Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1922-02-07
JEALOUSY NOW SEEN
AS CAUSE Of Staying
Of VIM. D. TAYLOR
Drug PeddIer Sought in Kill
ing-Three Members Of
Movie Colony Are Ques-
toned rrs<!

LOS ANGELES, Cal, Feb. g.
Jealousy, police and private detec-
tives reported todav has directed
search for a prominent young New
York man, formerly engaged to one
of the beautiful stars of filmdom, in
connection with the shooting last
Wednesday night of William Des-
mont Taylor.
Efforts of the police department
and the sheriffs office to solve the
puzzle brought the officers early to-
day to a "cut back to the beginning
"a rechecking of the dead mans pa
pers in the hope Of obtaining bet
ter clue than any yet evolved.
jealousy Seen AS Native
This suspect was reported today
to have checked out of a hotel here
on the day the murder was commit
ted and left the city the following
afternoon. He is believed by invests
gators to have headed for San Diego
ID possibly crossed the border into
Mexico. His name is withheld by
the police.
The actress to whom this suspect
was at one time engaged, according
to investigators, was close trleno
of the slain director, and IN TINS
friendship, investigators say, they
see a possible motive of jealousy
which would lead t. the murder.
hU N0Es
mand to Taylor, reported missing
after the murder, and evidence con-
cerning presence for K months, at
least. of a woman's pink silk night
gown in Taylor's bachelor apart
ment, today added interest to the
case.
investigators were reluctant TO
discuss the womans nightgown and
D. bit Of mystery attaches to IT, LOT
Henry Peavey, the negro houseman
of Tavlor, had not told Of its pres
ence in the house until the night OF
the murder. Where It is now is po-
lice mystery. They will not discuss
it, but reports are that 1t d1sap7
peared with the letters.
Police seeking cooperation or law
authorities throughout the country
continue a diligent search Ter Ed
ward +. Sands, known also as Strath-
more, q former butler or secretary
of Taylor, residing within block OF
| the murder scene, has informed 1n-
vestigators that he saw the much
| sought Sands within a few minutes
after the time fixed by the police as !
that of the murder. Police say that
Sands probably will be able to throw
| more light on the mystery than any
that has been shed thus far.
Activities Increased
The early hours today found dep
uty sheriffs, municipal detectives
and . officials of the motion picture
company by which Taylor was en- !.
ployed, gathered in the dead direc-
tors apartment, again sorting over
his letters and documents, seeking
for something that might set them
straight upon the trail of his slayer.
This comparative setback followed
day and night of unusual activi-
ties in search for IL solution to the
enigma.
Last night the word went forth
that an unnamed motion plcture
actor had been taken to the coun-
ty jail for questioning as a suspect,
and that his connection with thes
case was considered so important
that he had been hustled from the
motion picture "lot" where he was
at work with such speed that he
had not the time to remove the
makeup from mis- face. At the same
time two other motion picture en-
ployes, one a cameraman, also We're
taken to jail as possible material
witnesses.
These actions resulted from re-
port that the actors automobile, 81
distinctively constructed and paint
ed machine, had been seen near the
Taylor apartment the night or 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 kill
ed was hurried to the dead mans
apartment for d re-enactment of the
crime as the officers had recon-
Structed it.
But residents of the same bunga-
low court, who previously had stated
they had seen a man skulktng about
the Taylor home the night he was
killed, were unable to identify the
actor as that man. He was released,
but with instructions to keep n
touch with the officers. The men
taken as possible material witnesses
also were given their freedom again.
Yet, the officers said, the actor
had admitted ownership of the auto
mobile in question.
Drug Pedd;er Sought
While these matters were develop
ing, tales came to the police of the
alleged possession by Taylor OF
women's silken lingerie, one piece OF
which, pink night robe, was report
ed missing from his apartment 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 a
motion picture actress.
Close upon the heels of these decla-
rations came the report that the po-
lice were searching for drug ped
dler, who, it was limited, had sought
through Taylor to make delivery OF
drugs to an actress who found it diff
ficult to make her purchases direct
ly. The initials of the actress con-
nected with this phase Of the case
We're said to be the same as those
on the night robe reported missing
from the TaV1Ol. 7nart10pDfS