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1216 lines
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* T A Y L O R O L O G Y *
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* A Continuing Exploration of the Life and Death of William Desmond Taylor *
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* *
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* Issue 19 -- July 1994 Editor: Bruce Long bruce@asu.edu *
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* TAYLOROLOGY may be freely distributed *
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CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE:
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The Case against Edward Sands:
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Who was Sands?
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Items Suggesting Sands was the Killer
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Sands' Sexuality
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Was Sands the Person Seen by Faith MacLean?
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Was Robbery an Element of the Murder Motive?
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Strange Phone Calls Received by Taylor
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Conclusions Regarding Sands
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Wallace Smith: February 14, 1922
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What is TAYLOROLOGY?
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TAYLOROLOGY is a newsletter focusing on the life and death of William Desmond
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Taylor, a top film Paramount film director in early Hollywood who was shot to
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death on February 1, 1922. His unsolved murder was one of Hollywood's major
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scandals. This newsletter will deal with: (a) The facts of Taylor's life;
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(b) The facts and rumors of Taylor's murder; (c) The impact of the Taylor
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murder on Hollywood and the nation. Primary emphasis will be given toward
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reprinting, referencing and analyzing source material, and sifting it for
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accuracy.
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The Case Against Edward Sands:
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From the very beginning, Edward F. Sands was a prime suspect in Taylor's
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murder and several of the investigators on the case were convinced of his
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guilt. Yet A CAST OF KILLERS and A DEED OF DEATH quickly shrug off the
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possibility that Sands killed Taylor. Nevertheless, the case against Sands is
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substantial, and any thorough consideration of the Taylor case must include a
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much closer look in Sands' direction.
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Who was Sands?
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Edward Sands' real name was Edward Fitzgerald Snyder. [1] For several
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months he also went under the alias of Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore.
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Military fingerprints confirmed that Snyder and Strathmore were the same
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person; handwriting analysis confirmed that Snyder, Strathmore and Sands were
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all the same person. [2]
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Edward Fitzgerald Snyder was born in Marion, Ohio on April 4, 1894, the
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son of Murray T. Snyder and Marguerite A. Snyder. Edward had many brothers and
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sisters, and the family home was at 572 Silver St., Marion, Ohio.
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Edward Snyder first enlisted in the U.S. Navy on September 19, 1911, at
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the Navy Recruiting Station in Cincinnati. He had run away from home and was
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only 17, but he lied about his age and said he was 18, giving his birthdate as
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1893. He entered as an Apprentice Seaman; in 1912 he attended Yeoman School
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and was subsequently promoted to Yeoman 3rd Class in 1912, Yeoman 2nd Class in
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1913, and Yeoman 1st Class in 1914. He served on the U.S.S. Franklin, U.S.S.
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Constellation, U.S.S. Montana, and U.S.S. Paducah. His duty assignments
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included Pay Office, and Canteen Yeoman. In mid-1915, while on board the
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U.S.S. Paducah, he was arrested and charged with fraud and embezzlement. The
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general court martial was held at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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Snyder was found guilty and sentenced to be reduced in rank to the rating of
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Landsman and to perform one year of hard labor, then to be discharged. He was
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confined to the navy prison aboard the U.S.S. Southery at the Navy Yard in
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Portsmouth and was dishonorably discharged on August 6, 1916.
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Two weeks later, on August 21, 1916, Snyder enlisted again, this time at
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Boston, Massachusetts, in the U.S. Coast Guard as an Ordinary Seaman. On his
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enlistment form he fraudulently declared that he had never received a
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dishonorable discharge from any service, and that he had no previous military
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service. Although he entered as an Ordinary Seaman, he was "disrated [reduced
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in rank] to Boy 1st Class at his own request" on September 1, 1916. On
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December 4 he was promoted to Cabin Steward and held that rank until his
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discharge. He served on the cutter Gresham from the time of his enlistment
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until his honorable discharge on August 20, 1917, a full year's service.
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On October 17, 1917, Snyder enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve at the
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Navy Yard in New York, NY, service number 193-31-03. (During World War I, the
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U.S. Naval Reserve had been mobilized into active service.) He entered as a
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Ship's Cook, 2nd Class, and was sent to the Naval Reserve Training Station at
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Pelham Park, New York. While there, he was promoted to Commissary Steward on
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February 1, 1918. In April 1918 Snyder was transferred to the Naval District
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Base at New London, Connecticut, and on December 1 he was promoted to Chief
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Commissary Steward. He was placed in charge of the commissary department at
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P. A. Scott & Co., salvagers. One night he stole an automobile belonging to
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Albert Mix, a member of the Scott firm. Snyder wrecked the car, smashing it
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into a telegraph pole. He was arrested and let off on the condition that he
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pay for the damages incurred. He said he could get the money in New York, and
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was given permission to go there. He left the Naval Base on January 14, 1919
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and never returned, sending back word that "they would have to come after it"
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if they wanted the money. Snyder had deserted for the first time. [3]
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On February 8, 1919, Snyder enlisted at Kansas City in the U.S. Navy
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again, but this time under the name Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore; he
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accomplished the change of name by presenting the recruiter with a forged
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certificate of honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard, in Strathmore's
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name. "Strathmore" was assigned to the Naval Training Station at Great
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Lakes, Illinois, service number 341-01-01, and he entered as a Landsman for a
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Cook. In March 1919 the Navy Department in Washington discovered that
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Strathmore was really the same person as Edward Snyder who had previously
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been dishonorably discharged from the Navy in 1916. (But the Navy Department
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was at that time unaware of Snyder's two interim enlistments in the Coast
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Guard and Naval Reserve, or the fact that he was currently wanted as a
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deserter.) On April 1, 1919 he was summoned to the office of his commander,
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confronted with his previous dishonorable discharge, instructed to secure the
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necessary affidavits showing his correct name and date of birth, and to make
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a written statement explaining his motive for reinlisting. Snyder/Strathmore
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responded by deserting again. [4]
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Snyder's next stop was the U.S. Coast Guard, enlisting again under the
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name of Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore, as a Cook on April 17, 1919 at
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Brooklyn, N.Y., service number 144-441 He was sent to USCG Station #239 at
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Cleveland, Ohio on April 18. He repeatedly went absent without leave during
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his month there, and on May 18, 1919, he deserted again.
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"Strathmore" next enlisted in the U.S. Army at Columbus Barracks, Ohio,
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on May 22, 1919, service number 6-428-758. He was soon assigned to the finance
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office, and on August 25 he was promoted to sergeant. One of his duties was
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the drawing up of government checks for payment of bills. On October 4 he
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made out a check payable to himself for $481.53, forged the signature of the
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finance officer, and deserted, also forging a signature to an army discharge
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for himself. After deserting he attempted to buy a motorcycle with the forged
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check.
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Snyder now adopted the name Edward F. Sands, and by mid-1920 had obtained
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the job of valet and cook to William Desmond Taylor in Los Angeles. In July
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1921, while Taylor was in Europe and Sands had been left to take care of
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Taylor's home, Sands forged checks on Taylor's account, wrecked Taylor's car,
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stole some of Taylor's clothing, and vanished. When Taylor returned he issued
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a formal complaint against Sands, and a police warrant was issued by the
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L.A.P.D., charging Sands with forgery and larceny.
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One newspaper quoted Snyder's father as stating that three months prior
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to the murder (which would have been around the beginning of November 1921)
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Edward Snyder had visited his sister, Mrs. George Dunn, in Cleveland,
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Ohio. [5]
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On November 17, 1921, Snyder enlisted once again under his real name, in
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the U.S. Coast Guard at Oakland, and was assigned to the cutter Bear as a Mess
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Attendant 1st Class, service number 143-512. On November 26, Snyder was
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dismissed from his enlistment and discharged for being absent without leave.
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(This discharge was technically an ordinary discharge, for "unsatisfactory
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probationary period.")
