New-York tribune., 1886-07-31
4 ROY NTRUERER,

The trial of Willie Sells, the Kansas boy charged
with the murder of his father. mother, sister anu
brother has ended in the conviction of the defend
ant The evidence made n verdict Of guilty almost
inevitable. Tho story told by the boy when no
went to a neighbors house was that he woke mp
To- find q strange man in his room that he followed
the man out of the house and chased him round
the barn that Oh returning to the house he found
all his kinsfolk "hurt," as lie put it; and that
he then became frightened and ran for help to the
nearest neghbor Investigation at once threw
suspicion on the boy himself No footprints were to
bo found showing the recent presence OF any
stranger about the scene OF the crime. When
Willie was examined closely blood was found on
his clothing the upper part of his arms and under
his nails He had washed his hands, but carecssly,
and ho had not washed his aims. Ihe theory
adopted therefore that the boy had risen III the
N ght taken the axe. and deliberately. one after
the other had butchcred his parents, his brother
aud his sister.
The fact that 10 robbery had been committed
greatly strcugt ned this hypothesis, since II was IN
credible that 50 wholesale a crime would have been
committed By strang rs save as n means oi escap-
lng when discovered IN the act OF burGlIfj. Ger
tainly il seems equally hard to believe that Boy
never before known. 80 far ~ appears to display
any houicdal or vicious tendencies shoul sud-
denly and thout tangible motive devote himself
to % unnatural and horrible series of murders.
Yet there can hardly be a doubt that the boy did
the deed. and the consideration of supreme impor-
tancc therefore is. hat was his mental condition at
tie time. III, conviction seems to have proceeded
on the theory that be- was sane. but II is clear that
tho assumption of his guilt itself must suggest
mental alienation. Ihc absence oi motive Tor slch
4 crime is Of course strongly pIesumptiYc OF IN
sanity. hc obvious presence OF the strongest pos
.Ibic reason for r,triinirg from such crimc-the
relationship of the victims 10 the murderer
namely constitutes an additional reason Tor
Goubting the sanity of the agent Yet none of thcse
qrestious appears to have disturbed the jury AT all
Dufug thc trial an incident occurred witch
would have had much significance FOR an alirn!st
The prisoner suddenly fell INTO hind OF ht. ii was
said that he tainted but the description gwen was
not that of syucopc. IL Father rcsrnhlrd An epi-
lcpic spasin and If II should prove on careful nvcs
tiea,ion that tie boy Is an cpileptic the murder
! II be- explained. but it viii be impossible 10 deal
with the murderer A. a responsible being. 1t may
Dee that he never lad IT'S before. He may have
suffered from laryatcd epilepsy the first open par
OK ysm of the disease taking tho homcidal FORM
lIomlcid al mania frequently occurs IN 9. cpsy. and
Ia ali snch cases what occurs is the only ecnulnc
form Of intermittent or temporary INSANITY \ pa
tent may be well outwardly and sane up To a Ger
tam moment. Then. with IN" access "t h'micldai
mania. memory Is suspended the crim" Is aui"indt-
icll.y conn ited and the return 10 con sconsnc's
hri.gs no recollection of what has been done. 1t
may we'll bc that this the process IN the case
of Willie Sells Certainly there il far too strong
probability OF his mental un,oundncss to treat hlm
4, a thoroughly responsible criminal. Before he is
sentenced to life imprisonment which presumably
would be his punishment the question OF ms sanity
ought TO be BET at rest 10y a medical commission.