Evening star., 1953-07-15


to the morgue. for autopsy. blood
grouping, flngernail scrapings,
samples of her hair. The routine
Of police investigation was un-
der way.
The autopsy report came in.
Miss Taggert's skull had been
fractured by repeated blows
across her forehead. Another
fracture showed on the right
side of her head. Her right ear
had been torn in half. Her nose
had been broken, her upper lip
cut and a front tooth knocked
out. Her right hand, severely
bruised. was puffed to twice its
normal size, indicating an in
stinctive move to ward of blows.
Her arms showed bruises, prob
ably caused by rough handling
when the killer dragged her
body from bed to floor. Coroner
A. Magruder Macdonald said
tests failed to prove conclusively
that she had been sexually at
tackled. Her position on the
floor, however, led police to be-
lieve the killer had this intent.
Had she been robbed? Her
wriStwatch, run down at 1913,
was on her wrist, but there was
the evidence of the empty wallet.
Police learned that she had been
paid $115.36 the previous Thurs
day for her work as secretary to
the personnel officer of the Ma
tional Science Foundation. In
veStigation disclosed that she
had paid her $38 monthly rent
and had made no bank deposit.
Money for Church.
A tenant recalled. that on the
last Saturday night of her life,
Miss Taggart had put bills into
a number Of church contribution
envelopes.
"I've been robbing my church
envelopes" Miss Taggart had
told her fellow roomer. "Now
I'm putting it back. I'm going
to church tomorrow"
Investigation disclosed that at
least $40 had gone into those
envelopes. judging from Miss
Taggart's customary contribu-
tions for the weeks she would
have made up since she last at
tended church. The envelopes
were missing from the room.
Now the questioning of ten
ants had begun. It brought the
story of the open door and the
first tangible indication that the
killer had prowled the hotel that
night. .
The girl across the hall: "She
asked me to keep my door open
for cross-ventilation. No, I heard
nothing during the night, but
I'm a very sound sleeper"
A girl down the hall: "I saw
her about 1880 that night when
I was going to get a coke and
asked her if she wanted one
She told me then she was going
to keep her door open. + got up
at lao am. to get a drink OF
water from the fountain and ]
noticed her door was propped
open with the trash basket.
When I went by at 9:30 am
Sunday. her door was shut.
knocked but there wasn't any
answer. I knocked again in the
afternoon and there still wasn't
any answer. I thought she was
out for the day."
PrOwler Discovered.
A girl on the fourth floor
Something woke me up shortly
before 4 am. Sunday. I sat up
in bed and I saw there was a
man in the room. He got out
then. went to the door of my
room. He ran down the hall to
the stairway. He was very quiet,
as if he were in his stocking
feet or wearing sneakers. woke
up the girl next door and we
took the elevator to the lobby
to tell the night watchman."
The watchman: II woke up
the manager and told him to
watch the stairways to the first
floor. I went up to the fourth
floor and looked around and
checked every floor. I didn't
find anything. I asked the wom-
and if she thought she was hav-
ing a dream. No, I didn't report
it to the police because I didn't
find anybody. I thought nothing
to it,"
On the basis of the prowler
story, the open and then locked
door of Miss Taggart's room and
the position of the window
screen outside her open window,
police began to build this theory:
The prowler. escaping from the
fourth floor when he saw he
had reused a sleeper, ran down
the steps to the second floor.
Then, he moved steathily down
the corridor from the stairway.
Miss Taggart's was the first open
door on that side Of the hall
the side from which escape was
easy. Soundlessly, he picked up
the trash basket holding the
door ajar and put it inside under
the wash stand. He closed and
locked the door behind him.
Lights from outside the build
ing showed the sleeping figure on
the bed. He took a stocking from
the desk chair, perhaps to stran-
gle her. perhaps to muffle an out
cry. He approached the bed.
Perhaps she started to rouse
Swiftly, his hand reached out to
the duckpin on the shelf. It
was Immediately behind the head
Of the bed. A blow descended,
Then more blows.
Escape by Roof.
Later, he wiped his hands on
the towel and searched for
moyaav Then he Snannnd the