The Portland daily press., 1897-03-12
GAVE M'NALLY bad NAME.
Damaging Testimony Against Som.
erSet Sheriff.
PUT In BY DEFENSE IN KENNEBEC
JOURNAL LIBEL SUIT.

Foster Nelson's Wife Tells Particularly
Sensational Stories Regarding tho
Plaintiff-Fexcroft Agent of Associated
Press swears That 1IcNally Was Intox-
icated While In That Town.
Augusta, March 1.-THE second day
of the libel suit of George X. McNally
against the Kennebeo Journal. attracted
a great deal Of attention and the court
room was we'll filled.
Jennie Nelson. wife of Foster Nelson,
testified that A1oNally had been ire
quent visitor at her home and had been
there Intoxicated. At one visit he was
40 drunk that he laid on the floor. He
had arrested her husband several times
ana had also arrested his brother Wal
lace Nelson. He came there once and
spent a greater part of the night with
a widow living In the neigh borhood.
Cecil Hooke Of Foxoroft. agent of the
Associated Press for Piscataquis county
said he interviewed Foster Nelson at
the lookup in Dover. Nelson stated that
McNally took him out behind the
barn at Clinton Oh October 16 and per-
mitted him to escape for consideration
of $5. He sent a dispatch stating this
fact to the Associated Press. He did not
know any of the proprietors Of the Ken
nsbec Journal at that time. He saw Nc
Nally in Foxoroft Square on the same
night He had been drinking. He got
an interview with him and sent 1t to the
Bangor Commercial. He had no malice
against McNally.
Henry B. Flint, clerk of courts for
Piscataquis county, testified that he was
present and heard Hooke's interview
with Foster Nelson.
G.. @. Nichols, form erls deputy sher-
iff of Piscataquis county stated that on
Novem ber last. he arrested Nelson and
brought him to Dover and was present at
the interview of Hooke with him. Nc
Nally arrived there that day and went
with him to the lookup. MoNally said !:
Chow are you Nelsons" and Nelson rays !:
"Don't want anything to do with you,
don't want to ralk with you" He also
said: "You want another s5, don't you,
Cd d-n your You would send man
down east for So
McNally made no particular observa-
tion to that. Didn't remember just the
words, but witness thought he said: -
wouldn't talk so, Foster" or something
of that kind. There was more talk made
in the same line. From his breath
Judged McNally had been drinking, but
he was not Intoxicated.
J. Fl. McCone testified to the truth Of
the facts published in his articles on the
Nelson case and the circumstances at
tending them.
John P. Billings, Elbridge G. Hodg-
don, Ruel w. Gerald, John n. Jewell
E. q Gerald and Alton Richardson tss-
titled that McNally's general reputation
in the community in which he lived, as
a man of moral worth, was bad.
g. B. Burleigh testified to McCone's
connection with the paper and the man.
ner in which his Nelson articles were
handled. Had never seen OF heard of
McNally at the time the Nelson articles
were published.
Edwin G. Burleigh and Charles f.
Flynt testified that they had no malice
against McNally.
Eli Bickford of Burnham testified that
he had heard Nelson several years ago
threaten to get even with MoNally SONS
day.
William Cooper of Clinton testified that
he was helping Nelson thresh about
week before the arrest, and when he paid
witness S1.25 for his work he had to bor
row it of his father, Moses Nelson, who
was present
Fred Brown testified that about two
years ago, Nelson threatened to squeeze"
McNally.
Herbert Nelson, second cousin to
Foster Nelson, testified that he saw him
the next day after his escape, on his
premises. Nelson then said that he
knocked McNally over and got away.
VIM. H. Kelley testified that he was
present serving sentence in Kennebeo