The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-03-19
YOUTH, 15,FACES UNUSUAL TRIAL
 IN GIRLS DEATH
Killing of Sister Admitted and Denied in Case
 Opening Monday

Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin, March 19 - (UP) - A smiling 15- year-old boy, accused of staying his younger sister as she slept in his uncle's farm home is scheduled to face trial in the old stone court house of this Mississippi river town Monday.
 The boy, Harold Best, has been in custody of Sheriff Oliver White of Crawford County since last June 5, the day after his 13-year-old sister, Mildred's death at Soldiers Grove, Wis, a Kickapoo valley town about 25 miles northeast of here.
 Harold repeatedly has confessed the crime, one of the most perplex- ing in Wisconsin history, and then has firmly retracted his confess sions. Experts who have given him lie detector and truth serum" tests say he is innocent.
 Under Wisconsin law the youth is a minor and cannot be charged with first degree murder. There fore, he will be tried before Circuit Judge Sherman E. Smalley on 8 charge of juvenile delinquency, carrying maximum penalty of a term in the boys industrial school until he reaches 21.
 Attorneys May Charge Duress
 His attorneys, Carl N. Hill and D. V. w. Beckwith of Madison, Wis, are convinced of the youths innocence. They believe the "con- fesisons" obtained from Harold by Sheriff White were obtained through duress and that the youth probably is shielding the guilty person.
 T am convinced in my own mind that this boy is innocent" Beckwith said.
 Mildred was shot to death in her bed with a .22 caliber rifle at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Orla Shaw, the uncle and aunt with whom she and her brother had been staying since the divorce of their parents. Shaw and his wife reportedly were visiting friends and shopping in Soldiers Grove at the time of the shooting.
 The Shaws discovered the slay- ing shortly after their arrival home. They awakened Harold and called the sheriff and District At torney James P. Cullen. Harold was brought to the county jail here, questioned for eight hours, and he allegedly confessed the crime. He slept two hours. arose, and retracted the confession.
 Second Repudiation Made
 Later he confessed the crime a second time. This time, according to Sheriff White, he also repudiated. Subsequently, other confessions and denials have been reported.
 Ten days after Mildred's death Shaw was taken to hospital. A few days later he died. His physi- clan reported his death was due to "acute hemorrhagic nephritis brought on by nervous breakdown"
 Meanwhile, Hill called upon Dr. William F. Lorenz, noted psychia- trist, and Professor J. H. Mathews, prominent criminologist, of the Uni- versity of Wisconsin, and Dr. H. B. Pessin, Madison pathologist. Lie detector and truth serum" tests convinced Lorenz and Mathews that the boy was innocent.
 Uncle's Body Exhumed
 Hill sought and obtained an or der from County Judge Jeremiah O'Neil for exhumation of the body of Shaw at Viroqua, after pointing out that he believed Shaw died of arsenic or mercury poisoning. Shaw's body was exhumed on Au- gust ' and an autopsy was per- formed.
 Dr. Frank L. Kozelka, state toxi- cologist, who aided in the exami- nation, reported to Judge O'Neil that Shaw's body had substan- tial amount of acute or sub- acute" arsenic poison, Dr. c. H. Bunting, University of Wisconsin pathologist, said Shaw at some time had taken a considerable quantity" of arsenic, but said the immediate cause of death was a complication of diseases, including pneumonia and a weak heart.
 Hills formal request for release of the boy on the ground that Crawford county authorities had mo case" was rejected by the dis trict attorney.
 Hill and Beckwith planned to offer expert testimony in their ef- fort to free the youth.