***************************************************************************** * T A Y L O R O L O G Y * * A Continuing Exploration of the Life and Death of William Desmond Taylor * * * * Issue 19 -- July 1994 Editor: Bruce Long bruce@asu.edu * * TAYLOROLOGY may be freely distributed * ***************************************************************************** CONTENTS OF THIS ISSUE: The Case against Edward Sands: Who was Sands? Items Suggesting Sands was the Killer Sands' Sexuality Was Sands the Person Seen by Faith MacLean? Was Robbery an Element of the Murder Motive? Strange Phone Calls Received by Taylor Conclusions Regarding Sands Wallace Smith: February 14, 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 Case Against Edward Sands: From the very beginning, Edward F. Sands was a prime suspect in Taylor's murder and several of the investigators on the case were convinced of his guilt. Yet A CAST OF KILLERS and A DEED OF DEATH quickly shrug off the possibility that Sands killed Taylor. Nevertheless, the case against Sands is substantial, and any thorough consideration of the Taylor case must include a much closer look in Sands' direction. ***************************************************************************** Who was Sands? Edward Sands' real name was Edward Fitzgerald Snyder. [1] For several months he also went under the alias of Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore. Military fingerprints confirmed that Snyder and Strathmore were the same person; handwriting analysis confirmed that Snyder, Strathmore and Sands were all the same person. [2] Edward Fitzgerald Snyder was born in Marion, Ohio on April 4, 1894, the son of Murray T. Snyder and Marguerite A. Snyder. Edward had many brothers and sisters, and the family home was at 572 Silver St., Marion, Ohio. Edward Snyder first enlisted in the U.S. Navy on September 19, 1911, at the Navy Recruiting Station in Cincinnati. He had run away from home and was only 17, but he lied about his age and said he was 18, giving his birthdate as 1893. He entered as an Apprentice Seaman; in 1912 he attended Yeoman School and was subsequently promoted to Yeoman 3rd Class in 1912, Yeoman 2nd Class in 1913, and Yeoman 1st Class in 1914. He served on the U.S.S. Franklin, U.S.S. Constellation, U.S.S. Montana, and U.S.S. Paducah. His duty assignments included Pay Office, and Canteen Yeoman. In mid-1915, while on board the U.S.S. Paducah, he was arrested and charged with fraud and embezzlement. The general court martial was held at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Snyder was found guilty and sentenced to be reduced in rank to the rating of Landsman and to perform one year of hard labor, then to be discharged. He was confined to the navy prison aboard the U.S.S. Southery at the Navy Yard in Portsmouth and was dishonorably discharged on August 6, 1916. Two weeks later, on August 21, 1916, Snyder enlisted again, this time at Boston, Massachusetts, in the U.S. Coast Guard as an Ordinary Seaman. On his enlistment form he fraudulently declared that he had never received a dishonorable discharge from any service, and that he had no previous military service. Although he entered as an Ordinary Seaman, he was "disrated [reduced in rank] to Boy 1st Class at his own request" on September 1, 1916. On December 4 he was promoted to Cabin Steward and held that rank until his discharge. He served on the cutter Gresham from the time of his enlistment until his honorable discharge on August 20, 1917, a full year's service. On October 17, 1917, Snyder enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve at the Navy Yard in New York, NY, service number 193-31-03. (During World War I, the U.S. Naval Reserve had been mobilized into active service.) He entered as a Ship's Cook, 2nd Class, and was sent to the Naval Reserve Training Station at Pelham Park, New York. While there, he was promoted to Commissary Steward on February 1, 1918. In April 1918 Snyder was transferred to the Naval District Base at New London, Connecticut, and on December 1 he was promoted to Chief Commissary Steward. He was placed in charge of the commissary department at P. A. Scott & Co., salvagers. One night he stole an automobile belonging to Albert Mix, a member of the Scott firm. Snyder wrecked the car, smashing it into a telegraph pole. He was arrested and let off on the condition that he pay for the damages incurred. He said he could get the money in New York, and was given permission to go there. He left the Naval Base on January 14, 1919 and never returned, sending back word that "they would have to come after it" if they wanted the money. Snyder had deserted for the first time. [3] On February 8, 1919, Snyder enlisted at Kansas City in the U.S. Navy again, but this time under the name Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore; he accomplished the change of name by presenting the recruiter with a forged certificate of honorable discharge from the U.S. Coast Guard, in Strathmore's name. "Strathmore" was assigned to the Naval Training Station at Great Lakes, Illinois, service number 341-01-01, and he entered as a Landsman for a Cook. In March 1919 the Navy Department in Washington discovered that Strathmore was really the same person as Edward Snyder who had previously been dishonorably discharged from the Navy in 1916. (But the Navy Department was at that time unaware of Snyder's two interim enlistments in the Coast Guard and Naval Reserve, or the fact that he