Evening star., 1935-03-08
DAVIDSON DEATH :
|. PROBE IS DROPPED
State Plans No Further In.
vestigation of Myste.
riouS Case.
BY JOHN ii. CLINE,
Stan Correspondent Of The Star.

Elva Statler Davidsonis strange and
mysterious death was closed book
today as far as the State Of North
Carolina is concerned
All official investigation has been
dropped following the return of an
"open verdict" yesterday by cor
oner's jury, which decided the 22-year.
old bride of H. Bradley Davidson, jr.,
Washington sportman, went to her
death from carbon monoxide gas un-
der unknown circumstances.
1t was reported a private detective
engaged by the Statler interests was
still carrying on an undercover in
vestigation, but this could not be con-
flrmed.
Attorneys Satisfied"
Attorneys representing the same in
terests left this fashionable resort for
their homes last night. They said
they were satisfied.
Solicitor Rowland Pruette, repre-
senting the State, has turned down
his cards without playing the pretty
good hole card" he told reporters he
had. He announced any further in
vestigation was up to the grand jury.
Both the sheriff and the coroner said
they contemplate no additional inves-'
tigation.
The attractive young bride, heiress
to the fortune amassed by the late
E. M. Statler, chain hotel operator,
was found dead in her garage here at
am. last Wednesday. What she
4 Ioa
and the physical circumstances of her
death constitute one Of the most baf-
fling mysteries in the annals Of the
State.
An impressive staff of investigators
worked for a week and could shed no
light on the case. Their evidence as
it was unfolded before the coroner's
jury revealed little likelihood of murder,
but left no choice between the theories
of accident and suicide.
Position Of Body Puzzling.
The most puzzling feature of the
case was the grotesque position in
which her body was found. The knees
we're on the running board, neither
foot touching the floor. The upper
part of her body was sprawled across
| the floor boards of her car under the
steering wheel, the arms outflung and
her head near the brake pedals.
Experts testified she could not have
fallen into this position and that If
she had deliberately placed herself
there before losing consciousness the
knees would have Strengthened after
death.
These facts and a mass Of other
evidence went before the jury, and
that body was unable to decide how
she met her death. Their inability to
decide that question, however. was
shared by the throng Of wealthy and
socially prominent onlookers who
crowded the inquiry hall each day.
The jury of six men came In with
I its open verdict after celebrating
only l6 minutes. The foreman said
only one ballot had been taken.
The decision reached by the jury
leaves the entire case unsettled The
battling question of whether Mrs. Da-
wilson died accidentally, by ter own
hand or was murdered is no nearer
an answer than on the day when
her body was found.
The pronouncement that she met
her death "by carbon monoxide gas
poisoning under circumstances un-
known to the jury" was -ead by the
acting coroner after the Jury had filed
back into the community hall from
its celebrating place In o nearby
fire house.
Attorneys for the Statler family
had announced they were satisfied
with the verdict" =.
Pruette said any further action
was up to the grand jury" which
does not meet until next June. Sneriff
Charles Mcdonald refused comment,
except to say the verdict leaves the
case open for further investigation.
He indicated he had no intention of
making it.
Coroner D. Carl Frye said the ver-
dict was entirely satisfactory" to him.
Described as Moody.
The climax of yesterdays testimony
came when Attorney M. G. Boyette,
representing Davidson, called Herbert
Vail of Pinehurst to the stand. Vail
said he had dinner with the David
sons February 8, and that the young
wife was very moody on that occasion.
she sat down at the piano and
started to play" he testified, but soon
left the room, saying her finger action
was bad. I followed her out.
She was very respondent, and
turned to me and said: It's no use,
Herbie. might as well go out in the
garage and turn on the motor"
Vail said he paid little attention to
the remark at the time. but three
weeks later her body was found there
dead from a cloud of carbon monox-
ide gas pouring from the exhaust of
her 12-cylinder car.
Under cross-examination, he admit
ted he had at first expressed the opin-
ion the death was accidental. He said
he wanted to see it that way for "the
family's sake" He said he was now
testifying it was a suicide" because
the possibility of the case being called
an accident had been eliminated BY
the evidence.
Dependency Told.
In answer to another question, heI
said: II think she had been mentally
unbalanced ever since ! had known
her."
His wife gave the following testi-
mony: =
"Elva was a woman who craved at
tention and became moody If she
didn't get it. Many, many times she
told me nobody loved her. She was
always respondent at these times.
She was also afraid Of falling and
hitting her head. She suffered from
faiting spells and feared q blow on
the head might kill her"
Mrs. Vail added that Davidson was
exceptionally nice to his wife"
Mrs. Donald C. Afford Of Pinehurst
said she never saw couple more
happy than the Davidsons. He was
always thoughtful and considerate.
I never saw him any other way" %.
DR.. G. C. Carpenter said there was
sufiicient carbon monoxide present in
Mrs. Davidson's body to cause death
and slight trace Of alcohol. There
was no evidence Of any other drug or
poison, he declared. -
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