The Bridgeport times and evening farmer. (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1918-1924, 1920-09-02
MRS. MOTT ON
WITNESS STAND

who sat nearby sat unmoved and
kept staring at the floor directly in /
front of him.
The coroner asked the woman if |
she recognized the Ratchet which was |
on exhibition the coroner's desk. |
Mrs. Mott admitted having seen the i
Ratchet before on the ice chest at her |
home.
The coroner then held up the p1s-
tol and Mrs. Mott admitted recogri- |
ton of the gun and after a long de-
lay when the coroner asked her had |
she ever seen the pistol in Wades |
possession she said that she had.
The woman al this point was bor- |
dering on Mysteries and tears were
streaming down her face. She buried |
her face in her hands vic cried. At
ter admitting that she recognized the !
knife the coroner excused her from |
the stand and she had to be almost |
carried out of the room SO weak was
her condition. The hearing was then |
adjourned, Coroner Phelan explaining
that he had other incidentals that
with his office.
She later collapsed in the ante |
room and was taken back to Hillside.
This mornings testimony concluded
the inquest.
At S:55 O'Clock this morning, a. po
lice department automobile containing
Mrs. Ethel 'Hu tcninson Mott and De-
tective Thomas Malone and Officer
John A. Guzenhauser drove up to the
court house. The party al:ghted, and
entered the building, Mrs. Mott being
pra ctically carried by. the two police
men. The woman was dressed in a
dark gray suit, black hat with
scant trimming. black pumps and
black stockings. She imped badly
from an injury. to her ankle, said to
have been received when she fought
with her husband on Sunday morn
ing.
Upon entering the coroner's court
ROOM Mrs. Mott sank back in chair
apparently exhausted. with her head
resting against the back of the chair.
A black handbag lay in her lap. She
refused glass of water which was
Brought to her by Detective Malone.
Elwood B. Wade. the alleged muir
derer, entered the room handcufed to
Johnston a few moments later. Upon
being released from the other pris-
oner, Wade approached Mrs. Mott,
stroked her hand and started to con-
verse with her in whispers. The
woman placed her face close to
Wade's, but Superintendent Flanagan
interfered and ordered the man back
and Holbrook.
Coroner Phelan suggested that Mrs.
Mott be removed from the room to
other quarters where she might rest
more comfortably. Detective Malone
and officer Guzenhauser again went
to her side, and helped her out of the
room. Wade regarded her curiously,
but she made no sign that she even
noticed him. Johnston sat unmoved
The court room was fairly crowded
with witnesses, officials and specta-
tors, when Detective Frank M. Hol-
brook, the first witne ss, took the stand
and resumed his testimony from the
point where he concluded yesterday
n
The detective stated, that while conf
vers:ng with Mrs. Mott about the
trunk, Sunday night, she told him tha t
she had sent it to Mrs Hutchinson,
70 Hurd street, Chelsea, Mass She
said that her name, as the sender, was
on the trunk, but no return address
was given. Mrs. Mott also told Hol-'
brook that she was making arrange
mentS to move from the Judson ave-
nue. apartments on the first of Sep
TENDER. The furniture was to be
placed in storage, = d the trunk had
been sent to her mother. She said
that it contained her clothes.
Captain John II. Regain, chief Y f the
defective bureau, who has been in
vesigating the murder case in all its
details, was the next witness to he
called. The captain said that he had
talked with Mrs. Mott on Monday
morning, and had asked her about the
trunk She told him that her daugh-
ter had phoned for some man to take
the trunk away, but she did not know
VINO it was. She said that the trunk
was going to Chelsea Asked as to
whether this was not a rather unusual
way to send a trunk, the woman re-
piled that her husba nd had once sent
a trunk in a similar manner She later
recalled that Mott shipped the trunk
through a local expressman. Mrs
Mott finally exclaimed that she didn't
know, but that was the way she had
sent it.
Regain stated that he sent a detec-
tive to the local railroad station three
times, to trace the trunk, but every
effort met with failure Wade was
brought to police headquarters about
noon, but little progress was made at
that time.
The trunk, according to Captain
Regain, was then located in Stratford
avenue, but was found to contain
nothing. Mrs. Mott declared that
her clothes were supposed to be in
H. "due ddfnlIIed having taken the
trunk from the Mott apartments, and
said that it contained the woman's
clothes. Wade then mentioned
Johnston for the first time saying
that the man with him when he
took the trunk away on the truck.
John E. Johnston. of "A Beardsley
lane, was located by Detective Fred
Derrick and taken to police head
quarters at $3.50 o'clock Monday af-
ternoon. On his way to headquar-3
tiers, Johnston, according to Regain
confessed to Derrick that a trunk had
been dumped in a swamp at Sport
hill.
Captain Regain then told Wade
that he knew where the trunk was,
and asked the young man if he
wanted to make a clean breast of the
whole affair. Wade hesitated
moment and then told the story.
The alleged slayer told Captain
Regain that he received a phone caH4
onE