Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1953-10-12
Search Fails
To Yield Clue
ToSe|ph' STATE
Woods Are Combed
After Car Is Found
At Bernard Park

Fear for the safety of missing
Mount Rainier (Md.) finance
company employe mounted today
with the knowledge that his
abandoned car contained drops
of human blood.
District and Maryland police,
after a two-day search, have
failed to find a single reliable
clue as to the whereabouts of
Thomas N. Selph, jr., %, Of 200
Atlantic street Sc.
They spent a week end going
over every inch of the Barnard
Park area near the Maryland line
in northeast Washington, where
Mr.. Selph's car was found Satur-
day.
Only two new facts were estab-
lished: Cd Two blotches about
half inch in diameter found in
the rear seat were identified as
blood, and 20 Mr.. Selph diSap-
peared in an hour or less after he
left the American Finance Co.,
1908 Rhode Island avenue,
Mount Rainier, about noon Fri
day with a large sum of money
Made Rapid Tour.
Capt. Richard Felber of the
homicide squad said the presence
of blood doesn't look good" He
raised the possibility that of a
blow on the head, which may not
necessarily have bled freely.
1t was learned Mr.. Selph made
a remarkably fast tour of a post
Office and bank before the car
was abandoned at Eastern ave-
nue. nd Randolph street NE.
Robert R. Jones, National
Capital Parks employe, told
police he saw Mr.. Selph's car
there between 12:45 and / pm.
Saturday. Mr.. Jones was on a
routine round of duty.
Mr.. Jones sale the car was
empty, and he saw no one else
in the small, wooded park area.
This small piece, fitted into
the whole puzzle, might suggest
that Mr.. Selph was followed by
some one who knew his routine.
Left with $4,000.
In this case, Mr.. Selph left the
concern with more than $4,000
in checks, money orders and
large bills. Following instruc-
tons, he first went to the post
office a few blocks away at 37O9
Mt. Rainier avenue, to convert
the postal money orders into
cash.
Then he went to the Hamilton
National Bank at 2027 Rhode Is
land avenue in the District, and
deposited $10,981.55. He left the
bank, ostensibly headed back to-
ward the finance company, with
So, 1929 in small bills, again
following instructions.
Owen T. Cooney, so, of 1922
Republic road, Silver Spring,
manager of the finance COM
pany, said Mr.. Selph was per-
mitted to have his lunch first
before returning to the Office. He
customarily sat in his car for a
snack prepared at home. In the
front seat of his car were found
two sandwiches.
One of the drops of blood was
on the floor behind the drivers
seat and the other on one Of
two work gloves laying there.
A graduate of Eastern High
School, Mr.. Selph had trained
as a pilot at a Naval fight
school, but failed to complete
the course. The experience led
to a romance resulting in his
marriage Is months ago to a
civilian employee of the Pensa-
cola (Fla.) Naval Air Station.
Only IL days ago the 6-foot.
2-inch, 197-pound Mr.. Selph be-
came the father of a girl and
Mrs. Selph had just returned
to their home here from the
hospital.
Mr.. Selph's employer, fellow
workers and friends regarded
him as an outstanding young
man with a future in the finance
business he got into three
months ago.