Monroe Owsley—a mystery?

[daveboz]

I'm reading and enjoying Ray Milland's autobiography WIDE-EYED IN BABYLON, published in 1974. Too well written to be the work of a ghost (when did you last encounter the word "farinaceous"?), with lots of humourous asides and observations, Ray's history checks out well regarding names, dates, and places, so I was much surprised to read (at the end of a section on horses) that Monroe Owsley had been killed by a particularly nasty equine specimen.

However, contemporaneous news reports state that Owsley died from a heart attack following a traffic accident (7 or 8 June 1937—papers don't agree). Some sources say it was heart disease. Some say he died en route from LA to SF; some say he died in hospital in Beaumont. Who knows?

Now—was Ray Milland mistaken, or is this another Hollywood cover-up (like the Ted Healy case)?

Christmas Cheer to All!!