Norwich bulletin., 1916-03-01

Although James Rego Mellow Is charged with thee indictments for Rhodes. Gustave and Oscar Olsen, the trial TOW in progress in the superior court for Washington county, before Judge Doran and a jury at Kingston. is an indictment for the murder of William H. Rhodes. After & view was taken of the location of the murder Assistant Attorney General Brunch ex- pla1ned the case from the states standpoint. He told of the finding of the dead bodies by a railroad em- ploye. The medical examination showed that Rhodes had been shot twice in the head and both bullets entered from the rear. One lodged in the brain and the other against the cheek bone. One of the Olsens had
 been shot in the head and his skull
 The other Olsen had two bullet wounds
 in his head. There was evidence that
 the dead men had been robbed as
 their pockets were turned inside out and had been ripped open. Mellow
 had lived in the shack with the Ol-
 sens and Rhodes was a visitor. Mel low knew the OIsens had considerable
 money and he had seen Rhodes dis
 play a roll of bills at a store. No
 money was found on any of the dead bodies.
 When Mellow surrendered himself to the Providence police he said he had been drinking with the three men and had left the shack intending to l go to Westerly, but changed his mind, | took a nap and then went back to the shack. He said he looked through a window and saw one Olsen on the floor l dead and heard the other moaning in a char. and Rhodes was standing at the table. Mellow said he went on in and spoke to Rhodes when Rhodes l Irt -fS1 af 1,f !, GI. he picked up the revolver from the table and shot Rhodes in self defense Prosecutor Branch said that the state would endeavor to show facts that will prove the self defense state
 tered the heads of the men from the rear. and the powder burns are on the backs of the mems necks and their clothing burned with powder. He l said the facts will show that the men were probably lying down when the shots were fired and tEe axe was used after wards. The prosecution believes | tt-1S five sf ots were fired, and that when ono of the men showed signs of | life. the axe was used.
 Earl c. Whaicy, civil ene:neer. of l Wakefield. identified and explained a | plan Of the l0use and the contents | Frederick F. Babcock, a lamp Chter, | in the employ of the railroad company. | told of seeing tools scattered about on Sunday afternoon. He went to the old station. which was occupied by the | Otsens to tell them to pick up the tools. The north storm door was open | and the other door unlocked He i saw the hOdy of a man lying on the i il Or ard the feet of another man. He 1 said Ee shouted but received no re- | sponse. He then notified Town Ser | seant He pkins. He returned t0 tpe | shack with Hopkins and Section Fore l mar Smith. He did not go into the l room and dId not see the faces of the | dead men.
 1 Attorney Clarence E. Roche, counsel For tire accL.ed. cross examin ,d 'Le 1 vii asS briefly, as to the time wien | he rrst visited the shack and when | he returned with Horkins anG S'l-tt l Town Sergeant Hopkins testified that when ho arrived at the shack he found the Cd;es Of the three dead men. Ee n el that the shades were drawn and tha' it was impossible to see into tke room from the outside He dfssented the positions of the body, and said the articles of the furniture ia tke room were ;l the same position as when viewed by the ury. He said Gustave Olsen's overalls had been pulled down and the pants pockets pulled out. Oscars pockets were torn
 
 the pockets pulled inside cut. He saw no rolls of bills in any oI the rC ckets.
 The hcGies cf the three men were
 cold ano rigid, and the axe was nesr the fec+ of Rhod"s. On the floor un- der the ra.-:t was a whiskey rottle overturned ard a glass and a chair was tipred over. A bottle of whis- keT or the tabie was not upset. He identified articles of clothing wo 'a by the men, and the axe matted with hair l an D O d vficL he found near tIe | body of RhC des on the afternoon Cf January 3O at the scene of the triple
 murder at Kingston.
 pr. MaIford Wilcox ThewIis, the | next witness for the state, said he was town and that he was called about medical examiner for South Kings l APO, Sunday, January 30, to the To-
 cation of the murder. When he ar | Bennett were there. Examination of | died of hemorrhage of the brain l caused from bullet wounds.
 Oscar Olsen was found to have a ! compound fracture of the skull A bullet taken from she body of Rhodes | was shown in court and marked plain 1 tiff's exhibit g. A watch, which was l found in Rhodes possession, was
 marked exhibit 10, a poclIetbook con- taining a few pennies was marked ex- hibit II and a few other minor articles
 were marked exhibit 12. A bullet talk 1 en from the body of Oscar Olsen was | marked exhibit 13.