was currently wanted as a deserter.) On April 1, 1919 he was summoned to the office of his commander, confronted with his previous dishonorable discharge, instructed to secure the necessary affidavits showing his correct name and date of birth, and to make a written statement explaining his motive for reinlisting. Snyder/Strathmore responded by deserting again. [4] Snyder's next stop was the U.S. Coast Guard, enlisting again under the name of Edward Fitzwilliam Strathmore, as a Cook on April 17, 1919 at Brooklyn, N.Y., service number 144-441 He was sent to USCG Station #239 at Cleveland, Ohio on April 18. He repeatedly went absent without leave during his month there, and on May 18, 1919, he deserted again. "Strathmore" next enlisted in the U.S. Army at Columbus Barracks, Ohio, on May 22, 1919, service number 6-428-758. He was soon assigned to the finance office, and on August 25 he was promoted to sergeant. One of his duties was the drawing up of government checks for payment of bills. On October 4 he made out a check payable to himself for $481.53, forged the signature of the finance officer, and deserted, also forging a signature to an army discharge for himself. After deserting he attempted to buy a motorcycle with the forged check. Snyder now adopted the name Edward F. Sands, and by mid-1920 had obtained the job of valet and cook to William Desmond Taylor in Los Angeles. In July 1921, while Taylor was in Europe and Sands had been left to take care of Taylor's home, Sands forged checks on Taylor's account, wrecked Taylor's car, stole some of Taylor's clothing, and vanished. When Taylor returned he issued a formal complaint against Sands, and a police warrant was issued by the L.A.P.D., charging Sands with forgery and larceny. One newspaper quoted Snyder's father as stating that three months prior to the murder (which would have been around the beginning of November 1921) Edward Snyder had visited his sister, Mrs. George Dunn, in Cleveland, Ohio. [5] On November 17, 1921, Snyder enlisted once again under his real name, in the U.S. Coast Guard at Oakland, and was assigned to the cutter Bear as a Mess Attendant 1st Class, service number 143-512. On November 26, Snyder was dismissed from his enlistment and discharged for being absent without leave. (This discharge was technically an ordinary discharge, for "unsatisfactory probationary period.") On December 4, 1921, Taylor's home was burglarized. The back door was broken in and several items of Taylor's jewelry were stolen, along with his entire stock of special gold-tipped cigarettes. Some food was eaten from the refrigerator and dusty footprints were found on Taylor's bed. The stolen jewelry was pawned in Fresno on December 12, and in Sacramento on December 24; the person pawning the jewelry was identified as Edward Sands, which was confirmed by handwriting analysis. Sands either committed the burglary, or it was committed by his associate who then turned the stolen merchandise over to Sands. [6] In mid-December a gold-tipped cigarette was found on Taylor's doorstep, indicating that Sands had returned once again. On December 27, both pawn tickets were mailed to Taylor from Stockton, with a note that read: "So sorry to inconvenience you even temporarily. Also observe the lesson of the forced sale of assets. A Merry Xmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. Alias Jimmy V." Handwriting analysis confirmed the note was written by Sands/Snyder/Strathmore. There were many reported and rumored sightings of Sands after this time, but his whereabouts after the murder were never confirmed. [7] Regarding his military service, he is known to have enlisted seven times: four times he deserted and twice he was kicked out. Only one of his seven enlistments was satisfactorily completed. [Special thanks to Susan Snyder of Columbus, Ohio, for obtaining and providing much of the information regarding Sands'/Snyder's military record. Thanks also to John Christin.] ***************************************************************************** Items Suggesting Sands was the Killer February 3, 1922 LOS ANGELES TIMES [from an interview with Julia Crawford Ivers]...Mrs. Ivers then told of the difficulty Mr. Taylor said he had with his valet-secretary, Sands. "There never was a more devoted man serving another than this man Sands during the first year and a half of his service for Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor trusted him with everything. "...Sands read everything he could find. He used to study into the late hours of the night and when Mr. Taylor told me of the various actions attributed to Sands, we all decided the man must have become deranged..." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 4, 1922 ST. LOUIS GLOBE DEMOCRAT (Los Angeles)--...Captain of Police R. Moffatt said today, "We are seeking Sands for any information that he can throw upon the subject [of Taylor's murder]. The only possible motive thus far uncovered is that of putting out of the way a complaining witness in two felony cases. Sands was accused of felony by Taylor." