LURID GLIMPSES.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20509, 10 January 1935, Page 5

LURID GLIMPSES.

A News Reel of Violence F rom America. THE DAY’S DOINGS. (Special to the “ Star.”* LONDON, December 11. Violence, with only a stray glimpse of the lighter side of life, is the predominant note of the day’s news from America as it flashed over the transAtlantic cables. Following are samples from this lurid news reel: — Bearing shot wounds, the nude body of Alvin Brunner, an itinerant jewel auctioneer, was found stuffed into a barrel in a garage at Cincinnati. It is believed to have been transported m the barrel from Columbus, Ohio. f Brunner had lived in England in his youth, and attended Manchester University. Police are searching for a man named Berman, in whose company Brunner had been seen a few days ago at Columbus, where they conducted an auction of watches, rings and other articles. Brunner is stated to have placed in Berman’s charge a packet of jewels alleged to be worth £4OOO. Prisoners Escape. Six prisoners escaped from Madison County Gaol, at Huntsville, Alabama, after clubbing two gaolers, tying them up and locking them in an empty cell. They seized two machine-guns and other weapons, climbed a 14ft high barbed wire fence, rushed to a filling station, and compelled an employee there to drive them at top speed towards Tennessee. New York police were ordered to “ beat up ” every known criminal in the city. “ I want criminals so beaten and marked that they will flee rather Ihan face arrest,” announced Police Commissioner Valentine. Pointing to a neatly-groomed man, who had been arrested on a charge of

murder, he declared: “I do not want these men coming in here looking as it they had just left the barber’s chair. That velvet collar should be smeared with blood.” Revolver shots in a bedroom in a New York hotel led to the discovery of the bodies of Father John Farlev, a Catholic chaplain of a home for the aged, and Mrs Ruth Steinmetz, a former Hollywood girl. Also in the room and gripping an automatic pistol, according to the police, was Mr Harry Steinmetz, a Los Angeles divinity student. He and his wife were on their honeymoon. The Lighter Side. Now for the light relief in this news film of a day in American life. Miss Anne Sutton, of New York, may be only 3ft Sin tall, but she values her broken heart at the outsize sum oi £20,000. Miss Sutton, who is a professional midget, asked damages for this amount in a breach of promise action brought against a sturdy restaurant proprietor. Mr Andrew Murphy, who is sft Sin in height. in her affidavit Miss Sutton declared that Murphy courted her assiduously, taking her out four or five evenings weekly and urging her to break with other suitors. He begged her to marry him and iinall}' she gave in. A fortnight ago, however, she discovered that her suitor was already married and was the father of two children.