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On December 4, 1921, Taylor's home was burglarized. The back door was
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broken in and several items of Taylor's jewelry were stolen, along with his
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entire stock of special gold-tipped cigarettes. Some food was eaten from the
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refrigerator and dusty footprints were found on Taylor's bed. The stolen
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jewelry was pawned in Fresno on December 12, and in Sacramento on
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December 24; the person pawning the jewelry was identified as Edward Sands,
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which was confirmed by handwriting analysis. Sands either committed the
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burglary, or it was committed by his associate who then turned the stolen
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merchandise over to Sands. [6] In mid-December a gold-tipped cigarette was
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found on Taylor's doorstep, indicating that Sands had returned once again. On
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December 27, both pawn tickets were mailed to Taylor from Stockton, with a
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note that read: "So sorry to inconvenience you even temporarily. Also observe
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the lesson of the forced sale of assets. A Merry Xmas and a happy and
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prosperous New Year. Alias Jimmy V." Handwriting analysis confirmed the note
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was written by Sands/Snyder/Strathmore.
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There were many reported and rumored sightings of Sands after this time,
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but his whereabouts after the murder were never confirmed. [7] Regarding his
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military service, he is known to have enlisted seven times: four times he
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deserted and twice he was kicked out. Only one of his seven enlistments was
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satisfactorily completed.
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[Special thanks to Susan Snyder of Columbus, Ohio, for obtaining and providing
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much of the information regarding Sands'/Snyder's military record. Thanks also
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to John Christin.]
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Items Suggesting Sands was the Killer
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February 3, 1922
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
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[from an interview with Julia Crawford Ivers]...Mrs. Ivers then told of
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the difficulty Mr. Taylor said he had with his valet-secretary, Sands.
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"There never was a more devoted man serving another than this man Sands
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during the first year and a half of his service for Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor
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trusted him with everything.
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"...Sands read everything he could find. He used to study into the late
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hours of the night and when Mr. Taylor told me of the various actions
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attributed to Sands, we all decided the man must have become deranged..."
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February 4, 1922
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ST. LOUIS GLOBE DEMOCRAT
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(Los Angeles)--...Captain of Police R. Moffatt said today, "We are
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seeking Sands for any information that he can throw upon the subject [of
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Taylor's murder]. The only possible motive thus far uncovered is that of
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putting out of the way a complaining witness in two felony cases. Sands was
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accused of felony by Taylor."
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 4, 1922
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LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
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...Of almost equal interest in the development of the investigation was
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the statement of Mrs. Earl Tiffany, wife of Taylor's chauffeur, that she saw
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Edward F. Sands, ex-secretary-valet of the murdered director, now sought as a
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witness, at Sixth and Figueroa Streets Tuesday afternoon last [the day prior
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to the murder] at 1:20 o'clock.
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...The search for Sands continued with unabated intensity. He is said to
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have returned to Los Angeles Tuesday and uttered this threat:
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"I am here to get Bill Taylor."
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His intimate knowledge of Taylor's double identity was revealed in
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startling fashion late yesterday when in Fresno it was learned that Sands had
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there pawned jewelry stolen from Taylor and that he had given the name
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"William Deane-Tanner," asserted to be Taylor's true name.
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...The police are assured beyond peradventure that the man who pawned the
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jewelry in Fresno, using the true name of the owner in a spirit of malicious
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triumph, was Edward Sands.
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There is something in this very circumstance which to the officers is
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itself a flood of light coming out of the darkness.
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The stealing and forgery indulged in by Sands did not convey the spirit
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of this piece of treachery; they might have been only for gain. But now that
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the Fresno episode is brought up from the obscurity of a dark little hole-in-
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the-wall pawn shop to be made plain in all its details, a new element appears.
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This new element is the pronounced unfriendliness of Sands, which takes
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on the aspect of a sinister and silent threat.
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The malice is further revealed in what seems to have been a persistent
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campaign of Sands to annoy the director.
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From Fresno he sent him a pawn ticket, a ticket issued on valuables
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stolen from Taylor on which money had been raised.
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Still another pawn ticket came through the mail from Sacramento. With
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this was the letter signed "Alias Jimmy V."
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These were derisive thrusts at Taylor; from some motive which has not
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been revealed the thief and forger was trying to torture the victim of his
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crimes.
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...Something of the description of this man was learned yesterday by The
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Examiner from A. A. Tomlinson, an accountant of 1022 West Fortieth Place.
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"The true name of this man," said Tomlinson, "is not Sands but
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Strathmore. I recognized him by his picture in this morning's Examiner.
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"He enlisted in the army during the war as Edward Fitz Strathmore and was
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assigned to Columbus Barracks, Ohio. I was then head of the finance office and
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upon learning that Strathmore had been a chief petty officer in the navy I
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asked that he be transferred to my department, which was done.
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"On October 4, 1919, Strathmore forged my name to a Government check for
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$475 and tried to buy a motorcycle with it. He failed to carry out this
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scheme, but escaped. At the same time he forged the commanding officer's name
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to a discharge. He has been wanted for desertion.
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"On July 4, 1920, I met him on Alvarado Street. He told me that he was
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expecting to get work with the street car company. I notified the police, but
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he disappeared.
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"During his service with me at Columbus Barracks, Strathmore often
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boasted of the crimes he had committed. I did not believe him then, but
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thought it was a case of a young fellow drawing on his imagination.
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"Once I asked him what he would do if he were in a dangerous situation.
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He said he would shoot his way out."
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 4, 1922
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Edward Doherty
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PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
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(Los Angeles)--...A peculiar thing in the minds of the police is that
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both Sands and Peavey are of a queer type, affected, given to feminine ways.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 5, 1922
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PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
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(Los Angeles)--...The police continued their search for Edward F. Sands,
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a former secretary and valet to Taylor.
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According to the statement of one person made to the police, this man was
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in Los Angeles not later than last Tuesday, the day before the murder was
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committed. He is alleged to have made a statement to this person that "I am
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out to get Taylor--and I will get him."
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Before the murder police were directing a search for this man on the
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complaint of Taylor, who charged that he had robbed him of several thousand
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dollars. It seemed to enrage Sands, according to friends, to think that his
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former employer objected to being the victim of a robbery by his personal
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servant and he fled from Los Angeles breathing vengeance against Taylor, it is
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alleged.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 6, 1922
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LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
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(from an interview with actress Winifred Kingston)..Miss Kingston threw
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some very interesting light on Sands' career, details gleaned, she said, from
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various conversations with Taylor.
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"While Edward Knoblock was living at Mr. Taylor's home [during June/July
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1921 when Taylor was in Europe], " she said, "Sands went down to a well known
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department store in town and bought at various times a considerable amount of
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lingerie. I understood he gave these to a girl he was interested in--a very
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young creature who lived at home with her mother. All of this he charged to
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Mr. Taylor's account, a matter which greatly enraged the director when he
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returned from abroad.
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..."During this same period, when Mr. Knoblock was a guest of Mr.
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Taylor's and was supposed to pay for nothing, Sands presented the English
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author with a bill amounting to some hundreds of dollars for groceries he had
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used while at the house. Mr. Knoblock, being a gentleman and not wanting a
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row, however little he understood the matter, paid the bill. When Mr. Taylor
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returned he was naturally dumbfounded.
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"On another occasion Sands did another peculiar thing. Mr. Taylor had two
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thermos bottles around the house, neither of any particular value. There were
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many other things Sands easily could have stolen of more value. But he took
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one of these bottles to present to some girl. Her mother did not understand
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the act at all and didn't want the girl to take it.
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"Most unusual of Sands' actions, however, was a document he once drew up.
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"One day, to show his affection and regard for Mr. Taylor, he wrote, in
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his own handwriting, a sort of servile contract, in which he said that he
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would be Mr. Taylor's servant for life and would always be his slave.
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"Mr. Taylor told me about the document and laughed. I don't know what
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ever happened to the paper, but Sands apparently took it seriously.
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"All of this led me to believe that the man was mentally deranged and he
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is the only man I can think of who might have killed Mr. Taylor."
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February 6, 1922
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NEW YORK HERALD
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(Los Angeles)--...The fact that his houseman, Henry Peavey, and his
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former secretary, Edward F. Sands, are both said to be "queer persons," has
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led to much speculation whether Taylor was abnormal himself. It is thought by
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a majority who are investigating the case that this is a phase which will
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develop and throw much new light on the case.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 6, 1922
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SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER
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(Los Angeles)--A new and vital witness upon one of the big points in the
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William D. Taylor murder mystery was found tonight by an Examiner
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representative, who received from him the most important statement yet made as
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to Edward F. Sands, whom the police of the nation are seeking.
