NEWS BY MAIL.

Hokitika Guardian, 1 May 1922, Page 1

NEWS BY MAIL.

NEW LIGHT 6n TILM M URDER. THEORY OF REVENGE BY DRUG FIENDS. NEW YORK, Feb. 21. After three weeks’ investigation, a definite clue to the kinema murder mystery lias been obtained. Arrested at Detroit on a charge of forgery, Harry Field, known to the Los Angeles underworld as “Harry the Chink,” told the police that Mr Desmond Taylor, or Dcane-Tannor, the film director, was murdered by a Chinaman, the head ol a group of Los Angeles drug sellers.

Field*says lie drove the Chinaman and two women to Taylor's house. The former, taking a pearl handled pistol from one of the women, entered the house and shot 'Taylor. Field then drove the trio to an opium den in Los Angeles and left them, lie says he was given £250 for the use of his ear, and changed the banknote at a Los Angeles hank the same night. Infinities among the banks doing business at night confirmed the statement.

A year ago Taylor went to Mr Thomas Green, the Assistant Public Prosecutor, and asked that action should be taken to wipe out a group of drug sellers who were corrupting large numbers of kinemn artists.

“He told me in particular of one woman,” said Mr Green, “with whom I presumed he was in love. She bad become a confirmed drug taker. Ho wished lo rescue her from the dutches of the drug fiends. H e told me site was in the first rank of kinema actresses.” The drug gang, says Mr Green, was broken up following on Taylor’s intervention. The murder might well, therefore, be an act of revengee.

WONDERFUL DISCOVERIES

ROME, March 7

According to the well-known archaeologist Professor Laneiani, authentic contemporary portraits of St Peterand St Paid have been discovered in a hypogeum or underground structure of the Roman epoch.

The hypogeum was found in the course of excavations for the building of a large garage. It comprises a number of rooms and galleries, a crypt, and a Christian church with marvellous frescoes of a very early date. Professor Laneiani believes, that the two portraits were painted from life. St Peter, as the chief of the Twelve Apostles, is recognised by Roman Catholics as the first Pope of the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Before be was called to be an Apostle bo was a fisherman of Galilee, and was known as Simon. This is said to have been changed by "tlie Lord into Cephas, or Peter. After the Crucifixion Peter is believed to have preached throughout Asia Minor, to have- gone to Rome, and to have been crucified under Nero in the year a.d. 67. Ecclesiastical tradition says that be was crucified head downward. The high altar of the famous Bnsilica of St Peter in Rome is supposed to nnjrk the plaeewhere St Peter and other Christians suffered martyrdom in the Circus of Nero. The first Christian building hero was the Oratory, which, according to the R'inmn Church tradition, was erected in a.d. 90 by St Anaeletus, Bishop of Rome, who had received ordination from St Peter hintself. St Paul, another of the Apostles, suffered mnrtyrdon) at the same time, ,