New-York tribune., 1922-02-24
Pistol Must Be
Found to Solve
Taylor Murder
II Coast Sheriff Can Locate
Weapon Fields Describes
Ilc Will Believe Chinese
Killed Film Director
confession Ii Unverificd
Ma" Who Says He Drove 3
i'm Death Car Calls Crime
Kcvcnsc of Drug Ring
SnrctnI Niannich fn Yhr Irihnr.


Special Dispatch 10 The Tribune
Los ANGELES, Feb. 23.-On tho find
ing of an oldfashioncd pearl handled
revolver depends the solution Of the
murder Of William Desmond Taylor.
If tho weapon and the note arc found
the deputy shcriAs Will be convinced.
they say, chat Harry N. Fields, under
arrest in Detroit, has told the lrno
story of the staying that the murdc,
was committed by the "dopc ring
that their motive WAS revenge and that
ii Chinese. Il woman and a white man,
all of whom he named, arc the mur-
dcrcrs.
SO far the gun has not been found,
but this is due, deputies say, to the
fact that such hazy description Of the
place Of conccalment has been sent
from Detroit as to make the finding Of
the weapon a vcritablc Chinese puzzle.
Fields says that after the murder he
drove the slaycrs to a downtown bank
ono that keeps open day and night, and
that the Chinese changed S 900 bill
Deputy Shcrifs William Bright and
Frank Dcwar learned to day that bill
of this denomination had been changed
a: the Day and Night Bank But it was
changed not on Wednesday night after
the murder but on Thursday morning.
Chinese Has Vanished
Tho Chinese has disappeared. and this
is the ono point which so far bears out
Fields's "confcssion.'
Photographic communication between
Los Angeles and Detroit has suffered
because of storm, and information
which the Sheriff feels vital to the case
has not yet come through
81 am not yet sure said Under
Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz, chat Fields
isn't telling lot of things simply to
get free transportation to the Coast,
but we arc going ahead with all our
energies trying to prove or disprove
what he says"
Feldss story, as received by wire
from Detroit to-day at the Sheriff s
office and as told in late editions of
the papers this morning, is sub
stantially as follows:
"The murder was planned in a hop
Joint in Venice, q Tlace between the
ond Coney Island resort" (The depu-
ties have not been able to locate the
joint from this description.)
"Tho Chinese had asked me if
could drive Ford We went out
about 8 o'clock in the afternoon and
stopped while in Hollywood. When
it became dark we drove to the Taylor
home, stopping the car about nine
houses down Alvarado Street and
across the street.
Used Pearl Handled Gun
"The Chinese had an automatic, but
he was afraid it would jam, so he gave
it to the woman. He also had an old
fashioned pearl handled revolver.
THE two men got out of the car anC
went toward the house, and after {
while | heard shot. The men came
running back and the Chinese told me
to speed up and get away
Did you croak somebody?' | asked
" ou haven't seen anything or heart
anything said the Chinese. And yor
don't know anything, see
THE Chinese told me to stop the
car a little way down the street ane
he went back into a court about thirty
feet and hid the gun.
"Then we went to the Day and Nigh
Bank and the Chinese changed $1,000
bill.
1--WE laid up at the hop joint all
night, and in the morning the Chinese
and | took a train for Seattle We
separated there, he going to Chicago
! went to Kansas City, and from there
sent telegram to Joseph Dederick
Federal agent in New York, telling him
| was coming on to see him, that had
something to say to him.
Names Actress in Case
81 understand this man Taylor had
| got in wrong with the gang on account
of an actress. Gle named her, but the
/ Sherif's office refuses to divulgc the
name until it has further proof
When we were going to the house they
said they ought to kidnap Taylor's
daughter to get even with him"
Dewar and Bright found tennis
court in the vicinity of the Taylor
! home, but no weapon was located
j there. They presume that Fields
when he said court, meant a bungalow
court or an apartment house-a cluster
! of houses surrounding a court.
The SheriA's office has learned that
Taylor, several months ago, appealed
to the local government officers to help
him fight the dope peddlers.
1t is believed he did it for the sake
Of the actress who was being harassed
by the men who had been getting
1000 month from her. This actress
who has been frequently mentioned in
connection with the murder, is SAID
to be i'll at present, but the Sheriff :
providing they find Fields has been
telling the truth.
U. S. Agents Planned Raids
They declare that the Federal agents
gave Taylor all the aid he required
went around the studios disguised
as laborers or extra men or "charac
ters," and that they had corroboratee
all he had to say about the operations
of the smugglers. They are said tc
have been amazed at the revelations
and that they had planned number
Of raids at the time Taylor was killed
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 (By The AS
sociated Press Mabel Normand. film
actress, is critically i'll. her physician
announced tonight, according to {
story "The Los Angeles Examiner vii
publish tomorrow. The crisis in hel
case was expected to be reached soon
it was stated
Croker Says Americans