Evening star., 1936-07-22
SEEKS TO TRACE
K|LLER'SACT|ONS
Sheriff Concentrates Probe
of Coed Staying on
Hotel.
Ey the Associated Press.

ASHEV1LLE, N. O., July ZZ.-Sner-
III Laurence E. Brown carried his in
vestigation Of the Helen Clevenger
Staying back to the Battery Park Ho-
tel today. retracing the path sup
posed to have been followed by the
killer In his flight from the girls
room and questioning number OF
persons whose identity remained Sc
cret.
Delaying for a time his planned
grilling of Daniel H. Gaddy, 28-year-
old watchman, whom he termed the
"key to the whole case" the sheriff
sent to State chemists at Raleigh va
rious articles for test tube analysis
and examination in the hope that a
further clue would be developed to
the slayer Of the New York coed,
who was shot and beaten In her hotel
room early last Thursday.
The articles were understood to in
clude the girls blood-stained pajamas.
a stained strip Of carpet from her
hotel room and a piece Of upholstery
from a chair, upon which officers be-
lieve the assailant wiped his bloody
hands. The sheriff, however, refused
to confirm the list.
Brown inspected the shop of Edwin
r. Frady, hotel engineer, in which
duplicate pass keys are made. He
had previously described the master
key found in the outer lock of Miss
Clevenger's door and presumably used
by the slayer as the most significant
evidence yet uncovered.
Two women were seen to enter
Browns Office this morning. Their
identity could not be learned. II was
reported, however, that they accom-
panied him to the hotel where he re-
sumed questioning of possible witnesses
on the roof garden. Spectators were
excluded from the garden.
Brown did not say when he planned
to question the night watchman again
but indicated it would probably be
soon.
Watchman's Story Awaited.
when Gaddy talks" the sheriff
said. I'VE will know something. and
think he is getting ready to talk pretty
soon.
Il am convinced the Clevenger
murder was an inside job and that
the murderer is right here in Asheville
| now"
Authorities continued to hold Mark
Wollner, 35-year-old violinist, and
Mildred Ward, l9-year -old Asheville
girl who corroborated Wollner's alibi
that he was at home last Wednesday
night when Miss Clevenger was crimi-
nally assaulted, mutilated and killed.
Wollner lives at Miss Wards home.
His studio Is across the street from
the hotel where the murder occurred
No charges have been made.
Key and Tape Clues.
A piece of tape from the night
watchman's time clock and a dam
aged super key" which opens
all rooms in the hotel were listed by
the sheriff as the most important
clues.
Brown said Gaddy failed to punch
the time clock when passing the sec
ond f1oor-on which Miss Clevenger S
room was located-on his rounds at
am. last Thursday morning, the ap-
proximate time officers believe the
New York University student was
slain.
The key in question, the sheriff said
was found on Gaddy's key ring. A
perfect key of the same type was found
in the door to Miss Clevenger's room
There were only II such keys au-
thorized and distributed to employees
Brown stated. but IL keys have been
accounted for, including a damaged
key and the one found in the door.
Sheriff's Theory Questioned.
| Heads Of the Asheville city police
department were openly skeptical OF
the strength of Sheriff Browns case.
Municipal detectives, however. COL
| laborated with the sheriff's deputies
in working on the mystery.
Gaddy was reported to have said
the damage to the master key on his
ring was caused by his using it in an
attempt to open a vacant house he
planned to rent,
Sheriff Brown indicated he had not
been successful in tracing the extra
master key.
His theory is that the killer entered
the girls room by means of the mas
ter key found in the lock. shot her
once, and, when the pistol jammed,
beat her in the face with the butt to
! silence her screams.