The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1905-04-19
SHERIFF. MURDER TRIAL,

e
Columbia, farmer; George Fl. An.
d1ews, Mansfield, farmer; Burt T.
Eaton, Stafford, lumber dealer; Will
liam O. Eldredge, South Wilmington,
farmer; William r. Preble, Stafford,
farmer; Francis Pinney, Ellington,
farmer; Josiah g. Sparks, Willing
ton, farmer; Joseph B. Ward, Toll
land, farmer; Clarence H. Savage,
Mansfield, farmer; r. E. Webster,
Union, farmer; Frederick M. Chad
wick, Mansfield, farmer; Ransom H.
Carpenter, Bolton, plumber. The
state called as their first witness City
Engineer John T. Mcknight of Rock
Vile. He presented plans of the
village of Somersville and the in
terror of the Kulas house. Shanis-
law Kulas, the husband of the MUIR
dered woman, was the next witness
He told of Frank Sherrie having
boarded with him for a month, and
left few days before the murder.
He told of returning home after 5
O'Clock on the day of the tragedy and
found the front door fastened. He
heard the children crying in the house
and went to a rear door and entered
the house. He found his wife's
body on the floor by the sink. Her
hair was disheveled and her face was
covered with blood. The Oldest child
was in the cradle, and the youngest
child in his bed with pillow over
it. He ran out and gave the alarm.
Some of the men from the mill came
in. He remained with Lafayette
Keeney in the house until DR.. Hurd
of Somersville arrived. There was a
lot of blood on the floor near the sink.
A towel was twisted around the wom-
ans neck. He noticed that the trunk
in his room and trunks and bureaus
in rooms upstairs had been ransacked.
TIE witness was shown pieces of rib
bon, which he said one of the chill
dren wore on the first Sunday in Jan
uary, five days before the murder.
Witness identified a handkerchief
SHOWN him as belonging to his wife.
He identified a coat and vest as one
Frank Sherrie had worn when he
boarded with him. When Sherrie
boarded with him he had been al
lowed to go anywhere in the house,
and was familiar with all of the
rooms. He identified hammer which
the state police had taken possession
of. The hammer was discovered un-
der a mattress on one of the beds
few days after the murder. Sherrie
appeared extremely nervous at this
point, his complexion assumed red
dish tinge and he watched proceedings
most intently. Attorney Scharton
was cross examining the witness when
the court adjourned for that day. The
articles Identified by Kulas, with the
exception of the hammer, we're found
in the possession of Sherrie after his
arrest.
On Thursday the court opened with
the cross examination of Kulas. It
indicated what the defenss was to be,
as the questions of Attorney Scharton
were directed toward showing that
Kulas last saw his wife alive and
first found her dead, and that he had
an opportunity to commit the deed.
Kulas did not bear the examination
particularly we'll, and explained the
difference in his testimony at the cor
oner's inquest and at the trial by say
ing that he did not understand the
interpreter at the inquest. Coroner
L. 7. Tingier was the next witness.
He told of finding the body of the
woman on the floor, and of it's being
examined by DR.. Hurd. He did not
think the wounds could have been
self-inf1icted. Kulas did not stay in
the room all of the time, but came
in every few minutes, showing much
grief and appeared to be in a dazed
condition. Merrill s. Louks of the
state police described the search for
Sherrie in the Polish quarter of Hart
ford, and of finding him at night at
was dressed, with the exception of
his coat, having felt boots on. There
was peculiar light in his eye when
the officer told him what he was
wanted for. Later Mr.. Louks got
grip at Sherrie's boarding place in
Hartford, which Sherrie identified as
his own. In it was found a woman's
small gold watch and long chain,
and silver watch. The witness
identified these in court. He said he
examined the Kulas house few days
after the crime, and found a hammer
in the kitchen. Witness produced
the hammer, which Kulas had said
he found in bed upstairs, and then
left in the kitchen. During cross
examination Louks, in speaking of
his search for Sherrie, said that he
hunted up Sam Boyko, who lives at
No. 13 Front street, Hartford, where
Boyko, in concert with a half dozen
others, identified the photograph
shown by the officer as that of Sher-
rie. They all recognized it instantly.
Boyoko, upon gazing upon the pic
ture, said: "He kill woman. -
Boyko said he could tell where Sher-
rie was located, and the officer, on
pretext of wanting to employ sherrie,
was directed to the boarding house at
No. As Front street. Michael L.
Joyce of the state police was the next
witness. He told of assisting in
searching ssherrie sat Thompsonville,
after his arrest. He identified q purse,
with $11O in money in it, and one