Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-10-08
ERGEANT MURCHISON
UNDERGOES A SEVERE
CROSS EXAMINATION

HALL OF JUSTICE, LOS ANGELES,
Oc. u (AP) - Alonzo Murchison,
brawny desert tracker and police Off
Ger of Douglas Arizona, testified on the
witness stand today that he did not be-
lieve Aimee Semple Mcpherson could
have hiked across the waste, as she
described in her story of kidnapping
and escape last June. The evidence was
the high light of today's session in
Mrs. McPherson's preliminary hearing
on criminal conspiracy charges.
Murchison's testimony, given after he
had qualified as an expert under cross
examination by w. I, Gilbert of de-
tense counsel, came as a lengthy hypo-
thetical question pre- pounded by the
prosecution, which outlined circum-
stances identical with those in the Nc
Pherson investigation.
The latter portion of today's hear
ing was filled with pictures of shacks
which the defense produced and sub
mitted to Murchison on the witness
stand. The witness said he had been
unable to find a shack in the desert
south cf Douglas to correspond with
that described by the evangelist as the
place where she was held by her abb
ductors.
Gilbert had Murchison in the after
noon session Indicate on the blackboard
sketch the location of all houses he
knew Of in the country below Aqua
Prieta, Mexico, which the police cffi-
Ger had gone over after Mrs. McPher-i
son appeared in Douglas.
A picture was then produced by Gill
4o1 NTrc Ep-
Pherson visited, the Canesas ranch
house, but which he had not placed on
the blackboard. The defense lawyer
had a sheaf of photographs CT adobe
houses, most of which Murchison was
unable to identify, but others which
were indicated on the sketch when the
police officer recognized them.
Gilbert deluged Murchison with rapid
fire questions intended to impeach him
as an expert witness.
The cross examination cf the soft
spoken but broad shouldered former
cowboy by the shouting and gesticu-
lating Gilbert was in sharp contrast to
the cross questioning of Deputy Dis
trict Attorney Joe Ryan at the last
session, when the clever sallies of the
defense lawyer were parried by the
keen minded deputy in the witness
bcx.
Gilbert handed the dress worn by
the evangelist when she reappeared at
Douglas to Murchison and asked what
evidence he found to indicate it had
not been worn on 20-mile desert trip
Murchison pointed out what he said
was the absence of perspiration marks,
any soiled spots or tears in the gar
ment When Gilbert threw the dress
en- the counsel table where water had
been spilled, the three prosecutors
jumped to their feet simultaneously.
while District Attorney Keyes charged
the dress was being soiled. A hot ex-
change followed, the incident ending
when Judge Blake ordered the dress
given to the clerk.
Murchison got five-minute breath
ing spell from his grilling when he was
directed to sketch the border country
I'm the blackboard, indicating lland-
marks mentioned in his testimony. Gill
bert finally produced one photograph
of a house he said was 13 miles from
Aqua Prieta, but Murchison could not
remember any house at that point.
1t was marked on the sketch.
Gilbert asked If it would have been
possible fer a person to travel beyond
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