The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-04-02
FIX LOCATIONS
OF MORSE DEATH
After Jury Visited Scene in
Middlesex, Civil Engi-
neer Described Points
HALE UNPERTURBED
BY PROCEEDINGS
Nature Of Cross-Examina-
tion Indicates Self
Defense Plea

Following a visit by the jury yester-
day afternoon to the scene of the death
of II. Lester Morse in Middlesex, the
prosecution to-day introduced evidence
in Washington county court fixing To-
cations in the vicinity where George O.
Halle is alleged to have murdered Morse
on Feb. !. +. A. Walker, an architect,
was on the stand this morning after
court started, the opening OF the ses-
sion being delayed by the lateness of
States Attorney Davis in arriving, his
train from Barre being held up by
trouble at Dodge's bridge
Mr.. Walker testified as to measure
ments taken at the Morse house. He
described the windows in the house
and the distance from the house to the
scene of Morse's death. He testified
that he visited the place three times,
once on the day following the murder.
He slowed map giving sleigh tracks.
On cross examination, conducted by
Attorney f. T.. Gleason, Mr.. Walker
told more details relative TO. the dis
tance between different points at the
Morse place.
L. r. Houston testified relative to
pictures that he took in the location Of
the murder. telling about two stakes
which represented the points where he
thought the two men stood The pic
lures .showed the sleigh tracks, as well
as the foot tracks in the snow, and a
person lying down in the snow. He
also took photographs from the Morse
house, towards the site Of the murder;
also to q picture OF the sugarhouse near
the site, and to different objects in the
snow. The photographs were offered
as evidence, after which they were
shown TO the jury and explained TO
them by Attorney Archibald.
j. Ward 6arver conducted the cross
examination. He asked about different
points shown in the pictures. He in
quired az some length upon the lens |
used: that they were about the |
strength of the eye. He inquired if the |
picture was plain enough to show who |
the person was that was photographed |
The witness replied they would not |
identify the person. The pictures show !
the corresponding distance between
where Hale and Morse are supposed to
have been when the shooting occurred; |
also the barbed wire, the last of which |
was shown to the jury by the witness.
The wire was shown on both sides Of
the road leading to the sugar house.
After court convened Thursday aft
ernoon after looking over the scene OF
Morses death. r. c. Archibald made
the opening statement 10 the jury, in
which he said the state would intro.
luce evidence tending 10 show that
Hale left his house that Sunday morn.
nc carving a rife with him, that he
went over different roads until he
reached the wood road and then drove
nearly to the sugarhouse, that he cut
he single strand of wire which had
been put across the wood road, that
Mr. Morse was in his barn when he
irst saw Hale and that he had a pitch
'ork in his hand. that he came across
he field towards Hale but that when
le was about 30 feet away Hale pulled
~ his rife, which was a magazine gun,
md shot Morse. the ball going through
he heart and tearing away part of
he heart
The attorney general said that Hale
i'd not 20 to Morse to see what dam
&c he had done but, getting into his '
cam. drove to the house of Mr.. Mon
oe. on another road, from which he !
elephoned 10 the sheviff's Office that '
nan had been shot Mr. Archibald ,
aid that Mrs. Morse was standing in I
eindow looking towards the spot I
rhere the affair took place and was !
he first person TO go to her son, who {
ras dead S
Dr. B. H. Stone, state pathologist, '
'as the first witness and the only one (
afternoon. He testified to j
erforming the autopsy on the body j
nd showed the course of the bullet n
trough Morse's body. how his heart b
-as destroyed by the bullet and that n
De bullet took a downward course, b
,dging in the backbone and just under c
lown to the jury. On cross exam
lation the respondents attorney '
rought out the fact that the shot d
ltered the body as il would if a man
ere approaching another person in
larging attitude. indicating that the
,spondent is going TO claim self-de- I
nse and that Morse was charging
ale.
Hale does not give the impression q
at the matter worries him any. He :.
scusses the different matters with his y
torneys and appears quite at ease. u
ne Of the interesting things that de- Il
'loped out Of the examination Of jury :,
en- was the quite general reply that j.
ey read about the murder in The \.
mes. with an occasional statement
at they read Of il in some other -,