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LOS ANGELES TIMES P : DATED 7/1/47 ovens. Siegel Murder Live Seen in | Race Wire War, ‘Benjamin (Bugsie) Siegel may thave met death as the result of! |, # tug-of-war between rival racing | wire interests in the San Fran- ‘tisco Bay area, Chjef Atty. Gen. Investigator Walter Lentz said *here yesterday on his arrival “from a clue search in the north-! - ern city. H 3 Lentz confirmed reports that! 2 Siegel, who was murdered in) everly Hills last June 20, i ued a virtual ultimatum t sets of race track wire report nly 10 days before his slaying. "The racketeer, according to in- formation given Lentz by a “re Jiable” underworld tipster, told the Bay area betting interests that they must take his service -—“or else.” : San Francisco Inquiry i Although Lentz interviewed in San Francisco the head of the rival wire service, with little’ positive results, the State's in-' vestigator declared that he still isn’t convinced “my information! isn’t true.” : Lentz said, “I have good rea-! fon to believe that Siegel talked! |. to several people in San Fran. cisco 10 days before he was illed, and instructed them Another San Franciscan su: sediy contacted by Siegel, th: perator of a chain of cig: ores, denied knowledge of thi icketeer’s asserted “or else’ ‘ultimatum, Lentz said. This in- terview also jeft Lentz unshaken fm hig latest lead on the Siegel murder. : . al OF “eight possible motives,” ; ranging from love to dope ped- dling, the probability that Sie-' gel was alain in such a race track wire service row is the “hot- test,” Lentz declared. He said he had also learned that Siegel sought to channel his racing “news” across San Francisco Bay into Contra Costa County. Meantime Beverly Hills Po- lice Chief C. H. Anderson, who ealier notified Paris authorities of a rumore, sassination at- pt against/Miss Virginia Hill, siegel’s onetime gir) friend, said has received no acknow} ent of his air-mailed warnin; He added that he has heard thi the mysteriously wealthy | Vorcee had left her Paris hotel. Allen Smiley Missing Als6é among the temporarily missing was-Allen Smiley, Sie Bel's intimate chur who sat be- side him the night he was mur- ' \dered in Miss Hill's mansion. Smiley, too, has been i “marked” for death, according ‘to information received by Chief , Anderson from an unidentified , Source. - The Beverly Hills police of- ficial said he personally isn’t g concerned with reports that Sie-, : gel’s murder may have origt, Hnated in a bookmaker-tipsted; ‘ispute. . H “We don’t have any bookieg) subscribe to his’ service.” Mayb | (Lentz agreed, somebody object: ‘There in Beverly Hills,” he said to the ex-gangster’s technique. | | ‘Our investigation is. p a . Pa wee along other Jines.” - . i ak 2937 pH