The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-06-22
FELCH MURDER
CASE EVIDENCE
Continued from first page


places and in a few instances he was
called upon either to affirm or deny GER
tain statements which the defense at
tempted to credit to him as having been
made before his confession. In cross ex-
animation it was brought out that thc
crack through which Williams alleged
in his confession the rifle was pointed by
Mrs. Felch was made in the fall OF 1919
by Felch and Williams himself, who were
working about the sugar house. This
statement did not lend color to the dec
laration said to have been made at some
previous time that the crack in the wall
was prepared on the day of the murder.
Atty. Hoar, with the aid OF his col
leagues of the defense, held to relent-
less cross examination of the witness
and sometimes seemed to have brought
the young man to the point of confusion.
When asked if he had not stated, IN
preliminary hearing before Judge Hay
ford, that Mrs. Felch was in nowise con-
nected with the crime, the witness fatty
denied any such statement. He entered
a decidedly negative reply when the at
torney asked him if he told Mrs. Fetch
that he did not intend to go to her hus-
bands funeral. In replying, Williams
said that in the conversation referred to
he told Mrs. Fetch that he was planning
to attend.
| Didn't you say that you wouldn't go
because you were afraid people would
suspect your" was the next question.
To which the witness made denial and
in answering to further questions said
that he was on his way to the funeral
when arrested; that he had got as far In
the Felch house as the separator room
when an officer served warrant on him;
and that there were with him his wife
and his brother and wife.
On the redirect examination that fol-
lowed, Williams, in replying to questions
by Atty. Gen. Barber, said that he took
the gun from Mrs. Felch after the shoot
ing at the sugar house, that the woman
was standing near the southwest corner
of the building and that, so far as he
knew, there were no others present. He
also repeated his former statement that
Mrs Felch carried the gun from the
Felch home to the sugar house.
Earlier in the cross examination the
defense sought to compare some OF the
statements made by the witness in the
direct examination with similar allega-
tions contained in the confession credit
ed to Williams. The farmland had said |
that he was several feet away from the
sugar house when the gun was fired. |
Atty. Hoar read from the confession: |
I'VE went to the sugar house" and then |
asked the witness if he didn't 60 as near |
the sugar house as Mrs. Felch. The wit |
ness said he might have been as near the
building at different times, meaning be-
fore the pair left the woods, as Mrs.
Felch, but that he was several feet away |
when the shooting took place. in the
direct examination Williams said he saw
Mrs. Felch drop down on one knee and
in quoting from the confession Atty.
Hoar asked him if it were true that she
dropped to both knees, as stated therein.
Witness replied that when he looked to-
ward Mrs. Felch he saw the general out
line of Bonded figure and wasn't sure
whether she was on one knee or both.
Asked by Mr.. Hoar if he had stated
to Fred Smith, an acquaintance, that he
would plead guilty to a murder charge If
Mrs. Feleh were accused, witness denied
the statement.
Asked if he told a man named Larry
Welch that he went to his home, near
the Felch farm, after doing the chores
on the night of the murder and remained
there, Williams answered that he could
not recall any conversation OF. that ma
ture.
The witness entered another denial
when the cross examiner asked him if he
told Elrick Emerson, carpenter, that
l.,
couldn't afford TO board his wife's rela-
lives, statement that the witness had
been boarding his wife's brother and
other relatives having been credited to
by indirection.
When the cross examination turned
coward the sugar house episode, Williams
lenied having touched the body of Felch |
md said that he pushed the syrup can
,ut from under the body. Asked why
lie did not extinguish the light, lantern
lame which continued to burn even
,hough the bullet which killed Felch also
,ped through the globe, Williams said
hat he didn't think of it. In the course
If the cross examination the witness
admitted that he had been friendly with
he dead man.
Regarding pair of rubber boots which
lung over the stove in the Felch home
m the Sunday when the body of the
armer was discovered, the boots having
zen left there to dry, it was said, vii.
Jams was asked II one of the boots did
lot fall down and If the incident was
lot the occasion of a question from Mrs.
Williams, who was with him in the Fetch
ome at that time, in which she asked
i'm why he did not pick up the boot;
nd in continuing the question before the
witness had time to answer the first
art, Williams was asked if he did not
eply, mo, do not want to kill anyone
lse." The witness denied the question
ttributed to his wife and the answer
LEGGED to have been made by him and
4 the redirect examination il was
rought out by the attorney generals
uery that the boots were Felch's and
OF the property of Williams.
The witness was less positive in reply
e to another question by the cross ex-
miner. Asked if he did not make the
.atement on the Sunday after the muir.
er that "he was just as good as in the
ectric chair" Williams said that he
idn't recall such statement.
Ex-State's Atty. Williams on Stand.
Former States Atty. Williams was
ne of the witnesses whom attorneys
ke to question and whose incisive an