Hollywood Cold Case: Margaret Gibson Pt. 3

In the early 2010s, Hollywood historian William J. Mann begins researching for his book on the murder of William Desmond Taylor. Tinseltown, murder, morphine, and madness at the dawn of Hollywood. He, like so many before him, has become obsessed by the case. And the first port of call for anyone investigating the Taylor murder is the Taylorology webzine. Mann scours through the zine's issues.

meticulously reading each archived newspaper clipping, each in-depth analysis by contributors. That's when he finds Ray Long's account of Margaret Gibson's deathbed confession. Taylorology published two issues dedicated to the Gibson lead in December 1999 and January 2000. What they found was explosive. It turns out that in the early 1920s, very shortly before William Desmond Taylor's murder,

Gibson fell in with a bad crowd, a gang of shady characters that specialized in blackmailing rich men in Hollywood. This information, combined with Margaret Gibson's deathbed confession, suddenly makes her one of the 90-year-old case's prime suspects. But just after the issues are published, the research trail appears to go cold. There is, after all, only so much that can be gleaned from newspaper archives.

Mann knows that, to get answers, he'll need to dig deeper, beyond the surface information the public was sold back in the 1920s, into the FBI case files. Using the Freedom of Information Act, He petitions the FBI to release information on both the Taylor murder and the criminal gang that Margaret Gibson was involved with. For months, man sends requests and is rejected every time.

He grows used to opening his mailbox and being disappointed. But one day, he's surprised to find a large envelope bursting with papers waiting for him at the post office. What's within is earth-shattering. Turns out the investigators on the William Desmond Taylor case had found most of the puzzle pieces needed to solve the murder. But they were missing just one. A gaping hole that potentially blocked them from seeing the full picture.

The connection between Taylor and his blackmailers. And that crucial connection may finally have been made the moment Margaret Gibson uttered her final dying words. At the moment of death, people often have an overwhelming need to get their biggest secrets off their chests. From murder, fake identities, illicit affairs, and even government cover-ups.

This show dives deep into the world's most explosive deathbed confessions. This is the story of Margaret Gibson, of the words she spoke as she lay dying. It's the story of Hollywood's oldest cold case. and the people who made sure it was never solved. It's about the dirty side of 1920s Tinseltown. So close, yet so far away from the cameras and champagne-soaked movie premieres.

Where dreams went to die and crime ruled the day. It's about anger and resentment. Tragedy and conspiracy. A secret so big, it had the power to take down Hollywood. and the final confession that might finally put an end to the mystery of who killed William Desmond Taylor. I'm Estefania Hageman, and this is Deathbed Confessions.

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and her suspicious actions in the days and weeks leading up to and following the Taylor murder. We'll dive deep into the series of events that led her, once again, into a life of crime, and meet the cast of disreputable characters that helped guide her there. It's summer 1920. Margaret Gibby Gibson has rebranded herself as Patricia Palmer and has high hopes for the future. In her mind, this is the fresh start her faltering career needs.

Gone are the days where she'd have to make ends meet doing low-class slapstick comedies. Gibby might have been okay taking pies to the face, but Patricia Palmer will be much more refined. She'll be a star, not some two-bit punchline. See, Patricia Palmer was never arrested for sex work in Little Tokyo. Patricia Palmer has glossy headshots. Patricia Palmer has confidence, ambition, and most importantly,

film industry connections. And one of her biggest and best connections is none other than famed director William Desmond Taylor. Gibby and Taylor are friends, or at least they used to be. Back when they starred together in a series of pictures for the Vitograph Company, they got on like a house on fire. Sure, he's one of the biggest directors in Hollywood now, but he'll probably remember his old friend. Maybe he'll even cast her in one of his films.

Gibby heads back to her shabby room at the Melrose Hotel. There, she waits. Every day, she eagerly checks her mail for news from the studios. Is the clerk at the front desk sure no one has left a message for Patricia Palmer? Months pass. No word comes from any of her connections. Certainly not from William Desmond Taylor. Finally, in the early winter of 1921, Gibby gets a role in a major picture called Greater Than Love.

