Evening star., 1928-05-11
WOMAN KILLS SELF
FOR BONNEY CRASH
Mrs. Jean lie Brun, Former
Nashville Divorce, Ends
| Life With Gas in New York.
sy the Associated Press.

Nv the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, May li,--Leaving a
farewell note reading. My sweetheart
was killed in an aviation accident Fri
day and cannot possibly live with
out him." Mrs. Jean lie Brun. divorcee
and vaudeville actress, formerly of
Nashville. Tenn, yesterday committed
suicide with gas In her apartment.
Pictures of Leonard w. Bonney vet
eran pilot, who fell to his death last
FRIDAY at Curtiss Field IN an expert
mental flight in a strange wing-fiap-
ping plane of his own design. we're
found in the apartment, together with
newspaper clippings telling Of his activ-
tiles and his death
The farewell note was addressed to
DR., H. N Tigert of Nashville. Police
believed Mrs. LIE Brun was sister
of Or J. Tigert, United States conf
missioner of education. in Washington.
She was IS wears old.
/. Her body was found by her land
iadv In bathroom. which had been
locked, cracks and keyholes were
stuffed and gas pits open.
Loaded Pistol Found.
A loaded pistol was found on the
table of the living room of the West
Eighty-eighth street apartment, and
the floor was strewn with cartridges
In one of the notes she said Il can't
make this d pistol work. :.
Mrs. Anne Guntiler. the landlady and
an old friend of the actress, said she
had been living at the house about two
weeks. She had been respondent for
several days. and Wednesday night Mrs.
Gunther heard muffled sobS in the
apartment.
! DR. Irving Rothstein, a dentist, said
he and Mrs lie Brun had been good
friends for some time. She had talked
freely with him of her personal affairs.
he said, telling him that she was madly
In love with famous aviator. who was
at work on a remarkable invention. She
was lleartbroken. however. she told the
dentist because the aviator was married.
che never told him the flyers name, the
dentist said.
Some years ago. Dr. Rothstein said.
Mrs lie Brun married an elderly ply
sician named Cooper in Denver, Colo,
later divorcing him and marrying
again. A daughter. now 10 years old,
was born of the first marriage he said
Mrs. lie Brlin came to New York from
Florida, in April, where she said she
had been playing in vaudeville. and en-
tertaining at hotels.
Leaves Several Notes.
On the back of photograph Of the
woman. which was found in the apart
naent. was written Jean lie Brun,
Prina Donna-Levars Adroit Revue" A
booking agents name was also on the
picture.
A note to Mrs. Gunther read
Telephone my brother, DR.. H. N.
Tiggert. Nashville. Tenn. In regard to
nv death. Il Is inevitable, and there is
f4Af frn f1~ = lf4fG
without my sweetheart. Life is unbear-
able / am heartbroken."
To Miss Mae Cooper of Woodbire,
Nashville. Tenn, who apparently Is
her daughter, she wrote: Darling.
please forgive me. know you viii.
cannot help leaving you. darling. Please
understand. ] know you viii. Always
your devoted mother"
Police did not make public the
identity Of the person to whom the
fourth letter was addressed. It read:
Lila, darling: Please burn all by
letters I'm my trunk In your attic. Also
write to Fred in care Of Collins,
Biscayne Hotel, Miami Beach. love
you dearly"
Owned Florida Cottage.
Police said they learned Mrs. lie Brun
was the owner Of a cottage at Miami or
Miami Beach, Fla.
The newspaper clippings found In the
apartment told how Bonney crashed in
the first flight Of his plane, the Bonney
Gull. The 53-year-old pilot fell so feet
Ia the craft which he had hoped would
take Of from "a field the size Of
pocket handkerchief" and land on the
roofs Of buildings.
Z Bonney vas trained In 1910 by Orville
Wright and was considered one Of the
Oldest air pilots in the country.
He is survived by his widow, the
former Flora Macdonald, daughter Of
q one-time associate Of the late Senator
Hamilton Clark, Montana mining chief.