New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-07-01
IS CARPENTER INSANE :
THE TESTIMONY OF MANY PHYSICIANS.
nm MACDONALD pRONOUNCEs HIM fANE-wHAr
uIs RELATIVES THINK.

nm MACDONALD PRONOUNCEs HIM eANE-wHAr
HIS RELATIVES THINK
Jobn Carpenter. the wife murderer. was taken to
che Court Of Oyer ana ssnS tWS other
Officers. He walked feebiy into the court room. and
was extremely pale. bandage around MS throat
Concealed the seif-inHicted cuts The testimony OF
witnesses for the defence taken on the first trial
Helen Ralston. sister-in-law of Carpenter by his
first Wife, deposed that he had terrible nts %, OF
passion without reason. While serving with his
company in the old Fire Department he was injured
on the head and after that these fits were especially
noticeable. lie was not in the habit OF drinking W
excess, and she never saw him intoxicated: o,o
James H. Carpenter son Of the prisoner; ewG W;
nothing on but his shirt. He broke he furniture,
struck the witness with q stick and then tainted
Afterward he remembered nothing Oh wnS' h"'
occurred. He had frequent lapses II memory
after his return from Sing Sing talked wildly and
disconnectsdy He looked as Is IL ms ssan naa ""'
Mrs. Mary Nelson said that she saw Carpenter az
her house on the Saturday. preceding the murder
Showing che pictures OF his wives. he said he loved
his second wife, He was rambling in his talk ana
to be breeding SeF fba he had
Carpenter at the Tombs. The prisoner, when asked
a question turned his head and staring at the wall
said that he was looking at horse. re saia tne
horse was eight years old and pointed out HIS head
and teeth on the wall. He was subject TO meiail,
cholia had deusiOns and was not sane. re nau
when he committed the murder. Scars on MS Douy
Indicated that he had suffered enoueh from WOUNDS i
to affect his BRAN he nae c .me not distneusR
between right and wrong. On cross-examlnatlon,
this witness said that man could pretend 10 nate
decisions. He had heard OF drunken men conai|
ting acts similar to Carpenters: .,.x,
Thomas Carpenter, an UNCLE deposed tnat ~ T.
Herman an uncle OF Carpenter was lnsanc aj
charge of Carpenter. testified that he once staDpeu
himself with a spoon. making won WOMB, III o ,as
were put on him. He mist0Ok the witness LOT ms
cousin. He always complained OF MS apIe a ~.
but ate well and never missed meal ne gol OK
cited against the reporters He threatened often 10
DR.. William W. Strcw was next placed on the tn
stand He had had charge of the insane asylum loT
women on Blackwelps Island He had examined
Carpenter several times, and since the beginning Of
this trial. He found him suffering from an in
sane to act rs he did. Suicide was common IN sucn
cases The failure of his attempt was due to want
of judgment. The delusion OF his wiies innoeh'y
Dr. Edward G. Mann testified that he examined
Carpenter week ago in the court ROOM lie hau q
harsh dry skin, a muddy complexion, and an insane
EXPRESSION of the eye He had deusiOns and partial
paralysis of his right side. He appeared TO be
suffering from chronic me1neh9a with deus ions
these troubles for years. lie stated that his wife
had several times appeared to HIM wnlie III pr.so
Suicides aud hOmicdes were common Ill such cases.
The witness believed that Carpenter was an H.
durable lunatic. .o, ma
After recess, during Nnlcn tnc pIisohci 'ooh ~
nourshment, DR.. Timothy J. McGillicuddy testi-
fled that prior to his first trial he examined the
prisoner and found his physical condition such as
TO affect his mind. He had delusions. lie thought
he was not in the Tombs. but In RIylne'cn-St.,
anil that he had horse and truck lie SAID ms
wife off with the Russian Ambassador, ne ne
could not have simulated without detection by the
witness. He chronic lunatic.
DR. Andrew Eagan, medical superintcndent OF tne
lunatic asylum on Harris Island, testified that he
examined the prisoner year ago aud also recently.
CARPENTER said that his wife went with the RUSSIAN
Ambassador and that while he was in prison she
visited him frequently and came into his cen az t
night He had partial parcsis. HIS was a case OF
chronic melancbOlia. He was aD incurabe lunatic'
On cross xamination the witness SAID lie renonl-
TRIBUNE. succeeded III being introduced INTO an
ASYLUM aud deceived the doctors VINO treated MIN
rs An insane man. his object being TO ascertain HOW
patients were treated in the asylum.
Assistant District-Attorney Fellows read from
the record of the previous trial the tesInony Vi
Drs Wright aud Jackson. and examined Dr. Henry
" Wildman, all of whom testified that they pc
licyed that Carpenter was sane when the mufucr
was committed. DIR. William l.. Hardy, OF the CITY
Prison, said that ne talked with carpenter ID inc
Dr. A. L. Macdonald superintendent OF the Clty
Asylum for the Insane on Wards Island. SAID that
in his opinion Carpenter was sane. Inc h0mciuai
impulse occurred in mania and the sncidal I'D nei'
anchoia Both sides rested at TINS point, anu un9
case was adjourned to 10 a. III. to-day The counsel
on each side will be limited to two hours in sum
Carpentcrs counsel propose to take an appeal: II
their client is convicted. on the ground that justice
first Juror after all the jurors had been ndvduaily
sworn but before they had been sworn colectiVeiy.
Messrs Blake and kneass maintain that under
the code Ia $ was Irregular