***************************************************************************** * T A Y L O R O L O G Y * * A Continuing Exploration of the Life and Death of William Desmond Taylor * * * * Issue 22 -- October 1994 Editor: Bruce Long bruce@asu.edu * * TAYLOROLOGY may be freely distributed * ***************************************************************************** CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE: The 1937 Grand Jury Investigation Statements by Carl Stockdale Where was Adolph Zukor on February 2, 1922? Interviews with Julia Crawford Ivers Who was the Drug-Addicted Scenario Writer? What was the Real Name of Mary Miles Minter? The Path of the Fatal Bullet Wallace Smith: February 20, 1922 ***************************************************************************** What is TAYLOROLOGY? TAYLOROLOGY is a newsletter focusing on the life and death of William Desmond Taylor, a top Paramount film director in early Hollywood who was shot to death on February 1, 1922. His unsolved murder was one of Hollywood's major scandals. This newsletter will deal with: (a) The facts of Taylor's life; (b) The facts and rumors of Taylor's murder; (c) The impact of the Taylor murder on Hollywood and the nation. Primary emphasis will be given toward reprinting, referencing and analyzing source material, and sifting it for accuracy. ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** The 1937 Grand Jury Investigation In May 1937, the Los Angeles County Grand Jury investigated the Taylor murder. No indictments were handed down, and all testimony was eventually destroyed. (There is nothing conspiratorial here; it is standard procedure to destroy all grand jury testimony if no indictments are handed down.) Despite the fact that the official records are not extant, it is possible to reconstruct some of the proceedings, based on newspaper reports, the Sanderson letter, and public testimony presented elsewhere. The spark that triggered the investigation was the April 3, 1937 testimony of Margaret Shelby Fillmore, given at a deposition for a civil lawsuit she had filed against her mother, Charlotte Shelby. Margaret testified that "I protected her [Charlotte] against the Taylor murder case." [1] She also testified that Mary Miles Minter had "two diaries that were so diabolical and so pathetic that they made Mary Astor's diaries look like a postscript." (There had recently been a lot of publicity about actress Mary Astor's diaries.) Shortly after that testimony was given, the following letter was sent from Charlotte Shelby's Attorney, Clyde Murphy, to Los Angeles County District Attorney Buron Fitts: "I am attorney of record for the defendant, Mrs. Charlotte Shelby, in a certain civil action entitled 'Margaret Fillmore, also known as Alma M. Fillmore, plaintiff vs. Pearl Miles Reilly, also known as Charlotte Shelby, defendant' in the Superior Court. "On Saturday, April 3, 1937, I took a deposition (which has not yet been transcribed, corrected and signed) of Margaret Fillmore under the provisions of Sections 2021 and 2055 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Mrs. Fillmore, during the course of the deposition, testified in effect that her mother, in the year 1923, agreed to give her all the proceeds of the sale of a certain piece of real estate in Laughlin Park over and above the amount paid by Mrs. Shelby for the property when she (Mrs. Shelby) purchased it. I asked Mrs. Fillmore what she had given to her mother in return for this agreement on her mother's part, and she testified as follows: " 'I protected her against the Taylor murder case.' "Further efforts on my part to get an explanation of this testimony were met by objections from her attorney, Mr. Richard Cantillon, to whom, I believe, the testimony was as surprising as it was to me. This testimony in my judgment is unusual enough to warrant an investigation on your part. "My client, Mrs. Charlotte Shelby, was not present when the deposition was taken. When I advised her of the testimony given by her daughter, she instructed me instantly to lay the matter before you and request an immediate investigation if you deem an investigation advisable. This request I most respectfully make of you. "If there is any assistance which either Mrs. Shelby or I may render your office, please feel perfectly free in requesting it of us. "Yours very truly, "Clyde F. Murphy" "I have requested my attorney, Clyde F. Murphy, to write the foregoing letter, and I join most heartily in the request made by him. "Charlotte Shelby" [2] On May 6, 1937, District Attorney Buron Fitts made the following statement: "I have ordered Mrs. Shelby and her two daughters, Miss Minter and Mrs. Fillmore, to be before the grand jury today. Subpenas were served on them last night. Two diaries, believed at first to contain highly important facts and so-called 'clues' in respect to the Taylor murder, were seized by my officers and have been examined. "It had been previously reported to my office that these diaries held the secret of the Taylor killing. On perusal, we find them to be of utterly no value in this case. They contain no information of any sort that would aid the officers in this inquiry. Both diaries were filled with routine, intimate details of a day-to-day life, and I do not feel free to allow their contents to be made public at this time. However, I feel it is my duty to present such information to the grand jury, and therefore I am doing so." [3] MARGARET SHELBY FILLMORE The first witness to testify before the grand jury was Margaret Fillmore. She made no statements to reporters concerning the specific details of her testimony. However, on May 5 she made a statement to the official investigators in the district attorney's office, and that statement was summarized in Sanderson's 1941 letter. [4] It is reasonable to assume that Margaret's grand jury testimony was essentially similar to her statement made on the previous day. Margaret stated: 1. On the night of the murder Charlotte Shelby was not at home and she feared that Mary was going to run away with Taylor. 2. On the day of the murder Mary Miles Minter left early in the evening and return later in tears. 3. Mary stated to her that she thought her mother killed Taylor or was present when he was killed. 4. During August 1922, Julia Miles (Charlotte Shelby's mother) took Shelby's gun to Louisiana and disposed of it. 5. For many years after the murder, Charlotte Shelby was afraid that Mary would implicate her in the Taylor murder. 6. In 1916, Mary's director, James Kirkwood, took Mary into the woods and performed a "mock marriage ceremony", declaring that they were married in the eyes of God. Sexual relations followed, Mary became pregnant, and Charlotte Shelby arranged for an abortion. 7. Letters written from Kirkwood to Mary were intercepted by Charlotte Shelby and held for many years. MARY MILES MINTER The second witness to testify before the grand jury was Mary Miles Minter. It was reported: "In her appearance before the grand jury Thursday Miss Minter read into the record a letter written by her attorney, Eugene Marcus, and sent to Fitts, declaring she considered the diaries seized from 'her own personal property.' She warned the District Attorney that any use of them for 'purposes other than that of a legitimate investigation' would be considered by her an invasion of her personal rights." [5] Mary talked a great deal with reporters before entering the grand jury room, but not afterwards. She was undoubtedly asked details of her romance with Kirkwood and the abortion. "When Miss Minter left the grand jury room she was asked by reporters if she told the jurors about the romance with Kirkwood. Her reply, also dramatic, was: 'Wouldn't you like to know.' " [6] (In the newspaper reports of the time, there was no mention whatsoever of the abortion.) "Concerning this romance, Attorney Eugene Marcus, representing Miss Minter, said: 'It is true that there was an unfortunate affair with Mr. Kirkwood when Mary Minter was only 14 or 15 years old. There was a motor trip to Santa Barbara and a sort of marriage ceremony while she stood on a rock in a field of wild flowers and he knelt at her feet." [7] Minter was undoubtedly asked whether she thought her mother killed Taylor, and she undoubtedly replied that in her opinion, Charlotte Shelby was completely innocent of Taylor's murder and had nothing whatsoever to do with it. (That is what she