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This man, a well known citizen living within a block of the Taylor
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apartment at 404B South Alvarado Street, saw Sands within a few minutes after
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the time the film director was murdered.
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The information furnished by this citizen was turned over to the police
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and is regarded as the most definite yet obtained in its bearing upon the
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movements of the much sought Sands.
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"I was going home Wednesday night," said the informant, "and was possibly
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a block from the Taylor home when I saw Edward Sands across the street. I had
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known him some time and recognized him at once under the glare of an electric
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light.
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"As he knew me equally well the recognition was mutual. But instead of
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crossing over or of speaking as I naturally expected he would do, he turned
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his face the other way and hurried on, taking the first turn and disappearing.
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"His actions struck me as peculiar at the time. He appeared to be trying
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to conceal himself, did not want to be recognized.
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"My general impression of him at the time was that he was excited and
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flustered.
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"The time was just about 8 o'clock. He was coming from the direction of
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Taylor's apartment, hurrying along as though to lose no time, a very fast
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walk, I would describe it, which might easily have changed into a run...
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"If Sands were arrested, charged with murder and tried I would testify to
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these facts if called as a witness."
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After being seen by an Examiner reporter the Hollywood resident made the
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same statement to police detectives.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 6, 1922
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LOS ANGELES HERALD
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Several detectives were inclined to the theory that the person who slew
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Taylor may have been mentally unbalanced, and qualified their remarks
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regarding that phase of the probe by discussing confidential reports obtained
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today from the mystery witness who called at detective headquarters and who
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was said to have stated he saw Sands near the scene of the slaying late
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Wednesday night.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 7, 1922
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LOS ANGELES TIMES
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...The visit of Mr. Eyton to the Detective Bureau was for the purpose of
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aiding in the search for Sands. Several witnesses who know the fugitive say
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they saw him in Los Angeles about the time of the shooting. At least two
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persons believe they saw him on the night of the shooting. One woman saw Sands
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within a block of the Taylor home within less than two hours of the time set
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for the murder.
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Capt. Adams in a statement to newspaper men declared that the entire case
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hinges on Sands.
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"If we can locate Sands," declared Capt. Adams, "then we will be able
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once and for all to settle the question of his whereabouts on the night of the
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murder. If Sands cannot prove to our satisfaction where he was on Wednesday
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night between 7 and 8 o'clock we will then believe that we have found the
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right man."
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...Several women and three men, all of whom know Sands by sight, say that
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they saw him on the streets of the city during the last month.
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...Police say Sands has lost some weight since he fled after the first
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robbery.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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February 8, 1922
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ARIZONA REPUBLICAN
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(Los Angeles)--A complaint charging Edward F. Sands, alias Edward Fitz
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Strathmore, missing butler-secretary, with the murder of his former employer,
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William Desmond Taylor, will be issued, it was declared tonight by Detective
|
|
Sergeant Edward King, of the police department who is detailed to work in the
|
|
district attorney's office. The complaint will be based on "new and
|
|
conclusive" evidence uncovered today, according to King.
|
|
"In my mind," said Sergeant King, "the case has been solved."
|
|
"There is no doubt left. I believe that Sands is the man. A murder
|
|
complaint will be issued against him.
|
|
"We have uncovered corroborative evidence of such a nature that the
|
|
arrest of Sands is absolutely necessary in clearing this mystery."
|
|
...At the same time Captain Adams declared Sands was the only person
|
|
whose arrest the police were seeking in connection with the case.
|
|
"There has been abundant surmise about other individuals," he said, "and
|
|
we have run down countless clues relating to the murder. But I can say
|
|
positively that we have no leads that would warrant us seeking any one but
|
|
Sands."
|
|
The circular reads as follows:
|
|
"We hold warrants on charges of grand larceny, felonies for the arrest of
|
|
Edward F. Sands. We also have burglary charges against him and seek him for
|
|
the murder of William Desmond Taylor in the city of Los Angeles of February 1,
|
|
1922.
|
|
..."He is about 26 years of age, height five feet seven or eight inches;
|
|
heavy build; some months ago weighed 185 to 195 pounds or more, but is said
|
|
to be lighter now; present weight may not be more than 175; round full face,
|
|
light complexion, very heavy brown hair, rather heavy eyebrows, said by some
|
|
to almost meet over his nose; short nose; peculiar mouth which looks small
|
|
when closed; smokes cigarettes; usually well dressed; is well educated, fine
|
|
penman, good accountant..." [8]
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 8, 1922
|
|
Edward Doherty
|
|
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
|
|
(Los Angeles)--...Capt. David L. Adams, directing the police, insists
|
|
that Sands is the only man who can solve the crime...
|
|
"The more one talks over this case," said Adams, "the more certain it
|
|
seems that Sands is implicated. Sands knew all about the shady side of
|
|
Taylor's life; knew his name was Tanner; knew undoubtedly about the wife and
|
|
girl back east...
|
|
"It is quite likely Sands killed Taylor, either out of revenge for what
|
|
he considered unjust treatment--unrequited affection, if you will--he was of a
|
|
peculiarly feminine nature, remember--or in an attempted blackmail which
|
|
failed at the last minute."
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 8, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES RECORD
|
|
A complaint charging Sands with the murder was to be issued today by the
|
|
district attorney's office. William Doran, chief deputy district attorney,
|
|
said there was no doubt in his mind that Sands is the guilty man.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 8, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES HERALD
|
|
(Los Angeles)--Captain of Detectives David Adams made the flat statement
|
|
today that secret information in his possession positively links Sands with
|
|
the slaying and the police were concentrating their efforts upon a search for
|
|
the former secretary.
|
|
"We have obtained secret information that we believe virtually solves the
|
|
murder," Captain Adams stated. "We are centering our efforts on the location
|
|
of Sands. This information has not been made public, nor will it be, but it is
|
|
positive in its character."
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 9, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES TIMES
|
|
...Information in the hands of police detectives indicates that Sands was
|
|
near the scene of the crime about the time of the shooting, which is
|
|
officially believed to have been about 7:50 or 7:55 p.m. a week ago yesterday.
|
|
He also has been reported from reliable sources to have been in Los Angeles
|
|
both before and after that day.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 9, 1922
|
|
NEW YORK AMERICAN
|
|
E. W. Wingate, of the Famous Players, who saw William Desmond Taylor just
|
|
before leaving Hollywood two weeks ago, expressed disbelief to The N. Y.
|
|
American yesterday that a woman had been at the bottom of the Taylor murder
|
|
mystery.
|
|
...Mr. Wingate declared that in his talk with Taylor about the Christmas
|
|
greetings he had received from "Alias Jimmy Valentine," it struck him that
|
|
there was a peculiar relationship between Edward F. Sands, his secretary-
|
|
valet, and Taylor. The tone of the facetious and threatening notes accredited
|
|
to Sands gave the impression that he considered it his right to pawn Taylor's
|
|
clothes and steal Taylor's money...
|
|
Previous to this robbery and message, Wingate said, it was rumored in
|
|
Hollywood that Taylor had received a message from Jimmy Valentine, following
|
|
the first robbery, after Taylor's return from Europe, which read:
|
|
"I got these things this time, but next time I get you."
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 9, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES TIMES
|
|
...Several of the officers adhere closely to the theory that Sands,
|
|
inspired by hate and a desire for revenge upon the man who caused him to be a
|
|
fugitive from justice, slipped into the Taylor home and shot down his former
|
|
employer...The officers who believe Sands committed the murder hold the
|
|
opinion that he is insane, or at least mentally unbalanced because of his
|
|
troubles, and believe many of his actions can be accounted for in this way.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 10, 1922
|
|
Edward Doherty
|
|
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
|
|
(Los Angeles)--Two hours after William Desmond Taylor was murdered--that
|
|
is, about 10 o'clock on the night of February 1--a man was seen loitering in
|
|
the vicinity of Taylor's residence, hiding behind a telephone pole.
|
|
Policeman Thomas Long saw him. He saw the policeman. He disappeared.
|
|
After the discovery of the murder Policeman Long found near the telephone pole
|
|
the gold tips of two smoked cigarettes--cigarettes of the same brand as those
|
|
stolen from the house.
|
|
The policeman, who told the story to Capt. David L. Adams last Sunday,
|
|
repeated it this evening to District Attorney Woolwine. It was the first time
|
|
the story has become public. Considerable importance is attached to the clew.
|
|
A few days after the burglary a cigarette stub was found on the doorstep
|
|
of Taylor's home. It was one of the stolen ones.
|
|
It was about 10 o'clock, according to Long, when he saw the man skulking
|
|
back of the telephone post. The shot was heard about 8 o'clock and the man
|
|
Mrs. Douglas MacLean, wife of the film star, saw, left immediately after the
|
|
shot was fired. Is he the man of the cigarette? Is he the man seen by the
|
|
policeman? Why was he waiting there?
