The Washington herald., 1922-12-16
Prosecutor viii Demand Death
Penalty for Harry C. Mohr.
and'WidoW,
SHE HOPES FOR FREEDOM
Snake Charmer With Circus
Says He Was to Be
"Knocked Off,"
BY ANNE DUNLAP.

Universal Service Special Correspendeut
MOUNT HOLLY. N. J., Dec. 49,
The State this afternoon rested iti
case against the widow and brother
in-law Of Honest John" Brunen
circus man, who was murdered
March 10 as he sat by his kitchen
window. The structure of guilt
built about Harry C Mohr, the
State felt. Is sturdy; that about
Doris Brunen. rickety.
As he brought his case to rest
Prosecutor Jonathan H. Kelsey ad.
dressed newspaper correspondents
who lined the front benches
DEMANDS DEATH PENALTY.
without bitterness. but with the
firm conviction that these defend
ants are guilty." he said, IT will
ask the death penalty for both"
Simultaneously Walter o. Keown,
Monday he will ask that part OF
be severed from the indictment.
He said:
There Is not a scintilla Of evi.
cNOh touIHCu HcT. L
the court does not comply with my
request l shall call first Harry
Mohr and then Mrs. Brunen to
the witness stand"
In spite. Of her escape from the
testimony Of witnesses, the bleached.
blonde widow Of the carnival man
Her tailored suit was too tight and
hAa Oh aaN -
body. meeting at her lap where the
kid.gloved. pudgy hands clasped
each other.
"HATED TO DO IT."
Mary Miles Miller. snake charm.
er Of The Mighty Doris Show"
whose Camden house was an oft.
used rendezvous for Harry Mohr
shrugged her shoulders and 'swore''
that she hated to do it" as she
took the witness stand for the
State. She said:
Harry mentioned to me that
John Brunen and Dot had ex-
changed shots on Christmas.
once Harry said to me: II am SO
afraid that sometime l will 60
out to the house and find that
either Dot has knocked John off,
or John has knocked Dot off,"
He also said: "If he ever hurts
her. I'll get him. But don't
want that to- happen. III get him
first"
Harry told me I could not go
to the show one night because
Bessie (Mohr's wife) was going
on. and he said 1t would not be
long before the show belonged to
him.
The day after the murder Harry
came to my home in the morn
ing and said John was knocked
off. l said: My God. Harry, have
you any idea who killed him?"
and he said, mo" He said they
never would get him. but that he
wished he was there. he would
knock him off himself.
From time to time the little rural
courtroom witnessed curious pranks
Of nature. Hazel Brunen, the girl
who flung such venom from the
witness stand in the face Of the
stepmother she had loved until two
weeks ago, sat on a bench besides
Charles Powell. smiling and chat
ting with this man who had con-
fessed himself the actual murderer
Of her father.
TALKED WITH WIDOW.
Mrs. Elizabeth Jaescher, Of Gary
Ind. sister of the slain Snowman.
repeated conversation between
herself and Mrs. Brunen as they
stood over the bier the day of the
funeral.
81 said: 'Dotty, IL you didn't have
anything to do with this murder
I am not the one to hurt you. but
l must do what my dear brother
said. 1t was his last will and wish
that I should take charge of every.
thing Dotty told me that my
brother had no money. and later
told me he had ST 900 in the bank
II said to Harry Mohr: My God
can't you find out who killed him.
He said Brunen had always been in
danger. / asked him why he didn't
tell Detective Parker this and he
said: oh, Parker will never find
the murderer gave the detectives
$500 to find him."
BLOOD ON $50 BILLS.
Arthur Stecher, postmaster at
Riverside, where the Brunens lived
testified that a month after the
murder Harry Mohr presented two
bloody $50 bills in exchange for a
money order. He did not give the
name Of the addressee Of this order
Judge Kalisch instructed the jury
to visit the scene Of the crime to-
morrow morning.