The New York herald., 1922-02-09
film MURDER SCENE
CAREFULLY LAID IS
new POLICE THEORY
TaylOr's Body ''Placed" and
Chair Put Over Legs,
Says Official.
BREAK SILENCE PLOT
District Attorneys Office
Takes Over Inquiry Into
Mystery Staying.
ARREST BELIEVED NEAR
Well Known Actresses to Be
Examined in Sweeping In
vestigatiOn-New Clews.

Los ANGELES, Feb. S.--A statement
that the body of William Desmond
Taylor, slain motion picture director.
had been placed in order before the
Police arrived to investigate the trag-
edy was made by F. Parsons, a mem
Der of the flying squadron" Of police
which answers hurry calls, the police
allowed it to be known to-day.
The report Parsons gave i,is supe-
riors said the body had been carefully
laid OUT on the floor Of his apart
ments and chair overturned across
his legs. This report is said by at
taches of the District Attorneys Of
flee to have Interested" them very
mucfA Parsons. with Detective
Thomas Zeigler. reached the scene be-
fore any other officers.
Further Investigation of the killing
is to be centralized in the District
Attorneys office. it was announced.
1t was believed this Capitalization
would result in the breaking down of
"the conspiracy of silence" the police
declared existed on the part Of the
motion picture people concerning de-
tails essential to TIE apprehension of
the assailant
William c. Dorsn. Chief Deputy Dis
trict Attorney, announced late to-day
he would be at the head of the combined
attempt to solve. the mystery, and that
the investigations would be far more
sweeping than any possible TO any one
of the three forces involved.
All to BE Questioned.
IL was stated every person who js
believed to have the slightest connec-
ton with the affair or the slightest in
formation bearing upon it, would be SUBJ
jected to the most rigid Questioning.
This would mean motion picture people
from the humblest TO the highest. Il
was said. and would result at least In
the dissipation of certain minor mys-
teries as. for instance. the Whereabouts
of letters said to have been written by
actresses, including Mabel Normand
and Mary Miles Minter, to the dead
director
The decision for a Capitalization of
activity was reached after a consulta-
ton at the District Attorneys Office of
his agents. the sheriff's deputies as
signed to the case. and the members
of the city detective bureau who have
been working on 1t from the beginning
The search for Edward +. Sands.
Taylor's missing former butler-secre-
tary. is proceeding una bated, as infor-
nation the detectives still consider good
is to the effect he was In or near the
Taylor apartments about the time Of
the murder.
A new search OF Taylor's apartments
made by the Public Administrator aided
by police detectives. to-day disclosed a
bank book which had belonged to Sands
it was stated.
The Administrator took possession Of
all articles owned by Taylor that the
detectives did not need for their in
vestigation.
Estate About 100000.
The estate, once valued at as much as
S60,Oo0. will not amount to more than
so, COO. the Public Administrator stated.
unless unknown bank accounts are
located. The Administra tor said he had
heard rumor Taylor had a large ac-
count In "A New York bank. but had been
unable 90 verify II.
Miss Ethel Daisy Tanner of New
York, the directors daughter. is the
only claimant To the estate, It is stated.
Among the directors effects were
found several hundred Cancelled checks
Many were drawn In connection with
loans. Il was said. and we're indorsed
by prominent persons in the film colony
Sheriff's deputies have announced
their disbelief that Sands had any
thing TO do with the staying of Taylor
and said tonight they had three leads"
involving persons in the film world.
They said they hoped to make an
arrest tonight or tomorrow.
il was said an actress called upon
Chief Deputy District Attorney Doran
and advanced two theories. neither OF
which involved Sands. One was be-
lieved to relate TO n Jealous su.tor Of
En-4t..na -. Dan. G~.c-