Gibby isn't the lead, but it's an important role nonetheless. Unfortunately, after Greater Than Love, her career once again stagnates. Gibby feels out of options, so she turns to Los Angeles' seedy criminal underbelly. She can't go back to sex work. No, if she's caught again, that would really destroy her career. This time, she needs to be more subtle. Luckily, she's made some new friends. Friends proficient.

in the art of the con. One of Gibby's new friends is an actor named Don Osborne, who she reconnects with in 1921. The two met when they starred in a film together a few years back. Osborne, like Gibby, has big dreams. Dreams that he refuses to let anyone take from him. He too wants a mansion, a chauffeur, fancy things. And Don believes that he and Gibby can make all of this happen for themselves.

They don't need the studios to make money. No, they can get rich off of con games. After all, don't they deserve everything those hotshots have? Hollywood has taken so much from the likes of Gibby and Dawn. isn't it only fair that they get something back? The cons that Gibby and Don orchestrate start small. They go something like this. Gibby watches out for potential patsies in the lobby of the Melrose Hotel. When she sees one,

usually a traveling salesman of some kind. She gives Don a call who sends his attractive niece, Rose, to seduce him. Then, Rose will make a scene claiming that the man tried to assault her. That's when Don steps in pretending to be Rose's husband and threatening to call the police if the patsy doesn't pay up. After a bit of haggling, he'll write Osborne a check. A check big enough to account for Rose's trauma, of course.

a check which will be divided between Osborne, Rose, and Gibby, who's been watching the whole scene unfold from the lobby. At Osborne's rundown bungalow in the Crenshaw district of South Los Angeles, The con artists enjoy the spoils of their scheme. In a haze of thick cigarette smoke, Gibby and her fellow criminals sip bootleg liquor and laugh at the poor patsies paying for their indulgences.

Osborne's house has become somewhat of a hub for Hollywood rejects. A revolving cast of out-of-work actors cycle through its doors. It's a refuge where they can get roaring drunk, rip on the Hollywood elite, and complain about the unfairness of the business. Gibby, of course, joins the pity party. After all, no one's gotten a more unfair break than her. Just look at how her old friend William Desmond Taylor has treated her.

Not only did he leapfrog over her success after their days at Vitigraf, but he'd had the nerve to ignore her when she came to him for help a few months back. Everyone thinks Billy Taylor is so perfect, Gibby might have said. If only they knew the truth, then they'd see he's certainly not the golden boy everyone believes him to be. Gibby's is just one voice in a loud chorus of complaint. But there's one man sitting in the corner who doesn't speak at all.

This guy stands out. For all their misfortune, most of the people at the party, as actors, are fairly good-looking. Not this stranger. His face is scarred and hardened. He's middle-aged, overweight, and stares at the scene with shifty dark eyes. As he lifts his hand to take another sip of whiskey, a tattoo of a blue star can be seen on his left wrist.

He looks like an archetypal film gangster, but the threatening vibes he gives off are very real. His name is Blackie Madsen. Osborne and Gibby only dabble in crime. It's a side hustle to help them along before their next big break. But Blackie is the real deal. A full-time criminal. And he has an idea that could make them a lot of money. Blackmail.

Hollywood, after all, is a town filled with secrets. Secrets so explosive they could ruin careers. Whole studios, even. If they can find some dirt on a few bigwigs, they could blackmail them for thousands. tens of thousands, held millions of dollars. All they need to do is join forces. A black male gang is formed in the spring of 1921, involving Osborne, his niece Rose Putnam,

Blackie Madsen and Margaret Gibson. One of their first targets is a movie distributor that was having an illicit affair. Then, in the summer, they blackmail a man who was cheating on his taxes. It's all too easy. People in Hollywood are terrified of being involved in scandals. Their victims pay up before they even get a chance to finish their threats. Now all they need to do is find more targets.

