Wilmington daily commercial. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1866-1877, 1873-06-06
Thursday'a Proceedings.
Especial report for the Commercial j

| Especial report for the Commerciall
DOVER June 5.
Mrs West concluded her testimony. She spoke
| of another fall her son had, after he went TO
| Dover, and before he went to college. 1t WIS
| from swing. He was not able TO do manual
| labor afterwards.
| Samuel O. Lacey, a neighbor of Vests father
| has known prisoner about ten years Noticed
| marked change in him about 1869 or 1870. He
| was at witness store, and wanted an old news
| paper and old watch which witness had.
| Said he wanted to start museum with them, in
/ Milton, Sussex Co. Saw him, at religious
woods meeting afterward, and his conduct SEEM
/ ed strange: aud also at political meeting. From
| his observation at these times, witness thought
| him not right in his MUD
| DR.. John Pierce knew prisoner several years.
| Noticed marked change in him about 1871 West
was negotiating for ''gas apparatus" and
| seemed almost wild on the subject; talked ex-
| travagantly had previously talked of forming
| Museum and witness saw him gathering shells
and pebbles for it. He had a cow-horn, also,
| which he intended to put into it also human
| arm which he said friend had sent him from
| the West it was preserved i'll alcohol. Witness
| believed he was not of sound mind
| Stephen X. Evans and George I. Evans testi-
| fed to weak condition of mind in l. @. West,
Sem, (prisoners father) about 1886. He had
| had severe fall.
Edwin @. Atkins was pupil in Vests school
| at Milton They used to go CANNING together !;
sgmetimes looked for plants and curious shaped
roots. West wanted bones, and witness directed
/ him to an old vault he went perfectly wild
withsdelight in the hopes of finding skeleton.
| WitDess told him that man or woman had been
| buried between two cedar sumps that we're
| standing near. West dug up great hole in
| search of the remains, but was finally persuaded
| to deaist.
Charles Moore, of Philadelphia, has known
| West for years: always thought he had pecu-
| liarities would sit for 10 or 10 minutes looking
| at spot on the ceiling would come into wit
4 ataknn nd aif al hnnra NNith
| saying much once, while talking about other
| matters, broke off suddenly and asked for lemons
and sugar talked great deal about himself AZ
| if he was great man, and would roll his eyes
| in the opinion of witness, he WAS insane.
| Samuel Callan, a student-at-aw, first saw
| prisoner IN 1869, III law office of W. Is Hirons.
| Philadelphia was not favorably impressed with
| the appearance of his eye: it had wild look /;
/ on Thanksgiving Day, last year, saw him at 7th
| and Fitzwater streets, Philadelphia; some boys
| were throwing chicken heads at him he took
their treatment lightly witness believed him OF
/ unsound mind.
| John NJ. williamson, Esq, Of Wilmington, had
noticed remarkable change in West, three or
| four years ago. During the week before the
| homicide, West came into witness Office and
| asked for writing maj erials to prepare an epi-
/ taph. This the witness helped him furnish af-
ter West had worked at it for half an hour, and
| failed, forgetting the meaning and spelling of
| the most ordinary words in the language. After
| the epitaph was written, the conversation turned
| upon the question OF ana the killing OF
/ DR.. Parkman by Prof. Webster, history OF
i which the witness had been reading upon the
| morning West visited him. At the irst instance
| in which the subject Of murder was mentioned
the prisoner cast down his eyes, and the witness
| asked the priAoner, why, Ike, you don't in
tend to kill anybody, do you?" to which West re-
| piled that he did not. The witness and West
| about this time went to dinner, and after they
| came back, the conversation turned upon the
subject of religion, and West said he was more
| OF a SWedenborgian than anything else. Wit
| ness asked him what was the belief of the Swe-
| denborgians and the witness proceeded to tell
| witness that the Swedenborgians believed that
| men were not punished except in themselves for
| crimes they might commit, and that these little
lies and swearing didn't count. The witness
asked if a man committed murder like DR.
Parkmans what he (West) thought would hap
pen to him. The prisoner gave no answer in
| words but turned look upon witness that
| caused bin to look toward the door and see to
his chances of escape il necessary. When West
| was about to leave he seemed to move mysteri-
ously and witness drew finally from him, that
| the business he had in Wilmington concern
ing the colored people that they we're working
or plotting against him, and that it was necessa-
ry for him to come up and stralghten the matter
up. The witnesses declared 1t to be his earnest
conviction that it was impossible to reconcile all
the facts known to him and thus related, with any
theory of Vests sane condition.
| Prot W. A. Reynolds testified that Vests rep
utation for peace and good order WAS good.
DIR. VIM @. Davidson, on the Saturday after
Vests arrest saw him in the jail Was struck
on entering the cell with his peculiar appear
ance thought he was not in rational oondi-
ton he was hesitating in his manner some
times interested sometimes languid. He said
he had used the gas ever since ne commenced
to make it Remarked the peculiar condition Of
his eyes look of animation and leaden look
with silence On previous occasion West
visited witness office and he then thought
him not sano when be saw him in jail the opin-
ion Was confirmed.
Catherine Bennett sworn, resides in Dover,
| saw and observed the prisoner, on the day be-
fore the night of the fire. He came along walk
ing very slowly. He stopped and rested on his
cane, then looked at the buildings around and
then at witness. Witness thought prisoner
| sick, His manner was strange, and he had a
| troubled look, looked worried and wild.
Henry P. Cannon, a student, with West, at
Dickinson College, said his graduating address
was on "Parlor Matches"
James q, West, brother, described prisoners
| conduct, at the time of his arrest witness be-
! | lieves him not sane.
Rev. A. d. Davis saw him at religious meet
ing last summer thought him monomaniaC
! | on the gas subject.
Peter romlinson heard from West about a
great estate he had left him he had already re-
, ceived part of it; it was left him. West declared
. by his uncle.
John A Armour sworn Said that he saw
l West for the first time after he was arrested
I | He noticed peculiar expression of eyes anC
I mouth. There was a dullness of eyes inter
mittgd with an equally extreme brilliancy
. | Thinks West was person Of deranged mind
. undoubtedly 80.
D Other witnesses testified to similar effect.
large number of witnesses testified to Westi
3 good reputation. Among these were John Tay.
lor, Edward kdgley, s. G. Laws, Edw. NJ. Viii
D | liams.
8 Thomas NJ. Battle testified that prisoner hat
articles left with him, including the Museum
! This then brought into Court. 1t consist
ed Of old boots, snakes in pottes, old horns, &c
! | One old shoe had come from Baltimore, wrap
o ped up in a cotton batting and filled with tn,
!, same, and a sheet around all After he return
. ed from Baltimore observed great change il
him. He seemed to be wild on the subject o
3 money.
s Charles Baugert. boy of eleven years, WA
/, to poison his father. The crime was committed
9 at the instigation of the boys mother, who wa