Evening star., 1941-02-13
Kriivitsky
Put in Records
As Suicide
Coroner Sweurs in
Jury to Hear Any
Future Evidence

u iCG . O1uIldl 1CCOlo OOOdy do oulIlOC
after coroner's jury was sworn in
at the Morgue over the body of
the former Soviet spy chief to hear
any evidence which may turn up in
the future to upset the findings.
Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald
shortly before noon issued the
suicide certificate he drew up Mon
day night but withheld pending a
more complete investigation. DR..
Macdonald sWore in the jury as a
precautionary measure because of
widely held opinion of Krivitsky's
friends and associates that he was
the victim of assassins bent on
'liquidating" the witness who knew
too much" about Soviet espionage
methods.
The jury will not be called for an
inquest into KrivitSky's death unless
new evidence is brought forward
which seems substantial enough to
warrant reopening the case. District
authorities are convinced no such
evidence can be produced.
4'Aat
DR.. Macdonald said his first exam
ination of the body and the room
convinced him that the dead man
had shot himself. He said this was
indicated by the course the bullet
took through the mans head and
into the wall and by the position
of the body. He pointed out that
Krivitsky had lived in fear of assas-
sination and would have made some
move to protect himself had any
suspicious sound been heard. The
shot had been fired at close range
and caused instant death.
Those named to the six-man cor
oner's jury were L. B. Souder. Har-
old J. Smith, H. C. Adler. j. H.
ONeil, P. Gilbert. Breen and F. J.
A. Bennett.
DR.. Macdonald decided to issue
the suicide certificate today on the
basis of his personal investigation
and another completed last night
by 1t. George Darnall, chief of the
homicide squad, who spent yester-
day in Virginia tracing the death
gun and interviewing persons who
last saw Krivitsky alive.
Body to Be Released Today.
In announcing the police investi-
cation was closed last night, In
spector Bernard w. Thompson of
the Detective Bureau said the ex-
tended inquiry uncovered additional
and conclusive evidence that Kri-
vitSky shot himself in the hotel
room near Union Station where his
body was discovered Monday morn
ing.
Body Sent to New York.
This finding was IN conflict with
views expressed by members of Con-
gress and by Krivitsky's friends and
political sympathizers in many parts
of the United States and in Mex
ico From Mexico City last night
came an Associated Press dispatch
quoting the widow of Leon Trotzky
to the effect that Krivitsky's death
undoubtedly was another murder
by the OGPU."
KrivitSkys body was released early
this afternoon, after the corOner'S
jury was sworn in. 1t was turned
over to an undertaken and sent to
New York City, the present home of
Gen. Krivitsky's widow, Tonia, and
7-year-old son. The arrangements
were made by Louis Waldman of
New York, KrivitSky's attorney, who
came here to insist on a thorough
investigation of the shooting.
Statement Obtained.
1t Darnall yesterday obtained a
signed statement at Charlottesville,
Va, from a hardware store clerk
identifying the death gun as the
one he sold a week ago to a man
he recognized as Krivitsky from a
He also identified am
munition taken from the automatic
found beside the body.
This account of the purchase was
confirmed in another written state
ment from Mrs. Marguerite Dobert,
80, wife of Eitel Wolf Dobert, for
mer German officer and refugee
from the Nazis, who live in a log
cabin about Is miles north of Char
lottesville Mrs. Dobert said she
accompanied Krivitsky to the store
and helped him make the purchase
because he had expressed fear of
assassination and wanted the gun
for self-defense.
While stopping at the Dobert
home, it was said, Krivitsky prac-
ticed firing at a target with the
newly gun.
Yesterday 1t. Darnell obtained
two of the exploded shells and
returned them for ballistics COM
parison with the shell found in
the death room. Inspector Thomp-
son announced today that COMPARE
sons by the departments expert,
1t. John Fowler, revealed all three
shells were fired from the same gun.
In her statement Mrs. Dobert also
told how she drove Krivitsky, who
had been their house guest for sew
eral days, to Washington Sunday
night. Believing Krivitsky had gone
to New York, she stopped overnight
in hotel near the one in which
the body was found, but did not
learn of the death until she read
of it in the newspapers. Mrs. Dobert
spent Tuesday night with friends
and then returned home.
Krivitsky, it was said, had fire.
quently expressed fear of assassina-
ton, and planned to retire from
politics" and bring his family to
live on the Dobert Farm in the Vir-
ginia foothills. A friend of Kri-
vitsky's in New York, it was said,
had recently warned him of the ar
rival of Soviet killer" who sup
posedly was after him for his revela-
tions before the Dies Committee
and in magazine articles.
Spokesman for the Dies Commit
tee said late yesterday that its
agents probably will be assigned to
activities of supposed
Soviet spies in this country as a
result of Krivitsky's death. 1t was
however, that the COM
mittee has no authority to inquire
into the local shooting. The Fed
nro1 Drrao,, of L,o1