The Portland daily press., 1895-08-09
THE EFFORT FOR MRS. GETCHELL,
Hon. Herbert M. Heath Raises a
New Point Before Law Court.

story OF the Death of Henry Getchen from
Poisoning-Is Mrs. Getchel Suffering
| Where Another Should?
The case of Mrs. Clara Emma Getchell
OF Sidney, accused and convicted o.
poisoning her husband, was resumed be
lore the law court yesterday forenoon
hon. Herbert NJ Heath, counsel fol
Mrs. Getchell, continuing his argument
MI. Heath began with the relations o1
MRS. Getchell with the man Trask. The
government had set up the theory that
the relations of Trask and Mrs. Getchel
were adulterous, and nearly half the
testimony offered was to prove this point.
Inc government was forced to set up such
motive; because the relations of Mrs.
Getchell with her husband were con.
fessedly harmonious. Getchell on his
death bed testified his love for his wife.
Ihey had child to whom both were de-
Votedly attached. If Mrs. Getchell went
to Augusta and other places with Trask,
it was with her husbands full knowl.
edge and consent 1.-The testimony going
to show Mrs. Getchell's alleged 'infidelity
was not at all conclusive Mrs. Getchell
had hung cloth out the window to no.
t1fy Trask that her husband was no bet
ter; and fox hunter passing the Louse
had seen a coat hung out. On such
H1msy evidence is the charge of adultery
set up. There was one witness, a girl,
who claimed to have seen Mrs. Getchell
with Trask go down the railroad track at
Belgrade Camp Ground. Another witness
said Trask was with another woman at
that time The first witness based her
Identification of Mrs Getchell on the fact
that the moonlight was bright The fact
was, however, that there was no moon at
that time
Mr.. Heath complained that during the
trial the counsel for the government had
developed a lot of half truths, which he
had left to the ingenuity of defense. For
instance, the same girl who had shown
herself so reckless about the moonlight.
testified that she saw Mrs Trask and
Forest Trask go into the bedroom to-
gether Here the government left it.
The defense developed the fact that Mrs.
Getchell had asked Trask to help take
down the bed, and the witness admitted
that she thought nothing of the matter
at the time. This was a sample of the
methods of the government counsel.
MIR Heath eharacteri zed Abbie Keene as
"a very skillful and crafty but wholly un-
reliable witness He had been able to
catch her but once, and that was the case
where she testified that Mrs Getchell had
given Forest Trask harness. The Au-
gusta harness dealer had explained this.
Mrs Trask, mother of Forest, had been
in his shop to buy harness on credit
The dealer did not want to trust Mrs.
Trask, but would if the harness could be
charged to Mrs. Getchell, whom he would
trust.
Another piece of testimony against Mrs
Getchell was that she had been seen one
evening, when Trask was present at her
home, to sit in his lap. This was in the
presence of the witness who testified as
to the fact Mr.. Heath denied that this
fact indicated improper relations Mrs.
Getchell was lively, mirthful woman,
given to jokes aud sport. In play she
might have seated herself in Trask's lap;
but if it had Signified any impropriety it
would not have occurred in the presence
of witness
Mr. Heath then took up certain letters
which were alleged to have passed be-
tween Mrs Getchell and Trask, making
designations. George P. Ellis swore that
he had taken letter, of which he pro-
fessed to remember incriminating con
tents. Mr. Heath said that before the
cross examination was over, Ellis was
shown to have lied about this letter.
The testimony as to the conduct of
Mrs GetcheH and Trask at Ocean Point
was reviewed as the closing and most
important part of the testimony alleged
to show adulterous disposition. But the
main points of this were such as Mrs.
Getchell herself had given, and were
perfectly, consistent with. her honesty
The proof should be great, to account
for the enormity Of this homicide. If
there was a lustful relation, it was per-
fectly satisfied. There was every opportu-
nifty. Therefore there was no motive to
lmpel Mrs. Getchell to murder the father
of her child. 1t is unsatisfed, ungratified
lust, that finds murder necessary to work
out that great passion of life. But there
were no adulterous relations. Mrs.
Getchell was free with Trask, because she
was conscious of her innocence.
There was an attempt to show that
Mr.: Getchelliwas jealous..of Trask. Eliza
Williams, Mr.. Getchell's aunt, had testi-
fed that Mrs Getchell had said ''Henry
is jealous of Trask'' Another witness
had testified to similar remark by Mrs
Getchell. Mrs. Getchell was also rep
resented as having said of her husband:
What in thunder do. I..care for him?''
Should these things be allowed to weigh
against the great abundance of testi-
mony, given by the government witnesses
themselves, to show happy relations be-
tween Mrs. Getchell and her husband
There might have been little jars when
Getchell came home drunk; but those
We're to be expected.
One day neighbor called when Henry
was drunk Mrs Getchell, who suffered
from hemmorhages was washing and feel
ing miserable. She said co the neighbor,
II cannot stand this, what shall l do?''
This was seized upon as threat against
her husband.
Mrs. Getchell had been shown to have
directed the postmaster not to deliver her
letters to her husband. Mr.. Heath said
that this was explained by the fact that
Mrs Getchell had dry goods bill and
also the liability for the harness, which
she wished to wipe out without the
knowledge of her husband.