, 1870-04-29
M'FARLAND's INSANITY.

lEe defence OF insanity in cases of mur-
der is likely TO receive setback IN the case
of Mcfarland, now on trial in New York
Mrs Mcfarland left her husband, intending
to remain separate from him Subsequent
ly, McFarland chose to attribute her leaving.
to the influence of Richardson, and, there
fore, on one occasion, followed him, shot
ut him, and wounded him. Still later, he
published statement of his domestic trou-
b1es in the New York Tribune (as Mr..
Greeley now tells us), and this statement
elected from Richardson public reply, in
which, after denying that he had caused
he stated that, if the lady, at
any subsequent time, should become
legally free to marry again, and would ac-
cept him, he should marry her. Two yeazs
after this, ard after Mrs. Mcfarland had
obtained a divorce, Mcfarland, meeting
Richardson, shot at and killed him. The
defence is, that Richardson seduced Mrs.
McFaElanl, and that the effect upon Nc
Fatlands mind was such rs to render him
insane, and that, while thus insane, he CON-
mitted the homicide. To sustain this plea,
his counsel have offered evory scrip Of
testimony available tending to show that
Richardson Was priry to and aided in the
separation, and that he actually did debauch
Mts- mcfarland, and that the discovery OF
these facts destroyed A1tF Farland S reason and
responsibility The letters Of Mrs. Cal
houn were used to substantiate the e1loga-
ton that the wifes mind WAS poisoned
against her husband in Richardson's inter-
est. But now comes the reply. The first
witness is Mr.. Greeley, who testifes that
Mcfarland sought an interview with him,
complaining that his side of the case had
not been fairly presented, and asking the
privilege to publish q statement Of his
grievances, In this interview, which Was
nfter the first shooting, he stated that he
did not believe there had been any i'm
proper relations bet Feen his vifo
and Richardson! "Hete is pretty
go." This, be it observed, was
after the first shooting. , It 5as
long after Mcfarland had read N1rs- Cal
houns letters, and knew that his vito had
left him forever, and that she was then
seeking divorce All the circumstances,
direct and indirect, upon which the defence
relies as the producing cause of the insanity,
had then taken place, and, though he had !
once tried to Kill Richardson, he was still
sane, appealing to the public in his OWL
defence, and avowing to Mr.. Greeley his
belief in his wife's virtue.
Up to the present time, the Mcfarland
party hare had everything their own way.
Public sympathy was On the side of McFar-
land from the beginning, partly because he
had no powerful friends, as Richardson Ind,
and partly because the majority always
take sides with the man who shoots the
supposed seducer of his fernn1e relatives.
It has now come the turn of Mr.. Richard
sons friends, not to take revenge upon
McFarland, but to show, if they can, that
the assaults upon his memory are as
base as the bloody deed by which
he came to his death. Recorder
Hackctt has done the cause Of public justice
n service by opening the door for evidence
rebutting the supposed existence Of insan-
ity, and the alleged cause thereof The
first thing shown is that the supposed
1naniac, long after he had tried to shoot
Richardson, did not pretend to believe that
his wife had been corrupted or had had in
proper relations with the victim The ad-
mission Of this class of evidence Will prove
fatal to the plea of insanity in many, per-
haps majority, of these cases, where indi-
viduals, upon one prete1t or another, con-
stisrte themselves judge, jury, and oxecu-
toner, and, when the real judge and jury
come along, pretend that they had lost
their wits.