The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1911-12-01
WIDOW DESCRIBES SCENE WHEN
HUSBAND WAS SHOT DOWN
Mrs. CederOf Is Overcome on Witness stand,
While Wife OF Prisoner Sobs During
the Gloomy Recital.
lFfom wcdncsday'a Advoriisor.l

nounccu IN Nhc leuciaA NVhAhVum 9pn-
terdny. stlled that each Of those pres
emit might catch each syllable from n
woman dressed In deepest mourning,
who stood on the witness stand in the
Cederlof murder trial, just four short
words by woman who had nerved her
salt TO face the ordeal of telling in pub
lie of the murder Of her helpmeet OF
eight years, but words sufficient, may
be, to send man TO the gallows or to
Imprisonment for life.
eThen--he shot-him,' those words
will ring in the ears of jurymen and
spectators alike for many a day, pro-
nounced distinctly and without quav-
or by Mrs Cederlof, with two slight
pauses in the delivery. Almost immed-
lately afterwards she broke down, an
swering the questions that followed in
a voice husky with emotion. Mrs.
McMahon, wife of the alleged murder
er, sitting beside him, had her handker-
chief to her eyes and was sobbing con-
vnlsively, while two other women, who
had come in from Leilehua to be pres
emit at the trial, were affected in les
ser manner
Point by point had District Attorney
Breekons led up through other witnesses
TO the fatal shooting at the Cederlof
home on September %. Yesterday the
main witness, the widow, was put on
the stand, the only human being who
can tell as an eyewitness Of those
events which in the space of a few
ticks of watch sufficed to snuff out
forever the breath of life from Alex
ander N. Cederlof.
Mrs. Cederlof was the star witness
for the prosecution and upon her testi-
~
the fate of Sergeant Mcmahon, who is
now being tried for his life, the cross
examination starting this morning.
Mrs. CederlOf came to court accom-
panied by her sister, Mrs. Petersen,
and her brother, John Jones, but these
left her at the door and she was con-
Quoted nearly to the witness stand by
Deputy United States Marshal David
Sherwood. She was dressed in deepest
black and seemed hardly able to walk
to the stand.
Morning Session.
Charles Hoag, William K. Sixsmith,
Mrs. Bertha Feiereisel and Henry Love
Joy were called within the first hour of
the morning session but nothing of par.
ticular Importance was learned from
their testimony as they told of the de,
tails of the crime and the general con
ditions at Schofeld.
Hoag was on the stand when court
adjourned Monday afternoon, the ques
tion of whether he was the cause OF
trouble between Cederlof and his wife
and for this reason did not hurry to the
scene for fear of trouble for himself
being considered as to it's admissible
ity by the court.
When court opened in the morning
however, Attorney Andrews stated tina
he did not care to go into the matte
further, and so it was dropped, one o
two other questions being put to til
witness on the ross-examination.
Sixsmith was the man who helped
Sergeant Giant take Mcmahon to tn
guardhouse, and on the way the pris
oner asked him to roll a cigarette. IL
had seen Mcmahon earlier in the CIV
enlng when he was at his (Sixsmith Is
gymnasium. At that time he had toll
of a fight with a Hawaiian at the mil
itia camp, aud raising his arm to illus
trate a point, witness saw that he hal
gun.
When he heard the shots and screar
he started for Cederlof's house, and a
he reached the gate a sergeant iumpe
ever the fence after McMahon an
threw him to the ground, he helping (
disarm him, although the sergeant GO
the gun.
Mrs. Feiereisel was then called an
she told of being in at the time Sci
geant Giant took the gun away fror
McMahon. She saw Mrs. McMaho
struggling with her husband and call
ing for help and took her away from he
husband when they were all strugglin
on the ground together, Mrs. McMaho
saying, MY poor husband"
Henry Loveioy, sentry, told of bein
on guard when Mcmahon asked to o
to the toilet after his arrest and star
ed with him. McMahon tried to ru,
away and after twice calling him L
halt, he fred in the air two times am
then fred at Mcmahon, who fell to tn
ground. When he came up McMaho,
said, :" You got me all right"
Told Of Conversation.
After a short recess, Chief of Detec
Ives MeDnfie was called to the stan
Tor the second time and told of n co,
versation held with Mcmahon while i
was bringing him in from Leilehua O
September 2s.
Andrews objected several times du
ing the testimony and the question
were asked in a different form. Nj
Dnftie testified that he had asked M
MahOn If he was full when the erin
was committed to which he replie
s'Yes, that is what booze win do. y nj
Mahon asked him II he would have
serve his time In Hawaii or In Il
states. That was all the eonversatio
he had with the prisoner as he was 81
ting on the front seat of the maehin
lie might have talked with Deput
sheTit Cox who was on the same sei
with him in the machine. Witness d,
taken no notes of the eonversatio
and what he said was as he Temei
bered H.
Revolver IA Evidence.
With the openlag Of the afiernoI
seasion, eonn having adjourned shol
- before twelve, after aalting I
more thnR hulf an hour FOR Mrs. a
eflnf 20 pm IN On appearance. III
tenant haTnafd was agaia ealled
the stand