The New York herald., 1921-09-25
MISS HANAN TELLS
OF DEATH THREATS
Heiress Shot by Mrs. Lawes
Insists to Detectives Jeal-
Ousy Was Not Cause.
DEBT THEORY ADVANCED
Police Drop Investigation
Surgeons Hope for Re-
cOvery.
DEBT THEORY ADVANCED

The police decided last night that
there would be nothing to gain in
further investigation into the shooting
on Thursday night of Miss Mildred
Hanan by Mrs. Grace Lawes in front
of 35 Schermerhorn street, Brooklyn
Miss Hanan, daughter Of the late AL
fred P. Hanan, shoe manufacturer, is
still in precarious condition in the
Long Island College Hospital, but the
physicians are far more optimistio
concerning her chances Of recovery
than they were on Friday. The body
shooting Miss Hanan, until recently
her closest friend, is still In the Morgue.
The police take the attitude that
Miss Hanan and, possibly, John s.
Hanan at the time of the shooting,
are the only persons now entirely ia
miliar with the reason for the tragedy.
They argue that there Is no reason
to believe any one but Mrs. Lawes is
directly responsible for the shooting.
Mrs. Lawes, they say, manifested every
indication OF at least temporary in
sanity Immediately previous TO the
affair.
Miss Hanan was so far recovered at
one time yesterday afternoon that the
doctors agreed to permit Acting De-
tective Capt. Sullivan to question her
for few minutes. 1t was little more
than a formality for police records.
and the doctors insisted that 1t was
not an emergency ante-mortem state
ment. She told Sullivan that Mrs
Lawes did the shooting and that the
latter had threatened her on several
occasions since the quarrel that sep
arated the two women occurred In the
Hanan summer home in Shoreham'
L.. /.
II was further learned that Jealousy.
commonly attributed at frst as the
cause Of the tragedy, did not cause the
quarrel. 1t was money. Mrs. Lawes.
never possessed of anything like the
FINANCES OF Miss Hanan. was deeply in
her friends debt, and 1t was learned that
Mrs. Lawes's failure to pay caused some
resentment. which eliminated In her be-
ing asked to leave the Hanans Long ISL
and country place at Shoreham. Accord
ing to all available information, Mrs.
Iawes became a bit careless after that
and. the police believe. finally took to
drugs. as IL was not always possible 10
get liquor.
Miss Hanan told Sullivan that not
longer than ten days ago she met MIS-.
Lawee at Seventy-third street and Park
avenue, and after brief quarrelling Mrs.
Iawes threatened to kill her. The meet
ing. abe said was a chance one as she
had been avoiding her former chum as
far as possible.
Then Sullivan asked Miss Hanan about
the motive, and the young woman be-
came reticent Very emphatically, how
ever, she denied the possibility of 5eal-
ousy. She declared that she knew ana
liked Borland very much. but that her
relations with him were never such as to
inspire jealousy anywhere. The poiice'
however. cling to the theory that
groundless or not, Mrs. Lawes was In
sane with jealousy. and that she hrmly
believed Borland would be more atten-
tive TO her il not encouraged by the
younger woman.
1t was learned that Mrs. Lawes tried
to buy a pistol in Manhattan two weeks
ago. She was told by the dealer to go
to Police Headquarters and get per-
init. 1t is not on record that she did
that in Manhattan. but obviously she
obtained the desired weapon-a REM
Ington automatic. No. 30i31. Its maga-
zine had capacity of nine cartridges.
She had loaded 1t with seven. dscharg-
ing four on Thursday night. A num-
Der OF cartridges were found in her
room at the Vanderbilt.
All facts obtained by the police yes