said to reporters at the time and later.) CHARLOTTE SHELBY Charlotte Shelby was the final witness called before the grand jury. Prior to entering the grand jury room, she spoke with reporters and gave a prepared statement: "I am delighted that Mr. Fitts responded so quickly to my request to reopen the investigation of the Taylor murder case. For the past fifteen years there have been many rumors circulated, innumerable threats used against me and now practically a formal charge by my own daughter, Mrs. Margaret Shelby Fillmore, to the effect that I withheld important facts and she assisted me in withholding them from the authorities. "If she or any other person has any facts concerning the murder of William Desmond Taylor I demand that they be disclosed immediately. "Unfortunately, my daughter, Mrs. Fillmore, is very bitter toward me because circumstances last summer forced me to take rather drastic steps for my daughter's own good." [8] (A reference to Margaret's commitment to a sanitarium for alcoholism.) After her appearance before the grand jury, Charlotte Shelby spoke with reporters, who wrote: "in answer to questions whether she had been asked if she killed Taylor or knew who did: 'I said "No," to both questions. They didn't even question me about what Margaret told them, whatever that was.' " [9] " 'They asked me if I had a gun in 1920 or thereabouts and I testified that about that time Harry Eaves, a Santa Barbara jeweler, from whom I had purchased many expensive gifts for Mary and others, gave me a pearl-handled gun. I did not know whether it was an automatic or a revolver. I fired this gun once out in the woods and do not know what became of it." [10] "She said she had the gun when Taylor was slain and also said she once had gone to his home in search of Miss Minter, whose return home from a film studio was overdue." [11] WRAP-UP After the three women testified, grand jury foreman John Bauer made the following statement: "The jury was satisfied with the demeanor of the witnesses, all of whom appeared cooperative. The grand jury has no knowledge of anyone to call for more data at this time. However, the investigation is pending." [12] No further action was taken by the grand jury. Several days later, Charlotte Shelby made public the following written statement: "For more than ten years malicious innuendoes and rumors against me have been circulated in the William Desmond Taylor murder case. "Even in the grand jury hearing last week, I was asked whether I knew that these statements that I had killed William Desmond Taylor were being made. "Recently, my daughter, Margaret Shelby Fillmore, in a civil suit, which she has filed against me, made a statement in a deposition to the effect that she had 'protected' me in the Taylor murder case. When my attorney, Clyde F. Murphy, advised me of this statement by my daughter, I notified District Attorney Buron Fitts immediately and requested the investigation which is now in progress. "I have been questioned about my ownership of a gun. The person who gave me the gun has been questioned. There is a story that I hired Sands, Mr. Taylor's butler, to kill him. Another story is that I procured his murder by hiring some professional murderer to do the job. "I demand a complete exoneration in this case or an indictment for the murder of William Desmond Taylor, which I will regard as an opportunity to exonerate myself in the public mind. "I did not kill William Desmond Taylor. I do not know the person who did kill him. I do not know any person who would have the slightest reason or motive to kill him. I know that no member of my family or anyone in close relationship to me killed him or had a reason or motive to kill him. "I have my own life to live. One of the worst tortures for any person, particularly to a woman, to endure is, to go through life with a cloud of malicious innuendo constantly hovering over her like a spectre. "Why must William Desmond Taylor's murder follow me through the years? I want to live the rest of my life in happiness and peace, if I may be permitted to do so. "Charlotte Shelby" [13] ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** Statements by Carl Stockdale June 10, 1937 LOS ANGELES NEWS It was divulged that Carl Stockdale, veteran character actor and close friend of Mrs. Charlotte Shelby, mother of Mary Miles Minter, screen star who collapsed at news of Taylor's death, had admitted that he was in the company of Mrs. Shelby at the time Taylor is believed to have been murdered. Stockdale, interviewed at his home, 6325 Fountain Avenue, chuckled when asked for his own conclusions on the long unsolved murder. "So Fitts thinks I killed William Desmond Taylor," he remarked. "I'll tell you this, I was never in Bill Taylor's home. I met him at a big party thrown by Mrs. Shelby." Pressed for his own suspicions of the killer's identity, Stockdale promptly answered, "Sands." He referred to Taylor's one-time chauffeur [sic], Edward Sands, whose mysterious disappearance immediately after the murder and before authorities could question him, has caused his name to be listed among those "wanted for questioning" by police. The veteran actor, now 63, declared he was with Mrs. Charlotte Shelby at her home the night Taylor was murdered February 1, 1922. He fixed the time of his visit from 7 to 9 p.m. Police have set the hour of the shooting at 7:45 p.m. "I told my brother, Frank," Stockdale said, "that I was droppin' in on Mrs. Shelby that night." Stockdale said he first met Mrs. Shelby in Santa Barbara at the time when her daughter, Mary Miles Minter was working for the old American Film Company. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * June 10, 1937 LOS ANGELES TIMES While authorities deferred definite action yesterday in the investigation into the fifteen-year-old murder of William Desmond Taylor, a 63-year-old film character actor stepped forward to make the most important statement to be added recently to the mazes of California's most famous murder mystery. The new figure in the case is Carl Stockdale, for years well known as an actor in Hollywood and who now lives at 6325 Fountain Avenue. Disclosing that he had been a close friend of Mrs. Charlotte Shelby, mother of Mary Miles Minter, the latter, who admitted she was in love with Taylor at the time of his slaying, Stockdale had this to say yesterday: "I have expected the authorities to question me for some time and have made no effort to evade such interrogation despite the fact that no one welcomes publicity of the sort. "I was with Mrs. Shelby on the night that Taylor was murdered at about the time fixed by the authorities that the fatal bullet was fired. That may be considered of importance to the authorities and is information I am quite willing to give." Stockdale indicated that he is in complete sympathy with a statement recently issued by Mrs. Shelby in which she declared that, sick of the innuendoes which have followed in the wake of the Taylor murder, she wanted action to clear up the case once and for all. Although apparently unwilling to move at once, the District Attorney's office yesterday stated that Stockdale is scheduled to be questioned before the present investigation is concluded. "I am willing to tell all I know to the District Attorney or anyone else," commented the actor. "I have known Mrs. Shelby and her family for approximately twenty years. I was living on Winona Boulevard with my brother Frank, and my mother and father on the day of the shooting of Taylor. "In the evening I left my home and went to pay a visit to Mrs. Shelby in the new house she had purchased at Seventh street and New Hampshire avenue. I arrived shortly before 7 o'clock in the evening and left about 9 o'clock." Taylor, as near as authorities could fix the time, was shot about 7:45 p.m. on February 1, 1922. Several persons in the neighborhood of his bungalow at 404-B South Alvarado street reported hearing a shot at that time. "I was the first person," went on Stockdale, "to inform Mrs. Shelby that Taylor had been killed. That was about 9 o'clock the next morning. I had gone to the studio where I was working on a picture with Mabel Normand and some one told me that Taylor had been found dead. I telephoned Mrs. Shelby at once because I knew that he had been Mary's director and that the whole family knew him well." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * August 26, 1937 LOS ANGELES EXAMINER When a bullet snuffed out the life of William Desmond Taylor, noted picture director, in 1922, Mrs. Charlotte Shelby was at home. Carl Stockdale, veteran actor and friend of Mrs. Shelby, so testified in Superior Judge Parker Wood's court yesterday. He appeared as a defense witness in trial of the civil suit by which Margaret Shelby Fillmore, Mrs. Shelby's daughter, is seeking to regain $48,750 in bonds, which she contends her mother removed from a joint safety deposit box. "I was with Mrs. Shelby from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. in her apartment at Seventh street and New Hampshire avenue the night of the murder," Stockdale stated. "I did not know of the tragedy until the following morning when I arrived for work at the Mack Sennett Studios. "I immediately called Mrs. Shelby and told her to prepare herself for a shock. Then I told her Mr. Taylor had been slain. "She screamed: 'Impossible!' " The actor's testimony, while perhaps not strictly pertinent to the present suit, was introduced to answer certain pointed intimations made during its trial, attorneys explained. Mary Miles Minter and the late Mabel Normand frequently were mentioned in gossip concerning the Taylor mystery, Stockdale said. But at no time had he heard rumors that Mrs. Shelby might be involved as a suspect, he added. The actor also testified that he had seen Mrs. Fillmore under the influence of liquor four times between 1925 and 1931. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * August 26, 1937 LOS ANGELES NEWS ...Stockdale's testimony was in the nature of a reply to that of Mrs. Fillmore two days ago when she said she did not know her mother's whereabouts at the hour of the murder. Cross-examined as to whether he had ever heard that Mrs. Shelby was a suspect in the murder, the veteran actor replied, "I did not hear any such rumors, but I did hear rumors that Mary (Miss Minter) and Mabel Normand were suspected of the murder." ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** Where was Adolph Zukor on February 2, 1922? Adolph Zukor was the head of the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation (Paramount Pictures). Some later recaps of the Taylor case stated that on February 2, 1922, soon after Taylor's body was found, Adolph Zukor was at Taylor's bungalow, destroying evidence and burning compromising papers in Taylor's fireplace. In truth, Taylor's home had no fireplace. But was Zukor even there that morning? There are no contemporary press reports or official records which indicated his presence at the scene. Still, could he possibly have been there? No, it was not possible. The executive headquarters of Famous Players-Lasky was in New York City; that was where Zukor's office was located. Zukor was interviewed in New York by Louella Parsons on February 1, 1922. [14] Two days later, on February 3, Cecil B. DeMille returned from Europe and press reports indicated that he was met at the New York pier by Adolph Zukor. [15] So at the time of the Taylor murder, and on the morning the body was discovered, Zukor was in New York. He was nowhere near the Los Angeles murder scene. The scandal caused by the Taylor murder did indeed bring Zukor to Los Angeles, but he did not arrive until 11 days after the murder, as reported in the LOS ANGELES EXAMINER on February 13, 1922: "Adolph Zukor, president of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, by whom Taylor was employed, arrived in Los Angeles yesterday afternoon [February 12, 1922]. Zukor immediately went into seclusion and refused to be interviewed on any subject yesterday." Zukor was en route back to New York on February 24. [16] ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** Interviews with Julia Crawford Ivers Julia Crawford Ivers was closely associated with Taylor for over six years and wrote the scenarios for most of his Paramount films. After Taylor's murder, her career soon faded. When Mary Miles Minter was interrogated by Deputy District Attorney William Doran, on February 7, 1922, Minter recalled a conversation with Marshall Neilan in which Minter stated that the only person she could think of who might have killed Taylor was Julia Crawford Ivers. But Ivers was never seriously considered a suspect. Reticent and shy of personal publicity, she gave very few interviews throughout her career. [17] The following are some isolated exceptions: October 16, 1920 Giebler MOVING PICTURE WORLD I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Julia Crawford Ivers, of the scenario department, a lady who occupies a large and closely written page in the "Who's Who and Why, and What and When, and Where, and How Come" of Filmland. Miss Ivers says she has done almost everything around a studio but sweep the floor. She was six years at the Morosco studio before coming to the Lasky plant, where she held every position from film cutter and editor to superintendent of the plant. [Ivers also directed several films.] Miss Ivers has a large number of original stories and adaptations to her credit, including Tom Sawyer, Huck and Tom, The Furnace, The Soul of Youth, two stories as yet unnamed to be produced by Mary Miles Minter, and The Witching Hour, now being made by William D. Taylor; and in addition to this, she has published stories and articles in many of the leading magazines. She is a person of decided opinions as to the writer and his relation to the finished film. "The writer is only a helper," she says, "and sometimes very poor help. More stories have been spoiled than made by writers who tried to put them in picture form, and if many of the writers who are yelping for credit on the screen should be debited with the lack of imagination and lack of vision they display, they would have no more to say." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 7, 1922 LOS ANGELES EXAMINER Julia Crawford Ivers, scenarist for the late William D. Taylor, yesterday gave out the following statement: "Today the friends of William D. Taylor, and they are legion, will gather to pay the last tribute to the man they love, to one who as man, director and friend measured 100 per cent. "I have worked side by side with this man for seven years. We have solved many difficult problems together, sometimes pleasant, sometimes unpleasant: always hard, trying nerve-wracking. And during all these years of close association I have never known him to do one unkind, one ungenerous act, but I have known hundreds of instances of open-handed generosity and in most cases the beneficiary never knew whom to thank. "This man whose loyalty and honor were without question, who takes with him the undying gratitude of the thousands to whom he has lent a helping hand--this man who stood for everything that was fine and clean in pictures, who is known to have declared that if it were necessary to his success to produce unclean pictures he would go back to the white, clean snows of Alaska and dig his living out of the ground--this man was shot in the back by a cowardly assassin. He was given no opportunity to defend himself and William D. Taylor would have defended himself, for he did not know the meaning of the word fear. And more cowardly than the assassin's bullet, lodged in the heart of this dear man, is the tongue of scandal, which safely sheltered behind his dead body, is striking at his reputation--more cowardly for he is powerless to defend himself. "His friends know that when it is all over the character of Mr. Taylor will stand, as it always has stood, for everything that is fine and worth while. "The good book says, 'Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.' And it is recorded that no stones were cast." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * April 29, 1922 HONOLULU ADVERTISER Scenario Writer is Seeking Material from Old Hawaiian Legends Hawaii may really find favor in the big motion picture studios and its wealth of legendary lore form the subject of a play or two to be presented to millions of movie fans under the name of Jesse Lasky, providing Miss Julia Crawford Ivers, his foremost scenario writer, find the legends and myths appropriate for filming. Miss Ivers arrived on the Matsonia from Los Angeles, accompanied by her secretary, Miss Aldrich, and although here but three days, she is already delving deep into legends and also the history of Hawaii, particularly that relating to old feudal Hawaii. Whether her readings, her conversations with Island folk acquainted with legends, and her observations, will lead her into the path that will eventually open out into the appropriate theme, she does not know, but she has hopes. To further acquaint herself with the Islands and to absorb the atmosphere of old and new Hawaii, she will visit Kauai next week, leaving here Monday or Tuesday night and remaining a few days on the Garden Island. The following week she will go to Hilo, taking her car, and will motor over to Kalapana, all through Puna, thence to the Volcano, and then around to Kona, where she will learn all she can of Kealakekua Bay, the scene of Captain Cook's discovery and tragedy; the city of refuge at Honaunau and may possibly go into Kohala, which abounds in historic wealth. Miss Ivers says she has been a scenario writer with the Lasky interest for about eight years and during seven years of that time was closely associated in motion picture production with William D. Taylor, whose tragic death caused a temporary suspension of much work planned. "Mr. Taylor was a splendid picture director," said Miss Ivers. "He was a man of fine attainments. He was sympathetic and those who worked with and under his direction regarded him as one with whom it was a pleasure to be associated. "My own work as a scenario writer was pleasurable from the fact that there was co-operation. He wanted the best and we desired to give him only the best. He was a credit to the motion picture service and will be a loss to it, for he was of a constructive type, doing the best with the highest class of material." It was partly because of his death that Miss Ivers dropped her own activities for a time, superinduced by a cold, resulting in the end in a determination to visit Hawaii, with Mr. Lasky's injunction that she delve into Hawaiian legends and find whether any of them can be filmed. Miss Ivers is at the Seaside hotel. She makes no promises, but is reading much about Hawaii. She is dictating morning and afternoon. She is going here and there where details of Hawaiian life may be learned. If such a motion picture play is to be written it may not deal entirely with legends, but legends may be woven into a modern type of play. The story of the Goddess Pele, who dwells in Kilauea volcano, has attracted much of her attention and her own visit to the volcano in a week or so will have that much more interest for her. There is a dramatic, tragic, firey element in Pele which may be converted to the screen, in her opinion. Much of Miss Ivers' work at the studio in Los Angeles is associated directly with literary folk, writers of books whose names are known throughout the reading world--Sir Gilbert Parker, Sydney [sic] Maugham, Elinor Glyn and many others. It is Miss Ivers who takes their books and prepares or directs the preparation of scenarios for the director. It is this contact between the scenario writer and the authors that counts for success or failure in the motion picture product. If the scenario writer is sympathetic and endeavors to get the soul of the author's intent, there are exceptional possibilities. If not, there is more likely to be a failure in the interpretation. Many books to be screened must be ripped to pieces. As the story is written it can seldom be filmed. The change is the task of the scenario writer. Life must have been lived by scenario writers to really interpret a story for the screen for the eyes of the millions of theater patrons. Phases of life that are near the raw edge of actuality and realism may not be interpreted by the old maid who has not seen life and whose first impulse, and probably her last, is to eliminate that particular phase. A man of sensual thought may regard that particular phase as one to work into a maudlin interpretation which would be offensive. Between these two extremes there is the middle course and that path must be taken by the writer who understands life and understands the multiplicity of types and characters that patronize the theaters. Miss Ivers is a hard worker. She maintains high ideals as to picture production. Hers is a constant study of human nature. Philosophy and psychology are tangible factors with her, for both play important parts in decisions as to the worth of stories and the filmed product. "I must necessarily write in dashes where authors employ sentences and paragraphs," said Miss Ivers discussing her method of writing. "I cull and cut, where book writers must enlarge and pad." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * October 3, 1922 HONOLULU STAR-BULLETIN A dramatic love story with all the gripping beauty of the Hawaiian islands as a background is what Mrs. Julia Crawford Ivers, scenario writer and director for the Lasky corporation, has come to Honolulu to film. The beaches, mountains, gardens and palm trees of Oahu and Hawaii are to provide the setting for the story, which Mrs. Ivers says could be produced nowhere else in the world. "I wrote the scenario here," she told a representative of the Star-Bulletin at the Moana today, "and this is the only spot in the universe where it can be filmed as it should be. It is imbued with the breath of the islands. When I returned to Los Angeles after my visit here last spring, at which time I gathered material for the scenario, Mr. Lasky asked me if the picture could not be produced on the mainland. 'I'll read you the story,' I replied, and I did. He had nothing more to say, and here we are ready to work. While the picture was not planned with the specific idea of giving publicity to the islands, it still will be of tremendous benefit in portraying to mainland people the marvels of this section of the globe. It will be a true mirror in which those of the outer world may see life as it is lived in the Paradise of the Pacific. "I wrote the story," Mrs. Ivers said, "with a genuine love and affection for the islands, and I will produce it in the same way. No 'roughneck' of a director will have a chance to squeeze the fragrance out of the plot, for I am going to direct the action myself. It is some time since I did that sort of work, but I have chosen my cast and staff myself. I know something of the atmosphere of Hawaii and I wrote the story myself. I am just sure that if we can get things into film as we see them here the island will owe us a very great deal of gratitude. "One scene will be taken showing the departure of a steamer and including that lovable custom of giving leis, which is to me most touching. When I left Honolulu last spring returning to Los Angeles I cried as the boat pulled away from the dock. I was not leaving a host of friends either, but there is something about the strains of 'Aloha Oe' which brings the moisture to the eyes and a catch to the throat. This atmosphere is what we hope to catch in our picture, and we hope that when it comes back to Honolulu as a finished product the people will think that we have done full justice to our theme." Mrs. Ivers is a pioneer in the moving picture profession, having been identified with it in every sort of a capacity for the last nine years. She knows the game from A to Z. "I will have no one to blame if I fail to get a good picture," she says. "Mr. Lasky permitted me to select my own cast and to choose my technical force, camera man, art director and all. I am in full charge and I have every confidence in my company. There is not a person in it who will not go the limit to do as he or she is told. I know they will all give their very best to make the picture a success." Mrs. Ivers believes she is especially fortunate in her choice of her art director, George Hopkins. "He is really very superior," she said, "and has done some wonderful work on interiors. He has a weird touch which makes his work stand out." While a number of locations have been chosen, Mrs. Ivers said that they may not be used. "You see," she said, "the art director, the camera man, and electrician always inspect a location before we begin to 'shoot.' If any one of them has a fault to find I simply give up the location and seek something else that will be suitable. The art director and the camera man have to produce the artistic part of the film. I have my company in the center of the location and I am often called upon to move the actors to one side or another in order that the camera may register striking features that may be at one side or the other of those of the cast. It would never do to have the film unbalanced." The very newest in motion picture cameras will be used by the company here. The "Mitchell," a machine which combines all of the good points of all other cameras with none of their bad points, is included in the equipment brought from the mainland. There also are two other older style cameras to be used. It is possible that work of filming may start before Friday, Mrs. Ivers said. ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** Who was the Drug-Addicted Scenario Writer? In the aftermath of the Taylor murder, there were several press reports concerning an unnamed "drug-addicted scenario writer" who was wanted for questioning in connection with the Taylor murder. Who was this individual? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 13, 1922 LOS ANGELES RECORD ...Unavailing search was made Monday for a scenario writer and his wife, wanted in connection with the Taylor murder... Search of the studios failed to reveal the whereabouts of a scenarist, a writer of "gags" for movie comedies. This man, formerly a well-known song writer, is sought, together with his wife, because they are believed to know the whereabouts of a certain dope peddler who may be able to explain the slaying... The husband and wife, who are both scenario writers, are known to most of the prominent figures in the Los Angeles movie colony. Nobody, however, was able to tell where they now live. At the house where the couple was formerly made their home it was said their present address was unknown. The husband is a writer of "gags," as the funny situations in slapstick comedies are called. He has worked for nearly all of the leading film comedians, including Charlie Chaplin and "Fatty" Arbuckle. Deputy Sheriff Frank Dewar, who dug up the clue involving the dope ring, was systematically combing the studios Monday in search of someone who might tell him where the scenarists might be found. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 13, 1922 LOS ANGELES EXPRESS The angle on which Deputy Sheriff Dewar is working is considered one of the most important since the probe was opened. The former song writer and scenarist, whose name is known to the Express, but is withheld at the request of the sheriff's office, is alleged to have been active in the operations of the narcotic ring in question, and is asserted to have certain knowledge in his possession which would prove of material value to the investigation. This man is known to have been extremely friendly with a well known actress whose name has already been mentioned in connection with the case. Dewar expected today to interview the song writer, if his alleged hiding place was located. An arrest may follow, it is said. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 13, 1922 SEATTLE-UNION RECORD (Los Angeles)...The search for the couple was actuated by a belief that they could give information concerning a gang of "dope" peddlers who, it was suspected, may have plotted against the murdered director... "The scenarist whom we have been watching was formerly a song writer in New York," Deputy Sheriff Dewar said further. "Some time ago he went to Hollywood where he obtained work as a writer of humorous movie sketches. We believe he knows more about the sale of 'dope' to narcotic fiends than possibly anyone outside of the peddlers themselves." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 14, 1922 SHREVEPORT TIMES (Los Angeles)--...Deputy Sheriff Dewar is working on the drug ring angle. He has positive information, he says, that the man he is seeking was intimate with members of the film colony, and has acted as agent for the narcotic ring. One person to whom he is alleged to have delivered a quantity of a certain drug is said to be a star. Both the man and his wife are alleged addicts to narcotics. ...The fact that Captain Adams reiterated his statement that an arrest was imminent led to the belief that this man was the missing link in the chain which will bind beyond doubt evidence warranting the arrest. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 14, 1922 LOS ANGELES RECORD The scene of one phase of importance shifted to Santa Barbara today. The prominent scenario writer and his wife, wanted because they are believed to have known the identity of a missing dope peddler who may have slain Taylor, are sought in the seaside city. They are reported to have gone to Santa Barbara, where the husband expected to work at some of the new studios opening there. Tuesday's developments in the still unsolved murder drew a well-known movie actress closer into the net being spread by county detectives. "She is not telling all she knows about the murder," was the statement of one deputy sheriff who has been active on this angle of the investigation. "This actress is known to have been an intimate of the scenario writer and his wife. The three would take long trips together." Since the desired information is not forthcoming from the movie actress, the sheriff's office hopes to get it if the scenarist and his wife can be found. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 14, 1922 LOS ANGELES EXPRESS Search for a missing former song writer well known in moving picture circles extended north of Los Angeles today on a "tip" that the man wanted for what he may known of the Taylor murder mystery has been seen passing through Santa Barbara. The sudden disappearance of the man has redoubled the interest of the police in his story, and steps have been taken to have him picked up at the earliest moment. The man's description and characteristics are such, according to the police, that it will be impossible for him to conceal himself for any length of time. Strengthening the suspicion that the man has information vital to the solution of the murder mystery, it was learned today that the man suddenly dropped from sight, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. Undersheriff Eugene Biscailuz and Deputy Sheriff Frank Dewar, working under the personal direction of Sheriff William I. Traeger, have been busy for several days attempting to trace this man. According to their report he has changed his address several times during the past few months and it has been impossible to locate him. The last effort to find him was made by Biscailuz and Dewar on a secret tip giving them a Hollywood address. On their arrival it was found that he had disappeared some days previous. As a result a widespread search was instituted by the sheriff's office today. It is alleged that if the man is found the activities of a large narcotic ring, alleged to have plotted Taylor's death, will come to light and that eventually still another man suspected of the crime will be apprehended. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 15, 1922 NEW YORK JOURNAL (Los Angeles) ...Search was continued today for the scenarist and his wife, reported to be connected with a drug ring, who disappeared several days ago. The man was in Los Angeles for two or three days following the murder, and then left town. He has been traced to Santa Barbara. He was questioned briefly before his departure, and it was assumed knew nothing about the case. But a more recent inquiry into his life and habits has revealed that he is a drug addict, and the suspicion is strong that he has connections with dope peddlers. Although Taylor was not an addict, it was known that a number of his close friends, including two or three very well known women, were patrons of dope peddlers. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 24, 1922 ATLANTA CONSTITUTION (Los Angeles) ...One of the most tangible proofs of the connection of the drug peddlers with the crime is their almost complete desertion of Los Angeles. Characters known to the police as dope peddling suspects, have dropped out of sight, from the cheap "alley" peddlers to the pair, one an actress formerly employed by the Lasky corporation and the other a song writer, who are alleged to have made a small fortune from their opium den and "snow" traffic. They have fled this city like rats from a sinking ship. All of them could not have been involved in the murder, the police know, but they all knew of the crime and their disappearance is regarded as significant. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * April 1922 THE SINS OF HOLLYWOOD A once noted song writer, now a movie scribbler, spends the greater part of his income for drugs. