The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1919-07-26
MURDER TRIAL
DELAYED-M
DUNN COLLAPSE
Pittsfield Court Adjourns Until
Monday Morning
DEFENSE is INSANITY
Mother Charged With Murder In Sec
ond Degree For Shooting Her
Three-Year-old Son

Pittsfeld, July %. Mrs. Gladys
CoI-wosier Dunn, on trial here.
charged with second degree murder for
shooting her only child. j. Allen
Dunn, Jr., aged three years, collapsed
in the superior court room shortly
after adjournment of the morning ses-
sion at l this afternoon and, because
of her weakened condition, which fcrc-
ed her to remain in bed, Judge Nelson
p. Brown at 2.35 adjourned the trial
until Monday morning at 10. The COM
meawealth rested shortly before noon
and Attorney John r Noxon of coun-
sci for the defendant, outlined the de-
tense to the jury, saying that both
the accused ana her husband will take
the stand AS Mrs. Dunn listened to
Mr.. Noxon's story of the crime, as she
heard him tell of her unhappy life and
ali the tragic incidents leading up to
the shooting, she gradually lost con-
troll of herself Toward the close she
leaned in her chair, her head resting
on the back. Attorney Thomas F.
Cassidy, her chief counsel, gently took
hold of her arm and sought to calm
her. She could not repress the tears;
she trembled as a leaf before gale.
Mrs. Dunn arose when the court and
jurors withdrew, then she dropped
from her husbands arms into law
yer's chair. bent over on the table,
buried her face in her arms and wept
piteously Dr. Walter G. Hayiland
alienist for the defense who was in the
court room, FASTENED to drug store
for sedative. She rallied shortly
and Attorney Noxon suggested she go
home and remain there. as she would
not have to return this afternoon. ut
will be impossible to complete the case
anyway he informed her.
But | would rather come back"
she pleaded. She walked out of the
court room with her husband and
was taken to her Broad street home
in an automobile. AS soon as court
had assembled this afternoon Judge
Brown addressing the jury, said. Il
am informed by counsel for the der
tense sat. owing to the physical con-
dition of the defendant, it has appear
ed wise to ask the court to adjourn
until Monday. The request appears to
be a reasonable one, and so there will
be no further hearing today. | would
like to caution you again not to- talk
with anyone about the case and not
to read any newspaper accounts of it,"
Attorney Noxon made it clear in his
opening address to the jury that the
defense will be temporary insanity,
taking place during one OF the periodi-
cal physical disturbances in Mrs.
Dunns life.
Relating her life history Attorney
Nc xon told the jury that the accused
is 81 years old was born in Califor-
nie, and had two previous husbands,
from both of whom she was divorced
He described quarrel she had had
with her husband on the morning of
the shooting. He said: Indeed there
was nothing between them that could
cause trouble in the mind of sane
person. Well, it resulted in her throw
ing the dish of porridge at her hus-
band and it spilled all over him from
head to foot II was too bad that
Allan Dunn, who had protected this
woman so many years, did not favor
her this morning. She will tell of
what she did before she reached her
room she has no recollection of what
occurred until she got the pistol out
of the bureau drawer She has no rec
objection CT taking the pistol from be-
meath pillow, because she never had
a pillow on her bed; she always slept
without one. think the pistol was
kept under the mattress. She will tell
you all the circumstances of the shoot
ing.
Dunn saw the little boy as he sat
in the wicker chair He saw the
mother kneeling on the floor looking
at the child with the pistol in her
hand. He exclaimed, oh, Gladys She
looked up at him just for an instant
and the pistol exploded. AT first he
thought nobody had been injured. The
first she observed that the boy had
been hurt was when she saw little
pink spot on his lip and Allan cried
cut: My God you have shot the boy.
She placed the little form on the bed,
md Allan rushed out to get help. When
she realized what she had done she
tried to kill herself She rushed down
to the pantry, got the chloroform, a
two ounce bottle over half-full. Then
she had the sensation of falling, fall
ing, forever falling. She is hazy about
the rest of the day"