The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-05-23
LINK BEAUTY
IN CALIFORNIA
DUAL Staying
Brunei Hotel Owner Is
Believed to Hold Key in
Mystery Crime.
FUNERAL TO BE LAVISH
Political Gar, Killed With
Reporter, Held Great
Power on Coast.
BY RONALD w. WAGNER
United Press STAFF Correspondent


beautiful brunei" was sought by
police today in the belief that she
might furnish key to the mystery
killing Of Charles Crawford and
Herbert Spencer, in connection with
which David H. CLARK, brilliant
young attorney, has been charged
with murder.
The woman, June Taylor, 28.
owner Of the Clinton hotel In down
town Los Angeles, had been miss
ing since Thursday night, police
said. They believed she was a con-
f1dante of Clark and the opinion
was expressed that she might be
able to tell of his whereabouts from
4:30 last Wednesday until II o'clock
Thursday night, when he surren-
dered to District Attorney Buron
Fits.
Police said Miss Taylor was
former associate of Albert Marco,
sent to San Quentin by Clark about
FIVE years ago in the young attor-
ney's first big battle against the
underworld as a prosecutor.
Innocent, Says Wife
1--WE believe Miss Taylor can give
us some valuable information on
Clark's movements after Spencer
and Crawford were shot" said Blay-
ney Matthews, Fits chief inVesti-
gator.
Clark's wife Nancy, the daughter
Of late circuit judge OF Long Is
land, said she was convinced of her
husbands innocence. Her sister,
Miss Molly Malone, supported her
contention.
my sister and I believe that
maybe Dave visited Mr.. Crawford
and that something terrible hap
pened that, even though he was in
nocent, put Dave in such an in
eliminating position that he hid I'M
til he could protect himself" Mrs.
Clark said.
"Or maybe he wasn't even there"
she added. IT know very little about
Dawes affairs.
Clark continued his defense plans
for a preliminary hearing next
Thursday. He was arraigned late
Friday.
Arrange Lavish Funeral
While Clark maintained a smiling
silence and the law sought to clear
up mysterious angles Of the case,
plans were completed for burial to-
day Of GOOD Time" Charles Craw-
ford. the "Grey Wolf of Spring
Street." and Herb Spencer, the
miId-naannered newspaper man.
Crawford's body lay in $4,000
casket Late in the afternoon, the
Rev. Gustav Briegleb. who convert
ed Crawford few months ago, will
conduct the services at st. Paul's
Presbyterian church.
It was in this church that the
"Grey Wolf" startled Los Angeles
when he announced he had seen
the light" and dropped huge dia-
mond ring into the collection box.
He followed this with a $4,000 do
nation and was said to have made
other gifts.
Twenty years ago Crawford came
to Los Angeles as a bartender in a
small saloon. His customers learned
that Charlie was born in Ohio, but
details Of his past were closed
book.
Enriched by Gaming
Crawford owned the saloon before
he decided that more fertile fields
were presented in Seattle. For sew
eral years he operated in the north
ern city. Then the police chief was
ousted and a political ring smashed.
Crawford moved back to Los An
geles in 1919.
Prohibition had ended the saloon
business, so Crawford turned to
gambling. His fortune grew and he
turned business man on the side. He
made much in the Los Angeles real
estate boom.
His name was linked with that Of
Marco and later with Guy McAfee,
present gambling power in the city.
Rumors were that Crawford and |
McAfee were estranged when Craw- |
ford was shot, but McAfee declared |
everything had been patched up.
The peak Of Crawfords power
came when he backed George Cryer,
a dark horse candidate for mayor
Cryer won and Crawford was known
as the ghost behind the city hail."
Kept Political Power
It was said in politics that 1t
didn't pay to buck Charlie CraW-
ford. Councilman Carl I. Jacob
son started a vice crusade during
the Cryer administration and sud-
denly was arrested on a morals
count. He was acquitted and
charged Crawford with framing
him. Crawford also was acquitted.
Although Crawford and DR..
Briegleb declared the formers po-
utical ambitions ended when he
joined the church, the city hall
crowd never was convinced.
Spencer, scion of California
family of the 10 gold rush, former
city editor of the Evening Express
and associate editor Of the Critic OF
Critics, liberal magazine which
threatened to expose "rackets," will
be buried in Mountain View Gene
terry. Married twice, both Spencer'S
widows and three children survive