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * So who was this individual? It is reasonable to conclude that he was Harry Williams, who died just a few months after the murder. [NOTE: THIS CONCLUSION HAS BEEN RETRACTED! See TAYLOROLOGY 69!] May 17, 1922 SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE Telegrams of condolence from artists, actors and musicians in all parts of the country poured in yesterday when funeral services were held at Oakland for Harry H. Williams, perhaps America's best known writer of popular songs, composer of "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree," "I'm Afraid to Go Home in the Dark, " "Mickey" and other numbers. Williams died at Merritt hospital, Oakland, Monday, at the age of 46, and was buried yesterday afternoon at a quiet ceremony attended by relatives and the few friends he knew in this part of the state. He was taken ill with influenza in New York, but appeared convalescent. On the way to the coast he suffered a relapse and upon arrival in Oakland developed pneumonia, which caused his death. [The obituary in the NEW YORK CLIPPER (May 24, 1922) stated that Williams had been in ill health and suffering from tuberculosis for some time.] ...Williams wrote 600 songs, in addition to many light operas and plays which were highly successful. "The Broken Idol" ran six months in New York and "The Belle of Avenue A" was a great musical comedy success. Several years ago he moved to Los Angeles, where the motion pictures engaged much of his attention. He directed comedies for Mack Sennett, handling such stars as Buster Keaton, Fatty Arbuckle, Mack Swain and others. However, he never abandoned the writing of songs. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The following were some of the statements reportedly describing the "drug- addicted scenario writer," followed by the applicability to Harry Williams: * He was a noted song writer. Williams wrote "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree", "Mickey" and several other popular songs. * He was formerly from New York. Williams was formerly from New York and was a member of the Lambs Club. * He was a "gag" writer for movie comedies. Williams was usually described as a comedy director. However he was initially hired by Keystone as a "gag" writer and an item published in the LOS ANGELES HERALD on September 1, 1919, indicates he was doing "gag" writing for Arbuckle at that time. * He wrote for Chaplin and Arbuckle. Williams wrote for Keystone while Arbuckle was there (it is uncertain whether Chaplin had departed Keystone prior to Williams' arrival), and Williams also wrote for Arbuckle producing independently. * He was friends with Mabel Normand. Williams worked for Keystone at the same time as Mabel Normand, and wrote the highly-popular song for her most successful film, "Mickey." So they were certainly acquaintances, and probably friends. * It was reported that "The man's description and characteristics are such, according to the police, that it will be impossible for him to conceal himself for any length of time." Williams was reportedly suffering from tuberculosis; possibly this was a reference to his physical symptoms and need for continuing medical treatment. * He was married. Williams was survived by his wife, Caroline. * He was a drug addict. Since Williams was reportedly suffering from tuberculosis, it is possible that he had originally turned to drugs for pain relief. The fact that Mabel Normand also had tuberculosis, and also had reportedly turned to drugs for pain relief, would possibly be a common bond between them. Conclusion: Harry Williams was the individual referred to by the press as the "drug-addicted scenario writer." Williams was also one of three Taylor case suspects or witnesses who were dead within four months after the murder (the other two were Earl Tiffany and Walter Kirby). Note: The following item, published a few months earlier in the aftermath of the Arbuckle scandal, may or may not pertain to Harry Williams, but is worth mentioning in light of the material presented above. Certainly there were several dozen other members of the Lambs Club who were in the Los Angeles movie colony, so there is no confirmation of identity here: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * September 23, 1921 VARIETY The use of narcotics in the profession is the subject of an investigation in Los Angeles at present... There is a week-end [drug] orgy establishment in Beverly Hills, the most exclusive residential section of Hollywood. The place is maintained by a former well-known member of the Lambs in New York who married on the coast. Here the parties last from Friday to Monday with usually all of the guests "charged up" during that period... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Other Hollywood members of the Lambs Club include Cecil B. and William DeMille, Dustin and William Farnum, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart, James Kirkwood, Antonio Moreno, Fred Niblo, and Milton Sills. See LOS ANGELES HERALD, March 26, 1919.) ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** What was the Real Name of Mary Miles Minter? Mary Miles Minter. Juliet Shelby. Juliet Reilly. Mary M. Reilly. What WAS her true name? The actress known as Mary Miles Minter began using that name of a dead relative in order to legally appear older than she was; several states had laws prohibiting children under 16 from appearing on stage. She continued using the name of Mary Miles Minter when she began her big silent movie career. The early fan magazine stories stated that Minter's real name was Juliet Shelby, which she had initially used as her stage name when her stage career began. Most serious film historians have reported that her real name was Juliet Reilly, and that she was born on April 1, 1902 in Shreveport, Louisiana. [18] But in 1985, an article appeared stating that the birth certificate on file with the State of Louisiana has her name as Mary M. Reilly, with the date of birth listed as April 25, 1902. [19] Sure enough, that is what the Louisiana birth certificate says: Mary M. Reilly. So her real name, therefore, was Mary M. Reilly? After all, how could the State birth certificate possibly be wrong? The problem is, that the State of Louisiana did not begin maintaining birth records until 1914. Prior to that time, the individual parishes (counties) maintained their own birth records. The State birth certificate was reconstructed at some later date from the parish records. Indeed, it is stated on the upper right hand corner of the birth certificate: "Taken from Caddo Records, Book A Page 97." So the State birth certificate is only second-hand information. The real question is: what do the Caddo Records state? We have examined a photocopy of the offical Caddo Records. The page of the Caddo parish records containing her birth entry indicates that originally no first name was listed for the child and the last name was misspelled; then the record was changed. Indeed, the word "corrected" has been written in the margin and two items have been altered, as follows: original entry: Name of Child: "J. H. Riley's Child" "corrected" entry Name of Child: "Mary M. Reilly" original entry: Name of Father: "J. H. Riley" "corrected" entry Name of Father: "J. Homer Reilly" When were these changes made? If they were made a few days after the original entry, then the corrections are probably correct, and her name would indeed be Mary M. Reilly. But the changes were NOT made a few days, or months, or even a few years after the original entry. It can be firmly proven that the record was still uncorrected two decades after the original entry. In August 1923 there was a public verbal battle between Mary Miles Minter and Charlotte Shelby (see TAYLOROLOGY #11). During that time, a false report surfaced regarding Minter's age. Reporters went looking for the original Caddo parish birth record, and the following was reported: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * August 16, 1923 SHREVEPORT TIMES ...According to the birth certificate, her father was J. H. Riley and her mother was Pearl Miles Riley. The birth record shows no name for the girl, merely stating the fact of the birth of a girl baby to the Riley family. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * August 17, 1923 LOS ANGELES HERALD ...The Shreveport birth record may add an element of mystery to the whole question because of one notation on that document. According to advices from the Louisiana city, in the blank reserved for the name of the baby is merely the information, "J. H. Riley's child." