The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-02


the crime itself with all of its shocking
details brought into the court room.
To be sure every spectator who has
been present knows of the charge that
hangs over the thin-faced young man
who sits with bowed head just inside
the railing, but as the days have gone
by with only incidental references to
the actual deed that is alleged to have
happened under the large Eastwood
tree overlooking Lake Paran an ele-
ment of monotony had found its way
into the proceedings. From the open
ing OF the afternoon session the testi-
mony of each witness, as viewed from
the surface appeared to have less bear
ing upon the case than that of the pre-
decessor. The change was like the
SHIFT OF scenes on a stage From the
story OF woman about a strange man
who called at her house court and
spectators turned to listen to the hard.
horrible variations OF the physicians
whose profession brought them In con-
tact with the tragedy, DR.. ID. A. Gleas-
on of North Bennington and DR.. B. II.
Stone, pathologist in charge of the
state laboratory of hygiene at Bur-
| lington.
Dr. Gleason testified that he was
called to the house of Thomas Mahan
about S:15 O'Clock on the night of
April Is and found the body of Ethel
Mahan lying on bed and covered
with a blanket He turned back the
blanket so as to uncover the body and
| observed that there was a cash across
the throat and that the childs drawers
had been pulled down between the
knees and the shoes. He recovered
the body, leaving 1t as he found it and
departed from the house. Later he
| returned at the request of the states
| attorney together with Sheriff Godfrey
| and Deputy Nash, and made an exam
| nation of the child's body to ascertain
whether or not an assault had been
attempted. He found no evidence of
this kind.
There were smears of blood on the
thighs looking like the work of bloody
hands. the drawers were quite bloody
and three buttons had been torn out.
A button was also gone from the I'M
derwaist. He noticed no other injury
than the cut in the neck which was
apparently made by one stroke of a
sharp instrument The cut severed
the carotid artery and the windpipe.
The cut did not extend quite from ear
to ear.
| In reply to a question by the attor.
ney general the witness expressed the
opinion that the child could have made
no cutlery other than a slight gurgle
and that she must have died in from
TWO TO hve minutes. Death, he should
say was from hemorrhage. He left
the body as he found 1t but saw il
again the next day
Dr. Gleason testified that he took
part in the autopsy performed on Tues
day and produced photograph of the
enid taken at that time by North
bennington photographer. The cloth
ing was found saturated with blood
there was blood on the face and hail
and other parts of the body. On the
left thigh there was bruise and a
scratch, the latter about two inches
long and OF such superficial nature
that 1t could not have bled to any
great extent.
He saw Alfred Mahan for the frs,
time that night with the states attor
ney but had no talk with him at the
time. Later he was summoned to Con
stable Hurley's Office to make an exam
nation of Mahan and stranger who
had been arrested. On the back Of
Mahan's right hand he found spot
WHICH looked like blood and which he
scraOed off and yava IN tho Stata,s a.
torney The states attorney asked
Mahan where the blood came from
and the. reply was from cut hand
The witness found no cut Mahan'.
coat was removed and on the RICH
sleeve was found a smear resemblins
blood and also on both wristbands q
the shirt. Mahan was asked wher,
the blood came from and he replied
that he didn't know. On the front o
the shirt was a spot which looked lik,
blood and which the witness scrapet
OF and gave to the states attorney il
paper.
The witness remained with IN,
states attorney and the officers unit
they went to the North Bennington
station to take train for Bennine
ton. At the station he approache,
Mahan and said, alfred, tell the trutl
and everything will be all right"
Asked If he thought Mahan had beef
, drinking the witness replied that h
smelled liquor on him. He also test!
fed that his hands looked as .thoug
they had been recently washed.
! DR.. B. Fl. Stone testified that he wa