Identifying Skeleton Clocks

Tales from the Morgue: First day of testimony, Eva Dugan Part 7

The second day of the Dugan murder case in superior court closed after the state yesterday examined 17 of its 28 witnesses in which they expect to conclusively prove by circumstantial evidence that Mrs. Eva Dugan murdered Andrew J. Mathis, aged rancher, and later buried his body in a shallow grave near the ranch house where she had been employed as his housekeeper.

The case moved slowly during the day because of the minute and lengthy cross examination to which Stanley Samuelson, of Florence, Mrs. Dugan's attorney, subjected each of the state's witnesses. Court recessed at 5 o'clock last night until 9:30 Thursday morning. In closing court, Judge Gerald Jones , who is presiding, expressed regret to the jury that he had not thought of the holiday (Wednesday, Feb. 22, 1928, was Ash Wednesday) before setting the date for the trial, as the jurors will be compelled to remain in the custody of the bailiffs until the case is finally disposed of.

Holston C. McLain, step son of Mathis, caused spectators in the court room to sit up and listen when he repeated the conversation he had had with Mrs. Dugan on Christmas day shortly before the disappearance of his stepfather. He stated that Mrs. Dugan had said, "If the old ———— meddles with me, I'll kill him."

In reply to further questioning by Louis R. Kempf, county attorney, McLean told the jury that the relations between his stepfather and Mrs. Dugan had not been friendly for some time. Like many of the other witnesses, McLain positively identified the skull, which was in evidence and was placed on the table directly in fromt of the jury box and the witness stand where the gruesome object seemed to leer at each witness as he took the stand.

Tell of Finding Body

Both Sheriff Jim McDonald and his chief criminal deputy, John Farrell, testified to removing the decomposed body from the shallow grave where it had been found by J. F. Nash, a tourist, while he was staking his tent about 200 yards south of the Mathis ranch house. McDonald told of the careful way in which he and his deputies removed each part of the skeleton and finally sifted the earth in the grave in order to get every bone. Farrell told of the gag which was found on the lower jaw of the skull and which had been tied in a knot back of the head. In the cross examination, Farrell was asked by Samuelson to explain the definition of a gag. Samuelson closely questioned Farrell reguarding the paper box which he stated had been found in the grave and which had contained quick lime.

Bezel Clocks: Good Directions new landmark exterior clock for ...

Some weeks ago we were approached by Paul Cook, the proprietor of hair salon 'Hair Concepts' to design and manufacture a feature clock to go on his new premises in Banbury. The building was formerly a warehouse for a wine merchants, which Mr Cook has sympathetically transformed with his team of Architect, builder and shop fitters to recreate a period building typical of Banbury town centre. In keeping with traditional clocks the bezel surround, although manufactured by Good Directions in modern GRP material in a colour to match the rendering, it is designed to look like raised stonework around the clock. Using GRP instead of stone however means that it can be manufactured to suit the clock size and easily retro-fitted to an existing wall with the minimum of fuss. For more than 20 years Good Directions has been building a reputation world wide as a market leader in the design, construction and installation of Exterior Clocks, Cupolas, GRP Structures and Weathervanes. Our Head Office is based in Botley, Hampshire with a Midlands Office located in Wirksworth, Derbyshire. With a strategy of continuous investment in Technology we feel we have some of the most innovative products available. With probably the largest range of GRP roof turrets in the UK there is also the added option of customers designing their own unique products or having a replica or replacement of past or existing structures made using old photographs or drawings for reference. Our clocks are suitable for commercial or domestic properties and can be housed in any number of our standard roof turrets, bezels, drums or pillar structures available. Our clock movements are produced from brass and stainless steel with control systems available which include automatic winter / summer time change, links to the atomic time signal and battery back up in case of power failure.

Hobbies

Bulletin of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors

Horological journal

Antiques

Blackwood's Edinburgh magazine