New Britain herald., 1928-02-25
HUNT FOR SLAYER IS AT S1AVDSTILL
Identity d husud Dlavn's Killer Shroudsd h Mystery

No'AoAuoNAto, ~. t', rtp. ga V@ Search far the slayer of Miss Mar garet Brown, New York governess who was burned to death near here Monday night. apparently was at a standstill today.
 Even the identity of the killer, whom police believed at first to have been a Doctor Hoff" or Huff" known to have been suitor of the 40-year-old spinster. was clouded in doubt by conflicting clues.
 A statement made by Captain John J. Lamb of the New Jersey state police that the killer WAS known and was socially prominent New Yorker. was denied by him la ter in the day. He said he did not know the slayer's identity. Prosecutor Francis J. Bergen of Somerset county, who has been di- recting the investigation into the murder, said it was "at.a stand still.' We will have to start all over again tomorrow morning." he declared. AUQWS Muruerer
 Inspector John D. Coughlin, head of New York detectives, however, said the murderer was known to him. although his present where abouts was mystery, and that he was clever crook who preyed on women.
 Authorities have searched Miss Browns trunk for clues. They have examined the bonds and the con- fession of the murderer, mailed to police of this city from Newark, for fingerprints. and have investigated various reports of the slayer's move ments since the killing-all appar- ently without result.
 An unnamed woman was said to have informed Morr,stown police that she knew Doctor Huff" and to have given them the address of his office, where he was said to prac- tice medicine either in Newark or Morristawn. Police were said to have visited the address given and found that the man had fled, but this could not be confirmed.
 Emil Holber, a butcher of this city, told police that a man in blue sedan, similar to the one in which Miss Brown is believed to have been brought from New York and killed. had revisited the scene of the killing and attempted to question him as to the activities of the police. This clue failed, however. when it was found that Holzer had misread the license number of the car. The license he gave was found to have been issued to a resident of Phillipsburg. N. J., whose car had not been in this yi- cinity.
 Suicide records of New York and New Jersey were being closely watched by police in case the mur- derer should carry out his threat, contained in the confession, to take his own life if arrest neared.
 Watch ships
 Passport records and outgoing steamships also were being watched at New York to see if the murderer should attempt to escape the coun- try. Miss Brown had told a gov erness friend that she intended to marry and police believed passage might have been secured for some other country. The trip to California, which she gave to her New York employer, James J! Gillespie of Park avenue, as the reason for her resig- nation as gOverness for his children, was believed to be 2 ruse to hide runaway marriage and probably in- spired by her murderer.
 Police were inclined to doubt the story of the murderer, as told in the that he had knocked Miss Brown insensible in drunken ftenzy when she resisted his advances and then set fire to her clothing. believ- ing her dead. This they viewed as a possible building up of 2 defense against 8 first degree murder charge in case he is caught. They believe the murder was premeditated and carefully planned. The return of the bonds, which could not have been easily cashed, Is dismissed az q ges- ture.