Morning journal and courier., 1886-10-15
THE MURDER CASE.

Experts on the stand as to DooIitt1e's
Alleged Insan1ty-His Confinement
in MfddletOwn Years AsO-Neighb ors
of DoOl1ttle Testify.
The trial of Wales Doolittle for the muir
der of William Ford last February was con-
tinued in the Superior court yesterday be-
fore an increased number of spectators DIR.
Hallock, the scientific expert who is now su-
perintendent of the private insane retreat at
Cromwell founded by HIM about ten years
ago, was the first witness on the stand. He
was assistant superintendent of the insane
retreat at Middletown when Doolittle was
there in 1872, and where Doolittle stayed
nearly year. DR.. Hallock testified that
Doolittle during his incarceration had acute
mania. In order to overcome Doolittle's VIC
| lence while in the retreat it was necessary to
| give him one hundred and sixty grains of
choral, whereas thirty grains are usually
sufficient to overcome person of ordinary
| wakefulness. Mr.. Willett then asked DR..
Hallock if he did not think the accused had
slammed insanity. He replied that Doolit-
| tie was, in his opinion, insane at the time, as
| it would have been impossible for him to
have manifested SO much violence and to
have resisted the effects of an anaesthetlc so
| long as he had if he was really not insane.
Mr.. Willett then asked the witness If he
thought Doolittle was insane at the time OF
| the homicide. He replied that he did. DR..
! Hallock further said that insanity could not
be successfully slammed, as sane PERSONS
imitation would be defective. The memory
| is unaffected in acute mania, whose principal
characteristic is intermittent periods of great
excitement, followed by quietude. The wit
ness was cross-examined at length by the
State with the object of showing that Doolit-
ties insanity at the time he was at Middle
town was caused by alcohol.
DIR. Henry Fleischner next placed on
the witness stand. He has had quite an ex-
tended practice for one of his age among in
sane people. He said that he had paid
| several visits to the accused for the purpose
of ascertaining whether or not he was insane.
He had made these visits, he said, at the re-
quest of Attorney Stanley for the defense.
Doolittle's conversation, he found, expressed
thought, but it was irrational and 40 ideas
could be gathered from his sayings. From
what he had seen of the accused and from
the evidence he had heard in the case the
doctor was of the opinion that Doo1ittle was
insane at the time he assaulted Ford and that
he was acting under an impulse for which he
was not responsible. DIR. Fleischner was of
the opinion that It would not be possible for
Doolittle to feign insanity successfully be-
fore him. The witness said that the tearing
of his clothes was very prominent feature
of insanity.
The State cross examined the witness for
considerable length of time for the purpose
of showing that the insanity of the accused
might have been caused by alcohol, but the
doctor did not believe that he was drunk
when the assault was committed
Attorney Baldwin inquired If the witness
had not gone to the Jail to get evidence for
the defense, but it shown that he had
gone there without any bias inasmuch as he
did not know at the time but that he might
be called to testify for the State instead of
in the interests of the defense.
The case at this point adjourned until
O'Clock.
Marcus Young, of Bethany, was put on by
the State in rebuttal He testified to con-
versations with Doolittle about ten years ago
when the accused told him with considerable
gusto of how he fooled the insane asylum
authorities to make them believe that he was
crazy Prosecutor Baldwin then called:
"Ward French" No one answered to this
name and Mr.. Young said he bad heard that
they were trying to ''keep French out of the
way"
Wales French told several incidents of
Doolittle's life twenty years ago. Once when
he was drafted to go to the war and was at the
Oyster Point conscript camp, he went into
fit, chewed soap to make froth at his mouth,
went before the late DR.. Jewett and Town
send and was discharged. Doolittle frequent
1y laughed over this deception afterwards,
according to the witness.
Lambert Wooden testified to having
known Doolittle ever since he was born. He
did not believe that he was insane at the
time the deed was done. S. G. Davidson of
Bethany, Wales Dickerman of Hamden
and George Dickerman of Hamden testified
to knowing Doolittle very well. They did
not believe him insane, except when he was
intoxicated, or when in bad temper. Leon
ard Simons testified that Doolittle told
him how he had fooled
the army drafters by playing
insanity. Simons lives in Westville. He
was the man who accompanied the accused
the Saturday night before the homicide. They
had been drinking together. He took Doc
little home early Sunday morning.
Norton Clark, the judge of probate at
Bethany, told how he knew the accused for
over thirty years. He believed him sane.
Jerome Downes and Marcus Young testi-
fed that they believe Doolittle to be as sane
as they make them.
George Warner, of Bethany, testified that
he saw Doolittle with two quart bottle of
whiskey the day but one before the homi-
eide.
Christian Rheinhart, a clerk at Engel's,
testified that he exchanged watch for load
of wood with Doolittle.
At this point the case rested and court was
adjourned by Judge Phelps until this morn