The gang starts compiling a list of potential victims that Gibby most certainly helps with. After 10 years in the business, Gibby knows a lot of powerful men with things to hide. And one of the richest men she knows with skeletons in his closet. is none other than William Desmond Taylor. William Desmond Taylor is a private man. He's reserved quiet. Unlike other Hollywood stars, Taylor doesn't seek attention, doesn't bask in the spotlight.

Sure, he's often photographed palling around with his dear friend and fellow A-lister Mabel Normand, and there are rumblings that he's having an affair with a young ingenue Mary Miles Minter, but that's tame compared to the antics of other celebrities.

Taylor exudes gentility. He's a refined, graceful, middle-aged man. But his calm, strikingly handsome exterior hides an avalanche of scandalous secrets. For one... William Desmond Taylor isn't his real name. His real name is William Dean Tanner. William Dean Tanner was born in Ireland in 1872.

At the age of 19, he moved to America to work on a dude ranch in Oklahoma, before eventually heading to New York City. That's where he met his wife, Ethel. In 1902, the happy couple welcomed a new baby girl named Daisy. On the surface, all seemed well. But still waters often hide turbulent depths. William had a penchant for hard drinking and young women. According to people who knew him at the time,

He suffered from bouts of extreme depression that caused mental lapses. All of this came to a head on October 23rd, 1908, when William Dean Tanner disappeared into the night never to be seen again. His wife and child, abandoned without so much as a note. In fact, they had no idea where he went till they saw him acting in the movies. When he finally resurfaced four years later in 1912, he had a new name.

William Desmond Taylor. Just one year later, he started acting in films. He lands a contract with Vitagraph Studios, where he plays alongside Margaret Gibson in four consecutive movies. If the press ever found out about Taylor's abandoned family, they'd have a field day. It's the kind of thing that could destroy his career if it ever came to light. But, incredibly, it's not the only life-ruining secret Taylor's hiding.

In the winter of 1921, about one year before his murder, William Desmond Taylor begins spending time with a young man named George Hopkins. Thin, shy, with nervous eyes hidden behind thick glasses. George is a production manager for Famous Players Lasky Studio. He's a whiz at creating dazzling special effects for films and has worked with Taylor in the past. But his visits to Taylor's home aren't just about business.

You see, Taylor is, by all accounts, bisexual. And George Hopkins is his boyfriend. To give you some context, In the early 20th century, Hollywood largely turned a blind eye to homosexuality. Plenty of actors, actresses, and directors were closeted members of the queer community. It was something of an open secret within the industry.

But while studio executives were happy to simply ignore this reality, the press could be utterly ruthless in outing people, especially if there was some larger scandal at play. And remember that Taylor has been chosen as Hollywood's righteous spokesman. the studio's ace in the battle against censorship. If he somehow gets outed as bisexual, it would be major news. And conservative America would have yet more ammunition in their fight for federal censorship.

Remember that in 1922, protesters across America are advocating to impose strict censorship laws on the film industry. One more scandal could be just what they need to finally get them passed. Both the studio and Taylor, for that matter, would do anything to keep that from happening. This episode is brought to you by Nordstrom.

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In the last episode, we talked about how Mary Miles Minter's steamy letters to William Desmond Taylor somehow got leaked to the press. It turns out that the studio was behind the leak. In fact... Charles Aiton, the studio manager who showed up the day Taylor's body was discovered, was allegedly the one to deliver them to the papers. But why?

Why would the studio throw one of their top-built stars under the bus? After the letters came out, Minter's image as a blushing virgin is ruined. Her career is virtually destroyed. It appears the studio was willing to do anything, including losing one of their biggest actresses to make it appear that Taylor was straight. Just days after William Desmond Taylor's death,

Articles were published questioning his sexuality. One piece with the headline, Dead Director Visited Queer Places, detailed Taylor's reported trips to Los Angeles' red light district. Some said he was part of a cultist's Aleister Crowley's quote, homosexual drug cult, where opium rolled out on tea carts and the men would lie in silk kimonos, smoke the essence of the poppy flower, and so commenced their ritual.

old as Sodom. Other articles claim that he was killed by a jilted male lover. The studio knew that to quash these rumors, they'd have to come up with some kind of evidence to convince the papers that Taylor was only interested in women. So Minter became the studio's sacrificial lamb. They traded her reputation and career to get the press off the scent of Taylor's sexuality.

But it wasn't just Mary's letters that the studio fed to the press to accomplish this. Later in life, George Hopkins reportedly told the American director King Veeder that the studio had gone to even greater lengths to cover up Taylor's sexuality. See, Hopkins was at the crime scene with the other studio executives on November 2nd, 1922. He said that studio manager Charles Ayton charged him with collecting every paper he could find from Taylor's bedroom.

Every piece of evidence that might suggest William Desmond Taylor had relationships with men. According to Veeder, Hopkins claimed the studio also planted the famous silk nightgown that became a crucial piece of evidence. one that ended up incriminating Mary Miles' mentor. They also fed completely false stories to the press, including that a wide array of pornography was found in Taylor's room and that he had a collection of women's lingerie.

All of this points to the fact that Taylor's sexuality was a carefully guarded secret. One that he might give anything to keep private. Gibby was in a prime position to know all of William Desmond Taylor's secrets. His abandoned family, his sexuality, or perhaps something else that was never made public. After all, they started their careers together.

starred opposite one another in four consecutive films. Actors are known to get close to one another when preparing for roles. It's possible that Taylor might have confided with Margaret during their time working together. The truth is that we will never know for sure what, if any, dirt Gippy had on Taylor because if there was evidence of a blackmail scheme, the studio most likely destroyed it. But we do know that just before his death,

William Desmond Taylor's finances were very off. Remember that when investigators examined Taylor's checkbook, they found a series of large cash withdrawals, none of which could be accounted for. The last withdrawal was a check for $2,500, written in late January 1922, mere days before his murder. Taylor had withdrawn this money only to redeposit it on February 1st.

the very same day he was shot. Detectives believe that Taylor's strange financial records spell blackmail. And Margaret Gibson was involved with a highly lucrative blackmail gang at the same exact time of the murder.

Again, we don't know for sure, but it certainly looks pretty suspect. We also know that mere months after the murder, Margaret Gibson benefits from a series of very lucky breaks. all of which come directly from Taylor's studio, Famous Players Lasky. In July 1922, Gibby lands a major role for the upcoming Famous Players Lasky film, The Cowboy and the Lady. She's starring opposite none other than the now-faltering actress Mary Miles Minter. It's a major break for Gibby.

the biggest role she's been offered since 1915 when she starred in The Coward. And it seemingly comes right out of the blue. Just before being cast in The Cowboy and the Lady, Gibby was doing low-class slapstick comedy shorts for Al Christie. In the business, working for Christie is seen as shameful. He's the man people go to at the tail end of their careers when they have no other options. Famous players Lasky seldom hires actors from the Christie house.

Plus, Margaret Gibson might have thought she was being slick when she changed her name to Patricia Palmer, but the studio knows all about her time as a sex worker in Little Tokyo. They were the ones who most likely bailed her out, remember? In the eyes of the film industry, Gibby has a lot of baggage. She's a 27-year-old slapstick comedy actress with a scandalous history. They have plenty of young, pretty women to choose from. They arrive by the busload every day.

So why all of a sudden would they hire Margaret Gibson? You might think it was just one lucky break. But then, in the fall of 1922, famous players Lasky casts Gibby in yet another film. See, Gibby had already blown through all the money she made off the cowboy and the lady over the summer. By the fall, she's once again in dire financial straits.

So she marches into the office of Jesse Lasky, the head producer at Famous Players and one of the founders of Paramount Pictures, and asks for another job. Lasky is one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. Usually, if some out-of-work actor came to him making demands, they'd be laughed right out of the building. But astonishingly, he gets Gibby a role. And he doesn't just put her in some side project.

