Evening star., 1953-10-10
Loan Agency
Runner Gone;;
Car ar|sFound
Bloody Vehicle Hints
At Foul Play; Man
Left With $4,000

Police today searched for q
missing finance company mes
senger whose blood stained auto
was found abandoned near the
firms Offices.
Both the family and employer
OF Thomas N. Selph, jr., 23-year-
old father of a 10-day-old
daughter, said today they fear
he met with foul play, ap-
parently while returning to the
office with $4,000 after a trip to
the bank.
Left With $4,000.
Mr.. Selph, a messenger for the
American Finance Co., 1908
Rhode Island avenue, just across
the District line in Mount Rainier,
Md, left the Office about noon
yesterday with more than $4,000,
principally in checks and money
orders for two banking errandS.
He failed to reappear. Early
today, police found Mr.. Selph's
auto abandoned at Randolph
street and Eastern avenue NE,
about four blocks from the
finance company office.
Before the automobile was
found, officials of the finance
company had signed warrant
accusing Mr.. Selph of larceny
after trust. Police in nearby
Maryland had as yet taken no
action on the warrant.
Police said Mr.. Selph left the
finance company Offices yester-
day with $10,981 in checks and
money orders to be converted
into a check for deposit at the
Hamilton National Bank, 202
Rhode Island avenue NE.
He also had checks totaling
$3,l69, which he was to cash at
the bank, returning the cash to
the finance company.
Police said they have learned
that the first errand--to the
Post Oftice-Was performed ac-
cording to instructions. The
checks and money orders were
converted into another check,
marked for deposit only to the
firms account at the bank.
Also Called at Bank.
Police said Mr.. Selph also
called at the bank. He received
$3.50 in cash for the checks,
but police have been unable to
determine whether he deposited
the $10,981 check to the firms
account. At any rate, they
pointed out, it would not be
negotiable.
What happened after that is
not clear to police. Inspector
jeremiah Flaherty, assistant
chief of detectives, said that if
any violation of law has oc-
CURED, it probably would be a
District case, since the money
was drawn from the bank in
the District.
Mr.. Selph's 20-year-old wife
Wanda was distraught this
morning. She had returned Sum-
Gay from Sibley Hospital, where
she had given birth to the
couples first child, Sherrie
Marie, now 10 days old.
Mrs. Evelyn Gotard, Mr.. Selph's
mother, who lives at 7215 Foster
street, District Heights, Md, told
reporters that District police
scoffed at her first plea to them
for help about midnight.
Il called the police last night
about midnight" she said. They
laughed at me and said he
probably went to a beer joint.
They told me he was old enough
to take care of himself and not
to worry"
Mrs. Gotard said when her son
still had failed to appear at
home at 2 am, she again called
District police. Subsequent to
that call, three policemen were
sent to the Selph home to in
vestigate.
Frightened by Job.
Mrs. Gotard said her son had
told her on several occasions
that he was frightened by the
task of handling large sums Of
money for the finance company.
He said he was scared han
ding their money" she related.
He had feeling he was being
watched all the time. He told
me he always kept looking over
his shoulder to see if any one
was following him.
Some ones killed my son for
$1,000" Mrs. Gotard wept.
Mr.. Selph was born IN WASH
ington and was graduated from
Eastern High School. He at
tended Wilson Teachers College.
He had been a member of the
Naval Air Reserve since he was
II. He went on active duty two
years ago, and had returned from
duty at Key West. Fla, three
months ago. when he took the