angeles yesterday and went to
Pasadena is again reported i'll.
Her father and mother and her
brother Claud. who have come on
from the East. are reported to be
with her, but, this could not be
verified.
1t is reported that Miss Normand
may be called back to the district
attarney's office to answer a few
mole questions The sheriff's Of
fee is reported also to be desirous
of getting into touch with her, bus
so far they have not tried to dis
turb her rest.
Corroborates Her story.
Her chauffeur, william Davis,
who drove her to the Taylor home.
on the evening of February 1. when
questioned by Woolwine corrobo-
rated. Miss Normand's story.
The police. the sheriff's office,
and the district attorney have
thrown out a lot of theories that
at first seemed plausible to them
field of possible suspects.A
They seem to agree now that the
person who killed Taylor was not
very tall, judging from the spot
where the bullet entered and the
course 1t took. This person held
the weapon tilted up, for the shot
went up. A tall person could not
have shot Taylor six and one-half'
inches under the left arm pit,
holding the gun pointing up.
The slayer must have been
standing in 'front.' OF Taylor, the
gun in the right hand, ana Taylor's
arms must have been around his
assailant when the trigger was
pulled.
The reason for believing a man
committed the murder, is that a
woman seldom uses .3s caliber
revolver.