Evening star., 1926-10-14

paid.
The necktie that Arthur Scrivener
clutched in his death grip early yes
terday morning was worn by boy. a
man with an exceptionally small neck.
or Il woman.
This much has been demonstrated
to the satisfaction of the slain deteC-
tive's comrades at police headquarters,
and may furnish the lead for the
boys to work on that Scrivener more
than once promised he would leave If
anybody ever "got" him.
The neatly tied necktie was parted
cleanly in the back. The knot was
not drawn up. Scrivener clutched
both ends of 1t before he died, and
either his sudden tug or the weight
of his falling body broke it squarely
in two.
At headquarters the broken ends of
the tie, placed together, show that It's
wearer was a man, woman or boy
with a size IL or IA collar.
Police Lack Definite Clue.
The obscure flngerprints foued on
the pistol thrown away by the fleeing
murderer show ridges of q fine texture
which Sergt. Fred Sandberg, finger
print expert, declares may have been
made by a woman or boy.
Detectives were unwilling today to
say how much credence they would
put in a theory that Scrivener's
slayer was a woman, but the size
of the necktie undoubtedly has given
them q valuable working point.
Every clue is being run down thor
oughly. But this afternoon, SO
hours after the shooting, police were
forced to confess that they still
lacked what might be their greatest
asset--a tangible theory of a motive
for the shooting.
The police admit that the night and
day work of the combined forces of
the uniformed and detective branches
of the department thus far has failed
to bring the investigation to any real
starting point.
Sure of Getting Man.
Yet, there has been at the same
time an increase rather than a dimi
mutton among the detectives and the
police of a feeling of certainty that
the man who shot Scrivener through
the heart would sooner or later be
found.
Meanwhile. arrangements for the
funeral of Detective Scrivener were
being completed. His brother, Detec-
tive Gardner Scrivener of the Akron,
Ohio, force, arrived early this morn
ing. Services were arranged for 10
o'clock tomorrow at the home of Mr..
and Mrs. Matthew Walsh. 1923 n
street, where Scrivener had roomed,
after which the body is TO be taken
by automobile to Winchester, Va, for
the burial.
With the chaff being blown away
and false theories dissolving, q story
told police by Joseph Brannan and his
sister Ethel. next-door neighbors Of
Scrivener, at 1921 N street, became
| more and more important.
Went Away From Garage.
Brannan recalled seeing Scrivener
at about 1920 o'clock on the morning
| he was murdered He and his sister
| talked with him reagrding some minor
| infringement of the traffic laws, and
| Brannan had made an appointment
| with Scrivener to see him later. Their
conversation took place, Brannan said,
at the corner of Wisconsin avenue and
| N street, and then-here the police
| find an important element-Scr1vener
| drove off in his automobile, not turn
| north past n street out Wisconsin
| avenue.
These last known persons to have
seen Scrivener before his death thus
presented TO the police this question !:
"Where did he go: whom did he
meet, before returning to the garage;
and why did he go?"
This question is unanswered. The
| answer to 1t will solve the mystery,
in the opinion of the police.
The second element in the investi-
| CATION not yet proven worthless is the
! Bureau of Standards examination Of
the pistol which the murderer dropped
at the scene. 1t takes considerable
| time for the chemicals used by the
experts to bring out the number
identifying the pistol. Police are GER
| tain this will be forthcoming tomOr-
| row at the latest. Then, with the num-
ber Of the pistol in hand. a tracing OF
| that weapon from the maker to the
purchaser will be attempted, through
records kept Of sales of various fire.
arms.
| Tie to Be Traced.
Important also, as an indicatory
element, is the statement Of Mrs.
| Annie Z. Stout, a resident of home
| Aor dseu woHAoH Ut t1oo "lSC"hoA'
| avenue, who reported hearing the
sound of low, quick voices outside
I her ground-fioor window and beyond
| the fence separating her from the
alley in which Scrivener kept hip
automobile, just before the muffles1
shot was fired:
Her report led police to believe this.
since Scrivener probably talked brr
| two minutes with his assailant, they
were acquainted. The fact that he
died before he could get the informa-
ton to police worked a hardship on
| the investigation, which could hav,
| then started Immediately with the
name and identification Of the mur-
| derer-the big void at present.
! False reports trickle In. A plethora
| of informants have made their ap
pearance. And working without any