The Hawaiian gazette., 1911-12-01
STICKS TO HER
TRAGEDY STORY
Testimony Of Mrs. cedsldoi Is
az mistaken hIcMahon's
Strange Note.

(Efom Thuraday'u AdVcruecr)
Two women, former friends, sat In
aho federal court yesterday during che
triAl OF Sergeant Mcmahon for tho nur'
der OF A. N. Ccdorlof, and were tho
eyhoaBre OF nii eyes. One was Mrs.
Cedorlof, who had testified to the shoot
: ing Of her husband by MeMahon, and
the other was Mrs. Mcmahon, whose
husbands life was being sworn away
By her friend. 4
For she greater part Of the court
-,urinn Yesterday morning Mrs. Ceder-
M vaa on tho witness stand dnd under
cross-examination by Attorney Lorrin
Andrews for the defense. He tried in
vain 60 shake her testimony of Tuesday,
in which sho had detailed the facts
of this shooting and subsequent mel
dents. ~
Producing evidence to the effect that
AR. and Mrs. CcderlOf had quarreled
ON June 4 last, when blows were ex-
changed and Mrs Cederlof had come
TO Honolulu from Leilehua to consult
an attorney in regard to q divorce.
In this connection Attorney Andrews
submitted letter written by Cederlot
70 his wife in which he reviewed the
causes Of their quarrel and apologized,
saving there was no reason why they
should not live happily together. Il
was manly letter and resulted, ac-
eording TO the widow, in complete
reconciliation.
FUs Violent Temper.
This letter was introduced to prove
rr a ftf FEM
Der and that Mcmahon had some rea-
aon to fear for his life when he went
60 the Cederlof home that fateful even
ing of September %. Mrs Cederlof,
however, stated that her husband was
not man of bad temper, that he did
not have a revolver in the house and
that since their reconciliation they, had
lived happily together. 5..
During the efosssexaniination Of the
z witness, Curing which Attorney An
!. drsws made her golover again the story
. of the shooting, the witness almost
broke down, while Mrs. McMRhon, sit
sing nearby and beside her husband,
sobbed 'cenvulsively. Judge Clemens
announced recess for n short time,
while the women recovered from their
emotion, and took occasion to greet
Judge 8. B. Dole, who visited the new
:, eourtrooms. r.A lty ia it..s L.,
The most important bit of evidence
introduced in the. trial yesterday was
q note written by McMahOn, apparent
iy Just before he started to visit the
Cederlof home, and which indicates
strongly that he contemplated killing
someone and then committing suicide.
In this note, which was signed by Nc
Mahou and left on the table in his quar-
Sera, the sergeant wrote:
A Remarkable Note.
Forgive me- for what l have done.
i hate to take my life for niger.
MY wife likes Cederlof better than she
does me.i
Captain Pruden, commanding Nc
Mahon % old company was placed on
tho stand and testified that he was
some distance from the scene of the
shooting, but heard the two shots
which were fred by Mcmahon. He hur-
ried to the scene and later made an
investigation of the sergeant Is quarters
and there found the note written by
MsMahpn. It was written on a pad
and the leaf had not been torn of.
The identity of the note in regard to
the handwriting was established by the
testimony of the captain who stated
that McMahon had been his quarter
n1aster-sergeant and he was familiar
with his handwriting, and that of the
note was his.
Attorney Andrews made the most
emphatic objection to the admittance
of this note as evidence, and Judge
Clemens instructed District Attorney
Breekons and Attorney Andrews to file
with him their authorities, pro and con,
and he would decide the question on
Friday morning, to which time the
court adjourned.