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * So, clearly, 21 years after her birth the record was still uncorrected; no first name had yet been entered and the last name was still misspelled as "Riley." It is uncertain when the "corrections" were later made. Possibly shortly after those items were published, since the fact that no name was entered had just been brought to the attention of the record keeper. Or possibly not until the individual State birth certificate was reconstructed years later from the parish records. If the change was indeed made at that time, the "correction" may have been done by a clerk who needed a first name to put on the State birth certificate and who remembered that she had become a famous actress named Mary Miles Minter. In any event, there is no contemporary indication that her name was truly Mary M. Reilly. On the other hand, Minter was involved in many legal battles. Her true legal name was always given as Juliet Reilly (see, for example, TAYLOROLOGY #9). Based on all the information at hand, it is reasonable to conclude that the birth certificate on file with the State of Louisiana indicating "Mary M. Reilly" is incorrect. Mary Miles Minter's true and correct legal name was Juliet Reilly. ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** The Path of the Fatal Bullet The strange path of the bullet must be accounted for, somehow. (Neither Kirkpatrick nor Giroux even attempt to account for it.) The fatal shot was fired at close range; the powder burns on the coat indicated the gun was only a few inches away when fired. The bullet entered Taylor's left side, about where his elbow would be if he were standing naturally, and the bullet angled steeply upward, ending up at the right side of the base of his neck. (The bullet did not strike any bones, so it was not deflected.) The holes in his jacket and vest would only align if his left arm was raised somewhat. The following were mentioned in the press as possible explanations by the detectives: 1. Taylor was sitting at his desk, working on his taxes, his left arm on the desk, leaning forward slightly. The killer approached from behind, brought the gun close to Taylor's left side, and fired. Analysis: By this scenario, the killer must have been left-handed. But why bring the gun around to Taylor's left side and fire upward? Why not simply fire directly into the center of his back, or his head? Although this scenario is possible, it is awkward. And when the body was found, why was the chair--which was not the chair he was sitting on--astride his leg? 2. The killer was crouched low behind Taylor's door. When Taylor walked in, the killer stuck the gun in his side and fired upwards. Analysis: By this scenario, the killer was probably right-handed. In support of this scenario is the fact that the chair found astride his leg is the chair which was next to the door--not the chair at the desk. This seems to be the most probable scenario (it was favored by Detective Cline), but if true it would virtually eliminate Shelby as the suspect--would she have crouched down like that? She doesn't appear to have been that agile. 3. The killer was embracing Taylor in a "kiss of death," brought the gun close to Taylor's side and fired upward, aiming toward Taylor's heart. Analysis: By this scenario, the killer must have been right-handed. The path of the bullet and Taylor's raised arm (in the embrace) would seem very natural in this position. Indeed, it is the only scenario which does not require the killer to be in an awkward position. It could also account for the blonde hairs reportedly found on Taylor's collar. In addition to these theories, I would suggest the following possibility: 4. The killer hid himself until Taylor returned. Then the killer revealed himself and ordered Taylor to stand still. Perhaps the killer walked over to the door and closed it. (Taylor's door was normally open. Would the killer have wanted to fire with the door open? Wouldn't it be better to close the door so the sound of the shot would not travel so far? Yet under scenarios #1 and #2 above, Taylor's door was certainly open.) Then the killer told Taylor to turn around so that Taylor's back was towards the killer. The killer was now standing close to Taylor's back. Perhaps there were some words spoken at this point. Suddenly Taylor half-turned to his left and grabbed at the gun with his left hand. The gun discharged upward into Taylor's side. Any other plausible scenarios would be welcome! ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** Wallace Smith: February 20, 1922 The following is another of Wallace Smith's sensationalizing dispatches on the Taylor case. February 20, 1922 Wallace Smith CHICAGO AMERICAN In the dusty back room of a jewelry shop this afternoon an expert watchmaker bent over the frail mechanism of a fine-jeweled timepiece. At his side detectives stood anxiously waiting the words that would come from the man who hummed a tuneless little song as he peered through his microscope into the delicate workings of the watch. For upon his words depended the fate and fortune of one of screenland's reigning queens, confessedly the "very dear friend" of William Desmond Taylor, who was named as his murderess by Henry Peavey, houseman for the slain film director. The watch -- it was the one Taylor carried when he was shot to death -- was seized by detectives and rushed to the jeweler's as Peavey's sensational charge became public through the dispatches of the Chicago Evening American. At the same time, Under Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz announced that the watchmaker's verdict, if it bore out this theory, would result in the immediate arrest of the woman named by Peavey, the one person beside Taylor himself who knew best the life lived in the house in Alvarado St. Under Sheriff Biscailuz declared her arrest would make petty incidents of the scandals which already have developed in the mysterious slaying. Much depended on the mute testimony of the watch. It was the thin modeled one that Taylor carried in his breast pocked. At the other end of the platinum chain was the golden locket bearing the picture of Mabel Normand and the inscription "to my dearest." Taylor always carried this watch, although he had a wrist watch as well. The watch was not running when his body was found. It had stopped at a fateful hour. It might be unfair to the actress to reveal this hour but it is known, and has been since the start, that she was in Taylor's study at this time. The theory of Under Sheriff Biscailuz, who has always clung to the theory that a woman did the crime and that jealousy pressed the trigger that wiped out Taylor's eccentric life, is that the watch was stopped by the impact when Taylor's body fell. That was what the expert watchmaker was called upon to decide. That was the secret for which he probed the superfine anatomy of the watch. It was of such delicate construction it was stated that the hit of Taylor's fall certainly must have stopped it. The defensive theory advanced by some of the officials -- and many of them surprisingly enough, seem to be acting on the defensive in this amazing case, is that the watch ran down. To them the reply was made that it was not likely a man of Taylor's methodical habits would allow a watch of such value, both intrinsically and sentimentally to go without attention. Also that the watch, if it did run down, chose a remarkably significant hour for the purpose. And the investigation awaited the verdict of the expert in the jeweler's back room, the man who hummed a tuneless little song and saw before him only a very fine watch -- and not the tremendous mystery that has tangled a dozen lives in tragedy. The name of the actress involved by Henry Peavey's story may not be made public. It would be more unfair perhaps than revealing the time the watch stopped. But it may be conservatively stated that her name is familiar wherever the projecting machine throws its flickering shaft of light and that she has been under suspicion by the sheriff's office since Peavey found the body of his employer. The detailed story told by Peavey, as it was told first to the police, then to the prosecutor and again to the sheriff, has been hidden under the screen of