New Britain herald., 1924-01-03
MABEL NORMAND IS
 VERY MUCH UPSET
At Least Pretends She Doesn't Know What Caused Shooting


 Los Angeles, Jan. s.--What caused Mabel Normand,s chauffeur to shoot Ceurtland s. Dimes, Denver oil oper- ator and clubman, in Dimes apart rnent here New Years night in the presence of Miss Normand and Edna Purviance, another motion picture actress, today is a matter on which those most intimately 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 Miss Normand coupled with an am bition to be her hero and protector led Greer to shoot when baked in his effort to rescue" the actress from Dimes.
 Laughs at Infatuation Idea.
 Miss Normand, ignoring her chauf- feurs self defense plea ridicules the police theory of infatuation with:
 Impossible. the man must have been insane
 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 hops"
 The theory advanced by Miss Pur- yiance is that Greer was foolishly jealous enough to have shot any man he might have found in the apart ment with Miss Nermand that night.
 Greer Still in Jail
 Greer remains in jail on Q charge of assault with 8 deadly weapon. Dinees is said to be recovering at the Good Samaritan hospital; Miss Nor mand is in the hospital suffering from what her physicians term a ner- veus breakdown brought on by ex- citement and worry, and Miss Purvi- ance is resting at home after any, nouncing that reports of her engage ment to Dimes were not entirely un- founded.
 Ycs-and Yet No
 Mir. Dimes and I were engaged - and yet we were not engaged, if you understand what l mean," she told
  that while the Denver man had ''ney- CT given me an engagement ring, there was an understanding between us that VIC would be married.
 T 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 hts direction and who was reported to have decided to use her as feminine lead in his next comedy. announced today that it was possible some one else may take the role. but denied that the publicity arising from the Dimes shooting would influence his choice.
 Futures Uncertain
 .It was unfortunate for Miss pur- yiance to be there" he said, but certainly wouldn't discharge her for something for which she is not in the least to blame. Such thing might happen to anyone" 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 showing of her pictures or on future agree ments with Sennett. Greer reiterated what he told the police Tuesday night, namely that Dises had interfered with his efforts 10 assist Miss Normand out Of the Denver mans apartments and was about to hit him with a bottle.
 Says Man Lies Dimes branded the chauneur's statement as a lie. That fellow lies when he says ' reoched for a bottle" he said. 'I did not need to hit him with a bottle. Ifl he annoyed me I'd crush him with my hands. He just turned the gun on me and shot" Miss Normand had "just breezed over to my apartment on the after noon of New Years day he explain ed. and Miss Puryiance 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