He casts her in one of the studio's major upcoming films, Mr. Billings Spends His Dime, starring opposite box office titan Walter Hires. Gibby has been working tirelessly over the past decade to get a break like this, and every time, she's had the door slammed in her face. Strange that just months after William Desmond Taylor's murder, those very same doors start opening for her.

Either Gibby is the luckiest girl in the history of Hollywood, or the studio is trying to keep her happy for some reason. If Gibby was complicit in a blackmail plot against Taylor, one that ended in his murder. She might be feeling considerable guilt. Maybe she wants to go to the press or the police with a story, ask for some kind of plea deal for her cooperation.

Maybe she knows just how much the studio wants to keep the whole situation quiet and uses her knowledge as leverage to advance her career. Whatever the reason, it seems Margaret Gibson is now finally on the verge of achieving all her wildest dreams. But soon, all of those dreams will crumble right before her eyes. You see, Gibby is about to get greedy. And what she does next will put a definitive end to her big-time Hollywood career.

Just one year after the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the Osborne blackmail gang is thriving. Since the early days in 1921, their numbers have swelled to include 11 people, and they've gotten very good at what they do. According to one report, between 1921 and 1923, the gang extorted over $3 million from wealthy men across the country. One of their most recent targets was a rich banker in Ohio who they'd managed to squeeze $10,000 out of.

Basically, Rose had seduced the man and Osborne and Madsen posed as crooked FBI agents wanting to charge him for violating the Mann Act. The Mann Act is a piece of legislation which made it a felony to transport, quote, any woman or girl for the purpose of prostitution or debauchery, or for any other immoral purpose. For Gibby, this seemed like the perfect plan.

Certainly she, as an attractive young woman, could use this man act to her advantage. She just needs to find the right patsy. Then, in January 1923, Osborne introduces her to an electrician named George Lasher. He'd recently come into some money after selling his house. He was also married with children. The gang reckoned he'd be the perfect target for extortion. Gibby would use her feminine wiles to get him into a compromising position that he'd have to pay his way out of. Her charm worked.

A few weeks later, Lasher invited her on a romantic trip to Tijuana. There, the pair got roaring drunk, and at one point, Lasher bet giving $1,000 that he could drink more than her. Seizing the moment, she wrote George a check and prompted him to do the same. Then, when he wasn't looking, Gibby put knockout drops in George's drink and absconded with the money. The next morning,

When George sobered up, he rushed to cancel the check, to no avail. Knowing he'd been scammed, George was furious. That's when Gibby mentioned the Mann Act. If he didn't pay up, she'd claim that he'd trafficked her across the border. He wouldn't want his wife to find out about their little tryst, would he? Plus, Osborne was now putting his muscle behind the operation, making threatening calls to lash her.

But on July 10th, 1923, Don Osborne and Rose Putnam are arrested for extorting the Ohio banker. It becomes national news. The headlines are abuzz with the story of the poor Midwestern banker they'd stole $10,000 from. And to top it off, there's a manhunt for Blackie Madsen. The nation is riveted. It reads like the script of a Hollywood gangster movie.

Reading about the bust, Gibby's victim, George Lasher, feels emboldened to go to the police. After all, now that Osborne's in jail and Blackie's on the lam, there's no one left to threaten him. That's how on November 2nd, 1923, Margaret Gibson once again finds herself in the back of a paddy wagon being hauled to the police station. Things don't look good for her either. Her bail is set at $2,500.

A figure which at one point she might have been able to cover, but definitely can't now. The FBI is hungry to take down the entire blackmail gang and plan to show Gibson no mercy in spite of the crocodile tears she exhibits at her arraignment.

She now faces a $2,000 fine or a year's jail time. Since she can't even make bail, it looks like her punishment will be prison. But then, out of nowhere... Famous player's Lasky appears to come to her rescue. An anonymous benefactor pays her bail. It's widely assumed that said benefactor is someone from the studio. Then, once again, the studio apparently pays for superstar Hollywood lawyer Frank Dominguez to represent her. If you'll recall, Dominguez was also her lawyer back in 1917.

when Gibby was tried for her time as a sex worker in Little Tokyo. Dominguez is famous players Lasky's legal bulldog. He's just defended comedian Fatty Arbuckle in one of the most widely publicized murder trials in American history. The studio deploys him when they need a legal matter to disappear fast.

