Evening star., 1926-10-15
Police More Baffled Than
Ever When Experts Admit
Tests Have Failed.
VICTIMS FUNERAL RITES
DRAW COMRADES TO BIER
Officiating Minister Calls on Wash
ington to Rally to Support Of
Law Defenders.

While friends and fellow officers at
funeral services today paid a part
ing tribute to the memory of Detec-
tive ,Sergt. Arthur B. Scrivener. who
was murdered early Wednesday
morning, investigators seeking to un-
ravel the mystery of his death again
found themselves checked by unfa
vorable outcome of the tests per-
formed by Bureau of Standards ex
perts on the pistol which the mur
derer left on the scene of the crime.
Attempts to bring out the filed-off
serial number of the pistol. it was
reported. proved disappointing.
After submergence of the pistol in
acid baths for two days, it was found
that the murderer of Detective
Scrivener had done his work only too
we'll in removing identification clues
from the weapon. His filing OF the
numbers had been performed thor.
oughly and deeply.
The bringing out of the serial num-
bers of the weapon had been looked
forward to by investigators as the real
starting point in the investigation.
With serial numbers present, the
pistol could be traced from the factory
to it's various intermediate holders
through records kept of the sale of
weapons along the line. Police dt
least hoped to locate the place at
which the pistol had been purcha sed.
Detective b. w. Thompson brought
back the pistol and the report of the
experiments from the Bureau of
Standards this morning. and shortly
after went into conferen with In
spector Henry G.. Pratt. chief of de.
tectives. and Maj. Edwin B. Hesse,
superintendent of police. indication
that the police were disappointed with
the report of the test was given after
this conference.
Missing Sandwich Mystery.
Meanwhile q new angle for investi.
cation entered, when it was recalled
that a club sandwich which Scrivener
took away with him from late repast
at the Occidental Hotel a few hours
before his murder had disappeared
before he was found murdered in the
alley opposite his home, 1923 y street,
and the autopsy showed he had not
eaten It.
After leaving the Occidental,
Scrivener drove Detectives Sweeney
and Kelly to their respective homes,
and left Detective Kelly about mid
sandwich in his pocket then, it is be.
lieved At about 1920 he was last
seen going north on Wisconsin ave-
nue., away from his home. by Joseph
Brannan. a neXt-door neighbor. re.
turning home late with his sister.
What happened to the sandwich is a
mystery.
Have Last Three Numbers.
.
called to the Bureau of Standards this
morning. He returned at 1890 o'clock
with the pistol and memoranda eX-
planatory of the test.
Police have the last three numbers
of the serial on the pistol, however,
because the one who filed off such
numbers, though taking almost inf.
mite pains to conceal them, missed
these numbers on the cylinder.
The effect of discovery of the num-
bers would have been to start police
on the first real trail yet uncovered in
the investigation. for 1t would be a
tangible line of investigation. since
pistol leaving an arms factory has
it's recorded number to show to whom
it was sent. and the sale of firearms
is generally checked by the numbers
on a pistol whenever the weapon is
transferred from one owner to an
other. BY inspection of such records
it was hoped the pistol could he traced
to the hands Of the murderer of De.
tective Scrivener
In connection with the belief previ-
ously held that the tests on the pistol
at the Bureau Of Standards would be
successful was the information UNI
covered yesterday that, unless the Al.
ing had eaten too deeply into the
metal. such acid bath tests had
proven invariably of worth. 1t was
evolved for special use on automobiles
when thieves attempted to eliminate
the motor numbers on the automobile
by either obliterating them or at.
tempting to superimpose another mum.
Der on the original.
Prosecution Goes Ahead.
The prosecution of the investiga-
tion along other lines did not lag.
Mrs. Annie f. Stauff. inmate Of the
Home for Aged Women. at 1855 Wis.
consin avenue, who supplied the In.
formation regarding low. quick voices
in the alley before the pistol shot was
heard at the time of the murder. in a
subsequent interview has impaired de-
tails leading police to believe that the
murderer accompanied Scrivener to
the garage just before the shooting.
Mrs Stauff said she was certain she
heard the voices OF TWO men De1Ore
the automobile had been put in the
garage, and that she also heard the
voices after the door of the garage
had been pushed shut. She reiterated
that she had seen three strange men
lettering in thee alley the afternoon
previous to the murder.
AS the case goes on. additional &C.
counts are furnished the detectives.
II was remembered yesterday, for In.
stance, that Scrivener had told fel.
low detective the other day that IF
could break what I'm working on
this town will see the biggest sensa.
tion yet"
Way to Solution Seen.
This opened the possibility that
Scrivener had been quietly working up
a case of importance not assigned him
by the police. but being probed by him
preliminary to his making an Official
report on it. If such was the case
he had kept it secret from his friend
and partner. Detective Edward J. Kel.
ly. He had given no other hint Of the
matter. Had Scrivener kept an an.
pointment shortly before his murder
bearing on some new development he
had uncovered in a private search, the
identity of the person. II learned,
would carry the Investigators far to.
ward solution.
A total reward of $2.soo was being
CONTINUED on Page 3. Column 81