The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-09-23
GIBSON DENIES
He STRUCK RACE
Takes Witness Stand This
Morning After State
Rests It's Case
GIVES EXPLANATION
OF JAIL REMARK
Says Detective Wood Induced Him to
Tell Attorney General Story Which
He Now Says Was Not True-Detec-
tive May Testify.

iAAt May
William Gibson of Seymour, Tenn,
respondent in the murder trial which has
been in progress in Windham county
court at Newfane since Tuesday morning,
took the witness stand to testify in his
own behalf after the mid-forenoon recess
today. He was on the stand at the close
of the morning session and was to be re-
called when court re-convened.
Gibson. who is charged with the murder
of George Race, a merchant in Gassetts.
on the night of May ;, for which murder
his companion, William Lescord. already
has been convicted. in the first degree. de-
MED that he eyer struck Race either with
his hands. a club or any other inStru
ment and he gave an explanation of the
statement which Jailer G. c. Cox of
Woodstock testified that he heard Gibson
make to other prisoners while confined in
the Woodstock jail.
Cox had testified that he overheard Glib
son say : when the old man, came to
beaned him a couple of times" Gibson
testified that when he made that remark
he was rehearsing to the prisoners the
proceedings at the inquest before Attor-
ney General Frank c. Archibald. Detec-
tive James II. Wood of the Wood agency
q VI Apt>Ablt- anu blitI OUlCtES At Hotel
/ Windham in Bellows Falls after the ar
rest of Gibson and Lescord. In response
to examination by Attorney L. G.. Bick-
nell of Windsor of counsel for the RESPOND
& ent Gibson testified that Detective Wood
told him he was in bad and that the PEN
atty for what he had done was the electric
chair but that the attorney general had
helped out others and could help him out.
/ and that as a result of Detective Woods
advice he told the attorney general that
/ he "beaned' Race twice. He said he told
/ the prisoners in the Jail that all the Off
GERS had against him was that statement
land that the jailer overheard him telling
the story of the inquest.
/ 1t is expected that Detective Wood will
take the stand and deny that he ever said
any such thing to Gibson
! The session of court yesterday after
noon was taken up largely with the
treading OF Stenographer' notes by the
court reporter. Mrs. katherine (Austin }
| Nichols of Brattleboro, made in Bellows
Falls Saturday, May Z. when Lescord
and Gibson We're questioned by Attorney
General Archibald in the presence OF
various other officials Much of the mat
ter read was read under execution bv the
ldefense. 1t contained statements bv both
respondents. LeScord said he struck
Race with club twice and that later
ItiibSon struck Race the final blow with
the club. Gibson denied hitting Race with
the club, but admitted hitting him with
his fist. He said the blows with the club
were struck by LeScOrd. He admitted
Ethat they planned TO take Races money
but did not intend to injure him until
they became keyed up with LIQUOR. He
SAID he wouldn't have struck even with
his fist had it not been for the liquor he
drank
Sheriff Fairbanks of Windsor county
produced a leather pouch containing
lS1I4G, also some tobacco, which articles
were taken from Gibson and kept by thf
sheriff until this time
This morning Mrs Nichols resumed
the reading of her notes. which consumed
large part of the forenoon. She was tn,
I2lSt witness.
| The state then rested and the defens,
called the respondent to the stand III,
gave his life history. saying that he wa,
porn IN Jacksonville. Fla. Jan O. 1900
that he had no brothers or sisters. that
his parents died when he was an infant
and that nc had worked in yarious nlace,
ON farms and elsewhere lie enlisted il
| Battery Il, first division. 9th field artil
iery. IN 1870, was at Camp TAYLOR fv
months and then at Camp Dix until TN
| time of his desertiOn April %. when h
| went to Trenton, y. T.. New York CITY
South Ashburnham, Mass, and Gassetts
where he worked on farm a few dayS
BESIDES explaining the statement over
| heard by the jailer Gibson said he neye
touched the stick with which Race wa
struck except to hand it to Leseord VIII
; had dropped it and that he got bloc,
on his overalls by assisting Lescord t,
place Race on n couch.