Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-02
SCRIVENER DEATH
WITNESS REVEALS
THREAT TO KILL HER
Continued From First Page.)

reau at police headquarters for many
years, Sandberg has Nationwide repu-
tation as an authority on fingerprints.
He has been called in as an expert wit
ness in numerous murder cases, in
Guiding the Hall-Mills trial.
Sandberg was among eight witnesses
questioned by the grand jury as it
opened its probe.
Inspector William H Harrison. an
other witness, was closeted with the
grand jury only three or four minutes.
Before entering the chamber, he told
reporters he knew little about the case.
He said he supposed he was called as
witness because he was one of the first
policemen summoned to the sccne after
ScrlVener'S body was found, as he
lived in the neighborhood.
Fritz Merkel, stewart at the Occidental
Hotel, and his friend, Gus Blank,
cashier, were closeted in the grand
jury chamber Is minutes each. They
told reporters they accompanied Scriv-
ener to Kenilworth, Md, to attend a
prize fight the night of October II.
1926. They said they returned to the
Occidental Hotel and had late meal
with Scrivener. H. left them shortly
before midnight in good humor. They
had been friends of Scrivencr for more
than year.
Mrs. Turley said she had been threat
ened with death by two unidentified
men on separate occasions recently. She
quoted the men as declaring well get
you like they got Scrivener" unless she
refused to testify in the investigation.
Her daughter. Alice Turley. accom-
panied her mother on her trip to the
District Supreme Court Building
Questioned for 35 Minutes.
Mrs. Turley spent IS minutes in the
grand jury room. On finishing her
statement, she returned to Mr.. Rover's
office and joined her daughter. She
was uncertain whether she would be
called as witness again, saying Rover
had told her he would see her later.
I'm SO nervous I can hardly talk"
Mrs. Turley told reporters after being
questioned.
Another witness, DR.. Joseph Rogers,
deputy coroner. previously has eX-
planned the results of tests made by him
after Scrivener'S death TO determine the
position of the pistol at the time the
bullet wounding the detective was fired
He believed the fatal shot was fired from
4 range of 10 inches. His testimony was
corroborated by DR.. Herbert Martyr.
| another deputy coroner, who particle
| pated in the tests.
| Viggo Larsen, detective headquarters
| photographer, explained he was called
to the scene shortly after Scrivennr's
body was found in a Georgetown alley
and took numerous photographs.
Sergeant Is Another Witness.
Sergt. A. S. Bohrer of the first pre-
cinct, another witness, was at the sew
enth precinct at the time of Scrivener's
death. He was the first policeman to
reach the spot. He was expected to
explain how he found the detective
with tie grasped in his right hand as
though it had been torn from the neck
of an assailant. A pistol was found
| between the mans feet.
DR.. Charles Lalley, another witness.
was called from Georgetown Hospital
and pronounced Scrivener dead.
Thirteen other witnesses were due to
testify later in the day.
The grand jury is composed of 81
men and women. Its members are
James N. Fitzpatrick. jr, foreman:
| Roger Jamison, Thomas S. Gaddess,
Grey c. Eiker, Harry T. DeGroot,
Harry William Langford, John NJ.
Trant, Charles D. Sanger. jr: Melville
B. Tewksbury, Harold J. Coils, ir:
John G. Osborn. Eileen E. Lally. John
H. LEDGER. John Doran Perkins. Benia-
min Weinberg. Frank v. Neidfeldt
George r. Campbell. Robert H. Har-
riSon. HarrVt l.. THOMPSON. Lester Ell
lis. Rufus Gilbert Byars. Grace Forrest
Mckay and Alexander r. George
United States ATTORNEY Leo A.
Rover took personal direction Of the
examination of the witnesses when the
investigation started.
Shot Through Heart.
Scriveners BODY. with bullet through
the heart, was found at the mouth of
on allev ALONGSIDE of 3l28 N street
shortly before I O'Clock on the morning
of October 49, 1926. His death was
generally accented as murder for Scv-
eral daVs. POli"e later declared he had
taken his own life.
J c0roner'S innunSt was conducted in
the District Building more than a
month after the discovery of the body
The coronnr's inry spent two DAYS hear
ing more than a score of witnesses. II
then retired to cor-ider the evidence
Ten minutes after the Jurors reported
Scrivener was killed bv a person OF
persons unknown to this jury, other
than himself"
Considered the ace Of the Detective
Bureau. Scrivener had earned an eXcep-
tionaI reputation for bravery and eff
cheney. He possessed such marked abil-
itv in solving crimes that he had beer
assigned to unrnvel every mysterious
murder Of consequence in the District
in several years. He had been officially
commended on II occasions for ex.
traordinary work.