New Britain herald., 1924-07-07
ACTRESS MURDERED,
 FRIEND IS ACCUSED.
Police Claim New Yorker Is
 Badly Involved

New York, Jnly 7,-The mysterious
 death of Ruth Hollister. A young ae.
 tress who had appeared in s minor
 role of 'Kiki". and whose body was
 found on Saturday night in her apart. ment al East Thirtieth street. was
 followed yesterday by the arrest of enc of her men friends who was charged with murder
 The prisoner is Jacob Peisner, sS years old. of iSi West Seventy-seventh street He was held without ball by Magistrate Thomas r. McAndrews in the Yorkyille court for examination on Wednesday in the homicide court. The police said that Peisner's alibi had heen broken down. He said that he had been in Newark ali week. but the police said they had found that this was not 50.
 Miss Holister's death was attribut- ed at first to alcoholism, but the po- lice said that they suspected poison. There were no marks on her body. but her flesh was discolored from the up 10 the scalp, in a pecu- liar way that detectives said might have been caused by poison. An autopsy will be hold today.
 Story Told by Peisncr
 The body was discovered by Peis- ner about 6 o'clock Saturday evening. This is the story he told the police:
 T have known Ruth for about two years. Her real name was EsteIla Flynn and her mother lives in Green land. Mass. She was 2s years old and had been in several. shows. | picked her up one day at movie. we lived together for a time, but she lad other friends, and lately we had been living apart. I always used to all her up before going to see her, o see if I could come up.
 Until Saturday I had been living tt IS Linden street, Newark. had lot been in New York all week. But
 moved over to Seventy-seventh treet Saturday. and decided to go own to see Ruth in the evening I 1 id not telephone, as usually did.
 T let myself in the door of her partment with my key and called | Ter name. She did not answer. hen I went in the bedroom. She 'as lying partly on the bed and part off,with her head resting on a lllow on the floor. I touched her nd she did not move, but I did not now whether she was dead or not.
 Then I went out to look for a doc IT and found one over on Madison 'enue. He came over and said she as dead and called the police, hats all I know" .
 Gave Her $1.5OO in Gifts ( The police said, however, that Peis- 1T before going for doctor had t lcked bag containing his personal l ,longings that were in the apart C ent and had taken it to the home i
 Miss Clark, a friend of Miss Hol- ter, at 4S6 Fourth avenue.
 Under questioning by the police, 'isner said that he was deeply in V Ve with the girl and that he had Il ven her s1,5o0 worth of presents in f e last four months. He said that \
 was an upholsterer and that his F other was in business for himself. &, When Detectives Sheedy and Smith e
 the East Thirty-fifth Street sta- n were called to the apartment turday night they found 1t reek- with the evidences of long i hiking party. Strewn about both + pms of the two-room- and bath n artment on the third floor, for f, ich Miss Hollister paid s75 a x nth, were glasses containing the VI IFS of whisky and wine, A num- of empty bottles and innumer- a, e cigarette stubs were on the ., or, on the bed and all about the ,ms.
 Mazie Iason, who occupies. the ,rtment below Miss Hollister's, told n.
 police that Miss Hollister had tb ged a party, which began on Frf- sy afternoon and lasted all night. us ring the afternooR and evening fo ny strangers visited the Hollister lrtment. according to Miss Mason. and other tenants of the house that several men knocked on erent doors that night asking for lth."
 Girls Body Unclaimed. Detectives could find no one in the no Ise who could recall having seen re sner there the night of the party. eo ther were they able 10 get any in- ,if nation about the time when those 9 attended Miss Horlister's party
 the house.
 t first Miss Hillister's death was eyed to have been caused by alco- ism. and Peisner was held at the t Thirty-f1fth street station merely an B witness. He was questioned all sy lrday night, however, and, accord ou to the police, discrepancies began fol spepar in his story. They would eel tell what information they had to Lrovert his statement that he spent whole week in Newark. Tn Them the charge was changed 10 - iicide Peisner was taken to police - 1quarters and then to the Tombs. 0z that he was innocent and E
 he could not have harmed Miss ister because he loved her. Miss istsr's body was taken to the que. IL was unclaimed by rela- H
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