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 4, 1922 LOS ANGELES EXAMINER ...Of almost equal interest in the development of the investigation was the statement of Mrs. Earl Tiffany, wife of Taylor's chauffeur, that she saw Edward F. Sands, ex-secretary-valet of the murdered director, now sought as a witness, at Sixth and Figueroa Streets Tuesday afternoon last [the day prior to the murder] at 1:20 o'clock. ...The search for Sands continued with unabated intensity. He is said to have returned to Los Angeles Tuesday and uttered this threat: "I am here to get Bill Taylor." His intimate knowledge of Taylor's double identity was revealed in startling fashion late yesterday when in Fresno it was learned that Sands had there pawned jewelry stolen from Taylor and that he had given the name "William Deane-Tanner," asserted to be Taylor's true name. ...The police are assured beyond peradventure that the man who pawned the jewelry in Fresno, using the true name of the owner in a spirit of malicious triumph, was Edward Sands. There is something in this very circumstance which to the officers is itself a flood of light coming out of the darkness. The stealing and forgery indulged in by Sands did not convey the spirit of this piece of treachery; they might have been only for gain. But now that the Fresno episode is brought up from the obscurity of a dark little hole-in- the-wall pawn shop to be made plain in all its details, a new element appears. This new element is the pronounced unfriendliness of Sands, which takes on the aspect of a sinister and silent threat. The malice is further revealed in what seems to have been a persistent campaign of Sands to annoy the director. From Fresno he sent him a pawn ticket, a ticket issued on valuables stolen from Taylor on which money had been raised. Still another pawn ticket came through the mail from Sacramento. With this was the letter signed "Alias Jimmy V." These were derisive thrusts at Taylor; from some motive which has not been revealed the thief and forger was trying to torture the victim of his crimes. ...Something of the description of this man was learned yesterday by The Examiner from A. A. Tomlinson, an accountant of 1022 West Fortieth Place. "The true name of this man," said Tomlinson, "is not Sands but Strathmore. I recognized him by his picture in this morning's Examiner. "He enlisted in the army during the war as Edward Fitz Strathmore and was assigned to Columbus Barracks, Ohio. I was then head of the finance office and upon learning that Strathmore had been a chief petty officer in the navy I asked that he be transferred to my department, which was done. "On October 4, 1919, Strathmore forged my name to a Government check for $475 and tried to buy a motorcycle with it. He failed to carry out this scheme, but escaped. At the same time he forged the commanding officer's name to a discharge. He has been wanted for desertion. "On July 4, 1920, I met him on Alvarado Street. He told me that he was expecting to get work with the street car company. I notified the police, but he disappeared. "During his service with me at Columbus Barracks, Strathmore often boasted of the crimes he had committed. I did not believe him then, but thought it was a case of a young fellow drawing on his imagination. "Once I asked him what he would do if he were in a dangerous situation. He said he would shoot his way out." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 4, 1922 Edward Doherty PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (Los Angeles)--...A peculiar thing in the minds of the police is that both Sands and Peavey are of a queer type, affected, given to feminine ways. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 5, 1922 PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER (Los Angeles)--...The police continued their search for Edward F. Sands, a former secretary and valet to Taylor. According to the statement of one person made to the police, this man was in Los Angeles not later than last Tuesday, the day before the murder was committed. He is alleged to have made a statement to this person that "I am out to get Taylor--and I will get him." Before the murder police were directing a search for this man on the complaint of Taylor, who charged that he had robbed him of several thousand dollars. It seemed to enrage Sands, according to friends, to think that his former employer objected to being the victim of a robbery by his personal servant and he fled from Los Angeles breathing vengeance against Taylor, it is alleged. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 6, 1922 LOS ANGELES EXAMINER (from an interview with actress Winifred Kingston)..Miss Kingston threw some very interesting light on Sands' career, details gleaned, she said, from various conversations with Taylor. "While Edward Knoblock was living at Mr. Taylor's home [during June/July 1921 when Taylor was in Europe], " she said, "Sands went down to a well known department store in town and bought at various times a considerable amount of lingerie. I understood he gave these to a girl he was interested in--a very young creature who lived at home with her mother. All of this he charged to Mr. Taylor's account, a matter which greatly enraged the director when he returned from abroad. ..."During this same period, when Mr. Knoblock was a guest of Mr. Taylor's and was supposed to pay for nothing, Sands presented the English author with a bill amounting to some hundreds of dollars for groceries he had used while at the house. Mr. Knoblock, being a gentleman and not wanting a row, however little he understood the matter, paid the bill. When Mr. Taylor returned he was naturally dumbfounded. "On another occasion Sands did another peculiar thing. Mr. Taylor had two thermos bottles around the house, neither of any particular value. There were many other things Sands easily could have stolen of