That's not all the studio execs seem to do for Gibby. You see, this isn't some petty charge. Margaret Gibson is being tried for a federal crime. To get her off, they won't just need to schmooze some local politician. they'll need to pull some strings in Washington. Whatever they do, it works. In spite of the overwhelming evidence against her, Margaret Gibson is miraculously cleared of all charges on November 8th, 1923.

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Join the Nordy Club at Nordstrom Rack to unlock our best deals. Big gifts, big perks. That's why you rack. The question is... Why would famous players Lasky go to so much trouble for a minor actress that wasn't even working for them at this point? Well, it turns out... the FBI might have been getting very close to solving the mystery at the center of the William Desmond Taylor murder. A mystery that Margaret Gibson was smack dab in the middle of.

Behind the scenes, the FBI are carefully investigating the Osborne blackmail gang. They have a hunch that this wasn't just an isolated incident. In fact, they believe that there could have been a whole slew of victims in Hollywood where the gang is based. The targets might be prominent film industry figures that are too embarrassed to come forward. They send Special Agent Leon Bone to Los Angeles to investigate further. According to Bone's report,

one that was obtained by author William J. Mann, he finds that numerous prominent motion picture people fell victim to an organized group of blackmailers. All of this was happening, he finds. at the same time as the Fatty Arbuckle scandal. Between November 1921 and April 1922, Arbuckle was tried for the rape and murder of a young actress.

Hollywood was in major damage control mode, and Special Agent Bone asserts that motion picture people were dodging publicity of all kinds. The blackmailers took advantage of this period and were able to operate undetected.

Bone knows that, based on evidence, it appears that Taylor was being blackmailed. What if, he wonders, the Osborne gang was somehow involved in the murder? Special Agent Leon Bone writes up an inquiry and sends it to the district attorney's office. This report would have most certainly crossed the desk of the Taylor murders lead investigator, Detective King.

Last week, we discussed King's investigation of actress Mary Miles Minter and her mother, Charlotte Shelby. How he felt that district attorney Thomas Woolwine and the executives at Famous Players Lasky were trying to protect them from suspicion. Well, it turns out that King might have been so focused on nailing Charlotte Shelby and her daughter that he disregards Agent Bone's report. King is blinded, you see. Obsessed.

Absolutely certain that abusive stage mom Charlotte Shelby shot William Desmond Taylor with her .38 caliber revolver. This obsession will prove to be the investigation's downfall. For the most part, King willfully disregards compelling evidence that Taylor was being blackmailed. And, if he does see Special Agent Bone's inquiry, ignores the possible connection to the Osborne gang.

But what makes King so absolutely certain that Charlotte Shelby is the killer? As it turns out, it was mostly down to his own hubris. Because as thrilling as that solution would be, there are gaping holes in the Charlotte Shelby theory. Let's take a moment to go over them. For decades, Taylorologists around the globe have been convinced that Charlotte Shelby was William Desmond Taylor's murderer.

In fact, by 1925, due to all the salacious headlines, the general public's consensus was that she did it. And it's understandable why people would want to believe this theory. An obsessive stage mother disguises herself as a man and guns down her daughter's lover in cold blood? It's just so Hollywood. But...

The problem is that the Charlotte Shelby theory willfully disregards crucial evidence. The first and most important being that the one eyewitness clearly saw a man leaving Taylor's apartment after the shots were fired. The witness reported that the man was stocky and of average height with a prominent nose. And she got a good look at him, too. They were so close to one another that the man turned on her and smiled as he strolled out of Alvarado Court.

