Evening star., 1938-05-25
Y0UNCERBR0THER
DEFENDS CARROLL
Tells of Hearing Donald
Crying Day Sweetheart
Was Slain.
BY the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, May 25.-A wide-eyed,
tow-headed boy Of l3 came to his old
er brothers defense today as the State
rested its f1rst-degree murder case
against 16-year-old Donald Carroll,
accused of killing his sweetheart, Char
lotte Matthiesen, Is, last March in an
uncompleted suicide pact.
The first defense witness, Carroll's
younger brother, Douglas, marched to
the stand and gravely told of coming
home from school on the day Of the
shooting and hearing Donald crying.
He was praying for the Lord to kill
him." said Douglas.
When he entered the living room of
their Jackson Heights home, the young
ster said, he noticed his fathers Army
pistol lying on the sofa.
II didn't think that was very
safe place for it," he said. 80 took 1t
into the kitchen and put it on shelf"
Youthful Defendant Smiles.
The youthful defendant smiled for
the first time since his trial opened
Monday when he saw his brother take
the stand Judge Thomas Downs had
asked young Douglas If he knew
what happens when boy swears be-
fore God to tell the truth and then
doesn't tell the truth
The question seemed to puzzle Doug
las, but Judge Downs permitted him
to testify.
Assistant District Attorney Joseph
v. Loscalzo rested his case Is min
utes after the second days testimony
began. He made no attempt to elab-
crate on statement read yesterday
as young Carroll's own version of how
he shot the Matthiesen girl after they
had decided to die together because
she was expecting motherhood.
The prosecutors final witnesses were
DR.. Alexander O. Gettler, chief toxi-
cologist, and DR.. Harry Schwartz,
chemist in the chief medical exam
iner's office.
Found No Powder Burns.
DR.. Gettler caused a brief stir in
the crowded courtroom by saying his
examination of the dress worn by the
girl when she was shot failed to show
any evidence of powder burns.
The statement, attributed to Carroll,
said she held the gun muzzle to her
breast while he pulled the trigger.
Under cross-examiantion by Defense
Counsel Sydney Rosenthal, DR.. Gettler
acknowledge that blood would dissolve
powder marks.
DR.. Schwartz gave routine analysis
of his examination of the girls cloth
ing.
Defense counsel said he would call
the dead girls parents, who have ex-
pressed a desire to help the boy who
killed their daughter.
1T is so easy now," said Mrs. Fred
Matthiesen, ito see how this hap
pened."
That was after q narrowing session
when she had seen the gun that killed
her daughter, heard the trigger click
in the prosecutors hands. and heard
from a medical examiner that Char
lotte was an expectant mother.
Boys Parents Bewildered.
Donald's parents, who see, too, now,
how easily the whole thing happened,
sat beside the girls parents, oewil-
dered with remembering how short
time it was since the boy on trial was
playing with tin soldiers-imagining
the bullets in his fathers service re-
volver were big shells, in mock war.
It was the big Shells" his former
playthings. according to a statement
he purportedly made to District At
torney Charles P. Sullivan, thai he
and the girl thought Of when life
seemed to have become too complex for
them.
Looking for Way Out.
"She told me she had been looking
for some way to commit suicide" said
the statement introduced by the prose-
cution.
"I said 1t would be better if we both
did. She said it would be better if
only she did. She tried to get me to
promise that if shot her wouldn't
shoot myself"
You got the bullets from cigarette
holder?"
Eyes. Before that had taken them
from where ne (my father) had them
hidden, and I used them as big shells
when I played with soldiers.
Then, when I grew up, stuck
them in a drawer in my desk.
A little while ago I happened to be
looking for a cigarette and
saw them, and didn't think anything
about it then, but got them out to-
day.