The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1907-04-29
Worst Crime Ever Committed I'm This Part
of hesitate Shocks the Town.
he the -Four Year Old Daughter Mahn Of North BENNINGTON mnaI
Assaulted and Her Throat CUT Her Uncle Alfred Mahan Jail Under
Suspicion. Razor Found

Lying on the bed In a darkene,
room at North Bennington Is the bod
OF little Ethel Mahsn, daughter OF NJ
ADD Mrs German Mahap. Across In
small white thro,t and extending frou
ear 10 ear Is straight, clean cut sew
ering both jugular vein aud wind pipe
No arrangements have been made fol
the funeral or burial, for the child hal
been murdered and the coming of 4
specialist from the state laboratory a
burlington Is awaited 10 delmmlp,
whether or not q double crime ba,
been committed.
In . cell ut the county jSIl here 1,
Alfred Mahan, y years OF age and AZ
uncle OF the murdered child. He va.
The last person TO see her alive ant
upon the sleeves OF his shirt are damn
Ing stains that may send him 10 III.
gsilows or the asylum for II Is hard 70
comprehend how such an atrocI,,
could have been committed by a san,
human being.
The child's body was found about l
o'clock last evening by Alfred Hunt
. brother-ln-law OF the little one,
father. IL was lying on lie face In 4
small gravel pIt that was made some
years ago when the race track AZ No
Bennington was constructed. The bod,
uas rigid and cold when found show.
log that the crimo had been committed
some time previous. The undetclo,h
Ing was disarranged indicating tina,
murder Ia not oil that the perpetrato
OF The deed may have charged agalns
him.
The horrible story as told by the II,
tie giris father TO q Banner reporte
this morning IL one OF the wors, ia IN,
history Of Vermont Together viii
his orother'in-law, Alfred Hunt. h,
sent early In The day 10 tina, section O
Lake Paran known a. "Tke Neck" I,
hsh for suckers.
The locality Is not over ten minute
walk from bis home on Mechanic stree,
About . O'Clock In the afternoon Will
they we're walking up and down In
railroad track In The rock cut NJ M
head of The pond, they observed Alfre,
Mahan on bis way across lots 10 nj
home on The same street but nearer 4
The pond than that OF German Mahan
Being hungry and wishing 70 eon,ll
Ne fishing they called 10 hin, 10 90 I,
Germans house and get them som
thing 70 eat This he agreed 10 do an
went over the bin out Of sight
When Alfred arrived At the hous
and stated bis errand TO Mrs Mahsu
The little girl who would have been fou
years old The 18Th OF next month, be
ged 10 10 back with him 10 the pond
To this Mrs Mahan assenled and N
man and The child returned together 3
The fishermen on the shore Of the pond
ihey remained there but a few minute
When the father told the child that Al
had better 20 homo and she and he
uncle climbed the bank OF the cut On
went eat OF sight
mahan and Hunt remained nj N
pond until nearly I o'clock as they r,
membered the circumstances. Who
they arrived homo the father naturall
Inquired for the child. Mrs Mahon r,
piled that she had not returned m
mat she had supposed Ethel was wi,
him. a search was ut once INSTITUTED
The child was u general fayorll
along the street and every person whe
told OF her dlsappearsrce at ono
turned out TO assis, 10 looking for hol
IL was growing dark and some OF N
searchers, Hunt among them. provide
themselves with lanterns. Sever,
took 10 the railroad track and wor
was sent 70 the station 10 flag an
train that might come over the roa
and perhaps strike the child where Al
had fallen asleep.
IL was nearly 8 o'clock when Hun
almost stumbled over tie body lylp
10 The little gravel pit Thinking ,hr
The child had become exhausted an
had fallen asleep bespoke 10 her b,
receiving no answer he stopped an
! picked her up.
The Instant that his hands touche
the body he knew that she vas dea,
He turned the body on IL face, "a