Evening star., 1929-11-29
Rover Believes She Is Most
important Witness Found
in Tnree-Year Inquiry.
PLANS TO CALL HER
BEFORE JURY MONDAY
Tells U. S, Attorney Spouse Came
Home Day of Murder With
out Necktie.

Sensational information which United
States Attorney Leo A. Rover believes
is the most important development dur
ing the three-year period of the inves-
tigation into the mysterious death of
Detective Sergeant Arthur B. Scrivener.
has been obtained and will be presented
to grand jury Monday morning, it
was announced today.
Mr.. Rover disclosed that a Washing
ton woman had informed police she
suspects her husband and thinks he
should be indicted on charge of MUIR
dering tlTs detective.
The Utited States attorney announced
that the woman's testimony was expected
to be so important and startling that she
would be the first witness heard by the
grand jury after physicians and police
men had explained how the detectives
body was found near the mouth of an
alley alongside of 1923 N street about l
O'Clock on the morning of october Is,
1926.
Returned without Tie.
The woman was quoted by Mr.. Rover
returned to his home the morning
Scrivener's body was found without
his necktie after having stayed out all
night for the first time during their
married life.
The woman said he failed to convince
her he had any good reason for having
been away from home all night.
ANY reason that the man might have
had for killing Scrivener is at present
clouded in doubt.
The woman voluntarily walked into
police headquarters only week or ten
days ago and told her story to Lieut..
Joseph Morgan, acting chief of the
homicide squad. Lieut.. Morgan Ques-
toned her at length and then TUNED
his information over to Mr.. Rover. The
woman Immediately was served with a
summons to appear before the inquis-
itoriai body.
Mr.. Rover revealed that the surprise
witness said she became suspicious of
her husband when she read newspaper
accounts OF the mysterious death and
learned that ScFiyener was grasping
a necktie in his right hand when mis-
bullet-pierced body was discovered.
VIII Get Opportunity.
The woman requested permission to
examine the torn tie and was told by
opportunity TO undertake to identify
the cravat when she appears before the
grand jury.
The woman told Lieut.. Morgan she
had considered coming forward with
the information she has ever since
Scrivener's body was found and only
made up her mind to talk after she
learned through the newspapers that
Mr.. Rover planned to reopen the case.
Mr.. Rover said he as yet had been
unable to have an interview with the
new witness. but regarded her infor-
nation as Of the greatest Importance"
and believed It should be placed before
the grand jury at the earliest possible
moment The district attorney said
some 80 other persons had also been
summoned to appear and that the in
that the battling circumstances sur
rounding the death of Scrivener might
be settled once and for all.
There have been investigations into
Scriyener's death intermittently for the
past three years. Only a little more
than a month after the detectives body
was found a coroners jury decided ne
had been murdered by "a party or par
ties unknown other than himself" A
few days later Lieut.. Edward J. Kelly
then a detective sergeant, announced
after a completion Of the police depart
ment offcial investigation that he be-
lfeved Scrivener had committed suicide
Witnesses at the coroner's inquest
testified two men had been seen fol-
lowing Scrivener just before pistol
shot rang out.
Invite Father and Brother.
Mr.. Rover announced that he will in
vite Turner Scrivener of Winchester Va,
and Garner P. Scrivener of Akron, Ohio
father and brother of Detective SeTgt
Arthur Scrivener. to appear before the
grand jury Wednesday. The prose-
cutor stated that he did not know what
If any, information the father and
brother of the dead detective could
furnish the grand jury, but he was CIV
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