Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-11-04
NATIONAL HOME MEMBER FOUND
NOT GUILTY DRUNKEN DRIVING
RESULT ACCIDENT ON FOCUS ROAD

Controverting the testimony of the
States witnesses. which was to the
effect that Percy Clark Of the Ma
tional Home was under the influence
of Intoxicating liquor when the light
truck which he was operating last
Wednesday afternoon was In COLI
sion with a Buick car operated by
Mrs. Elmer e. Bradbury Of this CITY
at filling station on the Thomaston
road, the case for the defense was
presented so convincingly and with
such splendid character testimony
that Judge Robert A. Cony, presiding
at the session Of municipal court
Wednesday morning, found the re
spondent not guilty of a charge of
driving while intoxicated. and the
member Of the National Home was
discharged from custody.
The warrant in the case was
signedc by Officer John e. Marks of
the State Highway Police. but Mrs.
Elmer e. Bradbury, whose car was
somewhat damaged when the Ford
operated by Clark backed into II.
While the Bradbury car was parked
in the Richards yard, was the priu-
cipal witness for the State, and dur
ney B. r. Maher representing the re-
spondent, verbal fireworks Were set
off with several somewhat spectacu-
lar clashes between the counsel and
the witness, which resulted in a
warning to the witness from the
court when Mrs. Bradbury persisted
in tnterrupting the proceedings with
indignant remarks.
Lieutenant Marion E. Jewell of the
State Highway Police also came in
for his share of embarrassment when
Attorney Maher insisted that the Of
ficer testify to specific conversation
with the National Home veteran aft
err he had been taken into custody bv
two lteutenants and one patrolman
of the State Highway Police. Judge
Maher suggested that Lieutenant
Jewell was rather fond of appearing
as a witness.
The case of the defense was so
cleverly presented and the respon-
dent, Clark, made such q straight
forward appearance on the stand. as
compared with the self conscious
demeanor and seemingly biased tes-
timony OF some of the prosecution
witnesses, that after the eloquent
argument by the respondents coun-
sci In which the facts and the evil
dence In the case were clearly re-
viewed, the finding by the court was
no surprise to those in the court
room who had followed the case.
Besides Mrs. Bradbury. who test,-
fed that Clark backed his light truck
into her machine in the Richards
dooryard, and that from her obser-
vations she believed the man and his
companions were intoxicated, other
witnesses who took the stand for the
State were Lieutenants Joseph F..
Young, Jr.. and Marion E Jewell and
Officer John z. Marks of the State
Highway Police, Mrs. Esther M.
Richards and her daughter Miss
Doris E. Richards. All of these wit
nesses stated that they believed the
driver Of the Ford truck had the odor
of alcoholic beverage on his breath
Immediately following the accident
Percy Clark, the respondent, was
the first witness called to the stand
in his own defense and unhesitating-
ly told of his movements on the day
OF the incident, and further declared
that in the fourteen years that he
had been a member of the National
Home he had never INDUCED in in
toxicants, and characterized Mrs.
Bradbury's attitude Immediately fol-
lowing the collision as unreasonable
Clark testified that after colliding
with the Bradbury machine when he
attempted to back away from the gas
pump in the Richards yard he ap-
preached Mrs. Bradbury to present
his operating credentials and asked
for her, which were refused him. He
then drove his machine to Leavitt's
crossing to enable one of his COM
panions, who was suffering pain from
an old wound to return to the Home
on the electric car, and then drove
back to the Richards place and re-
ported himself to the Highway Off