New Britain herald., 1930-03-27
Stumps of Trees Painted Red to Make Mrs. Mar chand Die, Crone Testi- ies-LiIa JimersOn, De- lendant, Loses Compo- sure.

Courthouse, Buffalo, March 27 (UP) - Even before old Nancy Bowen started out on the morning Of March to kill Mrs. Clothilde , Marchard, the blood curse of the Senecas had been invoked against the White Witch" by Indians on the Cattaraugas reservation. The squaw, resuming her tcsti- nony in the trial of Lila Jimerson on charge of murder, said today that tree stumps on the reservation had been painted scarlet in an at tempt to cast a death spell over Mrs. Marchand
 Witches Worked Slowly
 But the spirits Of the witches were tardy, so, as Nancy Bowen told yesterday, she took fate into her own hands and beat the white witch to death with a hammer and poured chloroform down her throat. The court room was crowded to- day with spectators eager to hear more of the story of primitive su- perstition. Lila Jimerson, accused of melting Mrs. Bowen to the mur- der, sat calmly through the recital. It will matter little to her whether the jury pronounces a sentence Of death in the electric chair. for phy- sicians have told her that the disease which is raVaging her lungs will give her only two more years, of life. Henri Marchand artist and hus- band of the dead woman, for whose love Lila is accused of plotting the crime, is in jail as a material wit ness and probably will testify after Mrs. Bowen finishes
 Cross Examines Woman
 John Maloney. defense counsel, concluded crcss- examination early | in the session today and then Dis | trict Attorney Guy B. Moore began redirect examination of the wit ! ness who will be tried on a charge of murder after the present case is 1 finished.
 Were these tree stumps painted outside your house just to keep | witches away" he asked
 To kill Witch" Mrs. Bowen ar sWored through an interpreter. Mrs. Bowen concluded her testi- 1 rhony by denying she prepared food l Tor witches or had climbed to the roof of her home with a gun to scare away evil spirits. She had spent e1ght hours on the witness stand over a period of three days.
 Ernest W, Mcintyre, the attorney appointed by the court to defend Mrs. Bowen, testified briefly, Snd then Police Commissioner Roche of | Buffalo was called 10 the stand. He testified Lila had admitted to nm that she wrote the "Dooly" let ters to Mrs. Bowen "after she had consulted a ouiia board which told her what to write" The letters excerpts from which have been read m court urged Mrs. Bowen to kill Mrs. Marchand because the latter was "a witch" and was threatenine the entire Bowen family, They were signed Mrs. Dooly."
 
 Admitted As Evidence
 The letters were admitted as evi- dence and then William E. Connal- | Iy, Buffalo detective, was called tc identify statement signed by Lila 1 at the time of her arrest. The court recessed to give defense coun. sol time to study the statement. During the recess Marchand made his first appearance in court, but remained only short time.
 I'm going on tho stand this aft. ornoon,' he told the United Press correspondent. My throat, how. ever, IS as sore as the dickens. Nab. he I talked too much, ch""
 He went into a side room tc smoke a cigarette and sec his son Henri, Jr.
 Hello son." Marchand said "hoN are you making out?"
 "Okay Dad. Gee l wish you Nerc home.'
 Makes Son Present
 "I'lI be back soon, don't worry | sheriff's dog that I'm going to bring l you"
 Since he has been in jail as { material witness, Marchand has beer f modelling a clay figure of a dog. For the first time since the tria ! started Miss Jimcrson lost her com posture when Connally went back {, tho witness stand after the recess.
 The detective said Miss Jimersor was kept at police headquarters onl! about 20 minutes at the time Of he arrest.
 Longer than that" shouted Lila
 A bailiff quieted her
 Moore then read q statement f. ,h" iury signed by Miss Iimerson. Excerpts from it were: "I hay known Henri Marchand since 1895 She and his wife often came 10 SC