Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1881-02-04
E.orIosAL srsAneLIns.

Tn The trial Of Wheeler Tor stranahng
Ariu Tillson. o just commenced at
San Francisco. IL il announced that the
theory Of the defense viii b insanity.
A telegram says:
They claim that wheeler, believing
Peokham. Miss Tillson's fancee. TO DO Q
gambler and Q thoroughly bad nan. and
believing her to b pure and chaste, for IL
10 claimed that be did not regard his rela-
lions with her - lowering her, deliberately
strangied hsr 70 keep her from the contain.
nation Of Pechham. The defense claim
that wheeler did net believe be was doing
wrong, and that his mind had bean 20
wrought upon BY the contemplation OF
what he considered her ruin. that he BE-
came unhinged. and he was . msnomaniac
on that subject.
Il II about time to ''eall . halt" In
this emotional insanity and trsnsitory
mania humbsggsry. whsn . man com.
nits . murder he IL generally supposed
to 10 wrought up to . terrible degree Of
passion and frenzy and does ct that mo-
msnt what he certainly would not b
likely to do In . calm. cool state Of mind.
Through influential friends. ample anan-
ciai and legal assistance. and . sympa.
thstio jury. more than n rsd.handed
murderer during the past year has been
allowed 70 escape deserved hanging. and
punishmsni altogether. on that transi-
tory. emotional insanity plea. II they
were temporarily insane just at that par
ticular moment when they committed
the murder. then all other murderers
should be excused on the same ground.
The most practical way to solve the
problem would be to provide . peculiar
and sffectual punishment for such pecu-
liar cases. Lot every N Of them DO
smotionally hanged with . trsnsitory
halter. II their brains are thus treacb-
ereusly affected. blow them out with
IN emotional blunderbuss. or cut OF
their heads with a trsnsitory brosd-sI.
Let thsm prove that Wheeler was cool.
calm. and collected when he 90
deliberately stranglsd Miss Tillson
to death. and that hs thought
hs vas actually doing her . power Of
good and saving her from . worse fate.
then place . trsnsitory emotional rope
around his neck and stranRle him -
sff.ctually a. he did his victim.
This ~transitory insanity Is an sIcep-
tionally dangerous disease and requires
prompt and effsctual treatment. II .
man knows that n Of these temporary
lunatics has any sort Of grudss against
him, he should watch him cautiously.
and II svsr be notices any sort Of q
crooked look in his eye shoot him down
ct once in seli-dsfsnss. 1t will not pay
to take chances or such people. The
following. on the same subject, is taken
from the San Jose Herald.
Judge Hoffman. Of the United States
Court, seems to think that this CON-
munity has had about enough Of the in
sanity dodge. In sentencing Sweeney.
the countsrfeiter. who tried Ii. he said:
''This plea Of emotional insanity. or
transitory mania. or whatever name the
excuse might DO given, has become al
most ridiculous. Our experience in CAL
i~fornia. in respect to this subject. has
led rs to regard the present aspect
which the insanity plea has assumed
- repulsivs 70 justice and fatal to
sscisty. When Il 10 not even pre-
tended that . criminal is the unfor-
tunats victim Of congenital or he
rsditsry insanity, yet pleads moral
responsibility simply because OF bad
habits or criminal proclivities.' there
are no grounds, in law OF justice. shown
for immunity from punishment. 4. Soci-
ETY.. Law. justice and common sense have
been too often outraged by the imkeeile
sentimsntality which has recognized
'~paroxysmal insanity" The prisoner
Was then sentenced to six years. impris-
onmsnt With hard labor. That Is the
kind Of Judge We want in the State
Courts, at least for q few months, until
ve can clear Of the murdsrers now on
our hands. Then possibly super-sensi-
tive politicians might be placed on the
benches again. and the emotional in.
sanity" trick played airssh with some