Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-03
IS SCHNEIDER INSANE?
More Testimony as to His Mental
Condition Submitted Today.
HIS ACTION IN JAIL.
Physicians and Others Who Have Seen the
Prisoner Give Evidence rs to HE Con-
duct Before and After His Trial-Examins-
ton and Cross


Beale of Georgetown, where he bad lived for the
past eight years. He said he sold the farm in
Maryland to Mrs Gottlieb Schneider He knew
her husband and believed that he WAS Of IN
sound mind. He had seen him make MUD pies
with the children and whip them with switches
to make them bear fruit. as be said The mans
whole conduct indicated that be was wrong
mentally He did no work whatever, his wife
conducting all business matters.
To the district attorney Mr. Beale said the
farm was one OF 100 scres, mostly wooded. only
about thirty-five or forty acres were cleared
land Mr.. Schneider childish, but never
saw him do violence to any one. 1t was said
that he set fire to lot of witness wood. The
deed was made to Mr.. Schneider. He was very
fond Of his children
DIR. JOHN z. WALSH.
DR.. John f. Walsh testified that he was
native Of the District and had practiced medi-
cine for three years. He had an experience in
az least fifty cases Of insanity. lie had known
the prisoner SINCE early childhood He first
saw HIM IN jail about five months ago. He saw
him four times at intervals of three or four
weeks. He regarded Schneider during child
hood as being of. " He was very peculiar at
times. Later in life. when witness met him,
the prisoner invariably related improbable
stories of which Schneider WAS always the hero.
Ills mind seemed TO turn to women, and he
often boosted of his success in love affairs.
Schneider afterward told witness of a great in
yention which he said would bring him untold
wealth. He did not mention the nature
OF the invention. Once witness had an appoint
ment with tAe prisoner at the latter home but
Schneider left the house without a word of ex-
PLANTATION. He complained that his family was
against him, especially his brother Frank
When witness first visited the prisoner at the
jail he was with him about fifteen minutes He
\ -es~% ., l..
seemed to be IN a dazed condition. He recog-
nized witness, however. He said he was being
poisoned, but that he was working an inyen-
ton which would remove the poison and set
him free. He told witness that bis father was
dead. The subsequent visits made by witness
did not materially differ with the first as far as
the conduct of the prisoner was concerned be-
yond the fact that Schneider said he was put in
jail that he might be robbed of his invention
Witness was of the opinion that Schneider was
of unsound mind. incapable Of apprecia;ing
his present position.
cRoss-ExAMINATIoN.
To the district attorney Dr. Walsh stated
that his practice was only that Of a general
practitioner. He was not specialist. He
visited Schneider at the request of DR.. Nc
Williams, the Jail physician. who said that the
prisoner was acting strangely. Dr. McwiIliams
did not suggest that Schneider was insane until
after witness had visited him at the Jail Wit
ness thought that the man was insane even be-
fore the shooting, but could not recall the name
OF any person to whom he had made such a
| suggestion previous to the verdict Previous
to witness first visit at the Jail Schneider had
not met witness since 1885, When witness first
saw him at the Jail Schneider presented about
the same personal appearance as now. On one
visit he said that his mother was against him
and had stopped visiting him.
THE KIND OF INSANITY.
District attorney-What kind Of insanity do
you think Schneider suffers from?
DIR. Walsh-I am not here as an expert and
do not think am compelled to answer.
The court thought otherwise, however. and
DIR. Walsh said he believed the prisoner was
suffering from monomania. He also said that
ne did not believe that he was suffering from
dementia
To Mr.. Wilson the witness said that the rea-
son he did not mention the insanity Of the
prisoner previous TO the trial was because he.
like the rest Of the community, WAS SO Mortified
at the atroclty of the crime that he wished him
punished.
DIR. NwILLrAMs.
DR.. Alexander McWiliams said that he had
been the physician at the Jail for twenty years.
and had practiced medicine since 1896 He was
not expert in insanity, his experience in that
line being very limited. He had seen Schneider
During the time previous to the trial he would
throw himself on his cot and weep like a child
In little while he refused to eat and witness
was compelled to stimulate him. About a week
after the trial Schneider remarked: doctor
You know was not treated fairly" Dr. Nc
Williams then stated that the prisoner
again refused to eat. and he has persisted
in that determination up to the present time
Schneider complained that he was being poi
soned; that everybody was against him; that
persons were trying to break into his CELL and
trying to rob him OF his invention The prison.
er's condition had gradually been growing
worse. He had asked witness for pills with
which to eradicate acids which the prisoner
claimed people threw on him. He invariably
was found by witness to be sitting on the foot
of his cot, with bowed head, staring blankly at
the floor. 1t was impossible to get him to con-
verse coherently. There had been little change
in his physical condition during the last three
or four months. His attention was first at
tracted to Schneiders mental condition about
five months ago.
HE is either the sharpeet trickster that ever
walked or his mind is unsettled" said the doc
tor to Mr.. Wilson.
Schneider, continued DIR. McWilliams. APP
peared to be a little deaf, but his eyesight APP
peared to be the same. His apparent deafness
might be explained to be an effort to collect
his senses.
CRoss-KxAMISATIoN.
AL 2uC /" lAidtlb bbdtcu W Tue OlBtflCt attOr-
ney that he first observed Schneider's CRYING
spells day or two after his commitment to
Jail. That continued for some time and gradu-
ally passed of. He refused to eat from almost
the very first, saying: Il will never eat again"
The attention Of witness was not specially called
to the prisoner again until after the trial when
witness learned that Schneider again refused to
eat. That might have been three weeks after
the trial, witness being under the impression
that he gave a reason for refusing to eat that
his food was being poisoned.
The prisoners other decisions appeared soon
after that They seemed to all run together
Schneider read some before the trial and con-
versed intelligently. The prisoner seems to be
duller now than ever before. His pulse Was
now very weak, but no record had been kent OF
it. His urine had never been examined by wit
ness. Witness had given him nothing for the
last two weeks but bread pills. He had never
given medicine to induce sleep. Reports of
the prisoners sleeplessness had not been made
SO often as to induce witness to prescribe for
him.
WHY he INVITED DIS. BEATTY AND WALSH
District attorney-Doctor, why did YOU in
vite Drs. Beatty and Walsh to visit Schneider?
The witness-Because the responsibility was
too great for my shoulders.
District attorney-But why did you select
them?
The witness-Because I knew that they
were acquainted with the prisoner.
DR.. McWilliama said he never invited any
a a. ~-s.sA " n