Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-03-25
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
TRIAL OF MRS. HAMILTON.
CONCLUSION OF TESTIMONIES SUB
MITTED WITHOUT ARGUMENT.
Insanity of the Defendant and Her Mother
Before Her - The Jury still
Outflow They Stand.

The trial of Nancy a. Hamilton, for the
murder of her husband, was resumed in the
Superior Court at 10 o'clock yesterday morn.
ing.
The testimony of DR.. I. Z. Oatlnan, wLo
was called by the defense, was continued
In answer to q hypothetical question pro-
pounded to him by Mr.. White, counsel for
defendant, the question embracing in effect
all the testimony connected with the homi-
eide given on the part Of the prosecution, and
anticipating the testimony on the part Of the
defense, relative to TIE past mental and
physical condition of defendant, extending
back to her childho q, witness stated that
upon that hypothesis, the defendant was
doubtless insane. He said that in his opinion,
with the facts existing, the defendant was sub
ject to emotional or impulsivs spells of IL
sanity, and that these attacks were liable to
come on at any time, and that while laboiing
under them she was unable to restrain her
self; that she might even know that she was
doing wrong. and yet lacked will power to re-
strain, but even though this state of mental
disorder would excuse her, so far as the item
OF criminality was concerned yet persons of
that kind who are subject to spells of emo
tional insanity,
SHOULD BE PERMANENTLY CONFINED.
He said he made this statement as an act
Of justice to the noble profession of which he
was most humble member, as we'll as in
justice to himself, as it was not the object Of
the medical profession to screen crime byaid-
ing or supporting pleas of insanity.
Question Ivy Mr.. White-Are there not in
q9vInu1g cd for he g
persons Ia this State? and are there not State
prisons provided for the security and safe.
keeping of criminals? And do you not think
insane persons should be sent to insane asy-
lums and cEimiaals TO State prisons?
A.-The difficulty with insane asyIums is
that they afford far too much opportunity for
escape, and the confinement is not sufficiently
secure,
Cross examination-Upo cross.examina-
ton Mr.. Buckley stated a hypothetical cues
ton, based upon the bare evidence which had
been offered by the prosecution on the pre-
ced1ng day, extending merely to the occur
renee at the time of the homicide aud asked
the opinion of the witness, Judging FROM
these as to the sanity or insanity of the de-
PENDANT. In answer the witness stated that
these facts alone would not justify an opinion
that the defendant was insane, but taken in
connection with other circumstances Of like
connection with her previous mental and
physical condition, these would be corrobora-
tive evidence upon the question of insanity
great number of the hypothetical ques-
tons were asked and answered to the same
effect.
DR.. C. C. TYRRELL
Testified that he had for several wears been
the family physician Of the defendant. While
in his professional capacity he had on several
occasions noticed strong evidence of aberra-
tion of mind that on one occasion especially
when he was called there he found her sick.
Her husband WIS up thAroad with his train
as engineer. She abused her husband to the
doctor severely, and charged him with in
fidelity. She said if he was where she was
she would shoot him and the woman too. La
her excited condition she finally became very
angry at witness, ard said if she had pistol
she weuld shoot him. During this visit her
little girl came to her bedside aud she struck
the child in q cruel and inhuman manner,
the blow sending her across the room. Oc-
casi1nally she would change her demeauor
entirely, and apply to her husband most
endeaTing terms, and would declare that in
her
SUSPICIOUS OF HIS INFIDEIITY
She had done him the greatest injustice.
During visit to her the next day it was
found that she did not recollece anything
about his visit on the preceding day, and up
braided him for his neglect in not having
called when she was sick The witness fur
ther testified that during the entire time he
had been aequsinted with the defendant she
had manifested continual and deep seated
jealousy OF her husband, and that it had been
a constant source of conversation with her.
This and the further fact that she constantly
charged infdelity on the part of her
husband, even in the face OF indisputable
proof TO the contrary he regarded as strong
proof of her insanity. He referred to the
circumstance in relation to the girl Nettie
Winkleplsck, and stated that the defendant
always insisted that Miss Winklepleck was
still somewhere in this city long after it was
fact and ST public notoriety that she had
left the State and gone East. He expressed
himself positively that the defendant was
monomaniac upon the subject OF jealousy,
aud that when aroused she was certainly I'M
able to exert will power sufficient to
control h-r impulses, and was therefore
irresponsible for her acts at these times.
FRED. CLARK TESTIFIED
That he had acted as fireman upon the en-
CINE with deceased for some time prior to bis
death that two days previous to the shoot
ing of the girl Nettie Wiuklepleck by the
defendant, witness and the deceased were in
the cab Of the engine IN this city, and the de-
PENDANT came there about o'clock in the
evening and got inso the cab before she was
observed by either Of them; that she accused
her husband then of infdelity and became
wild" and said to him, 81 have great
mind to shoot you" The witness was quite
satisfied that she had pistol at the time,
from the peculiar glistening which he saw of
some instrument she held under her shawl
She accused the deceased that he had not
himself brought the engine from the round
house that evening, and said that she had
watched him and had seen him go into a
house on Third street The deceased then
appealed to witness, when he witness, as
sured her that MIR. Hamilton run the engine
from the round house on that occasion. She
at first refused to be convinced Of the truth
of this statemsnt, and called witness a liar
and made a motion 10 attack her husband
Mr. Hamilton then threw his arms around
her in a manner to pinion her arms and spoke
soothingly to her, and finally she became
calm and good-natured. The witness further
stated that he had observed strange and IN
natural actions upon the part Of the defend
snt on other occasions, which did not, COM
port with sanity.
MAY HAMILTON SWORN:
Is the daughter of deceased and defendant,
aud aged II years She testified as to the
circumstances OF the shooting and those i'm
mediately preceding the fatal act. Her tes-
tlmoDy was substantially the same as that
given by the, witness Mclaughlin. She
stated IN addition, that while herself and her
father and mother were standing in the hall
way, Immediately preceding the firing of the
first shot, her mother repeated and requested
of the deceased TO come back and live with
Eer Her mother also endeavored to throw
her arms about his neck, as if to kiss him.
At this ths deceased caught the defendant by
the throat and pushed her violently away,
and then she fired at him. She also testified |
that her mother bad always, 50 far as |
she could remember, acted very strange |
at times and that she was always |
talking about the deceased and his relations |
with other women, and while doing so she /
would at times cry. and then she would sud-
denly became cheerful again. She further
stated that one night her mother left her bed |
and in her night clothes wandered into the
street; that witness and her father got up
and searched for her, and finally found her
several blocks away, and she was acting
strangely.
DIR. C. N. DIXON