Evening star., 1926-11-19
Florida Telegram Indicates
He Had Different Make
From Detective.
POL ICE CONSIDER SUICIDE
THEORY RE-ESTABLISHED
Private Staples Says He Will Ask
Representative Blauton
=.
to Investigate.

ton GORDON Wnen Henry Mlller moore,
a District Jail prisoner. identified the
pistol found beside the body Of Detec-
tive Sergeant Arthur 3. Scrivener as
one he had obtained in Florida, went
up in smoke today.
The Police Department and a tele-
gram from Florida threw cold water
on what yesterday was regarded as
hot tip"
Pursuing distinct and independent
courses Of investigation. the District
Attorneys office and the Police De-
partment have now reached the same
conclusion-namely, that the pistol
which Moore obtained in Florida and
left in a box early in September was
not the one with which Scrivener was
killed, despite Moore's positive iden-
tification" Of the weapon as such In
the District Attorneys ONCE Tues
day morning.
Sent Wire to Florida.
Mai. Gordon, after Moore identified
the Scrivener death pistol as the one
he had obtained in Florida, sent
telegram to Florida and received a
reply last night that. true enough,
pistol had been taken from the desk
Of a Florida firm at the time when
Moore said he took the weapon. but
the weapon taken was an lver-
johnson .38. The weapon which
Moore identified for Mai. Gordon was
a ,3s caliber hammerless Harrington
& Richardson pistol.
About the same time, Policeman
Quentin E. Heyne Of the first precinct,
recalled taking a weapon from the
box at the place where Moore told
Mai. Gordon he had left 1t. His
covered such a pistol from such a
box, Just where Moore said he left
it, but also a pinch bar, which Moore
had also claimed leaving there. But
the weapon recovered was an Ivcr-
johnson 3S caliber blue steel weapon.
Meanwhile another investigation was
reported about to be sought in the
case. Policeman Orville Staples said
today that he would go to~see Repre-.
sentative Thomas L. Blanton this att
ernoon to request him to begin an in
vestigation Of the case.
Staples Expresses Fear.
Staples said he was afraid Of being
killed himself. because he said he
knew so much, and hinted that q GER
tain police captain, whose name he
would not mention, IL he ever had to
take the stand to testify, would make
startling disclosures"
Police have stuck to their story that
Detective Sergt. George Darnall gave
Scrivener a pistol which resembled
closely in appearance make and cali
ber the pistol which was found at the
death scene. 1t was a Harrington &
Richardson weapon, hammerless, Of
.3S caliber.
Eut when the coroner's jury had
begun taking evidence In the case
Mai Gordon, as a result of letters
which had been written by Moore, had
the prisoner come into his office and
relate his story. Moore said he had
obtained a pistol in Florida. which he
had discarded in a trash box here near
arrest. He said he could pick the
weapon out Of hundred.
Maj Gordon then had Moore con-
fronted with more than half a dozen
pistols. Moore created a sensation by
walking to the group and picking UP
the Scrivener death pistol, Identifying
it as the one he referred to. He said
it was his weapon.
Maj. Gordon then wired to the pro-
prietor of the place where Moore said
he had obtained the weapon. as al
gram was not the owner. This did
not fully satisfy Mai. Gordon. He
was preparing today to wire the
owner himself. 50 that there could be
no doubt whatever as to the make
and caliber and description Of the
pistol. But the trend, on its face. was
toward discrediting the Identification
made by Moore.
Policeman Found Pistol.
In connection with his recently
evolved part in the case, Patrolman
Heyne stated that at about IL o'clock
on the night of September while
standing on the corner of New York
avenue and Ninth street he was ap-
preached by a civilian who told him
that he had just seen a revolver,
iashlight and a pinch bar lying In an
overturned box by a railed-in grating
next to McCrory's and 10 cent store.
at the southwest corner Of Seventh
and ] streets.
IT went around there and found
fruit box, open at the top, lying by
the grating said Heyne, ''snd in
the box 1 saw .3s caliber. blue steel
Iver.Johnson revolver and a pinch
bar about inches long. I didn't see
any fiashlight. I took the pistol and
the bar and turned them In at the
first precinct.
The pistol was fully loaded. The
civilian who told me about seeing 1t in
the box said that he and another
civilian had been sitting on the rail
ing with their feet on the side of
the box. The open side Of the box
was facing the wall Of the store, he
said. When they started to climb
down from the railing the box over
turned, throwing the open side up
perrnost and revealing the bar, pistol
and hashlight."
Record Made Of Find.
Patrolman Heyne said that he
thought he would be able to recognize
the gun II he were to see 1t again. He
did not know the civilian who told him
Of seeing the pistol, fashlight and
pinch bar in the box and stated that
he believed the civilian Just chanced
to meet him and remark on seeing the
articles. He turned in the articles to
the Police Department and a record
was made Of his action.
The record shows that the gun and
Jimmy had been turned In at the first
precinct the night of September z by
Patrolman Heyne and delivered to the
property clerk OF fhA p0ifeA Dam RI