Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-04-27
WAS HE RESPONSIBLE?
The Question the Board Of Lunacy
Is TEyins 10 Determine
MOST SINGULAR LETTER.
v.,ng Au.tln,s Attempt al Forgery
and Suicide q, Seaitle.-R Gently
Divorced from His Vile
A MOST SINGULAR LETTER.


shortly after 4 O'Clock yesterday NJ
,srnoon the county board OF lunncy'
c5pslstlng Of Doctors Foster, haclean'
uall and Judge Batch, resumed it'
investigation Of the question inY''vins
the sanity Of young AusIin,'hc would
be- bank robbor.
Mr.. d. Austin, father Of the oiiender'
was afs; put on the stand.
4 number OF communication from
fine physirlau and managers Ia chafRo
oi tho Kelley institute at Olympia
written to the father and brothers anu
a., from the attorney ia Seattle, who
had defended the young man ON The
oh,rw al attempting 10 pass a bogus
.h.ek. were read by the commission
showing that his sanity waa 30
s.,,onaly questioned that the
hone Of cure was unroa'pnable.
when he was placed In jail
nj sea,tle his friends allowed him to
rsm,in some weeks, thinking 1t much
.,t,r for him to DO under restraint.
while Their, no threatened TO end his
life and a knife was found In his pos.
session, which he intended to use for
that purpose. This also occurred at
olympia.
The brothers aud parents Induced
the wife to consent 10 divorce before
tho question Of insanity was deter
mlned) which she did reluctantly, anu
only on the pllder charge Of failure to
support.
The question VI comparative coudi-
lions, when ho left hi. parcnlA SIX
YEAR ago and hs hn appeared a few
weeks ago ON his return u his parents,
the matter VI habits aud especially 81
sludious reading and fOndness for
books, which he once possessed In thu
strongest degree were shown 10 have
been completely abandoned aud the
ATTEMPT to casually interest him IN thia
line proved failure. While IN for
ner yCara he was cheerful anu viva
ciuus, OF late he became gloomy aud
uespnndent.
Before leaving the parental roof lac
had become what Is commonly known
as y FIST young man mud TO his habit Of
cigarette smoking and drinking were
added other dissipatlOns.
AS TO the immediate act which
cnused his arrest the only reference
made by the defendant was last even
ing 10 his father when he asked "Do
YOU think would have shot the man2
/ would not have done II for my lil,!"
Gle had habit OF writing strange
and weird letters,v said the father and
produced the following as a sample:
40 SALT LAKE.
Jesus Christ;
Mako mo noblcr man and bring that
droaml passion Of mine To inc.
CHARLES AUSTIN,
This singular communication was
enclosed IN u letter to his wife.
II. s. BEAVER
leslifed that he was In charge OF the
Turkish bath house on Third south,
and nj the request u tho father hal
taken the young man as an assistant.
While only there two days his Coudl.
ton was observed to be strange and
his father was told Of IL, lie seemed
to have no memory ami would leave
one thing partly flushed and turn to
another, when would In turn be
treated In the same way. lie would
never engage IN any conversation, but
WIS very submissive 10 all. As 10 the
act Ia question tho witness said. 81
attribute Il to his unbalanced mind
and 10 not think he was responsible"
1. q. COOK
real estate dealer, was next OK
amintd, and testified 10 many acts
showing dependency and total in
difference or lack u capacity ~ con-
verse on even recent topics with
which he could not have been I'M
acquainted very recently. Although
walking and talking with him often,
yet lac could not be- eulistod IN any suh-
lect save Tor moment. He was tract.
ahle In tho extreme, anu bis main
trouble seemed 10 be "a lack Of power IN
grasp any thought. "Of what know
Of him." snid the witness, II would
have thought him totally incapable of
SUCH deed as the one charged, anu he
wns eyldeninlly laboring under mental
alteration"
lnR. Harry,
medical examiner Of the McMurrny
Institute, was then placed on the stand
and testified that he had examined tue
party for admission to that Institute,
and recommended hls rejection on ac,
count OF the condition VI his mental
facilities. His apathy was apparent,
and all attempts 10 interest wero iruit.
less. The only eymptom OF note IN
the line OF change was IN inquiry
regarding religious matters last Fri.
day, when he grow very much ok.
cited for time, but relapsed Into the
apaihetIc state. "My opinion" said
tvo doctor, twas that tho patient was
totally without will power, aud hence
we could not treat him. | believe his
condition Ia due to softening OF thu
brain, M the result OF u fast life, alec
hol, cigarettes aud other eXorsses.
From what have known " the party
DO not think he comprehenoed tn,
character OF the act, but II WIS tho 10
SUR " mental frenzy, and think hC
isyet In that condition and subject TO
such changes al any time"
The investigation was continued un'
III O'Clock this afternoon.
ss