Now, Charlotte Shelby was a petite woman standing at around five foot three. The witness estimated that the man she saw was around five foot ten. For Shelby to have pulled this off, she would have to have been wearing six to eight inch stilts. Plus, in order to appear stocky, Shelby would need to strap on a lot of heavy padding, making it difficult to walk, let alone flee a crime scene. When you think about it, the whole theory is absurd.

But as William J. Mann points out, King was able to overlook all of this simply because it appeared that District Attorney Thomas Woolwine and the studio were protecting Shelby and Mary Miles Minter. It's true that Shelby was Woolwine's friend, but... that in itself isn't so suspicious. Willwine probably saw that the press was hungry for blood and wanted to spare her from the feeding frenzy that ultimately ensued. He also likely realized the absurdity of the theory right from the beginning.

And as far as the studio goes, they were the ones who reportedly released Mary's obsessive letters to the press. If Mary Miles Minter or Charlotte Shelby did actually have something to do with William Desmond Taylor's murder, Why would the studio release damning evidence connecting them to the victim? The answer is, they probably wouldn't.

When they threw Mary to the Wolves, the studio probably knew that there would be speculation about her and Charlotte Shelby in connection to the murder. But they could never be convicted because there was simply no evidence that would hold up in court. In fact, The only substantial evidence that King ever found against Shelby was that she at one point owned a .38 caliber revolver that used the same rare bullets found in Taylor's body.

See, even after the district attorney ordered King to stop pursuing Charlotte Shelby, and even after the case was officially closed, King just could not let his suspicions go. He ends up searching Shelby's old house and finds the same type of bullets found in Taylor's body. Because of this newfound evidence, a grand jury is convened in the spring of 1937 to reopen the case.

For the first and only time, Charlotte Shelby takes the stand. She gives an impassioned speech, asserting that she had absolutely nothing to do with the murder and just wants to be left in peace. What she says sways the grand jury. On September 29th, 1938, the William Desmond Taylor case is once again closed. It will never be opened again. At least not by official investigators.

Because you see, during his research for Tinseltown, William J. Mann discovers that Charlotte Shelby wasn't the only potential suspect that used a .38 caliber revolver. There was another, far more trigger-happy criminal in Hollywood that toted the exact same gun. And that person was one of the lead members of Margaret Gibson's blackmail gang. Blackie Madsen.

Blackie Madsen was a well-known, hardened criminal. His co-conspirators, including Margaret Gibson, knew him as a cruel, unpredictable man that often lost his temper. This made him dangerous. especially since he always carried a gun with him. A vintage weapon he'd been issued during his stint fighting in the Spanish-American War in 1898. A .38 caliber revolver.

So not only did Blackie carry the same type of weapon that killed Taylor, he also fit the description given by the eyewitness. If you recall... The witness described the man she saw leaving Taylor's apartment as looking like a motion picture gangster. Well, Blackie, with his rough scowling face and shabby suits, looked a lot like an archetypal 1920s thug. Plus, Madsen stood at about 5'8", almost exactly the same height estimate that the witness gave to police. In his book Tinseltown,

William J. Mann postulates that the murder of William Desmond Taylor might have gone down something like this. While Osborne and Madsen were compiling their list of possible blackmail targets, Margaret Gibson gave them some dirt on her old pal William Desmond Taylor. The blackmail gang began extorting Taylor for money in exchange for their silence, which explains why Taylor's finances were so off.

It's possible that Taylor called Madsen and Osborne on February 1st and told them the deal was off. He was tired of being extorted and threatened to go to the police. This, of course, would not have sat well with the blackmail gang. Osborne and Madsen might have hatched a plan to go to Taylor's apartment that very day and threaten him into paying up. Blackie would brandish his gun and rattle off the usual warnings that the gang issued to victims who started getting wise.

