Evening star., 1926-10-07
MCPHERSON CASE
FUNDS ARE SHORT
Prosecutor Seeks to Uncover
EvangeIist's Trail in
Arizona.

By the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES. October 7.-Efforts
TO obtain new evidence in charting
the California Arizona trail blazed by
Aimee Semple Mcpherson during her
absence from Angelus Temple occu-
pied District Attorney Asa Keyes, as
| ne summoned more witnesses for the
resumption of the evangelist's pre-
liminary hearing today, following yes
terday's recess.
Pending arrival of the newest State
witnesses, Keyes indicated a desire to
recount efforts of Fred Harrison, q
deep sea diver, to recover the evangel-
lists body from Santa Monica Bay.
where she was thought to have
drowned when she disappeared May
is. Harrison died of pneumonia after
several days of diving and the story
OF his search will be told by Robert D.
Hunt. fellow diver
Hunt is expected to testify he was
ged by Mrs. Minnie Kennedy, the
evangelist'S mother. to aid Harrison
in the search for Mrs. McPherson's
body. and that he was instructed to
continue diving after he had told his
employer there was no body in the
surf
State Claims New Evidence.
keyes announced yesterday discov-
cry Of new evidence to prove his
charge the evangelist was not kid
naped in the statement of two wit
nesses from ella Bend, Ariz.. who de-
clare the evangelist passed through
there in an automobile at the time
she says she was held for ransom
The statements We're obtained from F..
BleVins, telegraph operator. and Frank
DAILY. freight agent for the Southern
Pacific Railroad at Gila Bend.
Blevins and DAILY told Keyes that a
woman entered the telegraph office
June 16 and sent message to
Douglas. Ariz.. stating the automobile
she was travelling in had broken down
and that she would take train.
When shown photographs of the
evangelist they identified her as the
woman. The district attorney also
said the handwriting on the telegram
corresponded to that of Mrs. Nc
Phe.'son.
Testimony Deemed Valuable.
The district attorney said that
BlevinsS testimony would be par
ticularly valuable to the State as it
supported previous testimony that
Mrs. Mcpherson rode to a point near
Douglas in an automobile, leaving
the motor car to appear in Douglas
June 90. with the story of having
escaped from her abductors.
keyes' activities yesterday included
investigation of a report that Kenneth
G. Ormiston. former Angelus Temple
radio operator, had been seen at ST.
Louis. Ormiston, charged Jointly with
Mrs. Mcpherson and her mother
with conspiring to obstruct justice by
manufacturing evidence to support
the kidnapping story. has been the OBJ
ject Of a Nationwide search since his
disappearance last June.
With the added expense of bringing
more witnesses here, Keyes declared
a lack of funds threatened to delay
the third investigation. of the case,
which today enters its ninth day. He
said he would make formal request
of the board of county supervisors
today for more funds. When Mrs
heard the district attorney
needed more money to continue the
inquiry she offered to pay the eX-
penses of the Arizona witnesses.
Gov. Richardson yesterday received
an appeal for a pardon for Mrs. Nc
Pherson from a Los Angeles mer-
chant. The merchant was advised
that it was impossible to pardon any
one who had not been convicted Of
any crime.