Evening star., 1922-06-17
Special pirpstch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
MOUNT HOLLY. N. J., Juno IL
The tawdry Ntinsel OF the circus. the
glamour of life under the "big top"
and the fa!thlessness which some
times follows the "show business" +"
sll are entwined In the search to
Solve the sordid murder Of Honest
John" Brunen, circus owner, who
was slain at his home in Riverside a
wintry night in March last Brunen
was shot as he sat by a window read
ing the details Of the murder Of his
old friend, William Desmond Taylor.
at Hollywood.
Slowly. but surely, the light is
breaking in upon what promised at
first to be one of the most bafning
far there is a missing link in the
chain of direct and circumstantial
evidence which the authorities are
building up. The link is a circus
girl, the girl with the auburn hair
she was known to the circus EN-
Already there are three persons In
the Mount Holly jail charged with
the murder. One is lion-tamer,
Charles Powell. who has confessed
that he fred the shotgun when ea
been on the verge of a complete
nervous and physical breakdown and
1t has required delicate handling on
the part Of Ellis Parker. Burlington
county detective, to keep the man
together and to gain from him the
details Of his story. 1t Is suTpris-
ing that Powell does not collapse.
On the walls Of the cell which he
occupies in "murderers' row" are
scribbled many farewell messages
from condemned men who have gone
to their death.
Messaees Strike Tenor.
I have gone to the electric chair
Rood-bye ALL" reads one OF the most
legible of the messages. and even
the iron nerves of lion tanner II
Is seen can break under such q
strain.
Upon the confession Of Powell the
authorities arrested Mrs. Doris Bru-
men, wife OF Honest John, ana AFTER
whom he named the Mighty DOTS
Colonel Ferrari Circus" whicfi traV-
eled the smaller cities and made a
It is claimed that the murder was
committed, in part, by those VINO
would have gained possession Oh tne
show.
Mrs. Brunen has taken her arrest
and incarceration calmly. Sne says
she expected something OF tne so,t
would be done. 1t seems 1t was twen-
ty-five minutes after the murder was
committed before Mrs. Brunen gave
the alarm She says she tainted.
Furthermore, when Brunen was aoout
to be buried, the widow threw herself
PROSTATE upon the comm.
time before this Honest John" and
his wife had a quarrel. in which shots
were exchanged on both sides. They
further say that Honest John nao
forgiven his wife severa! marital IN
discretions, but their life was 1ar
from 2 happy 1I:. one one to s9me tbs fact s that
a daughter had been permitted TO
marry another lion tanner in the show.
The third prisoner Is Harry e.
Mohr, Mrs. Brunen's brother. PoweIi;
in his confession. says he was hired
by Motr to shoot Brunen and was
home in Mohrs automobile. The girl
with the auburn hair" is declared TO
have seen the staying and to have
made her escape with Powell ana
Mohr in the latter's car.
Girl Holds Key to Puszle:
With the taking into custody or
this girl, it Is believed the WEole piOs
for the murder of Honest John VIII
be revealed. The authorities believe
that the girl will tell all. once she
Is cornered. Her corroboration OF the
lion tamer's story is all that is need
ed now to complete tho case for the
grand jury. according to County
Prosecutor Kelsey.
one Of the most remarkably phases
of the case has been the handling OF
Powell. The man broke down com
pletely shortly after his arrest. His
wife claims that he was drugged at
the time he shot the circus owner. 1t
aIways has been claimed that circus
lions billed as ferocious would weep
bitterly and die Of lonesomeness II
left too long by their "tamers," but