New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-02-04
PRICE THREE CENTS.
THIS is LIGHTNING LAW.
TRYING TO RUSH PETER KEHR INTO A
., LUNATIC ASYLUM.
AHMED AND THE JUDGE SPEEDILY
nEvERSEs HIS ORDER

AHMED AND THE JUDGE SPEEDILY
REvERsEs HIS ORDER.
The laws delay. of which Hamlet complained
so bitterly. is sometimes emphasized by being
brought into comparison with the almost lightning
like rapdity with which cases involving important
personal rights and large amounts Of property are
disposed OF by the judicial tribunals One OF the
most important cases illustrating this was brought
TO light Yesterday in the Superior Court The
victim OF the express-train litigation this time Is
eX-Aiderman Peter Kehr the wealthy desk manu-
facturer. in the Temple Court Building. at Nassau
and Rcekman SIS, and the vice president of the
Tammany organization The story began before
Judge McAdanl, in the Superior Court. on last
Wednesday. On that day DR. +. c. Spitzla, tie
sanity expert. Of No. 712 LeXington-ave.. and DR..
&. ". Rachel. of No. 32j East Nneteenth-st,
came into the court where Judge McAdam was
sitting and handed up certificate declaring Peter
Kehr. of No. lS4 Secondav6. to be insane. Ks
is usual in such cases, after making few in
quiries whether or not there any doubt about
Kehrs sanity, Judge McAdam signed an order
committing him to the insane asylum
Thus far all was smooth sailing. Small para
graphs were printed in all the morning ncws-
papers the next day mentioning the proceedings
in court, and Charles Stecker the lawyer, who
the paragraphs. lie was surprised upon learn
ing that Kehr had been declared to he insane. as
he had never observed any evidence Of mental
weakness in him
1t CHANGED that on the same evening Mr.. Stock
Ter met kehr OF a meeting of the Stcckler Asso-
citation on the East Side. kchr is between sixty
and seventy years old, and when Mr.. Steckler
inquired about the report which lie had seen in
the newspapers the old man seemed greatly over
come by his feelings. He said that lie did not
know anything about it more than he had seen
in the newspapers. He had not the slightest
idea who had applied for the order declaring
him to be lunstic. As for any examination
to which he had been submitted he did mob
know that he had ever been examined at all
In fact. he did not know that there was such
man DIR. Spitzsa in existence and lie was
sure that he had never met him.
This story interested Mr. Stec>er and he
made an engagement with Mr.. kellr TO meet him
at the formers Office on Monday. From Mr..
Stecklcrs office the two men went TO the Supreme
Court and sought an interview with Judge
McAdam Mr. Steckler introduced Kehr to judge
McAdam as the man whom the Judge had declared
to be q lunatic only few days before.
Kehr sat down and talked with the Judge for
half an hour or more At the end of that time
Judge McAdam became thoroughly convinced that
Kchr was perfectly sane. lie had his own opin-
ion backed mp by two aflidayits, made by Charles
+. Englehardt and George \. Stauf, who had met
Mr. Kchr often in business relations, declaring
that kehr was perfectly sane and abundahtly
able t. take care of his business. Tien Jnd-e
McA,iam revoked the former order and signed
another one TO that effect. Judge McAdam had
forgotten who made the petition to have Kehr de.
thoro
court TO show BY whom il was made. The
physicians had simply come there with the certiii-
cate. the Judge signed it, and they took the
paper away with them.
Another peculiar circumstance is that up to
the present time the original order has not been
served upon Mr.. Kehr nor has any one said any
thing TO him about serving it. Mr.. kehr told his
counsel that he could not imagine who had pro-
cured the order. unless II some member Of his
family lie said that his family relations had nor
been pleasant for some time and not long ago
lie made IA WILL by the provisions Of which a large
part of his property was bequeathed 10 charitable
institutions, This intelligence had not been con.
vcyed to his family, but he feared that they
had learned of it in some way, and for that
reason they had taken this action. II his sur
misses were true and the members 81 his family
should wish to contest his will after his death
they would have prima-tacle evidence that MI
Kehr was not of testamentary capacity about the
time that he executed his will. This was the
only reason whi( he could think OF why any
one should take steps TO have him declared insane
Tribune reporter called at the home OF Dr.
SpitzLa al No. 1l2 MadisOn-ave, last evening. ana
was told that the doctor had gone TO Havana,
y. Y. not to return until Thursday. The reporter
also called at the home of DR.. Rachel. at No. 32o
East Niueteenth-st. He was told there by the
Young man who described himself as DR. Rachels
son. that DR.. Rachel had gone out and probably
would not return until late in the night
After midnight however, Dr. Rachel was seen
by a reporter. lie said that inasmuch as Mr
Kehr WAS patient of his he could not say
word about his professional relations WIN ms
patient The reporter called the physclans AZ
iention 10 the fact that Mr.. kehr had cast seri-
ous imputation> upon the motive Of those VINO
had secured tie first order from the court. Dr.
Rachel answered that he would not say II upon
his own responsibility, but that evening man
had told him that he had sean Mr. kehr 10 the
dnng-room of his home ravng crazy. Iihs was
all hc would say for publication. but he Ieit ,hc
reporter 70 nlel that the imputat.onS cast ny Mr;
Kehr were simply the yapor!ngs of diseased
mind.
DrsCUSsTyG RECIPROCITY IN KENTUCKY.