In the aftermath of Ince's death, a series of strange events hinted at foul play on Hearst's yacht-perhaps involving Hearst himself. Hearst had the entire Oneida crew sworn to secrecy. Then he slipped away to New York, leaving Davis behind with a cryptic note saying that he thought it was best to go east since the situation in California was "so unsatisfactory." The Hollywood rumor mill was quick to notice his conspicuous absence at Ince's funeral. It wasn't the first time someone had died during a Hearst affair, and Hearst had an aversion to funerals. But why the oath of secrecy? Why did the guests refuse to talk?
Rumors began. Ince, it was hinted, had been shot by Hearst. Apparently Kono, Charlie Chaplin's secretary, who had been aboard the Oneida with Chaplin for the party, told the Japanese staff at Chaplin's home that he had seen a bullet hole in Ince's head as he was carried off the yacht. Very soon this story spread through the network of Japanese domestics in the Hollywood area, who in turn told their employers.
Speculation had it that it was Chaplin who was the actual intended victim of the alleged shooting. Hearst was unreasonably jealous of Chaplin's attention to Marion Davies, a seductive, flamboyant young woman, and he had invited Chaplin only to keep tabs on his behavior with her. This infuriated Miss Davies, who insisted that her feelings for Chaplin, a known ladies' man, were purely platonic. She and Charlie had been standing in the dimly lighted lower galley with Ince, the story said, when Hearst sighted them from above. Hearst flew into a jealous rage, ran for his diamond-studded revolver, and fired. Miss Davies screamed, in her notorious stammer, "M-m-m-murder!" as Ince slumped to the deck.
Both Ince and Chaplin had their backs to Hearst, and it has been deduced that Hearst was unable to distinguish between the two men, who looked somewhat alike. Marion Davies denies that there was ever a gun on board, but John Tebbel, Hearst's biographer, claims that Hearst was an expert marksman and that "it amused him to surprise guests on the Oneida by knocking down a sea gull with a quick hip shot."
The passage of more than 50 years hasn't brought to light the full story. Few of the friends and relatives questioned in subsequent biographies and newspaper reports agree as to cause of death. One notices in these accounts a manipulation of facts which gives the incident its disconcerting twists. It seems unlikely that so many people could remain silent for such a long time if a murder did in fact occur. Or were these Hollywood personalities simply covering up their own scandalous private lives, replete with extravagant parties, smuggled liquor, and sexual indiscretion?
One of the guests, Elinor Glyn, novelist, screenwriter and social entrepreneur, was outspoken about other Hollywood scandals in her biography but failed to mention this one. Charlie Chaplin also suffered a curious bout of amnesia in his memoirs and claims to have visited Ince on his sickbed two weeks before his death. Margaret Livingston, actress and alleged mistress of Ince, was there, although Marion Davies later denied it upon being asked by Mrs. Ince. Louella Parsons, Hearst reporter, claims that she wasn't even in California at the time, despite the fact that she was seen leaving the United Artists Studio with Chaplin and Davies. Other celebrities and Hearst employees were also on board, specifically Dr. Daniel Carson Goodman, who became a key witness in the shallow investigation that followed Ince's death.
Hearst himself added to the confusion with his own misleading story, published in the Hearst papers immediately after Ince died, with the headline: SPECIAL CAR RUSHES STRICKEN MAN HOME FROM RANCH! This erroneous account had Ince visiting Hearst at his ranch when he fell ill and made no mention of the Oneida party. The Hearst-Ince scandal also briefly made headlines in the Los Angeles Times: MOVIE PRODUCER SHOT ON HEARST YACHT. However, the Times report survived only one edition. Its editors killed it in later editions-an indication of Hearst's far-reaching power.
A thorough investigation and a detailed autopsy could have settled the controversy over Ince's death. But, curiously, Dr. Goodman was the only witness from the Oneida who was summoned when an investigation was finally called. After hearing the testimony of the attending physicians and Dr. Goodman, the San Diego district attorney dismissed the case and closed the investigation, saying that Ince had died from heart failure due to acute indigestion.
With all of the "evidence" reduced to hearsay, the death of Thomas Ince remains a mystery, tainted by overspeculation. Was it simply generosity, people wondered, that prompted Hearst to award Mrs. Ince a trust fund? Louella Parsons was granted a promotion by Hearst (supposedly to keep her quiet), and she went on to become a Hollywood gossip columnist. Chaplin shuttled his pregnant fiancee, Lita Grey, off to Mexico before Ince's funeral, then joined her a few days later to get married.
If it was temporarily forgotten that Ince was a great motion picture producer-director rather than a victim of scandal, Ince had his own subtle revenge. When Mrs. Ince sold their Spanish-style mansion, scene of many "frolicsome weekends" for the Hollywood elite, a secret gallery above the guest rooms was discovered. There Ince had fashioned a series of small peepholes in the floor above the guest rooms. These gave Ince an eyeful of each bedchamber, and while the stars dallied, he was probably admiring the view.
Hearst was known for his wild, impromptu parties, and a three-day voyage on the Hearst yacht was a coveted affair. But Hearst was a calculating man who had more in mind than just the indulgence of his favored friends. Hearst was trying to lure Ince, whose action films were losing popularity, into his movie empire, Cosmopolitan Productions, which Hearst had built for the sole purpose of promoting the career of Marion Davies, his 27-year-old mistress. The next move for Hearst would be to take over Ince Studios in Culver City, a proposition over which he and Ince were negotiating.
The yacht party may have been too intimate for words, for there are few accounts of the gala proceedings. Marion Davies recalled that it was fun and uneventful, up to a point. Mindful of prohibition laws, she reported, "We drank water and retired early."-raising suspicious Hollywood eyebrows on both claims. Ince drank amicably to all the toasts and vomited all night. He was taken from the boat in a stretcher the following morning stricken with what was called a severe attack of indigestion. Ince had an ulcer, aggravated by a nervous condition from overwork, and he was on a strict diet that did not include alcohol.
There are two conflicting versions of what happened to Ince after he was removed from the yacht. One version has someone summoning Ince's wife (who did not attend the party), along with his family doctor and two nurses. With this entourage, Ince was escorted to Los Angeles in a private railroad car and from there rushed by ambulance to his home in Benedict Canyon, where he died. The other version of the story has Ince dead before he left the yacht.
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