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 10, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES TIMES
|
|
Sands Insane, Friend Thinks
|
|
The belief of detectives that if Edward F. Sands, valet-secretary to
|
|
William D. Taylor, killed his employer, he was insane, was bolstered last
|
|
night by information tending to show that the missing fugitive was mentally
|
|
deranged.
|
|
George S. Brettner, who became well acquainted with Sands before the
|
|
latter's disappearance more than a year ago, [sic] told of actions and remarks
|
|
of a peculiar nature.
|
|
At that time Sands was talking of joining a foreign navy or going to
|
|
South America, according to Mr. Brettner. He said he was becoming restless and
|
|
wanted a change, but spoke no ill of Mr. Taylor.
|
|
"I don't know what I'd do if I lost my job and didn't have any money,"
|
|
Sands is reported to have said. "When I get to be 35 years old I'm going to
|
|
blow my head off. I don't see any use of people living after that age.
|
|
They're not good for anything. I used to be chief petty officer in the
|
|
Quartermaster Corps aboard ships, and I guess I might as well enlist and be
|
|
taken care of until I'm ready to shoot myself."
|
|
Sands always carried a .45-caliber Colt revolver, Mr. Brettner said. One
|
|
morning Mr. Brettner went to Sands's room and found him asleep. He touched
|
|
him on the shoulder to awaken him. Sands turned over like a flash and pressed
|
|
the weapon against Mr. Brettner, but when he saw who it was he turned over and
|
|
went to sleep again without saying a word.
|
|
"Sands was keeping company with a girl who frequented Wilson's Dancing
|
|
Academy," said the informant. "He seemed to be infatuated with her. He weighed
|
|
about 185 pounds at that time and was trying to reduce to 150 pounds. I used
|
|
to find him at Mr. Taylor's home perusing the Encyclopedia Brittanica by the
|
|
hour. Sometimes he would refuse to speak to me, and when I'd meet him a few
|
|
days later he would apologize and say he had been feeling depressed."
|
|
...Mr. Brettner said he did not believe Sands killed the director unless
|
|
perhaps he was seized with an insane obsession.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 10, 1922
|
|
CHICAGO HERALD-EXAMINER
|
|
(Los Angeles)--...One of the revolvers belonging to Taylor is a German
|
|
Lueger, with shoulder piece.
|
|
Taylor did not bring this back from France, but bought it in New York. A
|
|
friend recalls that one day he and Taylor tried in vain to fit the shoulder
|
|
piece to the revolver and finally asked Sands, the valet, if he knew anything
|
|
about the Lueger. Without a word, Sands took up the two and by one motion
|
|
fitted them together. Taylor turned to his friend and said, "Is there anything
|
|
Sands does not know?" That was before his break with Sands, due to alleged
|
|
forgery of his name to checks and thefts of clothing by his valet.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 11, 1922
|
|
Elizabeth Barnes
|
|
LOS ANGELES RECORD
|
|
"Find Sands!"
|
|
This laconic suggestion of Mrs. J. M. Berger, income tax specialist, is
|
|
the solution of the William Desmond Taylor murder mystery.
|
|
"No doubt of it in my mind," said Mrs. Berger, a young business woman,
|
|
with a wealth of bronze hair, and brown eyes. "Edward F. Sands is the man,
|
|
I am sure."
|
|
Mrs. Berger opened her mail as she talked about the motion picture
|
|
director who had called at her office in the H. W. Hellman building just a few
|
|
hours before he was slain in his bachelor apartments.
|
|
"He was here in the afternoon to attend some business," she explains.
|
|
"I help not only motion picture folks but many prominent business men on their
|
|
income tax returns."
|
|
"Had he expressed a fear of Sands?" Mrs. Berger was asked.
|
|
"Yes, he had talked about his former valet-secretary's forging his name,
|
|
and about the 'Alias Jimmy Valentine' note that he had received.
|
|
"I did not know Mr. Taylor intimately--only in a business way, but I knew
|
|
some of the most intimate details of his business which I have told to the
|
|
district attorney in an effort to clear up the mystery.
|
|
.."I do not think there is a woman in the case...I cannot believe a woman
|
|
had anything to do with it...
|
|
"I only know that he was a perfect gentleman, and that I hope the police
|
|
never rest until they apprehend the assassin who robbed the world of such a
|
|
fine man."
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 12, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
|
|
[regarding the night of the murder] Mrs. M. S. Stone, mother-in-law of
|
|
A. W. Wachter, of 412-A South Alvarado Street, gave one of the most
|
|
interesting recitals that has yet come to the attention of officers. She said:
|
|
"I was walking slowly up Alvarado Street, going to the home of Mr.
|
|
Wachter for dinner."
|
|
Mrs. Stone lives at the Duke Apartments on South Carondelet Street, and
|
|
frequently goes to the Wachter home for dinner, generally walking north on
|
|
Alvarado Street from Westlake Park to the latter home.
|
|
"As I crossed from the west to the east side of Alvarado Street, at
|
|
Sixth, I saw a man standing on the corner, apparently waiting for a car. But
|
|
he didn't board the car that came along, and as I was rather nervous about
|
|
walking up the street in the dusk, I waited momentarily on the corner."
|
|
The man stopped in front of the Hotel Alvarado, according to Mrs. Stone,
|
|
and transferred something from his left hip pocket to the right hand pocket of
|
|
his coat.
|
|
"Then he started rather aimlessly up the hill, on Alvarado Street," Mrs.
|
|
Stone continued.
|
|
"I walked on behind him, and when he reached Maryland Street he turned
|
|
north [sic] out of Alvarado."
|
|
Maryland Street is the one that runs directly behind the apartment
|
|
occupied by Taylor.
|
|
Mrs. Stone said that when she noticed the man at first she said to
|
|
herself that he would have been well dressed except for the fact that his suit
|
|
did not appear to fit well at the collar--that it bulged uncertainly in the
|
|
rear, and that his collar was not visible.
|
|
"At that time," Mrs. Stone said, speaking of the man's turning into
|
|
Maryland Street, "I thought it might have been Taylor's chef."
|
|
She knew Edward F. Sands, Taylor's former valet and chauffeur [sic], as
|
|
his chef, having seen him in the court at various times wearing the white cap
|
|
common to cooks.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 13, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
|
|
One of the most startling bits of information turned over to the
|
|
investigators was the reported statement of Henry Peavey, Taylor's colored
|
|
servant, that he expected to see his employer killed. This statement was made,
|
|
it is said, the day following the robbery of Taylor's home by Sands.
|
|
Shortly after the last robbery of the slain director's home Peavey is
|
|
said to have told Harold Freeman, a milkman who delivered milk to the Taylor
|
|
home, that he expected to find Taylor dead on the morning after the robbery
|
|
was committed and would not be surprised if he himself were not later killed.
|
|
...Another development of importance concerned information about a woman
|
|
whom Edward F. Sands, former valet-secretary to Taylor, is alleged to have
|
|
visited frequently.
|
|
...Freeman, who says he met Sands every morning for several months, also
|
|
declared that he saw the fugitive ex-servant shortly after Christmas in front
|
|
of a downtown theater. Freeman states that he and his wife were standing in
|
|
front of the showhouse early in the evening when Sands passed.
|
|
Freeman further declared, it is said, that Sands asserted that he had
|
|
"something on Taylor." On several occasions when Freeman remarked how well
|
|
Taylor treated his employee, Sands is said to have replied:
|
|
"Well, he has to treat me right, for I certainly have the goods on him."
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
|
|
During the questioning of Earl Tiffany (former chauffeur of Taylor) by
|
|
Thomas Woolwine, Tiffany recalled Sands saying to him one day: "Let's go
|
|
upstairs and see who the old man's been sleeping with." (In other words, let's
|
|
go look for evidence of someone else having been in Taylor's bedroom.)
