The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-07
ILLNESS Or JUROR
SUTTON HALTS
MAHAN TRIAL
Is Confined to His Bed at Put
nam House
CONDITION IS NOT SERIOUS
May BE Able to Attend Short Session
Tomorow-Wsak ssesuse Of
Grip.
IS NOT SERIOUS

There was no session in the Alfred
Mahan murder trial TODAY. This
morning Mark Sutton, the aged Juror
from Searsburg was too III to leave
MS bed at the Putnam house.
Mr.. Sutton's health has been a mat.
ter OF considerable anxiety to the
court ofncials ever since the first Sun.
DAY after the trial began. He was I'M
ali that day but came into court the
Following Monday afternoon and in
reply to the questions of Judge Haz.
eiton said that he was able to 20 ON
with the trial. He has apparently
been In fair health since until this
morning.
At 10 o'clock this morning Sutton
was visited by DR.. E. e. Potter who
SAID that the aged juror was suffering
from the effects Of the attack of grin
over a week ago. that he was weak
and In no condition to do anything to-
day but in the physicians opinion n
Kept quiet today he would be able to
attend a short session of court to-
morrow.
AT yesterday afternoons session
William Tompkins. who first became
acquainted with Mrs. Seth Lawrence
In 1868 and who had since been a fire..
quent visitor at the home of Thomas
Mahan, testified that Mrs. Lawrence
was aifiicted with hysteria. He had
seen her in many of these sudden ar.
JACKS or illness In which she would be-
come unconscious and would apparent.
~ have no knowledge of what had
transpired. The witness had known
aired Mahan since he was a child and
did not consider him as bright as
other children. He had habit. when
walking, of turning his head and star.
ing INTO vacancy with no apparent rea-
son. Alfred was frequent visitor at
the house of the witness, but never
sat down in the house and. had very
little to say.
me opening question in Mr.. Fits
cross-examination made it necessary
Tor Deputy Sheriff Nash to call the
audience to order. Mr.. Thompkins
mad testified in his direct examination
that Mrs. Seth Lawrence experienced
an attack of hysteria the first time he
ever saw her. Mr.. Fits first question
was, Mrs. Lawrence had one of these
attacks the first time she saw YOU"
Everybody In the room smiled audibly.
Dr. ID. A. Gleason of North Rem
nington, who has treated the Mahan
family professionally at times. testi.
ned that Mrs. Lawrence at the time of
her death had the mind of a child, a
mental condition in his opinion pro-
duced by hysteria. In answer to a
question relative to the mental capaci-
~ or the respondent he said that he
ala not consider Alfred Mahan's mind
superior to that of his five-year-old
daughter. The witness had examined
Daniel Mahan, the brother of the re-
spondent who died recently in the
state retreat at Brattleboro, and had
found no injury that could in any way
have been responsible for the mental
difficulty. He found no evidence of
muscular paralysis.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Fits he
testified that he had treated different
members of the Mahan family and
that Alfred had called at his Office for
treatment.
Miss Eva lockwood, who formerly
taught school in North Bennington,
testified that the respondent came to
her room when he was about five
years Of age and remained there un-
til about IL. He was never able to
read beyond the first reader and
never learned to write sufficiently
TO put his thoughts on paper, but could
write his name. She knew that he
had tobacco with him when he first
came to school.
Cross-examined by Mr. Fits the
witness testified that Daniel Mahan
was also pupil with her for some
time, but left because of illness. She
did not remember seeing him but
twice after he left school when he was
very much changed.