Who Killed Thomas Ince? Can You Say "Rosebud?"

I love a good mystery, and one of my favorites is not only based on a true story, but is filled with all the right elements; intrigue, famous people and a long well paid-off silence. And of course, the death of a man.

Saturday, November 15, 1924 media mogul William Randolph Hearst had everything lined up in his meticulous manner to throw the weekend party of a lifetime on his infamous yacht the Oneida for silent movie pioneer Thomas Ince. By the end of the weekend, many lives would be changed forever, and one man-the birthday boy himself, would be dead.

It was on a Saturday, November 15, 1924 to be exact, that the Oneida set sail from San Pedro, California heading for San Diego. Among the guests that weekend were Hearst's mistress Marion Davies, silent film star Charlie Chaplin, columnist Louella Parsons and Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman, Hearst's film production manager. Ironically, Ince himself literally missed the boat, due to a production deal that he was negotiating with Hearst’s International Film Corporation and had to catch up with the party in San Diego.

No one is quite sure, or willing to say, what happened at dinner that Sunday night. One thing is clear though- early Monday morning, Ince was taken from the yacht by water taxi and brought ashore, accompanied by Dr. Goodman (a guest and Hearst’s personal physician). By Tuesday night, Thomas Ince was dead.

Forty-eight hours after leaving the Oneida, Ince died in his own home. Ince's personal physician signed the death certificate citing heart failure as the cause of death. The Wednesday morning papers, however, told another story: "Movie Producer Shot on Hearst Yacht!"--Headlines that magically vanished in the evening edition. Without further ado, Ince's body was cremated, after which his widow, Nell, soon left for Europe with her children.

Things were getting interesting when the Hearst organization issued a statement claiming that Ince fell ill while visiting the Hearst ranch in San Simeon with Nell and their children. But the lie didn't stick. Too many people knew where Ince really was-on board The Oneida alone-nowhere near San Simeon or Nell or their children. One thing was certain-someone was lying, but who and why?

Legend says that Hearst shot Thomas Ince in the head by mistake. He was really aiming for Charlie Chaplin. Hearst suspected that Davies and Chaplin were secretly lovers. In order to keep tabs on the two, he invited them both on board The Oneida. Supposedly, he found the couple in a compromising clinch and went for his gun. Davies' screams awakened Ince who rushed to the scene. A scuffle ensued, followed by a gunshot and Ince took the bullet for Chaplin.
Another account of the shooting came from Marion Davies' secretary, Abigail Kinsolving, who claimed that Ince raped her that weekend on board the yacht. Things became even more interesting when, several months later, the unmarried Kinsolving delivered a baby, and died shortly after, in a mysterious car accident near the Hearst ranch. Bodyguards found her body, along with a suspicious looking suicide note. Her baby, a girl, was conveniently sent to an orphanage supported by Marion Davies.

Toraichi Kono, Chaplin's secretary, added fuel to the fire. He claimed to have seen Ince when he came ashore. Kono told his wife that, Ince's head was bleeding from a bullet wound. The story quickly spread among the Japanese domestic workers throughout Beverly Hills. One month after Ince's death, the rumors ran so rampant that the San Diego District Attorney's Office was forced to take action.

A single person was interviewed by the D.A.’s office-Dr. Goodman. Goodman stated that once ashore, he and Ince caught a train heading back to Los Angeles. According to Goodman, Ince got sick on the train so they disembarked in Del Mar and checked into a hotel. Goodman then called a doctor, as well as Ince's wife. Concerned for her husband, Nell agreed to come to Del Mar immediately. Goodman, unclear whether Ince was suffering from a heart attack or indigestion, claimed he left Del Mar before Nell arrived. The D.A. quickly and conveniently closed the investigation-no doubt under the considerable pressure of the Hearst offices.

Rumors and suspicions continued spurred on by the very people who celebrated with Ince on the Oneida. Until the day he died Chaplin denied even being there, insisting that he, Hearst and Davies visited the ailing Ince later that week. He also stated that Ince died two weeks after their visit. In reality, Ince was dead within forty-eight hours after leaving the Oneida and the bereaved Chaplin attended the memorial services that Friday.

Marion Davies stirred the pot with her own set of denials. She never acknowledged that Chaplin or Goodman were on board the yacht that weekend, and always denied that Louella Parsons was among the guests. Davies insisted that Nell Ince called her late Monday afternoon at United Studios to inform her of Ince's death. Nell must have been quite the seer, as her husband didn’t die until the following Tuesday.

One person walked out of the mishap with all she could ever dream of-Hearst took care of Louella Parsons-apparently rewarding her for her silence. When The Oneida sailed, Parsons was a New York movie columnist for one of Hearst's papers. After the Ince affair, Hearst gave her a lifetime contract and expanded her syndication. Her legendary power over Hollywood blossomed.

Supposedly, Hearst, himself, also provided Nell Ince with a trust fund just before she left for Europe. In return, she refused an autopsy and ordered her husband's immediate cremation. Rumor also has it that Hearst paid off Ince's mortgage on his Chateau Elysee apartment building in Hollywood. D.W. Griffith always said: "All you have to do to make Hearst turn white as a ghost is mention Ince's name. There's plenty wrong there, but Hearst is too big."