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 19, 1922
|
|
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS
|
|
(Los Angeles)--...Captain of Detectives David L. Adams said with
|
|
emphasis:
|
|
"It is Sands, I tell you. And everybody else is coming around to my way
|
|
of thinking."
|
|
His statement followed a conference between himself, District Attorney
|
|
Thomas Lee Woolwine and detectives working on the case. It was the second
|
|
conference of its kind in two days. Capt. Adams admitted that a warrant for
|
|
murder against Sands had been asked, but was voted down by the majority as
|
|
inadvisable at the present time.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 27, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
|
|
It was revealed yesterday that Detective Sergeant Tom Ziegler, first
|
|
officer to arrive at the scene of the crime, found among Taylor's effects
|
|
several checks bearing the director's signature and not filled out and one
|
|
made to Edward F. Sands for $950.
|
|
This, it is believed, was a forgery. The others were to be used by Sands
|
|
during Taylor's absence in Europe for payment of household bills. The $950
|
|
check was never cashed. The conclusion is that Sands was trying his hand at
|
|
forgery.
|
|
Although the entire country has been circularized for this man, who is
|
|
believed by many of the officers to be the murderer, no trace of him has been
|
|
found. Reports that he is in Mexico have never been verified.
|
|
.....$1000 REWARD will be paid by The Examiner for information furnished
|
|
exclusively to this office that will lead to the arrest and conviction of the
|
|
slayer of William Desmond Taylor.
|
|
$500 will be paid by The Examiner for exclusive information as to the
|
|
whereabouts of Edward F. Sands. Call City Editor of Examiner, Pico 4000.
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
March 3, 1922
|
|
Edward Doherty
|
|
DENVER POST
|
|
(Los Angeles)--New secret information as to the attitude of Edward F.
|
|
Sands toward his former master, William Desmond Taylor, murdered movie
|
|
director, set in motion Thursday another desperate effort to find him.
|
|
Sands is as mysterious a figure as Taylor was...Out of mystery came Sands
|
|
to Taylor as valet, chef, general utility man, friend.
|
|
It seems that Sands must have known Taylor in that other life of his,
|
|
took advantage of his knowledge. It is known that he robbed his master on at
|
|
least two occasions. When he pawned the jewelry he had taken, he pawned it
|
|
under the name of William Cunningham Deane-Tanner.
|
|
The servant masqueraded as his master. The detectives wonder if the
|
|
master ever masqueraded as his servant.
|
|
Sands was of a peculiar nature, say those who know him well. He was
|
|
effeminate.
|
|
His voice heard over a telephone, was usually mistaken for that of a
|
|
girl. He loved to do little things for his master. He once even signed a paper
|
|
vowing he would be Taylor's slave for life.
|
|
He resented Taylor's reproof after the first robbery. He felt, it
|
|
appears, that he had more or less of a right to help himself to what he
|
|
wanted, when ever he wanted.
|
|
He took back his vow of slavery. He began to hate the household duties,
|
|
the menial tasks appointed for him. He even boasted of sticking his fingers in
|
|
his master's soup before serving it to him.
|
|
He began even to hate his master, who did not fear him and the knowledge
|
|
he possessed, the master who even made complaint to the police charging
|
|
robbery and forgery. He fled to avoid arrest, but he sent back messages signed
|
|
"Alias Jimmy Valentine." He, it is believed, was the one who entered the
|
|
Taylor residence on several occasions, once taking some of the director's gold-
|
|
tipped cigarettes.
|
|
The detectives have other indications of the devotion that changed to
|
|
malice. They say that Sands' bitterness reached its peak when he learned that
|
|
Taylor had hired Henry Peavey, a Negro, to replace him and that Peavey was a
|
|
wonder at concocting rice pudding, and a marvel with the crochet needles.
|
|
They recall that a man answering Sands' description was seen near the
|
|
Taylor residence on the night of the murder, smoking cigarettes, that he ran
|
|
when a policeman approached him, and that the cigarette stubs found where the
|
|
man had been standing had gold tips--were evidently some of those stolen from
|
|
Taylor.
|
|
The detectives point out that Sands having been in the army and in the
|
|
navy--he is wanted for desertion and has several dishonorable discharges in
|
|
his record--must have been familiar with firearms. The man who shot and killed
|
|
Taylor certainly knew how to handle a weapon.
|
|
The bullet entered a vital spot. Death was instantaneous, the doctors
|
|
say.
|
|
They believe that Sands is a degenerate, and that possibly he is insane.
|
|
He certainly had a motive for murder--revenge, desperation, malice--perhaps
|
|
even a more sinister motive.
|
|
It has been charged that Taylor was a member of an unnatural love cult, a
|
|
cult comprised entirely of men, and the detectives who have been trying to get
|
|
track of Sands say they believe Sands was also a member of the cult. They
|
|
declare he bore an odd affection for the man he served, and that he was not
|
|
only enraged when he was charged with theft, but outraged--and jealous.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
March 8, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES RECORD
|
|
Captain of Detectives David L. Adams stated Wednesday that the police
|
|
hunt for the murder of William Desmond Taylor had again narrowed to a search
|
|
for Edward F. Sands, missing secretary-valet of the picture director.
|
|
Sands was seen only a few days before the shooting in the vicinity of the
|
|
Taylor bungalow at 404-B South Alvarado Street by a 10-year-old girl, it is
|
|
thought. The girl, who knew Sands when he was employed by Taylor, is positive
|
|
in her identification.
|
|
The fact that the man, already charged with robbery and forgery by his
|
|
employer, risked detection to visit the spot where he formerly worked,
|
|
strengthens Captain Adams' conviction that he is responsible for the murder.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
City of Los Angeles, California
|
|
Police Department
|
|
Jas. W. Everington, Chief of Police
|
|
March 20, 1922
|
|
Commanding Officer
|
|
Bureau of Navigation
|
|
Washington, D.C.
|
|
|
|
Dear Sir:
|
|
|
|
Referring to your letter of Feb. 8th, 1922, your Reference No. N-622-JHT-
|
|
WLB, relative to deserter known to your Department as Edward Fitzgerald
|
|
Snyder, alias Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore, and believed by us to be here
|
|
known as Edward F. Sands, wanted in connection with the murder of William
|
|
Desmond Taylor, beg to advise you that we have been unable to get any trace of
|
|
him since the Taylor murder was committed, and knowing his penchant for
|
|
enlisting in the Navy, we believe it possible, in fact probable, that he has
|
|
again enlisted under some other name, and respectfully request that if
|
|
consistent with your regulations, your Department notify all Naval Recruiting
|
|
Officers to be on the lookout for him, and that your Department Heads be
|
|
instructed to have all of their subordinates who file enlistment descriptions
|
|
and other data informed of the fact that we are very anxious to locate and
|
|
apprehend this man.
|
|
With the aid of the very complete data furnished by your Department in
|
|
the communication of Feb. 8th last, we feel that we have fully established the
|
|
identity of the man known here as Edward F. Sands, and that he is the man
|
|
known to your Department as Edward Fitzgerald Snyder.
|
|
Assuring you of my sincere appreciation of your co-operation and thanking
|
|
you for same, I am,
|
|
Respectfully
|
|
|
|
/s/ Jas. W. Everington
|
|
Chief of Police
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
March 24, 1926
|
|
LOS ANGELES HERALD
|
|
(Chicago)--From Chicago officials who came into touch with District
|
|
Attorney Asa Keyes of Los Angeles the secret of much of the mystery thrown out
|
|
by Keyes regarding a solution of the murder of William Desmond Taylor, was
|
|
learned today.
|
|
Keyes, despite a number of statements he has given out regarding the
|
|
questioning of new persons in the case and the requestioning of others, is
|
|
satisfied that the actual shooting of Taylor was done by Edward Sands,
|
|
Taylor's secretary and valet, who has been missing since the crime.
|
|
Sands was seen in Los Angeles the day before the crime and the night
|
|
after it occurred and police officials throughout this country and several
|
|
other countries have been searching for him ever since.
|
|
Keyes' present investigation is principally based on some minor
|
|
circumstances indicating that a woman, who is not a motion picture actress,
|
|
may have been an accomplice to the crime to the extent of conspiring with
|
|
Sands toward its commission.
