Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-18
Body Spends Two Days De-
Iiberating, Despite Majority
Reported to Believe He Died
by Own Hand.
"VAGUEST OF CLUES RUN
DOWN." GROUP STATES
Findings of Department of Justice
Experts Are Undivulged, but
Probe Is Understood to Have
Failed to Produce Tangible Data
Bearing Out Murder Theory.

Concluding sweeping investi-
CATION, the District grand jury to-
day reported that Detective Sergt.
Arthur B. Scrivener, found shot
to death in a Georgetown alley
three years ago, took his own life.
A coroner's jury at the time
called the case murder.
The report, unusually brief.
marked the final move in the
grand jury procedure which fol-
lowed month spent in question:
ing more than 80 witnesses. The
report was made to Justice Pey-
ton Gordon in the District Su-
preme Court by the chairman of
the grand jury, James N. Fitz-
patrick, jr.
In connection with the verdict
it developed today for the first
time that one of the most i'm
portant witnesses heard by the
grand jury was a woman who had
been a close friend of Scrivener.
1t is understood that this witness
told the grand jury she was Wis
tied by Scrivener the day before
his death.
Scrivener, visibly worried, re-
ported to her his inability to get
married the following night. After
a consultation with her, he is un-
derStood to have told her rather
than postpone his marriage again
he. would take his own life. Sig
niflcance Is said to have been at
tached to the woman'S testimony
because of her prominence as a
social worker.
The report follows:
This grand jury herewith reports to
the Supreme Court of the District Of
Columbia its finding in the case of the
death Of Detective Sergt. Arthur
Scrivener.
Extensive Probe Is Cited.
After an extensive investigation.
hearing and elaboration, the jury finds
that Arthur Scrivener came to his death
on the morning Of October Is, 1926,
from a bullet wound inflicted by him
self.
Being cognizant of the strong and
varying opinions attached to this mat
ter, the grand jury conducted an ex-
haustive investigation into all phases
OF the case. In keeping with this pro-
cedure, all leads, including even the
vaguest OF run1orS, were run down be-
fore the above conclusion was reached"
While Neil Burkinshaw, assistant
United States attorney, declined to dis
cusS how the grand jury voted, 1t was
rumored that there was an overwheln1-
ing majority in favor of the suicide re-
port. It was learned, however, that the
inquiSitorial body had spent nearly two
days debating over q decision, several
members insisting the evidence showed
the detective had been murdered.
Bears Ont Police OficiaIs.
The action of the grand jury bore
out frequent statements Of oficials of
the Police Department who had vigor-
ously contended on numerous occasions
that Scrivener committed suicide.
While the grand jury report gave no
inkling of the substance of q report
made to that body by experts of the
Department Of Justice, 1t was under
stood that an investigation made oy
that agency had failed to produce any
tangible clue that would indicate the
detective had been killed.
The Justice Department was drawn
into the case several weeks ago after
Sergt. Fred Sandberg, chief Of the Po-
lice Department Bureau of Identified
ton, had testified that partial finger
print found on the pistol with which
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