The Washington times., 1931-03-06
IS SAID
To Be BACK
Of MOVE
Miss Rapez Recites Details Of
Vivian Gordon''s Predatory
Campaign on Wealthy Men

tions Of a series Of quarrelS in a
West End Avenue flat designated
by the flaming-haired Vivian Cor
don as a terrible place" were
made today by Miss Vernon Ra'
peZ, the missing grand jury wit
ness.
Building up a chain of circum
stances link by link in an effort
to find a solution to the brutal
strangIing of the Gordon woman,
police and newspaper men uncOv.
cred the details Of frequent visits
made by her to the flat.
With the police baffled as they
are, the Pinkerton Detective
Agency has been called into the
case to take up the cold trail, it.
was reported today.
The agency is said to be going
over the ground already covered
by the police in the hope Of turn
ing up a worthwhile clue.
Who Hired Them?
Who employed the PinkertOnS
was the subject of much cOnjec-
ture. One rumOr was that they
we're hired after conference be-
tween Referee Samuel Seabury,
head Of the current vice inquiry,
and Gov. Franklin d. Roosevelt.
Another was that they were EN-
plOyed by District Attorney
Charles b. Mclaughlin.
The PinkertOnS are reputed to
have underworld contacts that
enable them to ferret out infOrma-
ton.
The Viviar Gordon case has
scores of angles leading into he
underworld.
Miss Rapez declared that her
acquaintance with the woman
racketeer led to numerous at
tempts on the part Of Miss Cor
don to have her give up her show
work and join her in getting
money from men.
Came With Lawyer
She also declared Miss Gordon
brought her attorney, John Rade-.
loft, to the flat on several occa-'
Sions. In outlining her knowl-
edge of the dead ,woman'S past,
she said:
''Vivian Gordon, who didn't
look more than half her 81 years
when she was dressed for q
party, began coming into the
place at odd hours.
"She came there with John
RadelOff. But she didn't seem
to be very afraid Of RadelOff
at that time. In fact, I never
thought RadelOff was anything
more than a friend Of hers. I
didn't even know he was her
lawyer.
Then Vivian told me I was
a fool for working and told
me she could teach me how
to get plenty of dough and
that's the only thing that
counts as she would say. She
offered to introduce me to
rich men and told me shed
show me how to get money in
chunks from them.
II never accepted Vivian'S
offers, but she kept after me.
Hal DOMAIN got sore about
that several times. He told
Vivian to leave me alone and
they had some bitter quar-
relS."
DOMAIN has been questioned
and released in connection with
the murder.
Medical examiners reported to-
day that Vivian Gordon'S stran-
glers roped her neck as if it had
been a packine case by tying knot
upon knot, so there would not be
a chance for the rope to slip.
They also disclosed that the girl
had been slugged before she was
strangled.
Miss Gordon was slain some
time between II p. m. and 3 a.
m. on the night Of February Is.
She was last seen alive by Will
liam Wheaton, elevator operator
at her luxurious apartment in
East Thirty-seventh Street, when
she left alone-Shortly before II
o'clock-that night.
What happened after she left
the building is a complete mys-
terry to the authorities, despite
the fact that fully 40 witnesses
have been questioned.
Six Theories Survive
So far as District Attorney
Mclaughlin is concerned, none
of the six original theories has
been subStantiated or abandoned.
These theories are:
l. That Miss Gordon was
killed because she had promised
to testify against crooked police
men in the Seabury inquiry.
2. That she. was slain by
underworld acquaintanceS for
her $4,000 mink coat and the
$2,50O diamond ring she wore.
3. That the murder had
some connection with the entry
in her diary described her fear
Of John A. RadelOff, her lawyer,
and Sam Cohen, an ex-burglar.
4. That she had been killed
by night club hangers-On as q
result Of q sudden impulse, due
possibly to an argument.
5. That she had been slain
to thwart her reputed Dlack-
mailing operations.
6. That she had been killed
because she refused to pay