|
|
Keyes has a thin chain of circumstantial evidence and he admitted to
|
|
Chicago officials that it was "very thin" implicating the woman he suspects.
|
|
She is said to have made threats against Taylor after listening to a story
|
|
told by Sands implicating Taylor and another woman in a romance in which the
|
|
use of narcotics played a prominent part.
|
|
Keyes' theory, upon which he has based his recent questioning of some
|
|
witnesses and search for several others, is that this woman urged Sands to the
|
|
commission of the crime and financed his escape.
|
|
Sands already had a bitter grudge against Taylor and had written him a
|
|
letter threatening his life. According to Keyes the woman may have taken
|
|
advantage of his hatred of Sands for Taylor to bring about the assassination
|
|
of the latter. [9]
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
December 22, 1929
|
|
LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
|
|
...Edward Sands, who was Taylor's valet and secretary, has been the
|
|
principal suspect ever since the murder. He had disappeared shortly before the
|
|
murder and was sought for stealing some of Taylor's belongings. After Taylor
|
|
was killed, the search for Sands took on new intensity, but although a score
|
|
of suspects were picked up, he was never found.
|
|
Captain Ray Cato, chief of the police homicide squad, said yesterday that
|
|
he still believed Sands was the murderer of Taylor.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
December 24, 1929
|
|
LOS ANGELES EXAMINER
|
|
...Herman Cline, now retired, was chief of detectives at the time. He
|
|
said:
|
|
"Richards' statement that Asa Keyes blocked the apprehension and
|
|
prosecution of Taylor's murderer is ridiculous. The convict who told him this
|
|
story was a dope fiend. Everything possible was done to get at the bottom of
|
|
the murder and it is my belief to this day that Sands was the murderer."
|
|
Capt. E. Ray Cato, who was one of the investigators, likewise stated that
|
|
all the police records point more strongly to Sands as the killer than to any
|
|
other person.
|
|
A similar expression was uttered by Captain Dave Adams, formerly in the
|
|
detective bureau at the time of the Taylor murder and who is now a municipal
|
|
court bailiff.
|
|
"I always believed Sands was the murderer," he said.
|
|
Lucien Wheeler, former chief of detectives for District Attorney Fitts,
|
|
revealed that he had spent many months in an attempt to reopen the
|
|
investigation.
|
|
"We reconstructed the entire mystery," said he. "Everything led back to
|
|
the same man as the suspected slayer, Edward F. Sands."
|
|
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
|
|
Sands' Sexuality
|
|
|
|
As with Taylor himself, some rumors characterized Sands as a heterosexual
|
|
Lothario, other rumors characterized Sands as homosexual. If Sands was indeed
|
|
the killer, those rumors suggest the possibility that Sands' sexuality may
|
|
have been a factor in the murder, or in his reaction toward Faith MacLean.
|
|
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
|
|
Was Sands the Person Seen by Faith MacLean?
|
|
|
|
Faith MacLean heard the shot that killed Taylor, and then looking out her
|
|
front door she saw a man shut Taylor's door and walk away. The man she saw was
|
|
almost certainly the killer, and she stated that although she could not see
|
|
his face, which was mostly hidden in shadow, she did not think the man was
|
|
Sands. Are there any reasons why she may have been mistaken, that perhaps it
|
|
was indeed Sands she saw? Yes--two reasons.
|
|
She stated, "It seemed to me he was not so heavy as Sands." [10] Yet the
|
|
statements issued by the official investigators indicated that Sands had lost
|
|
substantial weight since he worked for Taylor. When Sands worked for Taylor
|
|
his weight was nearly 200 lbs.; when he briefly enlisted in the U.S. Coast
|
|
Guard in November 1921 his weight was recorded as 160 lbs. A friend of Sands
|
|
stated that Sands was trying to reduce his weight to 150 lbs. So at the time
|
|
of the Taylor murder Sands could have been 40 or 50 lbs. lighter than the way
|
|
Faith MacLean remembered him, and that difference could have been enough to
|
|
make her think it was someone else.
|
|
She also stated that when she was looking at the man, he saw her and
|
|
smiled. "He smiled at me, I could see the corners of his mouth curl in the
|
|
shadow of his cap. I could not see his face distinctly--not well enough, that
|
|
is, to distinguish his features." The fact of his smiling is very unusual.
|
|
The murder has been committed, but the killer has not yet escaped; he is just
|
|
leaving the scene of the crime when a witness sees him--a witness who may be
|
|
able to identify him now and/or later. This should be a very stressful
|
|
moment, not a time for smiling naturally. But if the killer was Sands, it is
|
|
not difficult to imagine Sands recognizing Faith MacLean, whom he had not
|
|
seen for seven months, and smiling. Was the killer's smile a smile of
|
|
personal recognition? A CAST OF KILLERS says that Sands considered himself
|
|
God's gift to women, he "jumped on anything in a skirt," and that Faith
|
|
MacLean kept away from him for that reason. [11] Is it possible that the
|
|
killer's smile was a remembrance of unfulfilled lust, a revived appreciation
|
|
of her beauty?
|
|
The statements of Faith MacLean do not rule out the possibility that
|
|
Sands was the person she saw.
|
|
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
|
|
Was Robbery an Element of the Murder Motive?
|
|
|
|
Robbery was supposedly eliminated as a murder motive because there was no
|
|
evidence that any of Taylor's property was taken by the killer. Taylor's
|
|
diamond ring was still on his finger, and $78 was in his pocket. Yet:
|
|
According to Adela Rogers St. Johns, Mabel Normand told her that Taylor
|
|
always kept $5,000 in cash handy. (In 1908, Taylor suddenly felt compelled to
|
|
abandon everything, change his name, and start over.) The money was in case
|
|
it became necessary for Taylor to suddenly begin anew again. [12]
|
|
According to Marjorie Berger, during her meeting with Taylor on the
|
|
afternoon before he was killed, he displayed a large roll of bills to her--
|
|
a roll much larger than the flat $78 which was found on his body. [13] Taylor
|
|
made no bank deposit that afternoon, so what happened to the money?
|
|
It's possible that Taylor was robbed by the killer; that the killer took
|
|
only the roll of money because he wanted it to APPEAR that robbery was not the
|
|
motive; perhaps the killer thought nobody else knew about the $5,000. How
|
|
would the killer have known about the money? The logical answer: Sands would
|
|
have known. If robbery was indeed an element of the murder motive, it greatly
|
|
increases the probability that Sands was the killer.
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
Strange Phone Calls Received by Taylor
|
|
|
|
February 3, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES TIMES
|
|
Phone Used To Badger Taylor
|
|
Mysterious telephone calls in the dark hours of the night foreshadowed
|
|
the murder of William D. Taylor.
|
|
This important information was given last night by Julia Crawford Ivers,
|
|
for eight years scenario writer for the slain man and a close associate of
|
|
his in the film industry.
|
|
"A few weeks before Christmas Mr. Taylor told us at the studio that he
|
|
was considerably annoyed and mystified by telephone calls late at night. He
|
|
said he would answer the phone only to find there was no one at the other end
|
|
of the wire when he responded," Mrs. Ivers said.
|
|
"These calls kept on coming at regular intervals, always with the same
|
|
results. Mr. Taylor said he had not the slightest idea who was calling him or
|
|
what the purpose was."
|
|
Harry Fellows, Mr. Taylor's assistant, confirmed the story. Mr. Taylor
|
|
told him of these phone calls, he said.
|
|
...Mrs. Marjorie Berger said that Mr. Taylor had told her often that he
|
|
had been getting mysterious phone calls. He talked so funny saying that he
|
|
had wished sometimes that he had dropped prosecution [of Sands]. Mrs. Berger
|
|
said: "Why don't you get somebody to watch [your home]?" But he said, "Oh,
|
|
no."
