The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1916-01-21

support it.
Defense Claims New Evidence Found
! M. c. Brady, counsel for the dc
tense, yesterday said that he obtained
information after the case had closed
| that on two occasions Charles D
Etchison had obtained morphine from
physician in Mankato. Price had
considered Etchison was addicted &c
use of drugs, but had no proof TO back
up his suspicious.
Charles F. Kelley, associate counsel
for the defense, said he was called
by telephone at midnight and told
that Charles d. Etchison had suffered
a severe injury to his head, while
working for the Minneapolis Street
Railway company, in 1907 and was
dismissed from the company.
While neither Mr.. Brady nor Mr.
Kelly will say they plan to ask for a
new trial in case the verdict is ad-
verse to their client, it is believed
they will preserve this newly discov-
cred information for such a contin-
gency.
Etchiscn's Story.
Mrs. Prices automobile with Price
and Etchison in the front seat and
Mrs. Price and her pet dog. "Chum, >
in the rear, was driven by Price TO a
point selected on. the east river bank
weeks before.
At Prices suggestion that she walk
around and exercise "Chum," Mrs.
Price stepped backward out of the
auto.
Price stood on one side of the auto
door and Etchison on the other
As Mrs Price placed one foot on
the ground, Price grasped her around
the waist, catching Etchison's arm at
the same time, and dragged both to
the edge of the river bank.
At the brink Price released Fitch
sons arm.
Then Price with great effort hurled
his wife backward over the cliff onto
the rocks forty feet below.
Both men ran down the river bank
along a sloping path and found Mrs,
Price, unconscious, bleeding and
moaning on the ground.
Price picked up an angular rock
and as Etchison started up the bank
to hail passing auto, he heard
sounds that led him to believe Price
was beating her over the head,
crushing her skull.
Mrs. Price died of the wounds on
her head at Midway General hospital
just after she arrived there in the
st. Paul police ambulance.
AS Told BY Price.
Price, Etchison and Mrs. Price were
riding on the East River road for an
auto airing when the auto engine
failed to work properly.
Price stopped the auto at the wild
est place in the road to fix the en-
CINE. =,
He suggested that while he and
Etchison worked Mrs. Price take the
dog for walk.
She acted on his suggestion.
AS Price and Etchison worked they
suddenly heard Mrs. Price say, ooh
Fred"
They walked to the bank, looked
for her and failed to find her
They loked down on the river level
forty feet below, and saw an object
they could hardly make out.
They hurried down the path land
found Mrs. Price unconscious ant
bleeding.
Price remained with her until Fitch
ison got passing autoists to hell
carry Mrs. Price to the top of the
cliff,
Price held his wife in his arms un-
til she reached the hospital, where
she died.
Surgeon Asserts Woman was Uncon.
scious Before She Plunged
Over Cliff.
DR.. d. c. Dowles, testifying FOR the
defense, declared that the injuries
which were fatal to Mary Fridley
Price could not have been caused by
striking her with fiat rock such a.
that the state asserts Price used il
killing his wife He gave it as his
opinion that she was struck while OF
the brink of the cliff He testified
that the injuries could have beer
inflicted with monkeywrench sucl
as was in the Price car the night O.
Z the murder and which, according t
Price, was taken out of the car by c
D. Etchison, just prior to the trag
edy.
Asked to give the opinion he arrived
at after watching the autophony, as I,
how Mrs. Prices skull was fractured
DR.. Cowles answered.:
A. The blow, was not struck whel
the head was resting on rocks or +;
rocky surface. The woman was un
conscious before she went over tina
bluff.
c. What leads you to that conclu
sion?
A. The postmortem signs. Her fin
gernails were intact. A falling person
will grab at something. Even wit
gloves on her hands the fingers woul'
show signs of bruises. The nails wer
not frayed. 1t was rocky surfac
she went over and there would hav
been signs if she was not unconsciou
before the fall.
Not Struck With Stone.
DIR. CowIes was shown the lime
stone rock, the one Etchison said i
similar to one Price used in crushini
the woman's skull He said the skull
could not have been crushed by tina
stone, in his opinion.
ie Wrench Might Have Been Used.
b. 81 show you a monkey wrench,
lsaid Attorney Brady, exhibiting a II