Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-07-20
TRIAL or ALICE MITCHELL.
she Laughed while Her Father We Tea,
fully Te~tifytu~.

III Miss Mitchell, who is being tried In Mem
phis for killing Freda Ward. 10 declared 20 be
insane she will go 10 the asylum and remain
until cured. II she be declared cured then abe
viii be put on trial, charged with murder. %
which trial she viii plead insanity st the time Of
the killing.
The theory under which her lawyers viii mako
their defense 10 that there an unnatural asec-
ton existing between Alice Mitchell and Freds
Ward and that Miss MitcheI's whole life WIS
that Of an insane person.
The state proposes in this investigation 70 show
that Alice Mitchell did not have an avcrsion 20
the society OF men. but she had numerous love
affairs with the masculine sex and carried on
quite an extensive correspondents with young
men,
room Monday heavily veiled in company with
the deputy sheriff and her two brothers, She
manifested no excitement. but quietly con-
versed with her brothers until the court came
IN, when she was required 60 remove her veil.
The work Of selecting the jury occupied two
hours and q half IL IL composed Of the load
ing business men Of Memphis. The only ques-
ton asked them WAS whether or not they had an
opinion as 20 Miss Mitchells present insanity.
The girls father was the first witness and he
told OF his wifes temporary insanity when her
first child was born and also OF her mental
alteration when Alice was born. Mr. Mitchell
wept bitterly while detailing the story. but his
daughter smiled as il she thought the matter .
huge joke.
He said that Alice has manifested scme very
noticeable peculiarities recently. She would
want 20 stay by herself all the time. She would
go to her room and remain there for hours.
When there were young men around the house
Miss Alice would not stay near them. She had
always been more like boy than girl and
often played marbles. She would shoot tar
ont 40 1a1A l. - 4 II
knew there was an affectionate feeling between
Miss Alice and Freda Ward, too. She signed
the name OF freda Ward 20 receipts for coal
last September and when he asked her about ID
| she said she was thinking about Freda Ward SO
much that she just signed her name 70 IT, He
had noticed peculiar brightness about her
eyes about this time that he had never observed
before.
He missed his razor in November. and after
the killing Of Freda Ward Alice told him that
she had taken il. He said Alice told him that
she had thrown the razor away after the killing
He did not know Alice had killed Freda Ward
until an hour and half after the occurrence.
She told him that she had killed Freda Ward
| because she loved her. Freda. she said, had
gone back on her. They were engaged TO be
married; she was very fond Of talking about
killing Freda Ward. She has Freda Wards
pictures in the case OF the watch she wears she
never talks as IL Freda Ward were dead. She
uses the present tense in speaking Of Freda. and
does not seem 10 know she Is dead. The next
day after the killing she was told that FredA
would be buried when she said she wanted TO
see her." And when told that she could not she
cried. II was the first time he had seen her CRY.
She had pasted all Of the newspaper pictures ON
the wall in her room. She had never taken any
interest in her own trial or fate.
Here the witness was turned over 20 Attorney
General Peters. In answer 20 a question the
witness said there had not been any perceptibls
disturbance of the minds of any of his children
but Alice and the eldest child The witness
| said, in answer to questions. that Alice was not
exceptionally bright at school. She would play
almost any sort Of n musical instrument She
did not read much. She did not care much
about books. He had heard since the tragedy
/ that she had correspondent with men who were
perfect strangers to her. She frequently went
out riding with Miss Lille Johnson He never
Ward and his daughter Alice, or between Alice
and any other member of the Ward family.
The second days proceedings in the Alice
| Mitchell trial were witnessed by q large crowd.
The deposition Of Juliet Bishop Of Brookvills,
Ind. was read. She is Mrs. Mitchell's step
| daughter and testified that Mrs. Mitchell once
made an effort 10 kill her. So strong was her
resentment that Mrs. Bishop was compelled TO
leave home. A number Of PROPOSITIONS we're
read showing the insanity Of Mrs. Mitchell's
relatives. Her brother, Vance Scott, Of Wash-
ington, Pa, was confined for . time IN the
1 ~.
living in the same county. DIR. Thomas Chs.
void Comstock Of St. Louis treated Mrs. Michel
in st. Louis when she was suffering from acute
mania. He said that heredity was probably the
original cause Of insanity and asserted that 10
was more potential from . mother to daughter
than otherwise.
Robert Mitchell, Alice's half brother. testi-
| fed that he searched her room after the tragedy
and found in it tops, marbles, base ball, &c.
She also had q rose sent her by Freda and sew
eral letters. He always noticed that Alice
acted like boy.
A LOT OF CRAZY orRLs
From the tenor OF the letters that passed be-
tween Freda Ward and Alice Mitchell one 10 led
to the conclusion that each was infatuated with
the other and that Alice loved Freda as man loves
| woman and Freda loved Alice as woman re-
CARDS man. The letters written by both OF the
young women were made public on the witness
stand Yesterday and their contents were as
founding. IL Alice lie crazy. 30 was Freda, be-
cause the emotions and mentality OF both were
alike.
The protestations Of undying devotion were
as vehement in Fredss letters 10 Alice as were
the promises Of loves protection from Alice.
| The case now shows that Alice first loved Freds
as a man, and that. after the usual amount Of
wooing. reciprocation followed, and that the
lovers in the early stages Of their infatuation
| infected their other female companions with
like passions. Lille johnson, Alice Mitchelrs
chum, ''her gentleman friend, !" 90 20 speak and
10. Ward. Freda's sister, were devoted 20 each
other and the relations between these two were
beyond the mere girlish fancy Of one girl for
another.
At the trial yesterday morning q strange
phase OF the case was shown. When Alice and
Freda became engaged and were finally sepa-
rated, Alice told Freda TO write to her a. Freda
Ward telling her that she (Freda) was in love
with Freda Ward and not Alice Mitchell. for
Alice Mitchell's personality had been merged
into that OF Freda Ward. Freda Ward then
wrote to Freda Ward and her letters were
couched in the most endearing terms. Alice,
| of course received the letters and became after
n time jealous Of the mythical Freda- She
| thereupon wrote to Freda and told her that
Freda Ward was dead. Miss Ward thereafter
addressed her love letters TO Miss Mitchell
| The letters that passed between the young
ladies were written in cipher, made up Of cspi-
| tai and Greek letters.
| In one Of the letters Freda bewails the death
| of the mythical Freda. but she consoles herself
with the reflection that she loves Alice better
than this dead fiction Of their imagination
| In other letters Freda discussed the PROPOSE
ton to elope and was wild with joy when Alice
told her that they would in . short time leave
4 for st. Louis.
The presentation Of the engagement ring
| brought back such letter as would follow .
similar presentation by boy Of nineteen years
4 IN n yor1uO lady NJ