The record-union., 1892-10-14
HOMICIDAL MANIA.
! Dr. c. B. Nichols So Diagnosed the
Condition of H. ]. Palmer.
The Defendants Wife and Mother Tes-
tify in His Behalf-Senator
Fairs Prosecutions.

There was another large attendance in
Department Two of the Superior Court
yesterday morning when the trial of ii.
y. Palmer for murder was resumed.
j. n. Noteworthy was called to the
stand by the defense. He is livery
stable keeper and knew Palmer quite
well. He conversed with him a short
time before he went to San Bernardino.
Palmer wanted the witness to sell his
property and go into business with him.
Palmer represented that he had 1000
head of horses and fine location in San
Bernardino for livery and sales stable.
After his return from the south he was
unusually solicitous, but witness found
that he had no property and had misrep-
resented his financial standing. Witness
thought Palmer was soft his base," but
could not say that he considered him
crazy.
IMPORTANT EVIDENCE.
w. Z. Clark of Knights Landing, an
ex-employe of Senator Fair, had known
Palmer for four years. He knew that
Mr.. Phleger took an active part in assist
ing Senator Fair to prosecute Palmer.
Witness was also an active ally. He was
ator Fair, went to the Monument
ranch and secured papers belonging to
Palmer. He delivered the papers at San
francisco to Senator Fair. Witness re-
membered Phleger testifying upon the
stand that he took witness BoltZ from
Palmer on the way from Sacramento to
San Francisco. He also heard Timothy
Lee testify that he had intercepted a wit
ness east of Colfax who was on his way
from the East to attend the trial in which
Palmer was defendant.
Phleger afterward boosted that he
would do Palmer up" At one time he
called him white-livered ---"
and said he would fix him yet" Wit
ness said it was his understanding that
man named Brady was employed by
Senator Fair to arm himself and stay in
the courtroom Ior the purpose of killing
Palmer in the event he should make a
hostile demonstration. Witness was one
of the persons who was disarmed by the
Justice of the Peace at Dixon.
THOSE PROSECUTIONS.
On cross-examination Clark said that
he was book-keeper at Senator Fairs
ranch when Palmer was manager. Clark
was discharged and Palmer resigned i'm
mediately. An investigation of the books
was commenced, and it was for this pur-
pose Attorney Jones desired to show that
Clark was induced to procure the papers,
it being necessary to have the papers in
order to explain certain entries in the
books.
Attorney Hart objected, but Judge Gar
Der permitted the proof
Witness then said that the papers were
taken to aid in the inspection of the books.
Palmer had him arrested for larceny for
taking the papers.
lyon were taken to Woodland, and in
the Byrns Hotel, in the presence of Mr..
Baker, Palmer stated to you the conditions
on which you would be permitted to go?"
asked Attorney Jones'
Mr.. Hart objected and was sustained.
Then followed a long argument by the
attorneys. Mr.. Jones said that the de-
Tense is that acts of 'persecution' had
driven Palmer insane. He wanted to
prove that Palmer had brought the acts
upon himself.
Judge CARRIER said this had nothing to
do with the case on trial. Even if Palmer
had been driven crazy by his own acts,
and was not able to distinguish between
right and wrong when the fatal shot was
fired, the law would give him the same
protection as If he were insane from any
cause.
MAJOR GETT ON THE STAND.
Major w. a. Gett was the next witness.
He testified that he was attorney in the
attachment brought by Sieffe against
Palmer and Phleger. He was on the
Washington bridge when an alleged con-
Ben Croker in which Croker swore
that Palmer remarked to him as Phleger
was approaching them, ''There comes that
- L should have killed him
long ago." The witness heard no such
expression and did not think it could
have been made.
Mrs. Stafford, who conducts lodging
house, testified in confederation of the
evidence given by her son, J. T. Stafford,
on Wednesday. While Palmer and his
wife were stopping in her house, she
said Palmer often got up in the night and
wandered about the house talking in
coherently. One night Palmer jumped
up in his bed and cried, ''There is Cole,
there is Colep 20 Then he wanted to tele-
phone and finally tried to jump out OF the
window. Mrs. Palmer and the witness
were obliged to hold him in order to re-
strain him from injuring himself.
At another time Mrs. Stafford was
awakened by the elinking of chains.
Finally she got up and started up stairs
to see what was the matter, and there
found Palmer on the top step asleep with
a dog chained on either side of him.
Where he got the dogs witness never
knew. They were strange animals. Wit
ness related the circumstance of Palmer
brandishing pistol and threatening. to
shoot his wife. He became SO wild that it
was necessary to send him to the station
house. She never was afraid of Palmer,
threatened to kill her son, but this did
not alarm her. She always believed him
crazy.
William Harlow was recalled and testi-
fed to an occasion when Benjamin
Croker abused Palmer while out driving
on the Riverside road.
THE DEFENDANTS WIFE.
There was quite stir in the audience
when Mrs. Palmer, wife of the defend
ant. arose from her seat behind Palmer
and took the witness stand.
She testified that naturally she knew
considerable of her husbands legal diff
culties, as after the settlement he was a
bankrupt Since the settlement, witness
had supported herself and child from
her own means. The suits, she said,
weepingly, nearly caused her death, as
she had been sick and nervous for a year.
Witness said she visited Senator Fair
and pleaded with him, in justice to her.
self and child, to cease the prosecutions
of her husband, but the Senator would
not relent. Witness told her husband OF
her fruitless errand. They frequently
talked of the litigation, and Mr. Palmer
times he would get excited, and again he
would cry.
Mrs. Palmer narrated the scene in the
courtroom in San Francisco after Mr..
Palmer had been commanded into the
custody of an officer. the jury having re-
tired. She saw Craig of Woodland, Mr..
Angus and others of Senator Fairs friends
gloating over the situation, and she could
not restrain herself, but denounced the
prosecutions of her husband and his per-
secutors. Her husband also became
greatly excited, and afterward wept.
MENTALLY SINKING.
The LITTLE lady eonfjuuipo cold +lot II