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 3, 1922
|
|
LOS ANGELES RECORD
|
|
...Peavey said that Taylor was bothered very often by telephone calls.
|
|
He would answer the phone and the party who called would hang up.
|
|
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
Conclusions Regarding Sands
|
|
|
|
Several times in his life, Sands made very bold moves.
|
|
After serving a year at hard labor and being dishonorably discharged from
|
|
the Navy, he promptly turned around and fraudulently reinlisted--even though
|
|
discovery could have resulted in another prison term.
|
|
He repeatedly reinlisted in the military, essentially defying them to
|
|
catch him; if he had been caught at the time of his 1921 Coast Guard
|
|
enlistment he could have been facing four charges of desertion and six charges
|
|
of fraudulent enlistment, plus forgery and embezzlement charges from his Army
|
|
enlistment.
|
|
After embezzling money from Taylor, and with a Los Angeles warrant for
|
|
his arrest outstanding, Sands returned to Taylor's home to steal again. He
|
|
returned yet again, smoking a cigarette on Taylor's doorstep.
|
|
It appears that Sands got a defiant pleasure from "returning to the scene
|
|
of the crime." He repeatedly reinlisted and deserted, and he returned several
|
|
times to Taylor's home. So Sands could certainly have returned yet again.
|
|
Sands pawned Taylor's stolen jewelry using Taylor's true name. Sands
|
|
wrote the sarcastic note to Taylor and appears to have been the person who was
|
|
silently harassing Taylor on the telephone. Police detectives expressed the
|
|
opinion that the main purpose of those telephone calls was to determine if
|
|
anyone was home; thus the calls were probably made by the same person who
|
|
committed the burglary of Taylor's home on December 4. In modern terminology,
|
|
it appears that Sands was "stalking" Taylor and obtained pleasure from
|
|
violating Taylor's "space," as evidenced by the note and the dusty footprints
|
|
on the bed.
|
|
There has never been a truly solid reason for dismissing Sands as a prime
|
|
suspect in Taylor's murder. The most substantial press clipping which
|
|
seemingly exonerates Sands is the following:
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
February 11, 1922
|
|
OAKLAND TRIBUNE
|
|
The Oakland police are today trying to locate E. F. Snyder, a sailor,
|
|
formerly attached to the revenue cutter Bear, who is believed to be Edward
|
|
Sands, former valet for William Taylor, murdered film director.
|
|
According to information received by Captain of Inspectors Richard
|
|
McSorley, the man who was known on the cutter as Snyder answered the
|
|
description of Sands. He joined the crew in Los Angeles on November 21. Ten
|
|
days later, when the vessel arrived in this city, he was discharged. The
|
|
police were told that Snyder was seen in the Oakland municipal woodyard
|
|
within the last ten days. The record at the woodyard shows that he checked
|
|
out there on February 1.
|
|
|
|
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
|
|
|
|
If Sands was indeed in Oakland on February 1, it would seem to exonerate
|
|
him of the Taylor murder. But given the substantial number of inaccurate
|
|
press reports, more authoritative confirmation is needed. It's possible that
|
|
this report was investigated by the police and discredited. A few weeks after
|
|
the Taylor murder, L.A.P.D. Detective Sgt. Herman Cline made a trip to San
|
|
Francisco; reportedly he was there to "run down some local clues" on the
|
|
Taylor case. [14] After Cline completed his investigation and returned to Los
|
|
Angeles, he reportedly stated that there would now be a new concentration of
|
|
police efforts to find Sands. [15]
|
|
In the opinion of the experienced detectives who worked on the case,
|
|
Edward Sands and Charlotte Shelby were the two prime suspects Of these two,
|
|
Sands' physical description much more closely matches the description of the
|
|
person seen by Faith MacLean, the person she saw leaving Taylor's home moments
|
|
after the fatal shot was fired.
|
|
Sands may have indeed been the killer.
|
|
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
Wallace Smith: February 14, 1922
|
|
|
|
The following is another of Wallace Smith's sensationalizing dispatches on
|
|
the Taylor case.
|
|
|
|
February 14, 1922
|
|
Wallace Smith
|
|
CHICAGO AMERICAN
|
|
One of filmland's leading actresses, the adored darling of thousands of
|
|
movie fans throughout the country, will be placed under arrest within a week
|
|
in connection with the murder of William Desmond Taylor, according to a
|
|
report which came today from as nearly an official source as can be reached
|
|
in this atmosphere of mystery and official secrecy. [16]
|
|
With her will be arrested--and charged directly with the crime,
|
|
according to the same report--a man high in the moving picture industry and
|
|
one whose name before today was shielded in the tragic puzzle that has
|
|
baffled the Los Angeles authorities.
|
|
The arrests, it was declared, would bring the sensation of all
|
|
sensations that have come from Hollywood--an expose of vice and corruption
|
|
that would bring the films' fantastic world of dreams crashing to solid
|
|
earth.
|
|
Back of the story of the actress and the new man of mystery is said to
|
|
be a weird narrative of love and an insane jealousy that was known to but few
|
|
of the film folks, despite the ready facilities for gossip and scandal.
|
|
The exact manner in which these newest clews were placed in the hands of
|
|
the district attorney may not be revealed. It was declared, however, that a
|
|
chance remark made at a secret rendezvous between the actress and the man
|
|
under suspicion in a Hollywood modiste's shop started the investigators on
|
|
their new track.
|
|
The actress is known as a woman who for a long time conducted an affair
|
|
with one of the star producers of moving pictures. [17] This producer,
|
|
however, was not the man named in the latest report. [18] He was wanted,
|
|
however, to tell his story of the actress' affairs and especially her
|
|
association since she took up the morphine habit and became a leader in
|
|
Hollywood's "dope parties."
|
|
News of the prospective arrests was revealed after four new mystery
|
|
witnesses had been taken to the office of District Attorney Woolwine. There
|
|
were two men and two women, all known in Hollywood, guarded by detectives.
|
|
For more than two hours they were questioned by the district attorney
|
|
and then rushed into automobiles which rolled them swiftly away from the
|
|
prosecutor's office. At the home of one of the women, who is said to have
|
|
overheard the remark in the modiste's shop, no one answered the doorbell when
|
|
reporters called early today. [19]
|
|
District Attorney Woolwine declined to make public the names of the
|
|
quartet he questioned. Nor would he comment on the progress being made by
|
|
his investigation.
|
|
"This is not a time for talk," he declared, "but for work. Of course I
|
|
have been able to build up certain theories and we hope certain information
|
|
brought to us will lead us to the slayer. But we want to get the murderer
|
|
first--then we'll talk about it."
|
|
It was reported that one of the next witnesses to be called will be the
|
|
veteran producer who was once the sweetheart of the actress named. This man
|
|
since the tragedy has been sheltered in the bungalow of a friend. From
|
|
there, it was stated, he has issued instructions to the actress, with whom,
|
|
despite their ostensible estrangement and many difficulties, he is friendly,
|
|
instructing her in her conduct.
|
|
It was declared that this producer had positive information concerning
|
|
the infatuation of Taylor for one of the beauties of the films.
|
|
Another sensation and another actress were drawn into the kaleidoscope
|
|
of thrills when more letters were found--these from a pretty motion picture
|
|
blonde whose chief stock in trade is her portrayals of innocence and her
|
|
alleged likeness to one of the favorite actresses in the world. [20]
|
|
These letters revealed that the young woman, looked upon as a mere child
|
|
always supposed to be under the chaperonage of her mother, has carried on an
|
|
impassioned affair with the eccentric director. In such fervent tones were
|
|
these letters written that the young star's manager had made frantic efforts
|
|
to insure their recovery or destruction.
|
|
With the new developments in the heart of Hollywood itself the federal
|
|
secret service men did not lag on the trail of the eastern gang of
|
|
blackmailers and dope peddlers believed to have slain Taylor when he tried to
|
|
protect one of his many women friends.
|
|
The woman supposed to have been a victim of the ring today was reported
|
|
in a complete state of collapse, unable even to communicate with her
|
|
servants. Private detectives guarded her home. The federal agents may
|
|
search the underworld of Chicago and New York, but there still lingers a fear
|
|
that Taylor's assassin has remained in Los Angeles to complete his fatal
|
|
errand with the death of the actress.
|
|
There was considerable interest shown, too, in the further examination
|
|
of Taylor's private papers. Actresses and others received various generous
|
|
sums for no reason explicable by Taylor's check stubs or memoranda. One of
|
|
those who received regular payments from Taylor--payments of $200 a week over
|
|
a protracted period--was a writer well known in Los Angeles as a man who
|
|
controlled sources of publicity which could be either very valuable or very
|
|
ruinous to a man in Taylor's position.
|
|
Other sums were paid to actresses whose names were never even hinted in
|
|
connection with the name of Taylor.
