Indiana daily times., 1920-01-02

TAKES CHARGE
IN BROWN CASE
Charge Is Made That Local
Officials Have Bungled Stay
ing Investigation.
GIRL rCUsEs PROVOST

T. CLEMENS. Mich, Jan. 2.-Attor-
General Alex Groesbeck today took
charge of the investigation into the muir
der Of J. Stanley Brown near here Dec.
%. He began proceedings. at p. m. In
the nature Of a grand jury inquiry be-
fore Justice William Sawn aid his first
act was to order the rearrest of Mrs.
Ruth Brown, widow of the slain man.
He directed that she be held In the coun-
ty jail for further questioning By him.
Doubt exists in official circles here
whether Mr. Groesbeck's efforts to revive
the cold trail, now ten days old. which
will bring about the arrest and conviction
OF the guilty person or persons who com
mitted the crime.
Since the murder investigation opened
it has been known that a personal fued
for "gIory" in the case has existed be-
tween the sheriffs office and the chief Of
police. It is charged by newspapers that
the case has been bungled by the efforts
of beth officers to conduct their investi-
cations along independent lines.
This is given as the reason for the at
torney general stepping in.
SUMMIT WOMAN ~
TO BE QUTZZED.
Gladys Summit, the young woman
Beatrice Vester on a charge OF killing
Brown, is on her way here from her
home in Battle Creek
In the county Jail, stoutly denying his
guilt, but refusing absolutely to discuss
the case was Lloyd Provost, alleged
clandenstine, lover of his pretty cousin.
Mrs Ruth Brown wife of the slaiu
man.
In a cell of the Macomb jail near Pre-
vost was his companion on many
wild Iarks, Cecil Beatrice Vester, the
first person to be charged with response
bility for Browns death.
You killed him-you know you did"
the Vester woman screamed at Provost
when the two were brought together
yesterday. The girls voice betrayed
pity, sarcasm and an extreme loathing
as she charged him with killing Brown.
PROVOST SILENT
ON COUNSEL'S ADVICE.
Provost was silent. His attorneys, &C
cording to authorities, had told him not
TO talk regardless of the prOvocation.
He was grilled later in the day, but
shed little light on the tragedy.
A deputy sheriff was to bring Gladys
Summit, who caused the arrest of the
Vester woman, from her home in Battle
The Vester girls examination will be
held tomorrow. Gladys Summit will be
asked to substantiate her story that
Cecil was not in Battle Creek the night
OF Dec % or the morning of Dec. "a.
Police Chief Straight today declared
his belief that Provost can explain the
mystery. Straight was quoted as say
ing Brown is known to have discouraged
Prevost's relations with Mrs. Brown and
to have demonstrated.
NET TIGHTENs
AROUND PREVOST.
"The last minute Brown was seen
alive. lust before 10 o'clock the night OF
his death, he said he was going to meet
Lloyd Provost, to ride to Utica along the
road on which less than an hour later
he was shot to death in his automobile"
Straight said.
"At 80 Provost says he walked along
Gratiot avenue, the busiest street of the
town IN which he was born and in which
he knows almost every person, turned
over the river bridge and walked a
block to the Edison hotel.
Continuing, he says, he went into the
hotel and up to his and Browns room
and went to bed, departing for work in
the morning.
''Yet Provost has been unable to pro-
duce one person among all his friends
in Mt. Clemens who saw him walking
along Gratiot avenue and over to his no
tel He walked three blocks apparently
Mt a busy time of the night and no one
saw him. Nor is he able to produce
any one who saw him enter the hotel
and go upstairs to his room.
"The best his landlady can do for him
is to say that she heard a noise as of
some one going upstairs. There are
eight or nine hours in the life of Lloyd
Provost unal counted for by a single wit