Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1924-10-29
Crowded Court Room Hears Revolving Details
of Most Atrocious Murder in History of
County Boy Respondent Apparently
Unmoved as Tale is Unfolded.

County Attorney Whiting and Medl-
cal Examiner c. c. Knowlton were
at the grave and exhumed the body.
The county attorney described the
condition of the body and what the
medical examination disclosed, and
described the locality by aid of a plan
introduced He then told of the in
vestigation following the finding of
the body, of the final lodging of the
charge against Roland Mcdonald,
and of damaging admissions made by
the boy to officers and detectives. He
sketched the movements of the boy
on the evening of the murder and
painted picture of the actual shoot
ing as the evidence the State would
introduce will attempt to establish it.
The following witnesses for the
State were then called and sworn:
Cornelius Shea, surveyor; Mrs. Nellie
| Williams. with whom Miss Gerrish
! boarded; eXSheriff Forrest O. Sils-
] by, who took an active part in the in
vestigation; George c. Orcutt, first
seiectman of Amherst; Levi Bragg,
member of the school board; DR.. c.
c. Knowlton of Ellsworth, medical
examiner; Levi Bragg, ir., a class
mate of Mcdonald, Victor McDon
aid, brother of the respondent;
Deputy Sheriff Elvin A. Silsby; j. G.
! Durham, postmaster at Amherst;
James A. Wood and f. c. Brown,
! Boston detectives; Emhert c. Os
good photographer; Sheriff Ward w.
Wescott and AL Judkins of Stoning
/ to.
MIR. Shea was she first witness
! called. and testified to the plan in
+ troduced. which was made by him.
Points of special significance on it
! the place from which the fatal shot
was fired, the place where Miss Ger
IRISH is supposed to have fallen, the
place where the body was deposited
under y tree the first night, and the
grave where it was buried the next
! day-were marked for the better in
! formation of the jury.
/ Mrs Williams testified to the move
ments of Miss Gerrish on the after
/ noon of the day she was shot, and
! her own movements. She was away
from the house when Miss Gerrish
4 left, she said, having gone down the
/ field to drive out some sheep. She
testified to ha%ing heard the report
/ Of q gun On cross examination she
| admitted that she did formerly make
/ a statement that soon after she heard
/ The shot she reached the house, and
/ the Mcdonald boys, Victor and
Roland were in the yard when she
got there She added that the dis
lance to the foot of the field was
about as far as to the main road
from her house, or one-quarter of a
mile, at least, and all up grade com
ing toward the house. She also
, identified a wrist watch as like one
worn by Miss Gerrish.
. Forrest O. Silsby told of the first
search for Miss Gerrish, and said that
Roland Mcdonald told them OF tracks
in the road from which point a trail
led to the finding of the grave, Mr..
! Bragg and Mr. circuit testified to the
same effect.
Medical Examiner Knowlton was
the principal witness of the after
noon. He testified to the disinter-
ment of the body, the preliminary
examination showing that death had
resulted from nine huckshot that had
entered the right breast and passed
diagonauy through the body, and
the later examination at the town
nall in Amherst indicating that the
body had been assaulted after death.
The clothing found on the body was
introduced at this point and identl-
fled by Dr.. Knowlton
Deputy Sheriff Silsby Identified a
single-barrel 12-guage shotgun as
one belonging to Roland Mcdonald
and taken from the Mcdonald home
on the evening of the finding OF the
body. He testified that, from the
smell of powder, it had been fired re-
Gently, though Roland Mcdonald had
told him he fred it last about three
weeks before.
Postmaster Durham testified as to
81 bill folded in a peculiar manner
as similar to one seen by him in Miss
; Gerrish's purse, and later expended
) in his store by Roland Mcdonald. II
7 is this bill, it is alleged, that later LED
l to fastening suspicion on Mcdonald
Detectives Wood and Brown testi
fed to damaging admissions made tC
them by Roland Mcdonald. There
were frequent objections during the
giving of this testimony, and thu
; question of whether it was intro
i duced as an alleged confession was
= brought up. The line was drawn be
t tween an admission and a confession
3 and the evidence got by on this. Mr.
. Judkins, the last witness yesterday
= was on the stand to testify in regar(
\ to admissions made to him by Nc
y Donald in the county jail, when tn
u !, question of confession was agail
q brought up, and court suspended un
! til this morning, for arguments as t