Daily Republican., 1884-05-20
THIRD EDITION.
9. A.. Clair McCaulley's Case.

Q. n. Clair McCaulley's Case.
The report of the assault Of 8. st.
Clair McCaulley, Esq, formerly Of Will
mington on James H. Heverin, Esq,
formerly of Dover, Del, has been fully
reported In the REPUBLICAN. The ac-
cused was tried in Philadelphia on Mon.
day before Judge Elcock and convicted
for an assault with intent to kill james
H. Hevervin and for carrying concealed
weapons.
The prosecutor had as private counsel
Attorney G General Cassidy, Assistant
District. Attorney Breezy conducting the
case for the Commonwealth. Louis
Breezy acted as the prisoners COUNSEL
After the accused had been arraigned
for trial and . plea of not guilty record
ed, In the absence of q plea by the pris-
oner, his counsel asked for continu.
ance on the ground that sufficient time
had not been given to prepare DEFENSE
This WAS resisted by the Common
wealth, because the witnesses were
present in court, and the case was one
which called for immediate trial.
The Court concurred in this view,
and the trial was begun. Mr.. Heverin,
whose forehead was still black and
blue, detailed the circumstances Of the
assault on last Thursday, as already
published. He told how McCaulley had
without warning, struck him q violent
blow above the left eye with black:
Jack, near the corner Of Broad and
Chestnut streets, and that the only
reason given for the assault was that
McCaulley had not been treated cour-
teously while in the Office ofthe witness.
DR.. Edward Bedloe and John L. Hill
corroborated this testimony. After the
blow had been struck Mr.. Hill ran
after the accused and seized him, and
then turned him over to an officer. This
closed the Commonwealth's case.
For the defense the first witness pro.
duced was ]. Augustus McCaulley, .
second cousin of the prisoner and .
trustee of his fathers estate. The wit
ness expressed tho belief that the &C
cused was of unsound mind, because be
constantly labored under the delusion
that some one was seeking to injure
him.
"If you thought he was insane,"
asked Judge Elcock, "why did you
permit him to run at large"
81 did not think he was dangerously
insane" replied the witness, because 3
person may be insane and yet not dan.
gerous enough to warrant confinement"
an opinion which the Court character
ICED as strange one.
j. Hastings, a cousin of McCaulley's
wife, believed him insane, because he
always imagined that people were try-I
ing to wrong him. Twenty years
ago, said Mr.. Hastings, II found him
on wharf log on the banks of Brandy
wine Creek waiting, as he said, for q
vessel to take him to Europe"
John +. Harkins, Of Wilmington,
thought the prisoner crazy because he
had many years ago annoyed girl by
walking around her house at night.
John P. Ruth, of Wilmington, expressed
. similar opinion.
DR.. James e. Garretson, Of 1857
Chestnut street, had known the Priso-
ner for twenty years, and had attended
him professionally for about five years.
&c He was possessed Of the hallucina.
tion," said the Doctor, that his brains
were dropping from his head into his
throat, and frequently asked for pre-
scriptions. He said that the emissaries
of the Pope were dogging his footsteps,
and that the servant girls of hotel
where he was stopping had planned to
put poison in his coffee. I should de-
nominate his condition as a sort of
mental obliquity. I believe him to be
n naapa and irraannps psih hla -
John Dever, who was a student-in-
law in the Office of John ,O'Byrne in
1875, told Of McCaulley wanting to bring
suit against the American Steamship
because he had been locked
up In state-room and sent back from
Liverpool as an insane man. A brother
of this witness told of the accused dof-
fing his hat to Washington's statue,
making speech in Independence
Square, and carrying an open umbrella
on clear days. County Prison Physi-
clan Savage believed the prisoner to be
insane, and Mrs. Mcclure, Of 1920
Chestnut street, where he boarded, said
he wandered about the house at nights
and was very much disturbed in his
mind. Mr.. Heverin was recall led and
gave reasons, which have been already
published, for his belief that the assault
was premeditated.
hcCaulley at this point arose in the
dock and asked that he be permitted,
as an American citizen, to make a
statement. His counsel objected and
he sat down. After argument by coun-
sci, the Court charged the jury and a
verdict of guilty was rendered inside of
Il fteeu minutes. Sentence was suspend
cd.