100 years ago in Spokane: 2nd McDonald sister convicted of forging murdered man’s check

A jury found the second of the notorious McDonald sisters, Marie McDonald, guilty of first-degree forgery.

Like her sister Fay, convicted the week before, Marie reacted to the verdict in dramatic fashion.

“Two minutes after the conclusion of the trial, the defendant collapsed in a faint and was carried from the courtroom and placed in an automobile,” said The Spokesman-Review.

“I know she will die; I think she will die before morning,” said her sister Fay.

Another relative said, “I do not know how any jury could sleep tonight after they convicted her; I do not see how women could convict her.”

However, both women were fortunate that they had not been convicted of much more serious charges. Both were acquitted of murdering W.H. McNutt, largely because they blamed his slaying on their brother, Will McDonald, who was still at large.

The forgery charges stemmed from the accusation the McDonald sisters removed a check from McNutt’s body after he was killed, and that one of them forged a name on it and attempted to cash it.

Marie and another brother, Ted, still faced yet another trial, this one on charges they stole the dead man’s automobile and drove it to California.