|
|
These were given added importance because of the discovery of fresh
|
|
letters, reported in these columns yesterday, which showed that Taylor had
|
|
had dealings with gangsters of the bootlegging and dope rings.
|
|
Public Administrator Bryson, engaged in going over Taylor's effects, was
|
|
indignant at what he found.
|
|
"Why, they were bleeding him white!" he exclaimed. "Don't you ever
|
|
forget that Taylor was being robbed by some blackmailers. One of the best
|
|
theories I have heard to account for his death is that he was killed by one
|
|
of these human vultures."
|
|
The campaign of propaganda to backfire against the conflagration of
|
|
criticism which has blazed up against Hollywood's wilder set was given new
|
|
impetus by the entrance of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce into the
|
|
campaign to "tell the truth about Hollywood."
|
|
This policy, strictly adhered to, promised very interesting
|
|
developments, according to those familiar with the situation.
|
|
Do not think for a moment that the wilder set is trying to be less wild,
|
|
except just for a little while. They have been used to "running things" and
|
|
they are in no mood to quit. They're sorry for Bill Taylor, and all that.
|
|
But life must go on and all that sort of thing.
|
|
So much so, that one of the largest hotels in Los Angeles has
|
|
practically taken the law into its own hands to curb the outbursts of the
|
|
screen idols.
|
|
Not so very many weeks ago a group of these riotous merrymakers, loaded
|
|
with "dope" and booze, began to beat up hotel detectives and uniformed police
|
|
who sought to quiet them. There was quite a ruckus.
|
|
The hotel chief of detectives today issued the following orders to his
|
|
staff:
|
|
"Don't argue with them any more. If one of them so much as pours a
|
|
drink on top of the table or sniffs a nail full of cocaine in this hotel, hit
|
|
him over the head with your blackjack and drag him out."
|
|
It was learned, too, that but recently the police failed to raid a party
|
|
that was a disgrace even in Hollywood, although they were informed of the
|
|
affair in advance. The "party" was given by a titled nobleman and there were
|
|
some sixty or seventy guests. Several of these were men dressed in women's
|
|
clothes. Various minor depravities--minor, that is, in the set--occupied the
|
|
evening until the piece de resistance was brought in. This was a spectacular
|
|
entrance. At a signal all the lights in the big studio went out. A
|
|
spotlight suddenly threw its glare on a wide staircase at the far end of the
|
|
hall.
|
|
Down the stairs minced six men dressed only in underwear. They chanted
|
|
a funeral dirge in high-pitched voices as they entered. On their shoulders
|
|
they carried a coffin, which was auctioned off to the highest bidder.
|
|
The bidding over, the casket was opened. Its contents may be better
|
|
imagined than described. Or maybe not. At any rate, they cannot be
|
|
described in dispatches destined for a newspaper. [21]
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
NEXT ISSUE: Mini-Reviews: Munn and Martinez
|
|
Did James Kirkwood Kill Taylor?
|
|
Hollywood Social Events 1914-1922
|
|
Wallace Smith: February 15, 1922
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|
|
NOTES:
|
|
[1] The absurd rumor that Edward Sands and Denis Deane-Tanner were the same
|
|
person has been thoroughly disproven elsewhere. See WDT: DOSSIER, pp. 370,
|
|
391-392. In MABEL, Betty Fussell suggests the possibility that Edward Sands
|
|
was in jail for tire theft at the time of the murder, but that was a
|
|
different Edward Sands, as was verified by the investigators at the time. See
|
|
LOS ANGELES RECORD (February 3, 1922).
|
|
[2] The "alias Jimmy V." letter, a comparison of Snyder/Strathmore/Sands'
|
|
handwriting, and photos of Snyder taken during his military career can
|
|
temporarily be found on the Gopher server at pi.la.asu.edu, in the
|
|
subdirectory: Internet Sampler/Selected Electronic Newsletters/Taylorology/
|
|
Graphic Image Files for Taylorology.
|
|
[3] We can read between the lines and speculate further about the
|
|
circumstances of Snyder's first desertion. He probably only "borrowed" the
|
|
car (without the owner's permission), intending to return it unnoticed. But
|
|
when the car was wrecked, there was no way to hide what he had done. He
|
|
probably pleaded with his commander: "I'm really sorry--I know I shouldn't
|
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have borrowed the car without asking. But I've had an excellent service
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|
record up to this point and am hoping to make the Navy my career. Please
|
|
don't court-martial me. Give me a second chance." His commander then probably
|
|
agreed, but only on the condition that Snyder fully pay for the automobile
|
|
repairs. To which, Snyder perhaps replied, "I don't have that much money
|
|
here, but I can get it if you will let me make a quick trip to New York--I'll
|
|
come right back with the money." Snyder left, but the promise to get the
|
|
money was a bluff--he didn't have it. (In 1922, one of Sands' acquaintences
|
|
stated he was always broke.) Facing another probable prison term, Snyder
|
|
probably felt he had no choice but to desert and start over again.
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|
[4] Snyder surely felt he was forced to desert at this time. If the Navy had
|
|
discovered that Strathmore was really Snyder, it would be just a matter of
|
|
time before they realized that Snyder was currently wanted as a deserter from
|
|
the Naval Reserve. Better get out while the gettin's good. Officially, his
|
|
date of desertion was April 2, 1919.
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|
[5] See NEW YORK HERALD (February 9, 1922).
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|
[6] But since there was almost no profit from the December 4 burglary--the
|
|
stolen jewelry was pawned by Sands for only $30--it seems very unlikely that
|
|
an associate of Sands committed the burglary on Sands' behalf. The dusty
|
|
footprints on the bed also seem to indicate that the burglar was Sands
|
|
himself.
|
|
[7] The rumor that Sands' body was found in Connecticut has been discredited.
|
|
See WDT: DOSSIER, p. 396 and HARTFORD COURANT (March 17, 1926).
|
|
[8] Concerning Sands' physical description, A CAST OF KILLERS states that
|
|
Sands was "ugly as a boot." On the contrary, his associates in the Navy
|
|
described him as "handsome after a fashion" (see HARTFORD COURANT,
|
|
February 10, 1922) and the photos of Sands taken during his Navy years
|
|
confirm this description.
|
|
[9] The unnamed woman is obviously supposed to be Charlotte Shelby. Since
|
|
Shelby and Sands were the two most popular suspects, it is only natural that
|
|
a theory would arise which would involve them as co-conspirators.
|
|
[10] See WDT:DOSSIER, p. 333.
|
|
[11] See A CAST OF KILLERS, p. 80.
|
|
[12] See THE HONEYCOMB, p. 107.
|
|
[13] See LOS ANGELES RECORD (February 17, 1922).
|
|
[14] See SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE (February 26, 1922).
|
|
[15] See SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER (February 27, 1922).
|
|
[16] From the material which follows, Smith is clearly referring once again to
|
|
Mabel Normand.
|
|
[17] Mack Sennett.
|
|
[18] The identity of the "new man of mystery" is unknown, but an educated
|
|
guess would be Paul Bern: (a) At the time he held a major executive position
|
|
at Goldwyn and thus was "a man high in the moving picture industry."
|
|
(b) Mabel Normand had been making plans to attend the annual ball of the
|
|
American Society of Cinematographers, held on February 4, 1922 (see WDT:
|
|
DOSSIER, p. 268). Bern did attend that ball (Mabel did not, of course), and
|
|
he may have originally been her date. (c) Bern did escort Mabel to other
|
|
Hollywood social events.
|
|
[19] Reportedly, the two women questioned were "Lady Jane" Lewis, who managed
|
|
the modiste's shop, and Miss S. O. Lewis. See CHICAGO TRIBUNE (February 14,
|
|
1922).
|
|
[20] Mary Miles Minter.
|
|
[21] Other reports of this incident stated that the coffin contained a
|
|
"beautiful naked boy." See NEW YORK EVENING WORLD (February 13, 1922).
|
|
*****************************************************************************
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|
For more information about Taylor, see
|
|
WILLIAM DESMOND TAYLOR: A DOSSIER (Scarecrow Press, 1991)
|
|
Back issues of Taylorology are available via Gopher or FTP at
|
|
etext.archive.umich.edu
|
|
in the directory pub/Zines/Taylorology
|
|
*****************************************************************************
|