Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-03-18


charge Of murder on the ground Of in
sanity, after having shot the betrayer
Of his sister in open court, that the
public had heard the last Of him. but
it was not so. 1t was shown at the
trial that he was paralyzed in the left
leg and hip; that he was the victim
of constantly recurring epileptic fits
and unsound mentally. The chief
medical testimony in his favor was
that of DIR. Robert Stafford Newton,
the brain and nervous disease expert
Of the New York Polytechnic. DIR. New
ton became interested in the case of
the slayer OF Max Clerget and he
now says that he hopes to cure Div
ms by a most remarkable operation.
He believes all the ills which afiict
the young man are directly due TO a
depression in his skull He proposes
to remove the depressed piece of bone
so that the brain, relieved of the con-
slant pressure, win once more become
healthy and perform its functions
properly.
The history of the case Of Eddie Div
ms was related to a reporter a few
evenings ago by DIR. Newton, who de-
clared himself quite willing to let the
public know just what he proposed to
do, and what he expects 10 accomplish
by doing it
when j was called upon by the
District Attorney" said DIR. Newton,
ITO examine Divins inst after he had
killed Clerget found him almost a
total physical and mental wreck. His
body was poorly nourished and his in
tellect was clouded. found, too, that
his left hip and leg were paralYzed,
and that he was subject TO epileptic
fits Knowing that insanity often fol-
lows epilepss began to connect the
the two in his case. Then there was
the paralysis, which indicated that
there was something wrong with that
portion of his brain which motives the
left leg and hip"
Here the doctor stopped for few
moments to get chart of the human
brain, and then indicating the place
ON the right lobe where these organs
are located, he continued: There
was the place, said to myself. TO
look for the trouble. then made a
careful examination of Divins' head
and interesting the organs which
motive the action of the left hip and
leg, and in the spot had indicated.
found a depression in his skull over
two and one-half inches long and fully
wide and deep enough to lay lead
pencil in. This depression OF the bone
naturally produced considerable press
ure on the brain and prevented the
proper action of the parts affected.
This accounted at once for the local
paralysis and also for the epilepsy.
When the functions of the motor por-
tions of the brain are interfered with,
as in this case, both results follow.
Then / learned that the depression
was the result Of an accident Divins
seven years ago was thrown against q
stone wall and his skull fractured.
Both paralysis and epilepsy showed
themselves almost Immediately after
the accident, and for seven years the
epileptic fits had been destroying his
brain power, which was always of an
inferior quality. What wonder then
that this poor weak brain gave away
altogether when he heard that his
favorite sister had been wronged?
What wonder that it gave way entire
~, and that homicidal mania TO kill
Max Clerget rcsulted2. 1t seemed to
me the most natural thing in the
world"
After referring to other examina-
tions and measurements he had made
of.Divins' head, DIR. Newton continued: