The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-20
WERE BOTH GIRLS fNSANEi
yopE CURIOUS TESTIMONY AT THE
iiIcE MITcHELh INQUIRY

Latter from Fredn wara 60 Her SLAYER
.,,eh, According tn the Defe.ee's r1es.
wou,d Prove the Dead etrl Also I.sspe
-Tn. state snid 70 Have s.rpr,.e :.
s,or.-Insnn,ty on the " others Side APP
,ar..,Iy Established sy the Defence.
MEMPHIS, July 1e.--The second days pro-
,,ndinrs in the inquiry as to Alice Mitchelrs
Z soni,y oucned quito too tamely for those who
.,,cndcl in anticipation Of salacious dev eop-
wants The first two hours were given over
"a the reading Of dispositions which proved
cha inspnity at intervals OF the mother OF
Alice prior to the birth Of all her children.
4, ono time she became so violent
tbat confinement in an insane asylum
hccome necessary. This was proven by
Mrs Julict Bishop OF Brookvile. Ind.
thc oldest daughter OF George Mitchell by
his first wife. who testified that her step
s mother lat orcd under the Authorization that
The dcponcnt wanted to kill Alice. Tho mother
tried to Kill Mrs. Bishop, and finally she was
forced t. leave her fathers roof The insane
dclusions continued Mt intervals. and while
.bc has had no recurrence for twenty years.
she has remained a moody woman. never
smiling or leaving tho house
The Rev W. W. Coemsry and his vito OF
oy,o,d. o.. and witnesses from Pennsylvania
established tho insanity Of Mrs. Mitchell. Of
her brother uncle. and cousin. the object
being to prove an hereditary tendency In tho
defendant. These dispositions were very
pro.y affairs with the exception OF that OF DR..
THOMAS Grswold Comstock OF ST. Louis,
whose deposition was on instructive dis.
sertation on the tendency to recur-
rent mania in subsequent pregnancy
after the first attack. and the
creator influence OF tho mother than the
first relief to the drynoss OF the proceedings
wa, In the Introduction Of Chief OF Police
Davis. who arrested tho girl at her fathers
house shortly after tho murder. His story OF
the cooness and unconcern OF the murderess
30 soon after the commission Of the decd Ind
It's effect in favor Of tho defendant. since such
scls.possossirn was incompatible with sanity
except in the cnse Of hardened criminal
Alice had already told her mother that she
had cut Frela. so when he told his business
she was prepared. and asked how badly Frcds
was injured. lie replied that he did not know.
whereap%2n Alice chirpsd in in cheerful way.
cane in. md III. Chief told him he had come
Alice 40 chinrer A. eyer !; broke in With
dsnc something commendahle.
Lucy Fnnklia: the colored cook Of the Mitch
Hce " @ac in ' AT she was iorgidlen to SPEAK
TO Freda me toln the cook that she and
Frrda w4ntoh to marry. but her mother told
her 1t WAS wrong. size said She would rather
herself; Once she rut her target riile to her
another occasion she discharged the gun in
tho HitcheH. nearly XII ing tue cook instead OF
fsd ami the c5oh Eoasha size wss ems
The next witness was. Robert Mitchell. the
half hr,t b,r pi tha 1nseuIunt He faetiGat
that in searching her room after the tragedy
he found the boSwsi sel h"d n Sgt
a as and dHSs Tssnssa
po ' a rins. and other love tokens. Then
came the submission Of these famous letters
II. mn4er ' n .vena Tx
TRANSACTIONS 0, them. for all were in cipher.
They, were fult OF the most en1earinG terms.
eters @ Write e each s. fHs1
s1ntainei r;orn.'!is and accesEtanee Of mar;
inhlolity. ~: ut an, imrroper word or OK;
pressed "A ''vious thought Il throughput. A
ff!s s g S1,"p s Ls sE He SF Ss
Ind the: N":.rt'i ."snand;I Both girls Goa
,estsi 'r ,nS ME Ase IN trq 1Ss 10 @1 aef
wife, and r.:Sned herself \ =. W..
g.. her nsSnme, name h.,nG Alvin J.
Was reai in e,nyt i'd; itwssoi tho .tereo-
nor worse than the AVERAGE. hut the conclusion
showed how :rur we writer WIS to her as
ating the virtues II die iieni ,ifr: And II a
certain brown-eyed G.ri on the river a .o"t 100
you wifi iEo ssr aod vile lei ni huSma BUM
The following is spec anon letter from Ere.
to aeIss;e Eric ts va " Ms
oiialllng e love with The \, J. ". stands for
speaks Of hsrsef d. lead. The i.i!"s Lille
They liI'Rat u" hetd nt tho letter is in the
cipher used. and stands for love:
ynn t" DTs ds. na sS lss
e. SO MN s 70" III ".i :, ca ,9s
an ve o s "a ID s ~I n! s :" sadly 4. 'ss
T"n, ' a. lake '"%. ne feel BADLY Tiled M.
t.& LONG 49, r ns as you SHor NJ
~o se sa nSt eT ao s @ S n s
m M IT. 6 i rue ys ss int nd
III you al about
.vce,ne..r, laldn's ,h.nk ~ha. doing when ia
Vi ga .~s and s' nSFs
@ n !iSs* ao ut Ky; N% 1s"
.s;n ss!.s Vii w = SsS
hereafter
The Letter signed Pity Sing" end .w9
j, Ward. The thing which she had done
her picture to Ashley Royell. and she
sncoses copy OF her letter to him.
aItossther which is very ing;en!ous, x, Hst
ailpiabet, from a to are placed IN line. the
tef above or below was used instead. Thus
comes Gnder A: II A Is wanted n Is used. and
vice versa.
Among Alice,,s papers were found several
murder or suicide One contained these
words: How to kill cut throat. poison. stab.
grains atrophia." With q newspaper clipping
The theory Of the State will be that the mur-
der was prompted by revenge. They elected.
Of evidence fayorlng this. One was piece Of
Alice to Frsda: you and We're long iriends
n;NsIy you are ny enemy and am yoSFs" Ths
I; voikmar. Freda'1 sister. =, written to
elODeInpnt She rAtuYna the "en0aQAm ant y