Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-12-23
MUDGETT DOES NOT
TAKE THE STAND.
Defense Rests with Accused
Murderer Remaining Silent
Aged Mother Appears

! Hyde Park. Dec. 22.-Visibly affected
murder Of pretty Amy shonio who was
, about to become a mother at the time
she Is alleged to have been lured to the
lonely hilltop near the johnson ceme-
terry last summer and slain, Arthur Mud
! eett, the 37-vear-old lumberman and for
mer stage driver sat with bowed head
while his aged and infirm mother Mrs.
Abbie Mudgett, Of North Hyde Park,
testified for the defense in Lamoille
county court to-day.
The defense completed its case this af-
ternoon without Mudgett taking the
stand to testify for himself.
The feeble parent Of the alleged murder
er remained on the stand but few min
utes, being summoned mainly for the
purpose Of identifying a pair Of mittens
given to her as Christmas si't from
her son, on trial for his life.
Throughout the recital Of damaging
testimony heretofore In the trial. Mud
gett has remained calm and unmoved.
but to-day the appearance of his mother
was almost too much for him and It was
only with the most strenuous effort that
he prevented the tears from coming into
! his eyes His mother was assisted to the
witness stand by the daughter. Miss Josie
! Mudgett. secretary to county clerk, Smith
! Waite. AS soon as tho oath had been ad-
ministered she turned n glance OF recog-
q milton toward her son, who was evident
~ watching for it, A faint smile crept
across his face. but Immediately after
ward he dropped his head.
! The introduction of dozen witnesses
to-day by counsel for the respondent fall
ed In every instance TO establish the
whereabouts of Mudgett between eight
and nine o'clock on the night OF July 81.
the hours during which the crime is sup
posed to have been committed. Several
| of those persons called in an effort to
! establish % substantial albi for the de-
| PENDANT testified to seeing Miss Shonfo
during that hour, but none was able to
state that they had seen Mudgett.
The first witness this afternoon, Mrs.
Elvah Scott. OF Johnson, whose home is
/ on Gulf street. near the cemetery, tcsti-
, fled that she was awakened in the mid
die Of the night of July 81 by piercing
scream. but that though she listened
! closely the noise was not repeated.
! Mrs. Effie Miller of Johnson, recalled,
! admitted under direct examination that
she had told her niece, Mrs, Freida Rus
sell. that the girl she saw at nine O'Clock
on the evening Miss Shonio Is alleged to
! have met her death wore a red cap. She
denied that she had ever been introduced
| to her. but that Miss Shonio had been
. pointed out to her.
! Miss Louise Newcomb of Johnson, O
table girl employed at the Everett House
in Johnson, testified that she was at the
hotel at eight on the night of July 81 and
that Mrs la Atwell was there at that
hour.
! Herman Spring Of Craftsbury testified
that he worked In Johnson between Sep
! TENDER. 1919, and June, 1920. and that he
boarded at the Foster home. He said
| that Mudgett paid Amy Shonio's doctors
! bill, but that the money was repaid TO
, him by Amy. He also spoke of the oui1a
board seances in which Mudgett and the
! Shonio girl INDUCED.
| Mrs. Ernest Mudgett of Hyde Park.
sister law of the accused man. identi-
! fled a pair of mttens which Arthur had
given her to give to his mother on last
| Christmas day. Miss Josie Mudgett was
called and also identified the mittens.
! Rev. and Mrs. r. ]. Kunze OF Johnson,
who testified this morning were recalled
this afternoon and identified the bed and
mattress which they testified this morn-
! ing they had seen in the Bradford yard
adjoining theirs on South street
! The defense rested its case at t05
o'clock and the rebuttal of the state was
| immedia tely opened.
! Mrs. Freida Russell of Johnson was the
! first witness in the rebuttal. She testi-
| fled that her aunt had told her that the
| girl she saw on the corner on July 81
wore red cap and that the man talking
) to her was Gaylord Powers.
! Mrs. Mary Bradford Of johnson iden-
titled the bed and mattress as the one
given to her by Miss Ida Perry of john
son three or four years ago. She adj
mitted having put the mattress in her
yard 10 clean and the bed there to paint
She denied being acquainted with Amy
Shonio. She admitted that she had work.
ed at the johnson pants factory two
weeks of February, 1920. and said she
had only spoken to Amy once while she
was there She denied having ever been
in the cemetery as long as she had lived
| in Johnson.
Under cross examination she admitte ed
she had told this story several times
when questioned by Mr.. Tracey and De-
! tective Brown.
.. Isn't 1t true that you were under
suspicion as being connected with this
case?" A. II have been told so by the
States attorney"
The witness was requested by Attorney
| Gen. Archibald to stand in the aisle be-
fore the jury that the body of men
! might determine her size. 1t had been
intimated that she was the woman seen
/ in the cemetery on the evening of July
81 by Fred ODER, granite dealer of
Morrisvile who testified this morning
He said he was working on a monument
in the cemetery early on the evening of
! mi aud hat he
coming down the path that led to the
cemetery. wearing a reddish sweater and
dark skirt Shortly afterward he said
he saw all old woman. tall and Of dark
complexion. coming up the same path
Both women met near the lodge, walked
the slope and stopped, Shortly after they
walked along the crest and stopped
again.
! He said the smaller woman started
! running but on seeing him stopped and
ran back to where the older woman was
standing. The girl picked up something
that looked like a stick and stuck ii into
the ground a few times When he looked
again he said the smaller woman had
! disappeared He said it was about seven
when he saw the women the first time
and about eight when he observed them
! the last.
, Homer Holmes this morning testified
to seeing Mudgett about nine O'Clock the
night of July 81.
seeing Amy Shonio on the street in John
son talking with tall young man, who
was evidently stranger in town.
Al 4