mystery that has been thrown about the investigation by Los Angeles officials. But it must be recalled that for six months Peavey had been about Taylor's house daily, and had been the sort of petted servant who was permitted to exchange pleasantries with guests. He was the custodian of the Taylor cellar, too, and mixed drinks for his "boss" and the frequent women visitors. He served them as he served Taylor and Mabel Normand when she called at Taylor's home the night of the murder. Gin and orange juice and vermouth it was that night. He knew to whom Taylor telephoned and from whom calls were received. He may not have eavesdropped intentionally, but it is rather difficult in the ordinary tiny Los Angeles bungalow to avoid a whisper in the next room. Taylor may have been no hero to his valet, Edward F. Sands, but to Peavey he was quite a fellow. He permitted Peavey to use his guest room upstairs as a sewing room. Oh, yes, Henry Peavey does the neatest crochet work and embroidery. They do say his Irish crochet -- But to get on. It must be remembered, too, that Henry Peavey was the man who told the police where to find the dainty night gown of peach-hued silk -- the night dress that since has disappeared. He told the police, too, about how Taylor took from a hiding place a woman's handkerchief and pressed it to his lips. Quite a good deal Henry Peavey knows about what was going on in Taylor's home in Alvarado St. for six months before the tragedy that shocked the nation. It was Peavey who would come to work just before 8 a.m. to arouse Taylor as he came the morning he found Taylor's body and ran gibbering into the street. There were mornings, it was said, when he found Taylor not alone. There were mornings when strange, nocturnal visitors had glided swiftly through the shadows of graceful palms in Alvarado St. Peavey was a good servant. He went right along with his work and his sewing. When they first questioned this man there was an inclination to belittle his testimony. At the inquest, where Henry became quite hysterical, they were satisfied merely to ask about details of finding the body and pass on to witnesses whose names were known -- Miss Normand among them. Not until Peavey had been called in for a second time did the discreet detectives fling a real question at him and get in reply a swift answer -- the name of the woman Peavey is certain murdered Taylor. The name was one mentioned form the beginning -- from the time the finding of the body led to the exposure of Taylor's mysterious past, a past he had himself draped with fanciful yarns. But the officials did not even breathe a suspicion. It is known that she was questioned secretly. She is a woman who wields considerable power and who has many mighty friends. That is, no official permitted the falling of a suspicious shadow until the sheriff began his investigation. It went straight to the one target in sight, one that must be convincing to the unbiased layman's eye in reviewing what little is known of the killing itself. [20] Extra strength was given to the theory of the sheriff's office and the accusation of Peavey when District Attorney Woolwine, generally accepted as chief of the campaign of investigation, declared that he was not convinced that the man seen slipping from Taylor's home was any one but Taylor's chauffeur. That chauffeur, Howard Fellows, had stated to the district attorney that he called shortly after 8 o'clock that night to see if Taylor wanted him to drive any more. Taylor did not answer his knock, and he left, he has stated. Mrs. Douglas MacLean, wife of a screen actor, was the witness who told of seeing the mysterious exit from the premises after hearing what she thought was a shot. But she admitted that her view of the man was most brief and her impression quite vague. It was known, too, that Peavey had been ordered to remain in the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County authorities. The houseman, carrying his knitting and apparently quite broken by the tragic end of his employer, had asked permission to go elsewhere. Undersheriff Biscailuz, in announcing the vital test to be made today, left no doubt of the importance he placed in it. "But it can't go wrong," he stated. "If it discloses what I expect, we will have a clue that will be as near perfect as we could expect. It will at once involve the woman we have been watching for some time and she will be arrested at once. "It will bring about a scandal that will make all the other stories growing out of this murder appear tame by comparison. It will take only a step or two more, once we have the result of this scientific test, to bring out the motives of jealousy. "What I expect it to show is that there was a woman in the house when the shot was fired. Either she fired the shot herself or she knows who did it and perhaps helped that person in the killing. [21] "Waiting for some such clue as we now believe may be in our hands in a few hours, we have checked up this actress' career and we will be ready to handle her." The woman known to be under suspicion is one who has carried on one of the wildest careers that ever streaked across the firmament of filmland. They talk about these escapades even in the gayer set of Hollywood, where such distinction is not lightly won. It was considered probable that William Davis, chauffeur for Miss Normand, would be brought into the district attorney's office for questioning. Several times he has been questioned and each time, it was reported, he had corroborated Miss Normand's story of the ride to Taylor's home, and her departure after the director had escorted her to her car. Davis, it was reported, was at Miss Normand's place of seclusion in Altadena, near Pasadena. It was said that he drove Miss Normand to the place when she fled from Hollywood and the scandals that have been revealed since Taylor's slaying. She was suffering, too, her manager announced, from the shock of Taylor's death and a very serious case of grippe. ***************************************************************************** NOTES: [1] See Taylorology #17. [2] This letter was reprinted in LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 7, 1937). [3] LOS ANGELES HERALD-EXPRESS (May 6, 1937). [4] See WDT:DOSSIER, p. 324-5. [5] LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 9, 1937). [6] LOS ANGELES TIMES (May 7, 1937). [7] LOS ANGELES HERALD-EXPRESS (May 7, 1937). [8] LOS ANGELES TIMES (May 7, 1937). [9] LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 7, 1937). [10] LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 8, 1937). [11] LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 7, 1937). [12] LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 7, 1937). [13] LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (May 11, 1937). [14] See NEW YORK TELEGRAPH (February 5, 1922). Although the interview was published on the 5th (in the Sunday paper), she reports that the interview took place on the previous Wednesday, which was the 1st. [15] See NEW YORK TELEGRAPH (February 4, 1922). [16] See DESERET NEWS (February 24, 1922). [17]See WDT:DOSSIER, pp. 73-75, 257-258, for two other interviews with Julia Crawford Ivers. [18]See, for example, Aydelott Ames, "Mary Miles Minter," in FILMS IN REVIEW (October 1969), pp. 473+. [19]See Ken DuMain, "Correcting Mis-Information about Miss Mary Miles Minter," in FILMS IN REVIEW (May 1985), pp. 271+. [20]The woman suspected by Peavey is Mabel Normand. See TAYLOROLOGY #6. Peavey's suspicions became public after his abduction by Hearst reporters. [21]Taylor's watch stopped at 7:20. If it could be shown that the watch stopped due to impact (when Taylor fell after being shot) then it would indicate that Mabel Normand must have been present at the time, since she was admittedly present between 7:05-7:45. However, the tests on the watch reportedly did not indicate it had stopped due to impact. ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** Back issues of Taylorology are available on the Web at any of the following: http://www.angelfire.com/az/Taylorology/ http://www.etext.org/Zines/ASCII/Taylorology/ http://www.uno.edu/~drif/arbuckle/Taylorology/ Full text searches of back issues can be done at http://www.etext.org/Zines/ For more information about Taylor, see WILLIAM DESMOND TAYLOR: A DOSSIER (Scarecrow Press, 1991) *****************************************************************************