The night of the murder, Madsen waited behind Taylor's apartment. He saw an opening to sneak in when Taylor walked Mabel to her car. Then, when Taylor came back, Blackie surprised him. Instinctively, Taylor tried to defend himself. An altercation occurred and Blackie panicked and shot Taylor. He then composed himself, slipped out the front door,

and casually strolled out of Alvarado Court. But if Madsen was the one who actually killed Taylor, why did Margaret Gibson confess to the murder on her deathbed? Well, she may not have pulled the trigger, but she could have instigated the blackmail plot against him, spilling all of Taylor's deepest secrets to Osborne and Blackie in an attempt to make some quick money. Or perhaps...

Her motivations were more sinister. As Gibby's career unraveled, she watched in the shadows as William Desmond Taylor achieved all of his wildest dreams. He became a very powerful man, powerful enough to help her in her time of need. But instead, he chose to ignore her just like everyone else in the industry. Maybe Gibby decided to finally even the score.

Whatever her motivations, if she hadn't told Blackie and Osborne Taylor's secrets, he wouldn't have been murdered. Of course she'd feel responsible.

After her exoneration in 1923, Margaret Gibson never again appears in a famous player's Lasky film. She'd called in her last favor to Jesse Lasky, and she's probably just grateful not to be serving time in prison. Over the next decade, she gets a few bit parts, but around 1933, Gibby, now in her late 30s, meets her future husband, Elbert Lewis. Lewis is an accountant for Standard Vacuum Oil.

He's a wealthy divorcee that instantly falls for the fading beauty's charms. In 1935, Lewis is transferred to Shanghai, and though they're not yet married, Gibby follows him. She might have heard rumors that Detective King was hellbent at reopening the case and decided to make herself scarce. The couple get married at an American consulate in Singapore, at which point Gibson becomes officially known as Pat Lewis.

Soon after, Hollywood all but forgets her. They've moved on, you see. Talkies are all the rage now, and even some of the biggest stars from the silent era have slipped into obscurity. If Gibby is indeed hiding from police, everything seems to have worked out exactly in her favor. But after two years living the high life with her new man in Shanghai, Gibby's forced to return to the United States.

She gets a bladder infection and is unable to find adequate medical treatment in the now war-torn city. She and Elbert continue to write each other love letters and see each other whenever possible. Things seem to finally be looking up for Gibson. Her dreams might not have come true in the end, but at least she has the love of a good man and some stability. But then, on March 15, 1942, her husband is killed during the Japanese bombing of the Standard Vacuum Facility in Penang.

Gibby is now all alone. And that's exactly how she'll remain until her death. With the money she inherits from her husband, she buys her little bungalow in Beachwood Canyon. Elbert's pension checks keep coming in. but they can hardly afford her the fancy high life she always aspired to. So instead, Gibby turns in on herself. Perhaps paranoia takes over as she slowly morphs into a recluse.

As the bungalow crumbles around her, Gibby sits day in and day out with her memories, and perhaps her overwhelming guilt. She turns to Roman Catholicism for some form of comfort. Her dreams are now long dead. She needs something, anything to believe in. Then, in 1964, her heart gives out. This may be the moment she's been waiting for. The moment she can finally be free of the weight she's been carrying all these years. And as she draws her last breaths.

She finally gives the answer to one of the biggest mysteries in Hollywood history when she cries. I killed William Desmond Taylor. Next week on Deathbed Confessions, we dive into the deathbed confession of convicted serial killer Otis Toole, a man who boasts of hundreds of murders, but is troubled by one crime above all others.

The abduction and murder of six-year-old Adam Walsh. We relive the terrible day a little boy goes missing. When a parent's worst nightmare turns into reality. And fear descends on a small-town community. For more information on Margaret Gibson and the murder of William Desmond Taylor, amongst the many sources we used, we found Tinseltown, Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann, a cast of killers by Sidney Kirkpatrick,

and Bruce Long's Taylorology newsletter, extremely helpful to our research. Deathbed Confessions is a Spotify original from Parcast, produced in partnership with Noiser. Executive produced by Max Cutler, Drew Cole, and Pascal Hughes. Developed by Julian Boirot for Parcast. Written and produced by Addison Nugent. Music by Oliver Baines and Dori McCauley. Mixmaster and sound design by Thomas Pink for Noiser.

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