more value. But he took one of these bottles to present to some girl. Her mother did not understand the act at all and didn't want the girl to take it. "Most unusual of Sands' actions, however, was a document he once drew up. "One day, to show his affection and regard for Mr. Taylor, he wrote, in his own handwriting, a sort of servile contract, in which he said that he would be Mr. Taylor's servant for life and would always be his slave. "Mr. Taylor told me about the document and laughed. I don't know what ever happened to the paper, but Sands apparently took it seriously. "All of this led me to believe that the man was mentally deranged and he is the only man I can think of who might have killed Mr. Taylor." * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 6, 1922 NEW YORK HERALD (Los Angeles)--...The fact that his houseman, Henry Peavey, and his former secretary, Edward F. Sands, are both said to be "queer persons," has led to much speculation whether Taylor was abnormal himself. It is thought by a majority who are investigating the case that this is a phase which will develop and throw much new light on the case. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 6, 1922 SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER (Los Angeles)--A new and vital witness upon one of the big points in the William D. Taylor murder mystery was found tonight by an Examiner representative, who received from him the most important statement yet made as to Edward F. Sands, whom the police of the nation are seeking. This man, a well known citizen living within a block of the Taylor apartment at 404B South Alvarado Street, saw Sands within a few minutes after the time the film director was murdered. The information furnished by this citizen was turned over to the police and is regarded as the most definite yet obtained in its bearing upon the movements of the much sought Sands. "I was going home Wednesday night," said the informant, "and was possibly a block from the Taylor home when I saw Edward Sands across the street. I had known him some time and recognized him at once under the glare of an electric light. "As he knew me equally well the recognition was mutual. But instead of crossing over or of speaking as I naturally expected he would do, he turned his face the other way and hurried on, taking the first turn and disappearing. "His actions struck me as peculiar at the time. He appeared to be trying to conceal himself, did not want to be recognized. "My general impression of him at the time was that he was excited and flustered. "The time was just about 8 o'clock. He was coming from the direction of Taylor's apartment, hurrying along as though to lose no time, a very fast walk, I would describe it, which might easily have changed into a run... "If Sands were arrested, charged with murder and tried I would testify to these facts if called as a witness." After being seen by an Examiner reporter the Hollywood resident made the same statement to police detectives. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 6, 1922 LOS ANGELES HERALD Several detectives were inclined to the theory that the person who slew Taylor may have been mentally unbalanced, and qualified their remarks regarding that phase of the probe by discussing confidential reports obtained today from the mystery witness who called at detective headquarters and who was said to have stated he saw Sands near the scene of the slaying late Wednesday night. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 7, 1922 LOS ANGELES TIMES ...The visit of Mr. Eyton to the Detective Bureau was for the purpose of aiding in the search for Sands. Several witnesses who know the fugitive say they saw him in Los Angeles about the time of the shooting. At least two persons believe they saw him on the night of the shooting. One woman saw Sands within a block of the Taylor home within less than two hours of the time set for the murder. Capt. Adams in a statement to newspaper men declared that the entire case hinges on Sands. "If we can locate Sands," declared Capt. Adams, "then we will be able once and for all to settle the question of his whereabouts on the night of the murder. If Sands cannot prove to our satisfaction where he was on Wednesday night between 7 and 8 o'clock we will then believe that we have found the right man." ...Several women and three men, all of whom know Sands by sight, say that they saw him on the streets of the city during the last month. ...Police say Sands has lost some weight since he fled after the first robbery. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * February 8, 1922 ARIZONA REPUBLICAN (Los Angeles)--A complaint charging Edward F. Sands, alias Edward Fitz Strathmore, missing butler-secretary, with the murder of his former employer, 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 an automobile tire thief, 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 have borrowed the car without asking. But I've had an excellent service 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. [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. [5] See NEW YORK HERALD (February 9, 1922). [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). ***************************************************************************** ***************************************************************************** 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) *****************************************************************************