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BOOTLEGGER CONFESSES TO ARRANGING MURDER

Coffeyville, Kas. Jan. 16 - Paul R. Jones, a bootlegger, confessed late yesterday that he had arranged the murder January 6 of Mrs. Maude Martin at the solication of Dr. S. A. Brainard, Coffeyville physician and member of the board of educaiton.

He said Dr. Brainard agreed to pay him $2,000 for the murder of Mrs. Martin, chief witness against the physician in a trial on a murder charge growing out of an alleged illegal operation.

Jones said he had sublet the contract to Mauriel Sullivan of Seminole, Okla., who Wednesday confessed she had fired the shot which took the life of Mrs. Martin in her home here.

Jones admitted that he witnessed the murder and that he provided the automatic pistol which Muriel Sullivan used.

Met Doctor After Trial

Jones said he met Dr. Brainerd on a street in Coffeyville shortly after the first hearing on a murder charge growing out of the death last September 13 of Mrs. Esther O'Dare Nidiffer had been declared a mistrial.

Dr. Brainard, Jones said, asked if Jones thought he could find a way of getting rid of Mrs. Martin before the next trial which was set for the February term of court. Mrs. Martin was the state's chief witness because the operation which Dr. Brainard is accused of performing on Mrs. Nidiffer was executed in Mrs. Martin's home.

Jones said he thought the removal of Mrs. Martin could be arranged and asked what it was worth to Dr. Brainard.

Dr. Brainard, Jones said, offered him $2,000 for the job. Jones agreed to do it. Dr. Brainard, he said, paid him $100 then, $150 the day after the murder and was to have paid him the remainder in twenty days after the murder.

To Help Get Money

In addition to planning the murder, Jones said he agreed to help the physician obtain funds to pay for it. Jones said he drove an insured motor car owned by Dr. Brainard to Seminole, Okla., and employed a tramp to burn it. Dr. Brainard later reported the car stolen. It had not been determined last night for what about the car had been insured or whether the insurance had been collected.

Jones said he did not wish actually to commit the murder himself so he requested a friend at Seminole, whose name is being withheld by officials, whether he knew a woman Jones could "trust to do a ticklish job."

There's a woman who works in that restaurant," Jones said his friend answered, "who ought to be able to line you up."

The woman referred to, Jones said, was Muriel Sullivan, alias Billie Brown, a waitress.

Jones said he went to the eating place with his friend, who introduced him as "a big shot bootlegger from Kansas City," and left.

After some pointless conversation Jones said he asked Muriel Sullivan where he could find a woman he could trust to do a dangerous job.

"What kind of job is it?" Jones said Muriel Sullivan asked him.

He said he explained the plan to murder Mrs. Martin.

"I have the nerve to do it, I believe," he quoted, Muriel Sullivan as saying, "But I won't touch it for less than $100."

Jones said he agreed on that price with Muriel Sullivan and took her to Coffeyville, paying her fare on a bus and later establishing her in a rooming house at his expense.

Jones said he aided in the establishment of an acquaintance between Muriel Sullivan and Mrs. Martin an dplanned that Muriel Sullivan should obtain a sample of Mrs. Martin's handwriting to be used in forging a suicide note.

Muriel Sullivan's confession said she forged the note, Jones said. Muriel Sullivan obtained the sample writing and gave it to him. He said he passed it on to Dr. Brainard who actually forged the document.

It was Dr. Brainard’s plan to poison Mrs. Martin. He said Dr. Brainer obtained poison and gave it to Jones to be used for that purpose.

Jones said he and Muriel Sullivan took some whiskey with them to the home of Mrs. Martin, planning to get her to drink and to place the poison in water to be used as a chaser. He said that plan failed when Mrs. Martin refused to drink either whiskey or water.

Muriel Sullivan in her confession said the plan failed when Mrs. Martin threw out a glass of poison laden water and obtained fresh.

Jones said that after the poison plot failed he went to South Coffeyville, Oka., and purchased an automatic pistol which he gave to Muriel Sullivan to kill Mrs. Martin. That was the Sunday before the killing. He said Muriel Sullivan became suspicious that he was going to double cross her or lost her nerve and failed to keep her part of the contract that night.

The following Tuesday, Jones said, he accompanied Muriel Sullivan to Mrs. Martin’s home and when Mrs. Martin was kneeling on the floor sorting records in front of a phonograph called his confederate to the kitchen on the pretense of getting a drink.

GIVES HER THE PISTOL

Jones said he handed Muriel Sullivan the pistol while in the kitchen and shortly later nodded the signal to her which caused her to place the weapon at the back of Mrs. Martin’s head and fire the fatal shot.

Jones said he made the first payment to Muriel Sullivan the next day when he gave her $60 through Dale (Slim) Orrison, a taxi driver. He said Orrison did not know the reason for the transfer of the money and had no knowledge of the murder.

Orrison said yesterday he had received $60 from Jones to give to Muriel Sullivan. He said he made the transfer, but did not know why Jones was paying the money.

Officials have indicated that Orrison will be freed as soon as the chain of events are cleared up.

Dr. Brainard still denies any part in the murder plot. (El Dorado Times, January 16, 1931)