The New York herald., 1921-09-23
JEALOUS, SHOOTS
GIRL, KILLS HERSELF
NBROOKLYN STREET
Mrs. Grace Laws Lay in
Wait for Miss Mildred
Hanan Early To-day.
JOHN s. BOLAND is HELD
Man, Formerly Admirer OF
the Suicide. Was With
Wounded Victim.
MYSTERY IN SHOTS FIRED
Three Empty Shells Found Be-
side Pistol, but Only Two
Bullets Traced.
JOHN S. BOLAND is HELD
MYSTERY IN SHOTS FIRED

Mrs. Grace Laws, % years old, who
has been living in the Hotel Wander
bilt. shot Miss Mildred Hanan of 7SC
Park avenue in the right arm early
this morning in front of 35 Schermer-
horn street, Brooklyn, and then fired
bullet into her own head. dying al
most instantly. According to the po-
lice the shooting was due to jealousy
on the part Of Mrs. Laws because OF
attentions paid to Miss Hanan by
John S. Boland. an importer and ex-
porter of 1872 West Fourth street. who
was with Miss Hanan when she was
shot. Boland was taken to the Adams
street station, where he was held as a
material witness.
The detectives of the Adams street
station said that Boland told them he
had been friendly with both Miss Hanan
and Mrs. Laws for some years. and at
one time lived with Mrs. Laws. All day
yesterday, he said. he and Miss Hanan
searched New York and Brooklyn for
an apartment and went late last night
to the apartment Of a friend in the
They remained there several hours. leav-
inc about l :25 o'clock this morning.
waited with Her Pistol.
The entrance to the apartment Is down
two steps and then through vestibule.
Mrs. Laws evidently was waiting for
them to appear, as she confronted them
as soon as they stepped on to the side
walk from the steps leading into the
apartment. Boland told the police that
Mrs. Laws said nothing to them. but
drew pistol. a .3S calibre automatic,
and fred one shot. The bullet struck
Miss Hanan In the right arm. and she
fell to the sidewalk. Boland helped her
to her feet and a few steps down the
street, where she collapsed on the stoop
Of an apartment house.
Boland told the police that Mrs. Laws
stood In the sidewalk. with the pisto
in her hand. watching them. and made
no effort to shoot at Miss Hanan again
Suddenly, however. she screamed. and
then she pressed the muzzlc of the pistol
against her head and pulled the trig-
ger.
The shooting was heard by Patrolmar
Parks Of the Adams street station, who
was standing at Court street ana Az
lantic avenue talking to John GIBSON
n cabaret singer from Philadelphia.
Parks and Gibson ran to the place, and
met Patrolman Joseph Murray OF the
Fifth avenue station. who heard the
shots while on trolley car going
through Court street. Murray fired
three shots as he ran UP Schermerhorn
street from Court
The story told by Boland accounted
for two of the shots fred by Mrs. Laws,
but the police say that Parks, Gibson
and Murray found three empty CART
tridges alongside the body OF Mrs. Laws.
who lay on the sidewalk with the pistol
clutched In her hand. Several persons
In the neighborhood told the policemen
that they heard but two shots. but the
presence OF the third empty cartridge
leads the police to believe that three
must have been fred.
Patrolmen Parks and Murray sent
Mrs. Laws and Miss Hanan to the Long
Island College Hospital, where II was
gaid that Mrs Laws was dead. but that
Miss Hanan was not seriously hurt. Bo-
land was questioned at length at the po-
lice station, but could give no reason TOT
the shooting excepting possible Jealousy.
Boland and Miss Hanan had been riding
all day in his big automobile, hunting an
apartment. and Boland said that he
could not imagine how Mrs. Laws had
traced them to the Schermerhorn street
apartment.