The Portland daily press., 1894-05-03


| the Getchen house. Was there Sunday
| night between the death and funeral.
During breakfast Monday morning he heard
Mrs. Getchell describe, in reply to his
question, the scene of GetchelPs illness.
Her description differed from Fowler's
only in the fact that she said there was
llnlment in the house, and that after the
doctor was gone, Getcheu complained OIL
being cold and
SHE GAVE HIM SOME GIN.
Miss Abby Keen, who was at the table. said,
why Emma, you didn't give him more of
that gin after the doctor was gomez" and
Mrs. Getchell said Yes
Then Miss Keen said she had heard it was
bad for heart trouble. Witness said, You
ought not to have given him that. 1t might
work against the DOCTORS medicine" Mrs
Getchell made no reply.
Cross-examination showed that witness
had known GetcheI and Trask for many
years. Thought they came to Augusta to-
gether very often.
Mrs. Getchell told the story at the br ak.
fast table continuous statement. Wit
ness had given the whole of it. Thought he
had repeated the words used. He couldn't
be shaken on that testimony. Before break
fast he had talked with Mrs. Getch II about
the death. She appeared sober and somewhat
affected, shed tears that morning and had
her handkerchief to her face. Had no more
talk before breakfast Mrs. Getchell did a
| little house work that morning.
The witness was ask d to repeat again
Mrs. GetchelPs story at the breakfast table.
He repeated emphatically that after the
doctor had gone she said she gave him some
gin. Also she sais. that the little. girl Minnie
had id, since Henry was sick in the fall,
that he vast going to live. Didn't know
what made the child say so.
When said to b + that the gin might
| counteract the, DOCTORS medicine witness
did not think she replied: wasn't positive.
She freely made her statement to them,
comparative strangers. She was not embar-
rassed. Couldn't remember that she said
anything about his going to the buttery or
barn or we'll.
AT THE AFTEROoN SESSION.
Mr.. J. A. Nash, a neighbor, testified that
he was at the Getchen house on the MORN
ing of the death and saw Trask drive out of
the dooryard. Mrs. Getchell and the two
children were in the kitchen. He had seen
Trask at the house seven or eight times
since the death.
Cross-examined. Trask was loading hay
while there; also had see him there doing
nothing. Had always known Trask and
Getchell. They were intimate ever since
Getchell came from the West, seven or eight
y
Getchen and his wife; she was as fond of
him as the general run of people,
. There was a stir of excitement when
Ambrose Getchell, brother of the dead man,
was called. He is a large man, aged about
Al years. He lives three miles from his
brothers. house. The doctor and others
were there, on the fatal day when he
arrived. After the doctor went away, wit
ness said that Mrs. Getchen said it would
be well to give her husband some gin to
warm him up. She got gin from the pantry
and gave it to him, despite his objections.
Several hours after the funeral, Mrs.
Getchell summoned witness to talk with her
in the parlor. She gave him his brother
| watch.
Witness went to see Mrs. Getchell to talk
about taking up his brothers body for ex-
animation. She said that DR.. Driscol said
| that nobody but the low class OF people
made the ugly talk and it wasn't worth
| talking about. The doctor offered to give
her a written statement as to the cause OF
| DEATH H.
| time about ten minutes after the doctor left.
''Have you been told what Jack Fowler's
| tes imony was OIL the stand?'
II couldn't remember.
Have you read reportf'
81 have.''
You say that without any excuse for il,
any call on his part, Mrs. GetcheH offered
| to give the sick man some gln?'
'EShe offered to give him the gin"
| .s'Didnt you say, anything?,',,
II never opened my head" 80
did .yoa see your brother drink the gin?'
Mrs. Getchell held the glass to his lips.
| The only thing Getchell said was, be ore he
SinA Hi him lin ST This ' all IL happened about ten
| minutes after the doctor left.
did your brother get jug of cider from
you .1Sh SHORTY, rtly !, before he dleds
| The witness denied that he gave his
| brother peculiar jug.
''How many times have you been
PATIENT OF THE INSANE ASLUM?''
| This caused a commotion. The witness
exclaimed, ''Ain't you going a little" but
| did not finish the sentence.
| The judge stopped any further talk on
| that line.
| The State asked when was the last time
| Henry got cider of him. He said, "last
| September"
| frank D. Robinson corroborated his
| uncle's testimony as to Mrs. Getchell's IS
| statement that at the breakfast table, Mon
| day morning, Mrs. Getchell said that she
gave her husband gin after the doctor had
gone.
Miss Eliza e. Richards testified to frequent
visits of Trask to the Getcheu house while
Mrs. Getchen was i'll with the grippe in
December, 1892.
Eliza NJ Williams testified that she resides
in Augusta, is widow, ffty-four years old,
is nurse, worked at Mr.. Getchell's in
July, 1898. Trask was there through haying
and many times besides.
Ibid you hear Mrs Getchell say anything
about poison?"
Witness said that Mrs. Getchell took food
to the old man .Getchell, Henry's father,
and he wouldn't take it for fear of poison.
She said, ''you can take it or nothing" !"
Then she said to Witness IF Henry was as
cross as his father,
WOULD. POISON HIM TO DEATH
Witness said, why Emma" She said,
what in thunder do care for hlmY'
The witness saw Trask insthe morning Ego
into Mrs Getchelrs bed room, when she
was in bed Once the witness saw Henry
| give respondent ten dollars and say, Now
Emma, if you want more, come to me-.
After he had gone the respondent said:
what do 1 care for old"
While Mrs Getchell was at Ocean Point
| witness received letters from her asking