Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-09-06
KENERSON CASE
) ATTRACTS CROWD
State Introduces 13 Witnesses in
First Day of Trial of Woman
for Murder.

st. Johnsbury. Sept. 5.-Men, women
and children crowded the Caledonia
county court room to-day, women
largely predominating, to hear the first
days testimony in the Bradshaw mur-
der trial.
During the day the State introduced 10
witnesses, including the farmer who first
found the body of the child and John
Bradshaw. the father.
This morning several witnesses testified
to having seen the little girl some time
during the day of July s, the day Of her
disappearance. and that both Mrs. Kener-
son, the respondent, and Eta May
Hicks. Bradshaw's housekeeper, that
day. Mrs. Clifton Gray of Lyndon testi-
fed that she delivered telephone mes
sage to Mrs. Kenerson that afternoon
stating that the child had disappeared
and Mrs. Kenerson told her they all went
berrying that afternoon and that before
she left the house she knew the child
had wandered away. Mrs. Kenerson
then asked the witness IL the child had
been found and said: II hope they will
find her." John NJ. Perham, a st. Johns
bury surveyor. exhibited plans of the
entire region. showing the Bradshaw
house and the spot in Edward Gray's
field. where the body was found Ave
weeks later.
Photographer jerks of St. Johnsbury
exhibited four photographs of the exact
spot where the body was found. Edward
Gray described how he found the badly
decomposed body while moving his field
on August and how, after falling to
get the States attorney and sheriff by
telephone he reported his discovery to
Health Officer Hartman and Selectman
Farnham They, with doctor and
undertaken came and took charge of the
body.
John Bradshaw testified that his
daughter had been paralyzed on the left
side since she was about two years old.
that she could not walk easily and had
occasionally walked alone to her grand
fathers home, about an eighth Of a mile
away. He described in detail the search
for the body the night of July and
how he was informed on July 9Th by
Sheriff Worthen that the child was dead
He said Mrs. Kenerson had bought an
old horse of him in May, coming to the
house late at night with George Ford
to get 1t, and two weeks later complain
ing that 1t was crook-kneed and had a
SPAWN. Asked on cross-examnation If
he knew any reason why Mrs. Kenerson
should have killed the child he said. II
do not
Mrs. George Ford Of Lyndon furnished
the only sensation Of the day. breaking
down In her testimony. crying profusely
and assuring the court she was telling
only..the truth. This occurred after she
had related a conversation between her
self and the respondent at the home of
the witness. Mrs. Kenerson had been
getting milk of the witness and at the
close of friendly conversation said the
respondent. said with an oath, II will
get even with him yet" On cross-exam-
ination. she said she did not know then
nor did she know now who Mrs. Kener-
son referred to and further, it developed
in the cross-examination, that she had
told her husband that he ought not to
stay at Mrs. Kenerson's house so long
when he went there.
Mrs. Ellery Gray was the last witness.
She testified that Alice had occasionally
walked to her house with difficulty, that
two weeks before the child's disappear
| ance she saw Mrs. Kenerson, the Hicks
woman, and Alice Bradshaw together at
the home of the witness and that later
Mrs. Hicks and the child went to their
| own home. On the afternoon of July 5.
about $50 o'clock. she said she saw
Mrs. Kenerson driving towards her home
| in Lyndonville. This corroborated the
testimony Of several witnesses of the
morning who also testified to having seen
Mrs. Kenerson driving home late that
! afternoon.
The line Of cross-examination pursued
by the defense indicates that they will
attempt to prove that the child could
walk to other houses farther away than
her grandfather's home. that she wan.
dered away in the berrying expedition
of July and perished from exposure in
the so-called swamp in Grays moving
| field
The respondents husband was an inter-
ested spectator of the days proceedings
and conversed freely with her at the
close of the session. Mrs. Kenersor
frequently consults her attorneys She
took little interest in the photographs
of the spot where the child was found