The Portland daily press., 1885-02-04
TIE LIBBY TRIAL.
The Expert Testimony Takes Up
the Days Proceedings.
The Usual Crowd StiN Continues to
Cram the Court Room.

tehuance, nearly nIty ladies' being present.
Libby appeared calm. Mrs, Libby is danger
ously sick in Scarboro with nervous prostra.
ton. She is under the constant care Of DIR,
Sturtevant of that town.
AT the coming in of court the deposition O:
Mrs Harriet A. Libby, the wife of Thomas 7.
Libby, which had been taken during the
night, was read.
She says that she is 38 years old; that her
husband never drank so hard as last summer:
he was under the influence of liquor the most
of the time. He left off drinking about week
before he left homo the last time; didn't notice
any odor of liquor on him during that time.
1 noticed that he looked very pale most Of
the time, and his hands would tremble when
he put his coffee to his lips His eyes were
staring 9{ most OF the time and had peculiar
leok that l couldn't describe. He was very
restless. When he would lie in bed he would
twitch his fingers and arms and legs and whole
body End would sit up in bed. The second
night before he left home he did that. don't
think he slept much of any; he kept me awake
nearly all night; I don't think he shut his
eyes. He went to bed about g; he Jumped ont
of bed once or twice and said he knew there
was man or somebody in the room, He
seemed to be frightened and jumped out a
number of times and went to the window say
ing there was somebody outside trying to get
into the stable. There was nobody in OF near
the room at these times and I heard no noise
outside; the window was down. There was no
cause for his alarm that could see. He said
there were people in the hall q number of
times that night and he went down stairs.
hired Lydia Snow to work at my house
about week before she came to work, and
she came the 29th of June, Sunday night. l
nj u7h IN chn al MN 1I.1 1nl
spoken OF leaving a number of times. Mr..
Libby was irritable the week before September
4th. don't think he meant to be; he was usu-
ally good-natured.
Cross Esamination-I was married to Mr.
Libby May 4th, 1864. I occupied the same
went away. He was nervous and disagreea-
BILE and walked me good many times thrash
ing around. He made no conversation but
made mumbling / couldn't understand. I
don't think got up. / tried to quiet him,
telling him he was dreaming. Some times
after coaxing he would lie down; don't know
about sleeping, but don't think he slept. be-
cause he seemed to wake me up every little
while. He was out of bed four or five times
the night before the 4th. BE went down stairs
once alone and went down.
Lydia Snow came to me to make a neighbor-
ly call at the time hired her. At the time I
employed her told her that I wanted her
about July LIST, and if we wanted her earlier
we would let her know. L think she left our
house Saturday morning, August I'd.
DR.. JOHN BUzzELL
resumed the stand and In snswer to Mr.. Moul-
ton, said that the various symptoms spoken of
yesterday taken separately might not indicate
delirium iremens, but when grouped together
and taken in connection with the fact that the
man had used liquors for series of years and
had abstained to greater or less extent,
whether taken all together they would indi-
cate delirium tremens
Upon cross examination he was asked if ey-
cry individual fact by itself about mans con-
duct and language indicate that he is sane,
when you put them all together, how does that
prove him insane?
Alt is law in medicine that the only
possible way to come to a Just conclusion in re-
gard to any disease is to take all the symptoms
grouped together and there is no rational wsy
in which you can decide what is true unless
you do 80.
Off each act alone indicates sanity, then
the whole together indicate insanity?
A.-That may be, man may do many sane
acts in such manner as to represent him in
sane.
Q.-May he do many Insane acts in such a
manner as to represent him sane; that is, does
it work both ways?
Al should say not.
Q.-Suppose each individual act taken by t.
self indicates insanity, if you put them all
together would that indicate that he was
sane?
A man might have a large catalogue Of
symptoms OF disease and not one upon which
you could depend as demonstrating the d.
sease.
Q.-My question is plain and want YOU to
answer it in common English; if a series OF
acts which all severally indicate sanity when
put together make insanity; why. if the same
acts all severally indicate sanity, would thew
not make sanity when put together?
Al think that is question that would re-
quire consideration at least, and should be
more properly answered by an expert.
DIR. CHARLES D. SMITH,
City Physician, was called by the defsn dant,
and gave the symptoms and the course of q
typical case of delirium trsmens. Without
Authorizations person cannot have delirium
tremens. II person hears noises or sees
sights which are proved to have no foundation,
that would be in the line of delusion. Asa
rule, person suffering from delirium tremens
is impelled to get away from these frightful
shapes that he sees; is impelled to run away
and conceal himself. But should say il there
was some impending danger and in trying to
get away from that the patient was tn warted
or Constructed, he would defend himself, II
the idea seemed to enter his mind that he was
prevented from getting away, he might use
means to resist, and without doubt commit
bodily harm upon another. When man be.
comes intoxicated from single indulgence
from few drinks-I should say the influence
of alcohol would last from eight to twelve
hours, according to the individual. Other
things being equal the effects of the LIQUOR
would pass on IN nervous person more quick
ly than in one of sluggish temperament.
roSs-eGdnl7ldtio1-The witness was asked
in regard to the acts of Libby on the 4th of
September, SeT1dttno, whether they were the
acts characteristic OF sane or an insane per-
son. The doctor said, that laying aside the
hallucination, all the symptoms that he had
described, did not necessarily make the man a
victim of delrium tremens, because they
might exist In man who was a subject OF
chronic alcoholism who was as far from delri.
UNI tremens as he could well be.
Afternoon Proceedings.
In the afternoon the defence called
DIR. CHAs. W. BRAY,
who said that he should attribute the nervous
ness and restlessnsss Of man who had beer
addicted to the use Of intoxicating liquors to
the extent Of half pint day for some time
to chronic alcoholism. If the stomach rejected
liquors and other substances, it would Indie ate
that the person had an irritable stomec OF
what is called drunkard's gastritic. a was
asked the following question:
Take the case of man having been drink
ing heavily as before described who goes to a
hotel at 10 o'clock at night, seeks room and
at 2 o'clock is found wide awake; at O'Clock
the bell having rung, the hotel clerk opens the
door suddenly and the woman In the room
tells the clerk that the man lying on the bed
with his eyes open, with pistol in
his right hand, held behind his head
that she wishes him to take that pistol
away, she was afraid he was going to shoot
her, and the man turns his head brings the
pistol down, cooking it,and pointing it towards
the clerk, what is the condition of mind indi-
Gated?
Aft he brings his hand down deliberately
and quietly without any evidence of excite
ment should think he knew what he was
doing; but if he swung it in the air and made
strong demonstrations and showed evidence of
great excitement, / should say the man might
be suffering from delirium tremens.
DR.. E. C. NEAL,
OF Deering, was next called. He said he had
made insanity special study for sixteen years.
He said that it seemed to be well established
that people who have been long accustomed
to the use of alcohol in large quantities NAV
get into a condition when they will proceed
automatically and unconsciousy for days, and
to the ordinary observer there is nothing un-
usual about them.
In reply to the hypothetical question en-.
bracing the occurrences in the room at the
hotel az o'clock, as testified to by the night