The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-14
END OF THE MAHAN
MURDER TRIAL is
NOW IN SIGHT
Expert Testimony Begins This
Afternoon
REBUTTAL NEARLY FINISHED
State Attempts to lmpsaeh Testimony
Of Florence Moshsr and Christie.
phsr Frsutrieh.
REBUTTAL NEARLY FINISHED

The end Of the trial of Alfred Mahan
charged with the murder of his little
niece at North Bennington last April,
is apparently approaching. When court
adjourned this noon the rebuttal tes-
timony of the state was nearly com.
pleted and 1t Is probable that some of
the expert testimony will be put In
this afternoon.
DR.. David A. Shires, the specialist
from Montreal, arrived In town yes
| terday afternoon as did also DR.. w. ].
Upton of st. Adams, assistant at the
state asylum for the insane at Water.
bury. Three attendants at this in
stitution where the respondent was un.
der observation for some months, are
| also here as witnesses.
Judging from the outlook today the
case ought to go to the jury some time
| on Thursday; 1t may do SO at an earl
| Ter date.
George Elwell testified that he re-
sided near the Mahan house ard that
he had seen Alfred driving one of the
| Jennings teams at work on the farm
| and the lawn. He had walked to and
from the village with Alfred, but
never found him much of a talker.
Alfred had come to his place for a
horse rake or tredder and had hitched
and unhitched the horse The witness
had never seen anything in Alfred
that was not all right mentally.
| Cross-examination by Mr.. Barber,
the witness testified that he had seen
i A lfrpd NJ N T1,> v.i, 90
but could not say whether Mr.. Freu-
trich was with him every time or not
The witness had also seen Alfred on
Sundays on the old North Bennington
race track.
F. ID. Ranney testified that he lived
In North Bennington for Is years and
had frequently seen Alfred Mahan 60
ing to and from work He had seen
Alfred driving with his grandmother
and brother. Danielt In the judgment
of the witness the respondent was
sane.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Holden the
witness testified that the horse Alfred
drove was an old horse and that he
had never seen the respondent with
livery horses. Had the witness
| NuONh tidl ttit ltoIDnutnl tdihtu "
himself. swing in the hammock in all
kinds of weather his opinion would
have been affected
Alfred Hunt, brother-in-law of Ger
man Mahan, testified that he had seen
the respondent in the village during
the evening, at the Jones store and at
his brothers house; had seen him
driving alone and with other persons.
Witness had also seen the respondent
when he appeared to have been drink
ing. He considered the respondent
sane
| Cross-examined by Mr. Healy the
witness testified that@ he had been
married five years and that previous
to that time he had never been In the
Mahan house. At the times when the
witness ate at the Mahan house AL.
fred did not appear at the table. He
also left the house when strangers
came in. The witness would pot say
that he had seen Alfred intoxicated,
but when he had been drinking.
John belong testified that he had
lived near the Mahan house and knew
the respondent, having seen him
nights and mornings at work about the
place. He did the work we'll Wit.
ness had never talked with the re.
spondent very much. Alfred and the
witness son used to 60 away from
home together Sundays. The wit.
ness did not think the respondent was
insane.
| Cross-examined by Mr.. Barber the
witness testified that his house was
l al o. Mods distant frnvy, the ~
house and at that distance he could
not tell whether Alfred did his work
well or not and had never thought
much about it. Had the witness
known that Alfred talked to himself,
made gestures and looked over his
shoulder when walking 1t would have
made no difference with his opinion as
to the respondents sanity.
James Powers had lived at North
Bennington for IL years and had been
employed by Mr.. Jennings as coach.
man. Alfred Mahan had helped the
witness take of storm windows. From
what he saw of Alfred he never
thought the respondent was insane.
Ernest belong, son of John belong
had known Alfred Mahan before he
moved into the Mahan neighborhoOd
He had seen Alfred hitch and un
hitch Stuart Halls horse and take
Miss Mosher and his grandmother te
ride. He had also seen Alfred driv
ing alone. He had walked to the vii
lage with Alfred in the evening. He
went to Troy with Alfred two years
ago in August and remained from Sat
urday night to Sunday night. Alfred
paid his share of the bills. He hat
! attended shows in Bennington with
Alfred at the opera house. He would