Evening star., 1937-03-06
Dentists Office Ransacked
for New Clues in ChIoro.
form Death.
PLASTER CASTS TAKEN
OF TIRE AND FOOTPRINTS
Authorities Follow Up Theory
Girl May Have Died in
Niller's Office.
BY IRVING F. LASH.

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va, March
s.-Rumors of second arrest in
bizarre death of pretty 18-year-old
Cleo Sprouse filled Charlottesville to-
day as the authorities continued to
piece together their case against DR..
Richard G. Miller, 53-year-old dentist,
charged with her murder.
Scientific crime detection was called
into play to check portions of DR..
while he was administering chloro-
form preparatory to an illegal opera
ton.
Still dissatisfied with the dentists
version. police yesterday ransacked
his downtown Office and explored
every foot of the ground DR.. Miller
said he travelled last Monday night,
when Cleo met her death, in a search
for proof of "out-and-out murder"
Plaster Casts Taken.
Plaster casts were made of automo-
bile tire tracks and footprints, SAM
piles of mud were taken and the doc
tors papers and tools collected. All
Of these will be subjected to intensive
laboratory tests in an effort to re-
construct events leading up to Cleo's
death and force DR.. Miller to explain
what officials describe as "discrepan-
cies" and "loose ends" in his state
ment.
Mud samples were taken in the
desolate graveyard near the University
of Virginia campus. where the girls
body was discovered by two students.
and at the point at the other end Of
town, where. according to DR.. Miller's
statement. he took Cleo to perform
the operation.
Fife revealed the mud samples will
be sent to the Federal Bureau of In
vestigation to be checked against the
mud found on the slippers worn by
Cleo when she came to her tragic end.
I'VE intend to establish through
the girl left the automobile" Fife
explained. Miller said she did not"
Found No Instrument.
In the raid on DR.. Miller's Office
no instrument, such as could have
been used for an illegal operation,
was found, but authorities reported
they did find medical cotton similar
10 that covering Cleo's mouth and
nose when her body was discovered,
and towel similar to the one which
was over her face. An instrument
ease and several other articles, some
Of them bottles, also were confiscated.
Miller maintained he had this case
with him on the night Cleo died." the
Commemorative attorney said. I'm
his subsequent confession he refuted
the statement. At first he stead
fastly maintained the car reeked of
chloroform because a bottle of the
fluid had overturned in the kit. He
denied this later"
Officers Advance New Theory.
In ransacking the dentists office,
1t was learned, officials also were
working on the theory the girl might
have died there, and not in the auto
mobile, a borrowed car, as claimed by
Or. Miller.
Neighbors who knew both families
reported that DR.. Miller has served
as the family dentist to the Sprouses
for number of years and had been
. frequent visitor to the house. It
was recalled that on Monday night,
when Cleo failed to return home, and
her rothers looked for her at the
homes of friends, DR.. Miller was one
Of those visited
Meanwhile, it was announced at
the Miller home tina: A. R. Miller,
the dentists brother, had employed
E. v. Walker and Robert H. Taylor.
well-known local attorneys, to serve
for the defense, along with Harold M.
Ratcliffe, commonwealths attorney
for Henrico County. Walker was a
law partner of Commemorative At
torney Fife up until five years ago.
Rumors that DR.. Miller might plead
Insanity, resulting from a gunshot
wound in the head received while
hunting last January, were discounted.