Evening star., 1924-01-03
NFATUAT|0N CLUE
IN MOVIE SHOOTING
SCOUTEDB BY STAR
Mabel Normand RidicuIes Po-
lice Theory of Chauffeur's
Motive.
GREER, IN JAIL, STICKS
TO SELF-DEFENSE PLEA
Dimes, Wounded CIubman, Denies
Provocation-Miss Purviance
Says She's His Fiancee.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
LOS ANGELES, Calf. January d
What drove Mabel Normands chauf-
feur to shoot Courtland S. Dimes, Dem
yer oil operator and clubman, in
Dimes apartment here New Year
night in the presence of Miss Nor
mand and Edna Purviance, another
motion picture actress, today is a
matter on which those most inti-
mately concerned in the shooting
seem utterly unable to agree.
Horace A. Greer, the chauffeur. also
known as Joe Kelly. still insists. that
he put a bullet through Dimes lung
in self-defense. The police are
equally positive that infatuation for
bition to be her hero and protector,
led Greer to shoot when balked in
his effort to rescue" the actress from
Dimes.
Miss Normand, ignoring her chauf-
feur's self-defense plea, ridicules the
police theory of infatuation with ::
| Impossible! The man must have been
insane.
Dimes Denies Motive.
Dimes. lying on his cot at the Good
Samaritan Hospital, says he does not
know why in the world that fool
ever shot me-" but declares "he must
have been full of hop
The theory advanced by Miss Pur-
viance is that Greer was foolishly
Jealous enough to have shot any man
n fDh in 10 r f.
ment with Miss Normand that night.
Meanwhile Greer remains in the city
Jail on a charge of assault with
deadly weapon; Dimes is said TO be
recovering at the Good Samaritan
Hospital; Miss Normand is IN the
same hospital suffering from what
her physicians term a nervous break
down brought on by excitement and
worry. and Miss Purviance is resting
at home after announcing that re-
ports of her engagement to Dimes
were not entirely unfounded.
Engaged After Fashion.
"Mr. Dimes and ] were engaged
and yet we were not engaged, If
you understand what I mean" she
told newspaper men last night, ex-
planning that while the DenvSnan
had never given me an enga99hent
ring, there was an understanding be-
tween us that we would be married.
It am not ashamed to say that
am most terribly fond of him. she
added.
Charles Chaplin, who starred Miss
Purviance recently in a picture of
his direction and who was reported
to have decided to use her as feminine
lead in his next comedy, announced
today that 1t was possible some one
else may take the role, but denied
that the publicity arising from the
Dimes shooting would Influence his
choice.
1T was unfortunate for Miss Pur-
Vance to be there" he said, but
certainly wouldn't discharge her for
something for which she is not IN
the least to blame. Such a thing
might happen to any one"
Producers are Silent.
officials of the Sennett studios here,
with whom Miss Normand has been
working under one-picture agree
ments, declined to say whether her
connection with the shooting would
have any effect on scheduled show
ings Of her pictures or on possible
future agreements with Sennett.
Both Miss Normand and Miss Purvi-
ance related their versions of the
shooting yesterday, as did also Dimes;
while Greer reiterated what he told
the police Tuesday night, namely,
that Dimes had interfered with his
efforts to assist Miss Normand out
of the Denver mans apartment and
was about to hit him with bottle
Dimes branded the chauffeur's state
m ent as a lie.
"That fellow lies when he says I
reached for bottle" he said. Il did
NOT need to hit him with bottle. II
he annoyed me I'd crush him with my
hands. He just turned the gun on me
and shot"
Mopped and Swept.
Miss Normand had 'just breezed
over to my apartment" on the after
noon of New Year day, he explained,
and Miss Purviance was there. too.
/, Miss Normand took it into her head
to put the apartment in order. he
went on-"dragged out all the mops
and brooms in the place and brushed
things up and polished the floors"
and then, after they had all had
something to drink, this Greer or
Kelly came up
An argument over whether Miss
Normand should leave the apartment
followed, and in the midst Of it. with
out warning, Dimes said, the chauffeur
drew a pistol and fred three shots,
one bullet piercing Dimes chest and
another grasiIr.iE I.i hisk his ear The nuchst this
+;rne" the wounded man observed,
sadly. although surgeons had pro-
nounced his condition far from hope
less. they described Dimes condition
al ''very satisfactory" and say he Is
on the way to recovery.
Miss Purviance described the scene
in Dimes, apartment before the arrival
Of Greer and the pistol as an informal
Gathering of three good friends on q
New Year afternoon, during which "it
would be foolish to say that there was
nothing to drink"