Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-11-01
Failure of Police to Take Left
Hand Impression Opens
New Angle.
SAY TEST MAY SOLVE Y
THUMB MARK ON GUN
Suicide Theorists Hold This Hand
Would Have Held Pistol-Right
Clutched Tie.

An unexplOred angle of the iHvesti
CATION of the mysterious death OF
Arthur b. Scrivener came to light
today when it was discovered that
fingerprints had been taken only Or
the dead detectives right hand IN
stead Of both hands, to match with
the blurred mark OF finger on thu
pistol found at the death scene.
The only possibility OF repairing
this oversight. It was pointed OUT
today, would be for District Attorney
Gordon and Coroner hewitt to ask eX-
humation of the body, subject TO the
discretion of the Virginia authorities
at Winchester, Va, where Scrlvener
was buried.
Whether this would be done before
the inquest next Monday was probe
NAUTICAL this afternoon, but both the
district attorney and the coroner
expressed their complete Willingness
to cooperate with the police and make
their request upon the Virginia au-
thorities. who have sole jurisdiction.
in event the police believe examination
would facilitate their probe.
Just how it happened that only
the right hand Of the detective was
finger printed is set down TO the
hurry and hustle of the hectic in
veStigation by police prior TO the
removal OF the body from the morGuc
to a mortuary chapel to be prepared
for burial.
Tie i'm Right Hand.
II will be recalled that SCrivenerS
right hand srasped q necktie, toI1S
in the center of the necllband when
his body was discovered. Had he
held the pistol, it is believed by in
vestigators, it would have been his
left hand which would have left the
mark, just before his death.
The fingerprint left on the pistol
was q blurred outline of several
ridges. which were presumed at the
time to he ridges made by right
thumb Only Il sparse amount ot
ridge outlines being found. and these
being compared with the right thumb
fingerprint of SCrivener without sue
cess, the investigators pressed on I"
other leads" failing to go further
into this angle.
What an elimination of the body
would develop in the way of finger
prints, is admittedly problematical.
but the fact remains to those In
charge OF the case at the present
time, that this angle OF exploration
has not been fully covered.
While police continued to refuse TO-
day to make public whether the facts
disclosed by them Saturday night led
to a murder or suicide theory. many
analysts of these facts remained with
open minds regarding the case.
Suicide Theory Questioned.
Some point out that it would he
folly to believe that Il detective &C
the professional ability OF Arthur
Scrivener would select Il pistol, seen
by two of his fellow detectives and
known by them to- be in his possession,
to commit suicide. And this sam"
group point out that detective Of
Scrivener's type would probably not
select such q weapon, and i'll addition
leave in his locker ammunition sim
liar to that used in the weapon T."
point the way back to him, if he were
trying to present suicide ClOaked To
appear as a murder.
Again this group also infers that,
for the same reason CT secrecy,
Scrivener would not select the mate
to tie known to have been in his
possession to place in his hand. were
he trying to make an unfathondblo
mystery of his death.
Against this reasoning, others point
to the physical facts in connection
with the death, asking why SERVE
ner met death without n struggle.
how he could have fallen uphill while
reaching for a necktie; how he could
have grasped from the neck of q pre-
sumed assailant and broken a necktic,
which. tests indicate, needs 140 pounds
tension per textile unit to part OF
tear.
Taking both schools Of theories int"
consideration, the Scrivener death to-
day. some Is days after his body was
found in the alley opposite his home.
remains q mystery-just as much II
mystery to police. in actually, as t"
the layman who has never been near
the scene.