The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-05-27
Accuser Was Absent

CNAlAAANA when pr. Speel was slain, failed tc materialize when Norton did mol appear at court.
 Norton told police Elder threat ened him with 6 shotgun in hi' garage here late Tuesday night. but fled without firing. Elder has pro- tested his innocence, maintaining he spent the night in a Keene N. H., hotel.
 The white-haired former dean ap- peared rested. His face was clean shaven, but his gray suit still waf rumpled.
 | Court Room Filled All seats in the courtroom were occupied. There were no Standees
 Elder waived extradition late yes- terday and was whisked by automo- bile from his Alton, N. H., poultry farm, to Holden State Police Bar racks and thence to this city, where he was lodged in police cell at a. m.
 Though both Elder and Norton were questioned three years ago III connection with the murder of Dr. Speer = Americas number l mur- der mystery of 1884 = police em- phasized they had not attempted to link the allege shotgun assault and the still-unsolved shotgun mur- der case.
 Not Questioned Much
 Neither have police subjected Elder to any lengthy questioning in connection with the alleged as- sault, though he gave My complete alibi" to the United Press shortly before he voluntarily appeared at Alton town hall yesterday.
 Elder, who retired as dean of Mount Hermon soon after the Speer murder, maintained he spent the night at the Eagle Hotel at Keene, N. H., - 30 miles northeast Of here = where he had gone to dis cuss arrangements for the annual meeting at Chicago of the Holstein- Friesien Association of America, ot which he is 8 director.
 Mrs. Elder and I stayed until 7:45 o'clock or 8:l5 this "Wednesday morning, when we set out for home, Elder told the United Press, T was not at Greenfield at any time dur ing my absence"
 Story of Norton
 It was Il p. m. (E.D.T) Tuesday that Norton alighted from his gar aged automobile to find, he said, l M rto S1anv v1 a dnnrmaU
 Come over to the corner Of the garage" Norton quoted Elder. T want to talk to you"
 Instead, Norton walked toward the man who reached under his coat and produced the gum"
 Then. Norton recounted, he ran around the automobile and into hls house, while the man raced across the lawn to an automobile.
 Story Substantiated
 Norton's story was substantiateo in part by Miss Yvonne Arsenault a maid at the home of Samue! Aaron adjoining that of Norton.
 She said she heard a noise al about Il p. m. Tuesday and, lock- ing out a bedroom window, saw g man with a gun in his hand pointed toward the garage. Suddenly the man wheeled, she said, ran across the lawn and jumped into an "old sedan.
 Enroute home a half hour earlier, Miss. Arsenault said, she had seen the sedan parked near the Norton home with man seated inside.
 Elders alibi likewise was substans tiated in part by George O'Neil, night clerk at Keene's Eagle ho- tel.
 "Mr. and Mrs. T. E. Elder of AL ton registred here Tuesday night at 6 D. m." he told the United Press They were given third-floor room They came down for supper between 8 and g o'clock and before returning upstairs, left a call for 2 a. m. As far as I know, they didn't go out during the night. However, 1t is possible for a person to leave the hotel without my seeing him."
 No Hotel Elevator
 There is no elevator in the hotel ] ONeil said Elder left his automo- bile in the unattended parking space behind the hotel.
 Informed of Elders denial, Norton ridiculed the suggestion he might have been mistaken.
 q have known Tom Eldler foi nearly 30 years and I recognized him." he said. "The light was on in the garage, there was 8 full moon and I heard his voice."
 Bad Blood Admitetd
 Norton, who was asSociatd with Elder at Mount Hermon for 9 years until Elder resigned, admitted there was "bad blood" between them.
 He said he incurred the former deans "enmity" when he threatened to report Eldler to the then head master Walterd Cutler flor alleged misconduct. Norton said, however that he never carried out the threat Norton retired last August after 25 years as cashier of the school.
 A search that spread rapdily throughout the east followed Nor tons report of the alleged assault attempt. The hunt ended abruptly nearly 12 hours later when Elder and his wife drove up to their mod est white farmhouse in the center of Alton near the southern tip o1 Lake Winnepesaukee.
 Four Hours Later
 It was not until nearly four hours later that Police Chief Alfred w. Cooley of Alton, accompanied by two New Hampshire state detec- tives, went to the Elder farmhouse and requested the former dean tc accompany them to Cooley's office
 Shortly after Elder appeared al the tow n hall, Lieutenant Joseph L. Ferrari and Sergeant John J Canavan of the Massachusetts state police arrived. An hour later Elider, Ferrari and Canavan left fol Massachusetts,.
 A three-hour stop was made al Holden state police barracks, where | Cantair John F. Stokes. head of the