The New York herald., 1921-09-24
5 CRAZED LETTERS
| FORECAST SHOOTING
OF MILDRED HANAN
Grace Lawes Dead and Her
Victim Is Dying-Rea-
SONS Not Yet Clear.
NEW MAN In MYSTERY
Witness to Tragedy Swears
She Saw Him Standing
by Automobile.
SANITY is QUESTIONED
Mutual Friends Assert There
Was No Cause for Jealousy
Over Borland..
NEW MAN IN MYSTERY
SANITY is QUESTIONED

Five hysterical letters written by
Mrs. Grace Lawes within the last fort
night to Miss Mildred Hanan forecast
the shooting, early yesterday morn
ing, Of the latter by the former and
Mrs. Lawes's suicide. The tragedy oc-
Cured in front of 35 Schermerhorn
street. Brooklyn. Early this morning
doctors in the Long Island College
Hospital said Miss Hanan was sink
ing fast and had little chance Of re-
covery.
The TRANSMISSION OF sixteen ounces
of blood from the veins Of a young
inferno in the hospital to those OF
Miss Hanan aided materially, it was
said. in keeping her alive. DR.. Harvey
Fist is the physician who submitted
to the TRANSMISSION in order to save
Miss Hanan's life.
None Of the i've unhappy letters
threatened the younger woman with
actual violence. All of them. accord
ing to good authority. had it that the
writer was convinced that Miss Hanan
was responsible for all her troubles. 1t
was said they were written In much
the same vein as were the two Mrs.
Lawes wrote before trailing Miss
Hanan to Brooklyn prepared to kill
and then die. One Of these latter let
ters was addressed to Mrs. M. e. Ditt-
yarv ,,t ct NJ
cisco, Mrs. Lawes's sister. The other
was for Miss BiIl.c Williams Of 514
Madison avenue. New York. close
friend of the unfortunate woman.
Despite the fact tho tragedy has all
the aspects Of the ancient triangle and
that Mrs. Lawes shot Miss Hanan be-
cause she was jealous OF their mutuaf
friend. John S. Borland, 90 West Fourth
street. the police appear to grow more
mystified the deeper they dig into the
facts and circumstances. Although they
at first fatty accused Borland of being
the object OF the enmty borne Miss
hanan by Mrs. Lawes they have not
been able to establish the fact that Bor-
land and Miss Hanan were anything
more than good friends. Moreover. they
cannot find proof that Borland's rcla-
tions with Mrs. Lawes ever were such
a. to warrant her jealousy.
Deep Mystery Seen.
AS a matter OF fact Detectives Sulii-
van, Prickley and Brosnan confessed
last night that they believed themselves
involved in a real mystery.
That Mrs. Lawes was intent upon kill
ing somebody-either Miss Hanan or
Il. rland-is plain. The police know that
Mrs. Lawes telephoned Miss Hanan
early Thursday night and found the
latter was entertaining Borland at
dinner in her home. 7S0 Park avenue
Then Mrs. Lawes took a taxicab from
the Vanderbilt Hotel. where she had been
living since September 4. and went d.
rectly to the Park avenue address. where
she learned that In addition 20 Borland
Miss Hanan had as her guest Miss Dor
cthy Cottschalk of IS Schermerhorn
street, Brooklyn.
On Wednesday night Miss Gottschalk.
who apparently was a close friend 10
Miss Hanan. Mrs. Lawes and Borland.
had dined with Mrs. Lawes. and the
latter had become hystericaL She had
said, according to Miss Gottschaik:
Every time I have had anything
sweet in my life 1t has been taken away
from me-"
And then she became somewhat hys-
terical, moaning:
II have been a fiend. flend'
But Mrs. Lawes said she did not love
Borland. according to Miss Gottschalk.
and later on. toward the conclusion OF
the dinner. she Gained down and de-
clared she was all right again and she
had been mad" but no longer.
At any rate, when Mrs. Lawcs learned
on Thursday night that Borland and
Miss Gottschalk were with Miss Hanan
she must have resolved upon her tragedy.
So far as can be learned she went to
the Park avenue house only to be told
that Miss Gottscnalk. Miss Hanan and
Horland had left. Probably she was
given false information. because John
williams, who lives In the apartment
house at 81 Schermerhorn street on the
same floor with Miss Gottschalk--thc
recond--arrivcd home somewhere be-
tween IL 40 and / o'clock Friday morn
ing.