The record-union., 1892-10-07
ANOTHER RELATIVE INSANE.

Her dcqualnlanceS ana relatives was that
she was insane too.
AS the deponent only knew this from
hearsay the evidence was stricken out.
Ihe deponent concluded by testifying
that Mrs. Hoagland committed suicide.
Inc prosecution objected to this, too, and
tnere was an argument over the matter,
The defense claiming that the evidence
was proper. The court admitted it.
The deposition of Mrs. Z. Z. Wertman,
daughter OF Hiram Gibson, was next
read. After 1864, and until his death, in
lSfZ, her father was insane. Deponent
then told of the acts referred to by Her
bert Wertman. In addition she told of
instances when the old gentleman would
get unusually erratic, and would assault
the members Of the family.
Deponent also knew Mrs. Hoag-
land, and knew that she was in
sane. She was subject to spells,
sometimes being more violent than
at others. On one occasion Mrs. Hoag-
land cut her throat in an attempt to kill
herself. She inflicted terrible cash, but
did not die from the effects. When the
doctors sewed up the wound the woman
tore 1T open again. Deponent said Mrs.
hoagland finally did commit suicide by
drowning herself. Deponent also knew
Mrs. Il. l.. Huntley, third cousin to Pal
mer. She, too, was insane;. was always
wishing she was dead, and committing
Palmer had ever been confined in insane
asylums. nor had they ever been COM
planned of to the authorities.
GILSoN's ANTICS.
The deposition of George w. Cook of
Pennbrook, \. Y, was the next one Of
fered. He knew Hiram Gibson init
mately. The latter was nervous, eccen-
trio man, and the deponent was satisfied
that during the latter part of his life he
T1 JTSn IaT nt of Il
because the latter did not get stove like
his, and at another time he accused the
deponent OF cheating him without any
cause for such accusation. Every day he
did things that no sane man would do.
Deponent knew Mrs. Hoagland, and
knew that she was insane, too. She did
all sorts OF queer things, and finally
drowned herself in small pit not foot
wide. Mrs. Huntley's mental condition
was also known to the deponent. She,
like Mrs. Hoagland, was insane.
PALMER's FATHER.
The next deposition was that of Charles
Cutter, a decorator of East Aurora New
York. This deponent knew Asa Palmer,
father Of II. j. Palmer, and described
him as being passionate and nervous.
The deponent was satisfied that mentally
the elder Palmer was partially deranged.
lie would go about bareheaded talking 70
himself. and always appeared to be men
tally upset. he would get etintoxicated,t too,
and was then unusually violent. He
would come home cross and grabbed,
and would threaten his family. The de-
ponent was nephew to the elder Palmer
The deposition of Charles Norton of
East Aurora, Erie County, n. Y, was to
the effect that he knew the elder Palmer
we'll. The latter was nervous and eXcit-
able, and when excited was very violent.
he would do things that he would not do
when more calm.
Samuel w. Bowen, farmer of East
Aurora, saw the elder Palmer almost
daily, and he too described him as being
violent and erratic.
Paul b. Lathrop, another neighbor of
Asa Palmer's, corroborated in his depo-
sition the evidence given by the other
deponents.
THE ELDER PALMER's ACTIONS.
Joseph f. Stafford OF Peoria, ILL.,, de-
posed that he knew Asa Palmer for
twenty years in New York, having been
clared that the old gentleman was a hard
drinker. and during the deponent's
acquaintance with him he was afflicted
with the delirium tremens many times.
At these times he was a mailman, and did
not know what he was doing. He would
go out into the road with crowbar and
dig up the ground looking tor snakes,
and do other things that would Indicate
that he had completely lost his reason.
Joshua Mitchell of Elma, Erie County,
New York, also related how the elder
Palmer would act when in liquor. In his
opinion the old gentleman did not know
what he was doing.
Erie County, deposed that the elder
Palmer was not in his right mind when
drinking.
William w. Grace knew the elder
Palmer in Springbrook, and deposed that
he was dangerous when in liquor. Peo-
pie were afraid of him and avoided him.
The deponent had seen him do things
that only crazy man would do.
+. Wooodard, an Erie County farmer,
related an instance when the elder Palmer
went after man named Bill Saints with
a broad-ax. Palmer fell down, though,
and Saints escaped. Palmer was in
liquor at the time. Aside from this the
deponent had not seen him do anything
to make him think that the old gentle
man was insane.
The deposition of Mrs. Hannah Talmad
was ruled out because the deponent knew
nothing of the elder Palmer except from
hearsay.
HOW PALMER CHANGED.
T. NJ. Hilby, druggist of Monterey
County, was then called to the witness
stand. He lives near the Hotel Del
Monte. He knew the defendant, Palmer.
when the latter kept the Del Monte
Stables. He was always peaceable and
quiet
Did you ever hear of him wanting to
fight or make trouble?" asked Attorney
Hart.
The prosecution objected to the attorney
going into details in proving the defend
ants general reputation.
The court was inclined to rule in favor
of the prosecution, but Mr.. Hart said it
was not the defendants general reputa-
ton that he wanted to show, but the eyi-
dence would bear directly upon the de-
fense of insanity. He proposed to show
by experts on insanity that one of the
strongest evidences of insanity was an
entire change in mans character. He
would show that the Fl. J. Palmer of the
present is not the II. j. Palmer of old
that he had not been the same for year
or so.
The court then allowed the question,
and Hilby stated that he never knew of
Palmer having any trouble with any
body. He never had harsh word for
any body. In fact, everybody liked him:
everybody was his friend, and all because
of Palmer's uniformly good nature and
kind ways.
William Tibbitts, also of Monterey.
gave a similar clean record for Palmer.
The latter was universally lik ed, he said
and counted every man who knew him as
his friend.
NOT INCLINED To BOAST THEN.
"Did Palmer ever boast about himself
or ofhis powers, or ofhis wealth ?" asked
Attorney Hart.
No, never
Have you had business appointments
with him ?''
''Yes."
And did he always keep them?n
Always"