The Washington times., 1935-12-19
THELMA T0DD'S
DEATH STILL
MYSTIFIES
CONTINUED from Page

SUNDAY night!
Riding with Miss Todd was a
dark complexioned man, probably
a foreigner"
Miss Carmen admitted she had
been "evasive" when first ques-
toned, but declined to explain
why. With her when she talked
with the officers during the night
were Mr.. and Mrs. Roman Romero,
and Mrs. Sonia Ardell. prominent
in tie film colony. Police said
Miss Carmen told them:
81 first learned OF Miss Todd'S
death when Mrs. Ardell tele-
phOned me at 3 p. m. Monday.
] was so dumbfounded l couldn't
speak, but told her it was i'm
possible, because had seen
Thelma with a dark complex.
toned man in her car on Holly.
wood Boulevard at 11:15 o'clock
Sunday night"
Miss Carmen said the foreign
er" was driving Miss Todd's car
and that she miss Garment fol-
lowed the Todd automobile from
Hollywood Boulevard south on
Vine Street to Santa Monica
Boulevard before she lost track of
what she said was the Todd car.
When Did She Die?
This new angle gave further
strength to the theory Miss Todd
had not died in her car in the
West garage early Sunday morn
ing, as at first believed.
Charles Smith, treasurer Of the
q Thelma Todd Sidewalk Cafe" tes-
titled at the coroner's inquest yes
terday that he slept in an apart
ment above the garage in which
Miss Todd kept her car, and that
he had not heard the sound Of an
automobile motor Sunday morn
ing.
Ernest Peters, private chauffeur,
testified he drove Miss Todd from
the exclusive Trocadero night club
in Hollywood to her beach cafe
about 3:45 o'clock Sunday morn
ing.
Ms. Wallace Ford testified Miss
Todd had telepsoned her about 4
o'clock Sunday afternoon.
When did Miss Todd die-and
where?
District Attorney Buron Fits
ordered a grand jury investigation
after George Rochester. foreman
of the jury, sent word to the dis
trict attorneys office that he
(Rochester) had independent in
formation" which led MIN to de-
mand a thorough probe into the
numerous confusing theories ana
circumstances surrounding the
sudden death of the glamorous
beauty of the films who was "the
life of the party" at the Troca-
dero.
Three UnsOlved Questions
Credence was added to a state
ment at the coroner's inquest by
Mrs. Ford, wife of the movie star,
that Miss Todd had telephoned
her Sunday afternoon and asked
If she could bring guest to a
cocktail party the Fords were
giving at their Laurel Canyon
estate.
"When you see who I'm with,
you'll drop dead"
That was what Mrs. Ford said
Miss Todd told her over the tele-
phone.
District attorneys investigators,
Jesse VIM and LLOYD YarroW,
sought an answer to the ques-
tons:
"Where was Miss Todd after
she left the TrocaderO at 3
O'Clock Sunday morning and
was taken to her beach cafe by
Peters, the private chauffeur?
"Who was the mysterious
guest she wanted to take to the
Ford party?
"When did she die and
where"
west testified at the inquest
that he had locked the door to
the apartment he occupied above
Miss Todd's sidewalk cafe, an
apartment adjoining one used by
Miss Todd, but that Miss Todd
had a key to her quarters.
Murder by MOnOxide"
It was West who revealed that
Smith slept above the death gar
age" and it was from Vests testi-
mony at the inquest that police
deduced Miss Todd may have
been murdered by monoxide"
elsewhere and carried to the gar
age to give the appearance she
had been the accidental victim OF
monoXide gas poisoning.
Case Ear From Clear"
The coroner's jury found that
Miss Todd's death was caused by
carbon monoxide poisoning, but
Rochester, the grand jury fore
man, asked that complete chem
ical analysis be made of Miss
Todd's body on the possibility
that something other Uhnn carbon
monoxide poisoning might be
found.
District Attorney Fits assigned
Tom Cavett, crack detective, to
investigate various rumors. He said
he would issue subponeas for 20
or more witnesses to tell their
stories to the grand jury. He said:
II believe that some of the
witnesses have not been as help.
full as they might have been.
The whole picture is far from
clear"