The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-13
BUILDING DEFENCE
|NALFREO MAHAN
MURDER TRIAL
Much Testimony in Relation to
Family History
DR.. J. B. Woodruff ON STAND
Questioned at Length in Relation to
Epilepsy Of Daniel Mahan and
Insanity.

The trial of Alfred Mahan for the
murder of his little niece at North
Bennington last April was resumed In
county court at o'clock this morning.
Mark Sutton. the aged Juror from
Searsburg, who has not been in the
best of health since the first week Of
the trial, kept to his bed larger por-
ton of the time Sunday and stated
this morning that he was ready to go
! on with the trial. He is still weak
and coughs frequently.
The insanity defence continually de.
vetOps new points and reveals to the
respondents attorney new witnesses
whose testimony assists In building,
the structure of hereditary mental af-
| fiction OF the alleged murderer.
The attendance at this morning ses-
sion was much lighter than usual and
there were only few women in the
gallery.
Miss Florence Mosher of North
| Bennington was recalled this morning
| and testified that about year ago she
had planned with Stuart Hall to take
the latters horse and drive about two
miles to visit some of her SUNDAY
school children, but Hall was not able
| to go and Alfred Mahan went along as
| driver. The horse had been in the
Mahan family for II years.
Harry S. Phillips of North Benning-
| ton testified that he had lived all his
| life on the street that leads to the Ma
| han house and that he had known Al
| fred Mahan since he was little boy.
He knew that Alfred could not have
been more than three or four years
old when he bagan to use tobacco.
! The witness, who is the bookkeeper
at the II. +. Cushman shop testified
that Alfred received Sl.25 day. He
did not consider the respondent up to
| the average in intelligence.
The deposition of Adelaide Worth
| ington testified that she had known
| Mrs. Seth Lawrence about 20 years
and that she had worked with her in
the Stark paper mill. Mrs. Lawrence
| had fainting spells when anything
frightened her, during which she
would become unconscious for from 10
to Is minutes. The attacks were at
| first about once a month but later they
became more frequent. While uncon-
scious a bloody discharge would flow
| from the mouth.
| Cross-eXamined by the states attor-
! ney, the witness testified that the fits
were Frequently caused by fright but
| not always. She would bite her ton
| que while unconscious.
DIR. J. b. Woodruff of North Ben
nington testified that he had practiced
| in that village for 90 years and that he
| treated Daniel Mahan In 1896 and had
! seen him occasionally since. but never
discovered any injury that might have
occasioned the fits. The witness had
seen Mrs. Seth Lawrence at the time
of hysterical attack but did not
closely observe her condition.
The witness had known William p
Mattson of South SALISBURY since
1884 up to the time of his death, knew
that he was insane and that in his
opinion the trouble that lead up to
the insanity was inherited. The
brother, Fred l.. Mattison, was similar
| ly afflicted.
Cross-examined by the attorney
general, the witness testified that viii
liam P. Mattison was afflicted with
hardening of the arteries and that this
was the cause of his insanity; the
hardening of the arteries was heredi
! tary.
The physicians treatment Of Danie
Mahan was not for epilepsy but for in
festival trouble and that he did not
know that the young man was afflicted
with that trouble before the illness.
Questioned by Mr.. Barber the wit
ness testified that there was greater
tendency to epilepsy in highly nervous
families, and that in Daniel Mahant
case, in his opinion, there was a pre-
disposition or inpented cause.
In the cases of William p. Mattisor
and Fred Madison there were symp
toms similar to epilepsy.
Martin Shanahan of North Benning
ton testified that he had worked fol
William ]. Hurley for 10 years, tina
Alfred Mahan worked there severa
winters. He had observed ALFRED
talking to himself and making motions
with his hands. Alfred worked IN thu
ice house packing ice with anothel
man. His memory was not good ant
he would not do as told him unles'
another man were at work with him
The witness considered Alfred below
the average man in intelligence.
Daniel Mccarthy of North Bennfne
ton testified that he did some masol
work at the jennings farm about fou
years ago and that Alfred was a ten
der. Mccarthy sometimes told A
fred to do things which he forgot an,
came back and asked questions. A
! fred was hard to teach, had har
time teaching him to mix mortar. Tn