The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-11-19
TRAGEDY NIGHT
RE-ENACTED BY
'CURFEW GIRL
Follows Sister on Stand
With Graphic Tale of
Fathers Murder.
BlAMES BED COVERS
Went to Parents Room
After Returning From
Ginqer-AIe Party.
BY HARRY FERGUSON
United Press STAFF Correspondent


streaked through the powder on the
face of Edith Maxwell when she
sat in the witness chair today and
failed the air with brown shoe to
show how she killed her father
because he tried to whip her for
staying out until midnight with a
boy.
The girl who left the hills of her
birth and went over the mountains
to the outside world, where she got
new tangled notions" made her
fight for freedom in a courtroom
packed with the hill people among
whom she was born.
She wore "outlander clothes "a
perky brown hat, powder blue dress
brown stockings, suede shoes. Clothes
like that can't De bought at the
cross roads called The Pound"
where on the night of July 20 Trigg
Maxwell waited with a club and
butcher knife to punish his daugh-
ter and teach her the rules of de-
Cency under the mountain code.
Earlier, Edith had listened to her
1l-year- old sister, Mary Catherine,
tell in a tear-choked voice of the
events of the tragic night. The
child stood up we'll under a per-
picking cross examination. and
threw A brave smile at her older
sister as she left the witness stand.
Tells of Cause of Alr'
Edith then told about the cause
Of all the trouble-the party she
went on with Raymond Meade. 1t
was that party that outraged Trigg
Maxwell, because he subscribed TO
code of morals that demands
women be at their firesides by 8
p. m.
went up to Wise that night"
Edith said, with my cousin. Along
in the evening Raymond Meade
came along and said he would give
me lift to The Pound"
There were some more people in
the car but we dropped them out,
she testified, and Raymond Meade
says let's go to the Little Ritz and
get something to eat
we did and Raymond says would
like something to drink. I don't
drink, so l ordered a bag of potato
chips-I eat potato chips all the
time-and bottle of ginger ale.
Raymond took some liquor, and in
sisted on pouring some into my
glass.
While he was out of the room l
threw my whisky out the window
and put ginger ale into my glass"
In her excitement the girl, who
was educated in the outside world
to be a school teacher, occasionally
lapSed into mountain dialect.
Had to Go
1T was a-getting late" she said,
land l says to Raymond l must be
departing home because I'm going
blackberrying tomorrow.
SO Raymond took me home and
my sister says to me your bed COW
ers is in Pappy's room but don't go
in there he's drunk and he's going
to run Mama out of the house to-
morrow
I had to have my bed covers so
I went into his room and he says to
me Edith, I'm going to whip you
and l says, 'Pappy, don't you do it.
Il backed out to another room
and he comes after. There was
butcher knife lying on the table
and he grabbed it.
I yelled, 'Pappy, don't you cut
me
He grabbed me by the hair and
kept pulling me toward the kitchen.
1t hurt
I'VE knocked over some pans l
got away, but he comes after me and
says I'll show you I can whip you.
He grabbed ahold of my flesh near
the shoulder and pushed me down
against the wall. l was scared"
Gulps and Goes On
Edith sobbed and fished for
handkerchief. Tears made streaks
through her rouge and powder. She
gulped and went on.
Il felt something against my
back" she said. Il reached around
for 1t and it was a shoe. 1t used to
be my shoe butt had given it to
my mother I had TO do something.
So 1 grabbed the shoe and hit him.
I don't know how many times I
hit him coming up from the wall be-
cause 1t was dark. I broke away and
! knew had to hide
He was yelling now he was going
TO kill me. Trigg had ripped most
all the clothes off my upper body.
so l grabbed up something and
went out in the street.
Cries Jesus, Jesus"
Inside pappy was yelling. Jesus.
Jesus why can't a man whip his
own child
Il made up my mind to leave
home and I told pappy and mama.
Pappy says mind down now. Edith.
you've got a good home here. l saws.
Yes pappy, but you fuss me even
When I go to the neighbors house
You can whip me when you're sober
and l will take it. but when you're
drunk you try to kill me- "
A. A. Skeen. her lawyer handed
her brown. Sharp-heeled shoe and
told her to demonstrate now she
Killed her father. Edith grasped the
Shoe by the toe half-roSe from the
witness chair and swung several
times.
When 7 come up from the floor"
she yelled half-hysteric, I come UP
Striking-like this"
Jurors leaned forward in their
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