Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-07
MRS. CLARA EMMA GETCHEL[
DIES SATURDAY IN IHALLOWELL
Paroled from Prison After Serving 20 Years of
Sentence for Murder of Husband

HaIlowell, Me, Dec. 6.-(SpeciaD. =
Mrs. Clara Emma Getchel of Sydney,
who was recently paroIed from State
prison, where she was serving a SEN
tence for the murder of her husband,
william II. Getchell died here Satur-
day morning.
Sentenced to Life
The original sentence of Mrs. Get
chell was for life but this had been
commuted to Dec. 20, 1914, which
would have been within one day of
u years from the date of the crime.
III in Prison
Her condition became such in pris-
on because of complication of diseases
that Warden Frank ]. Ham recon-
mended that She be allowed to leave
the institution and the State Board
of Parole acceded to release shortly
before Thanksgiving. The prison ply
stefan had informed the officials that
Mrs. Getchell could not live out her
term.
She was taken Thanksgiving to the
home of her sister, Mrs. Albert Aus
tin, in Hallowell, where she remained
until her death
Story of the Crime
The following story of the crime is
taken from the Kennebec Journal re-
port of hearing, Nov. 80, 1910, be-
fore the Governor and Council on the
petition for pardon:
1T was P. NJ. when the petition
for the pardon of Mrs. Clara Emma
Getchell, formerly of Sidney, who is
serving a life sentence in the STATE
prison at Thomaston for the murder
by poison of her husband, William
Henry Getchell, was taken up for con-
sideration.
This petition was the second that
Mrs. Getchell has presented to the
executive body and her case was con-
Quoted by Frank l.. Dutton of Au-
gusta. Attorney Dutton in opening
stated that until last Saturday he sup
posed that the former petition would
be sufficient to act upon but he then
learned that it was stored with other
records during the remodeling of the
State House and was not available at
this time.
He gave a brief history of the case,
which was one of the most interesting
in the criminal annals of Kennebee
county He declared that the case was
purely circumstantial and there was
no direct evidence of fact Mr.. Getchell
came to his death by strychnine pois
oning, Dec. 10. 1898, but there was no
direct evidence as to who admins
tered the poison. Mr.. Getchell had for
some time been afflicted with rheuma-
tism and his physician had prescribed
gin and sulphur to be taken just be-
fore meals. ~
Everything was the same on the
day of his death in the family appar-
emily as on previous days. Mr.. Get
chell and the hired man. Jack Fow-
Ter. came from work at noon and Mr..
Getchell took his usual dose of the
medicine, drinking it from the bottle.
He sat down to the table and in the
course of his eating rubbed his hands
over the head and said: Il don't feel
very we'll" He said to his Wife Don't
look pale?" and she replied: ''Yol
look as pale as a flannel shirt" The
evidence showed that at this point his
face had begun to flush.
He finally got UP from the table ap-
pearing to be in considerable distress. He
grew worse rapidly and said that he
wanted something hot" to drink, and
either GetcheI, his wife or Jack Fowler
suggested that he have some more of the
gin and sulphur He was given drink
of the gin and hot water and almost i'm
mediately grew so much worse that the
doctor was sent for. The doctor found
Getchell in commissions but did not real
ize the symptoms of strychnine poisoning.
A third portion of the gin was given him
in the presence of neighbors and the ply
sicion. No evidence was shown that there
was poison in that gin except that he
had i'll results Immediately after taking
the gin.
The man died about 6 P. NJ The flu
neral followed in the usual order and
a great deal of suspicious talk followed
An arrangement was made by Coroner
w. II. Libby with Mrs. Getchelrs full
consent and the body was exhumed and
an autopsy performed More than enough
strychnine was found in the body to kill
a person. Mrs. Getchell was arrested
and indicted and her trial followed the
following May
THE State claimed that improper rela-
tons existed between one Laforest Trask