The Washington times., 1936-04-18
NJ AN TRAILED,
ARRESTS ARE
SEMINAR
Taxi Driver Tells Of
Passenger Fleeing
Beekman Place

NEW 4Oth, April 10 NA'N'0"'
Clothing of two persons under sus-
picion-but not under arrest-in
connection with the strangling OF
Mrs. Nancy Evans Titterton. fic-
ton writer, underwent chemical
examination for paint stains in the
police laboratory today.
Freshly-made paint stains were
found on the walls of the vesti-
bule in the Titterton apartment
building shortly after the crime
was committed on Good Friday.
An air Of tension pervaded de-
tective headquarters, lending sup
port to q rumor that actual arrests
were near.
Suspect Trailed
It was learned that detectives
have been trailing one person for
the last "a hours. He Is said to be
q man known to have had free
access to the Titterton apartment
building, and whose movements on
Good Friday morning have not
been satisfactorily accounted for.
Police refused to say, however,
whether he is one Of the two per-
sons whose wardrobeS have been
turned over to the city toxicologist
for examination.
Lewis H. Titterton, husband Of
the slain woman. again was QueS-
toned today. He insisted his
wife's contacts with other men
were blameless.
Florists Tale Checked
The police, it is understood,
have obtained the names Of sew
eral men who knew Mrs. litter
ton. They were interested in the
story told by Mrs. Catherine Vel
lios, owner of florist shop in the
Titterton neighborhood, that in
February a tall, good-looking man
about 80 years of age began send
ing flowers to Mrs. Titterton, in
cluding her favorite gardenias.
He stopped sending the flowers
four days before the crime was
committed and Mrs. VellioS said
she has not seen the man since.
Although officials Of the Han
over (Pa.) Cordage Company de-
MED that they had stated their
company had manufactured the
13-inch cord found near Mrs. Tet-
terton's body, they gave the New
York police q list Of their dis
tributors in the Metropolitan area.
Into the mystery today was in
jected the figure Of a trembling
young man, who fled from fash
ionable Beekman Place with a de-
mand for speed that even a taxi
cab couldn't satisfy.
Cab Driver Gives Clue
A taxicab driver provided de-
tectives with the news Of the
young man. The driver, whose
Identity is being carefully guarded
because of his future value as q
witness said:
II thought first the fellow was
sick. He seemed to be shaking
and his voice was queer.
II was at Fiftieth Street, near
First Avenue, when he came
along, walking from the direc-
tiOn of Beekman Place. He got
into my cab so fast I didn't get
. look at him until he was in
side."
The young man was very vague
concerning his destination. The
driver quoted him:
"Take me over to the West
Side West Fifty-ninth Street
%. Step ON It. I'm in a hurry"
Hid His Face
The taxi man told the police
that the point where the man
hailed his cab at noon Good Fri
day was less than so yards from
the Titterton home, where at that
time the woman's body lay face
downward in the bathtub, as yet
undiscovered.
Two other things increased the
drivers suspicious about his fare,
the police said. The youth
cramped himself into a corner of
the cab so that his face-unnatu.
rally pale--was not visible to any
one outside the car. The second
was that before the cab had gone
q mile-and at a point at least a
mile and a half from his directed
destination, he suddenly leaped
out Of the cab, flinging the driver
the fare and a tip and disappeared
into a subway station, muttering