The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-04
WHAT WAS MENTAL
CONDITION OF
ALFRED MAHAN
Acquaintance Of Respondent
Called as Witness
COURT ADJOURNS TO MONDAY
Trial viii at Least Require Another
Week and Officials Say is Likely
to Last Even Longer.


fore noon today the trial of Alfred Ma
han for the murder of little Ethel
Mahan at North Bennington the last
Sunday in April had been in progress
since December 26 and in the opinion
of the offers of the court more than
another week will be consumed before
the case goes to the jury.
1t has been a remarkable trial in
some respects. The prisoner, who is
a slight built young man of "a years
of age, has been conducted back and
forth from the Jail at the beginning
and close of eacn session. At some
periods of the trial he has wept and
sobbed in broken-hearted manner,
particularly during the first two days,
when the bloody clothing was exhibit
ed in court as the apparel of the MUIR
dered child and when Municipal Judge
Bates read in court the confession,
which he testified was made in the
county Jail OH the day following the
tragedy, but in all the nine days the
prisoner has sat hour after hour just
has never been seen TO exchange
word with any one. Apparently he is
enduring remarkably well strain
that would rack the nerves of many
persons.
During the afternoon session the
gallery has been filled with women.
Some of them from North Bennington
have been in the habit OF bringing
their lunches with them in the morn
ing and remaining throughout the day,
Some mothers who could not leave
their children at home have brought
the little ones with them and allowed
them to go to sleep upon the hard
seats
The first witness put on the stand by
the defence was Mrs. Stuart Hall, the
sister of the respondent, and the oldest
child in the family of Thomas Mahan,
who testified that Alfred was
strange child, that he was afraid of
the dark, that he would not 20 to bed
without a light in the hall. that he was
afflicted with dizzy spells for a period
of about two years previous to the
tragedy. that the only game of cards
he attempted was finch and he was
unable to master the details. Alfred
had a shop at home in which he
worked on different things but always
made mistakes on his measurements.
He was unable to count money beyond
two dollars and had peculiar habit of
swinging in hammocks and swings re-
CARELESS of the weather. She thought
his mind was unbalanced on the 2Sth
of April She saw Alfred in Jail about
week after the crime and he said he
didn't just remember why he was
there.
On cross-examination by Mr. Fits
the witness was asked If she did not
make an AFFIDAVIT to the states at
torney that she did not consider AL
fred insane, but the witness was UNI
certain as to her testimony at that
time.
Mrs. Hall was on the stand at the
time court adjourned for the day and
was recalled for cross examination
this morning.
Cornelius Bromley a neighbor, re-
membered that Seth Lawrence, the
prisoners grandfather was hard
drinker. He testified that Alfred was
unable to carry on an extended cOnver'
sation and appeared to desire to be
alone, that he was odd, kept his head
down, was melancholy and not a
cheerful boy. He used tobacco freely.
The respondent worked with the wit
ness in the Stark paper mill where 1t
was observed that he was unable to
weigh goods or measure water in a
tank. The respondent was kind to chill.
dren and was not lazy He had a
habit of talking to himself and would
leave his job and be found wandering
about in the lower part of the mill
He was timid and afraid of strangers
If he were at the witness house and a
stranger came in Alfred would slide
out. He did not use vulgar language
and was not quarrelsome. In the opin
ion of the witness the young man was
crazy. oss-examined the witness
stated that he was friend of the Ma
han family
William Kipp saw Alfred in the
| cemetery on the day of the crime. He
was standing near a grave and was
crying.
Mrs. Martha Kipp was with hel
| husband in the cemetery and re
membered seeing Alfred crying at the
| grave.
Lorenzo Brown testified that ALFRED
used tobacco in large quantities, tina
he had habit of swinging in all kind
of weather and that he was in thu
swing much of the time when no
working. He was not sociable during
the few months proceeding tn
tragedy; he didn't come to the hous'
as formerly and appeared detected a
! times. He was kind to his brothe