New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-10-12
THE TRIAL OF MISS LEONARD.
EVIDENCE TO PROVE HER INSANITY.

EVIDENCE TO PROVE HIN lNSANIIl.
Or. sprTzKA A wITNEss-wHAT THE PRIs oNEE
WROTE ON CALLAGHAN's PORTRAIT.
The second day of the trial of Miss Helen Leonard
drew crowd to the Court of General Sessions,
and only those who were early in attendance Sc
cured admission the doors being closed as soon as
the seats were filled. Miss Leonard is on trial Tor
shooting Mrs: Sarah Z. Smit !, on June 10, al Inc
Office of Dr. BlOndel, IN East Nineteenth-st. Inc
prisoner was seated beside her counsel. caroline
Dinkelspiel testified that Miss Leonard had
boarded with her from June I'LL the week
before the shooting. She SAID that the deIenGanI'
who gave the name OF Miss harrington
had often acted the ,d Reu"dE door m"e oom
planned that she walked the MOOR at nlght;
Mrs. Dinkelspiel became afraid that she would
take her own life, and finally talked about raising
the price of board, and Miss Leonard then lett the
house. The witness considered the prisoners ac-
tiOns irrational.
fed that Miss Leonard boarded at her house from
the Saturday before the shooting until the day after
the shooting She gave the name OF MIS-. laIt IL ~
witness on June 10. When the arrest had been
made Miss Leonard said; " killed woman yes
terdav. This woman and her husband nave de-
stroyed all that was good IN my lie. Ihey nave
had spies logging my steps.
DIR. Edward c. Spitzka, who was witness for the
defence in the Guiteau trial, was called as an eA-
pert on insanity. He said:
am phy sician, aad have made special STUDY OF
nervous ana loehtaI DISEASES bad been so for three
months before the shOotug and stu Is so IOuhu tmaV
and 40 FAR as could ascertain before her troubles OF
good principles. She had been educated at convent
anG had before Sfe8 tie shooting Sue
named Callaghan oras she calls HIN CaL lie seSIeeu
her and after living with for some time deserted her
At the time Of this intimacy CRIME was SOnintlSu on
saws wifhouG her knowledge consent Shortly before
ms deserOn Of her the beat her and then sue mace
him get down upon mis- knees aud beg her pardon or she
saws She ould have killed him. Then Caag nan SAID
You must be crazy. can have nothing more TO DO
of this mans going Mrs Smiths house, and after her
desertlon she in stage man whom sue look 70 oe
Callahan with woman wearing sHaWI suCu as Iau
been promised her, whom she thought TO Do MIS-.
Smith sne then came TO me me- ge SRe Wss
subject deusons Her latest deluson IS that
the warderO the jail is paid by Caashan TO put poison
in her food and she has now sent OUT LOT ner T
insanity believe to have been brought on by physical
disease, resulting from her treatment ana by her
abandonment after seduction.
In answer to a question by Mr.. McClelland of the
counsel for the defence. DR.. Sptzka said that the
prisoner had shown him photograph of Callaghan,
which was shown in court. On the back OF the
photograph was written in the prisoners hand
writing:
MY God my Lord my all, Cal"
The witness was crOss-examIned by Assistant
District-AttOrney O'Byrne He was asked the
nature of the operation which he had alluded to as
performed on Miss Leonard Inc prisoner III Low
don't tell itp The witness explained that 1t was
an operation to produce abortion.
DR. William l.. Hardy, the Tombs ply
sician, testified that in his opinion Miss
Leonard was insane. On cross examination
Colonel 0Byne asked the witness whether
he considered that an insane person ought to be at
large. The witness answered that he did not as
rule. 20
The prosecuting officer showed a certificate fur
nished by DR.. Hardy on July II, when an appllca-
tion was made Tor Miss LeOnard's release from
prison. The certificate said that Miss Leonard was
suffering IRON spinal irritation that might develop
into mania If she kept in Jail Ii said nothing
of her insanity at that time The witness did not
think the two statements inconsistent.
Letters from Callaghan we're produced. They
began with MY own darling" and were full of
expressions of love. d. T. Ames, an expert in hand
writing, was called for the defence. He Identified
certain letters sho wa him in the handwriting of
Miss Leonard. Two Of them were threatening
letters s~nt to DIR. BlOndel and to Callaghan.
Dr. BlOndel was recalled by the defence and cross
examined. lie was asked whether he had written
to Miss Leonard before the shooting. lie said that
he had. lie denied that the letter contained an I'M
proper proposal -,
Leonard had received the letter at her breakfast
table and after the other boarders had gone had
opened II. She read part of 10 and then burst out
CRYING. She told Mrs. Dinkelspie that the letter
was from her doctor and that he had spoken Of her
indebtedness to hIm and her poverty and suggested
q way of paying the debt.
Further testimony Tor the prosecution will be
given to-day.