St. Paul daily globe., 1889-06-16
LOWER THAN A BRUTE
Clara Blatz Tells the Shock
ing Story Of Her Brutal
Life.
Practices With Her Paramour
That Robbed Her Of
Her Reason.
Doctors Come to the C0nclu-
sion That Her Mind
Is Unbalanced.
The Case Cannot Be Con-
cluded Before To-Mor-
row.

can be seen. Eleven long and weary
days have been spent in empaneling
the jury and hearing the case thus far.
Five days were occupied in active trial,
and six days in challenging and swear
ing jurors. When court opened yes
terday morning, all had good reason to
expect that the case would go to the
jury last night. Such hopes were
doomed. however. to disappointment
where the defense began anew its OBJ
Stinate fight. The monOtOny was slight
ly relieved when Mrs. Reid. the ex-
matron of the county Jail, very meekly
informed the court that as she was
swornson the day before to ''tell the
whole truth and nothing but the truth, :"
she desired to make an explanation of
her evidence given on Friday. She
startled those present by telling the
court that she had not slept wink on
FRIDAY night and that her conscience
had caused her great uneasiness.
She had been thinking the matter
over very seriously and has come to the
on trial for her life she had better get
the benefit of Mrs. Reid's scruples.
Mrs. Reid,s testimony on Friday was to
the effect that she did not think Clara
Blatz was insane. After she had made
her speech to the court yesterday she
unfolded a neat little memorandum,
which, she told the court, would
refresh her memory as to some of
the specific and peculiar actions
of the prisoner while in Jail. Mrs. Reid
desired to be heard from the witness
stand again, saying she did not intend
to be ''bIuffed by any one." This was
suge estive of the cross-examination ad-
mfMstered by the county attorney,
Judge Kelly thought a memorandum
prepared at such late date would not
be admissible, SO Mrs. Reid was COM
PEELED to lay aside he notes, take
the stand and testify from her
mental pictures alone. Mrs. Reid
then stated that the prisoner
laughed great deal when arraigned
ana acted very silly. The prisoners
sole pleasure seemed to be in the pos
session of a small tintype, picture Of
Doherty which she kept under her pill
relative to the prisoners broken jaw,
how she suffered from it, etc. The wit
ness would not testify that she believed
Clara Blatz insane at the time she noticed
the strange actions of the prisoner,
but now. looking back over the past
for weeks, she believes that the woman
Blatz must have been insane. Mrs.
Walker, the present matr0n, was called
to testify to the late actions of the pris-
oner, and how they compared with
those Immediately succeeding her i'm
prisOnment. Attorney Egan objected
to it as irregular. and the court sus-
tanned him. John Work testified to
some details of the quarrels DOherty
had with the prisoner when they lived
at 176 East Fifth street. DR.. E. H.Whit-
combe took the stand about 10:45 and
answered questions as to his treatment
of the prisoner at the time her jaw was
broken and she was lying in the house
corner Rosabel and Seventh streets.
In his examination the doctor found
that the fracture of the bones extended
to the nasal and major, the latter being
splintered. She suffered such terrible
pain and agony that the doctor pre-
the use of her teeth she became
very irritable. He had noticed some
thing strange and peculiar about her
eyes, and at that time thought that the
woman was suffering from slight af-
fectiOn of the brain. Attorney Warner
then brought up the matter of intro
ducing expert testimony bearing upon
the question of what effect the practices
of DOherty upon the prisoner would
have upon the latter's
VITAL AND MENTAL FACULTIES.
The defense had prepared to prove
what the court said it must show to Sc
cure the admission of such testimony.
The court also ruled that if it could be
shown by the prisoner that she herself
was unchaste and low prostitute, and
had permitted such fiendish and loath-
some abuse, the court would admit the
evidence on that question as far as it
affected her sanity. Something shock
ingly obscene was expected, and the
court room was ordered cleared. Three
the court officials were the only per-
sons allowed to remain. The
prisoner was put upon the stand,
and, without a blush, acknowledged
having been party to such unnatural
indulgence. This was all the court
wanted of her. DR.. Whitcomb again
took the stand, and dilated upon the
effects OF such licentiOusness upon the
physical and mental faculties of the
prisoner. At 2 o'clock Judge Egan be-
gan the crOSS-examinatiOn of the wit
ness in vigorous manner. DIR. Whit.
comb testified that it was quite possible
that the prisoner was insane on the day
of the homicide-all due to the abusive
and lustful relations with her para
mour. Judge Egan briefly recalled all
the events which transpired at the time
of the murder and those previous there
to for many years, and then asked the
doctor whether he could, under the cir
cumstanceS, swear that Clara Blatz was
insane. The witness would not state
positively whether she was or not, but
asserted that certainly her mind must
have been extremely weak and flighty
and her brain diseased. Her entire
physical and mental resources had
been drained of all vitality-so to
Speak-by the perniciOuS habits
heretofore alluded to. The witness ad-
mitted that he had no settled reason for
believing the prisoner to be insane when
he was treating her broken face; but he
was unusually attracted by symptoms
which, upon reflection, he concluded
were yery suggestive of mental derange-
ment. Judge Egan recalled how marvel
ously correct and retentive the prison.
er's memory proved to be from her own
accurate testimony concerning every
thing IN her life from birth to within
two days of tn crime, and then, Oh
livious of all that occurred in the two
days previous and the fatal day, she
distinctly remembered Everything
from the morning after the shooting to
the present day. He asked the witness
if that was possible with really insane
person, and if it did not appear like
design to deceive the jury. The wit
ness and the county attorney en-