The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-01-06
EX-ConviCt, Long in Hiding,
Declares Movie Star
Slew Director.
TRIES TO GO STRAIGHT
Informant of United Press
Says Noted Victim Had
Turned SqueaIer.
BY FRANK II. BARTHOLOMEW
United Press STAFF Correspondent
Copyright. 1880. BY United Pressl

tCOpyright. 1880. BY United Press
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 6-Otis
Hefner. missing key witness in the
William Desmond Taylor murder
mystery, was found today by the
United Press.
Hefner is the man who former
Governor Friend William Richard
son said had revealed to him the
name of the person who murdered
the famous motion picture director
In February. 1922
He is believed to be the man to
whom Buron Fits. Los Angeles dis
trlct attorney, referred two weeks
ago when he said:
We have reconstructed the
scene Of the killing and we have
built an almost perfect case. Only
one link remains to be filled"
Found by George E. Powers. a re-
porter for the United Press, Hefner
repeated and amplified the dis
closurerS made to the Governor and
the state prison board secretly in
1925, which resulted in his release
from Folsom penitentiary to save
his life.
Answers Press Questions
These disclosures, intended by the
Governor for presentation to the
Los Angeles grand jury, leaked out
pTematurely and, in the opinion of
the state parole board, placed Hef-
ner in danger of assassination at
the hands of members of the dope
ring in prison.
Found in civic life under another
name, supporting his invalid wife
and baby, Hefner answered these
direct questions put to him by the
United Press:
Q-Do you know anything of the
murder Of William Desmond Tay-
lor?
Ayes.
Q-Do you know who committed
the murder?
Ayes.
Q-Who was it?
A-Ge named a motion picture
celebrity)
GLOW do you know this?
Mixed With Dope Ring
Al was mixed up along with
Edward Sands, formerly employed
by Taylor, as valet. in a dope ring
in southern California. Sands was
delivering dope to Taylor. The
night Taylor was murdered. I went
with Sands to Taylor's house. We
saw -. - leaving the premises.
and a few minutes later Sands dis
covered Taylor'S body.
Q-When was this.
About a. m, Feb. 2, 1922.
Q-Do you know of any motive
for the murder?
Ayes. 1 heard direct threats
against Taylor's life because he had
turned rat" and was informing on
the dope ring. Also, Sands told me
that Taylor was in trouble because
of his love affairs.
Q-Have you ever told this to
officials?
Ayes, in 1925 I made a full
ebdtSiueut lOI GON6T1Or HlCnarQSOn
to Thomas M. Cannon and other
officials of the state prison board
and offered to appear before the
Los Angeles grand jury.
Wants to Go Straight
Hefner, tall, lean and bronzed.
asserted that since his release from
Folsom penitentiary he had been
attempting to re-establish himself
as a good citizen.
I'm still willing to go before the
Los Angeles grand jury and tell
what I know, to clear up this
eight-year-old mystery" he said.
Il hope 1t can be done if it is alb
eolutely ceSSary-without subject
ing my wife to humiliation and sac
rif1cing the place I've now won back
by three years of hard work and
no play. I don't want to be known
as an ex-con. My new identity is
clean. I've worked hard to make
it So"