The evening world., 1894-05-28
SAY She WAS INSANE.
Drs. MacD donald, Flint and Jacob
Testify for Mrs. Fitzgerald
Mrs. Eustis Tells Of the Accused
Woman's Sufferings.
Mrs. Pearsall's Slayer Shows the
First Signs of Emotion.

gerald TOT shooting Mrs. carrie PearSall
will probably be concluded to-day before
Judge Cowing in Part II. of the Court
OF General Sessions.
Her husband. John ]. Fitzgerald. whose
actions with Mrs. Pearsall were the al
legged cause of his wife's fatal jealousy,
did not make good his assertion Of want
ing to testify in the case.
He did not offer himself as a witness
to-day.
Mrs. Minnie Eustis, OF los West One
Hundred and Second street. who was a
witness for the people at the Coroner's
inquest, was called as the first witness
this morning for the defense.
In response to the question OF Fred
erick Il. House, of counsel for Mrs. Fitz-
gerald, she said she had known Mrs.
Fitzgerald some years.
returned from Lakewood, she was star
tied by the appearance Of Mrs. Fitz-
gerald.
She looked III. Her eyes were dilated
was excited and hysterical.
at hen" bar b i,Tss part ftu0 0f SS sT yar1 II, l ne gallsa
and historical. She walked the floor,
eyed. She held her hands to her head,
said she had not slept in weeks and
thought she was going a
Then she told me how she had dis
covered that her husband had been at a
hotel with another woman as his wife.
She Sheot told ana a long story Sa 6%t it was irco o
pacify her. I thought she was mad. I
had known her for many years, lived
in the, same house with her. n I never
knew her to act so before. She said she
feared some people were trying to ruin
her. I could make nothing out Of it ali.
thought she imagined 1t all"
visits to Mrs. Fitzseraid' and said that
the symptoms of hysteria and distraction
were always manifested:
As she gave her testimony Mrs. Fitz-
gerald showed the first signs of emotion.
She moved uneasily. In her chair and
muttered to herself. holding the back OF
n hand to her temple. Her faithful
an expression Of alarm on her kindly
face, but the distracted woman made
no demonstration.
chair by a female companion, and sew
eral times her testimony was interrupt
ed to permit the application OF smell
Ing salts, a swallow Of water and the
She SAND that although Mrs. Fitz-
gerald had always before been a most
harsh to htem. She was very Respondent
all through September-her dependency
eliminating in homicidal mania and the
killing of Carrie Pearsall.
Just before Mrs. Fitzgerald s iast child
was born. little Jack, now six years old.
h MTs, Eustisi calling on her found her
upom her. " MPs. Eust ns'' Vent 1uS do SspVt to
Fitzgerald, then holding a fat place In
hte Corporation Counsel's office, inc en-
deavored to get him to attend to. the
being turned into the street.
There was absolutely nothing to eat
In her houre at that time" said the wit
ness II lad known of two other occa-
sions when Mrs, Fitzgerald had been
served with dispossess notices. and |
have seen her when she was covered
with bruises due to her husbands vio-
lence. Once he had choked her when she
was in n d riicate condition"
The wit ess had seen Fitzgerald In a
Park place restaurant in 1888 with a
blonde woman answering the description
Assistant District,Attorney Davis
~oross-examined. but did not weaken the
effect Of Mrs. Eustis's testimony.
DR.. Charles F. Macdonald, President
the next witness. He and DR.. Austin
f, Flint were employed by District.
Tombs and make an examination, OF
Mrs. Fitzgerald's mental condition,
They reported that Mrs: Fitzgerald was
at the time of the shooting of Mrs
that, insane.
DR.. Macdonald said that in his judg.
ment Mrs, Fitzgerald was insane. sur.
as melancholia; suffering with the hal
%lucination that she was being perse.
cuted. 1t had existed for a considerable
number OF months"
y do not think she was in a condition
on Oct. z to determine right from wrong
nor TO Judge nationally OF the consc
q~ucnces OF her act" said Or. Macdonald
The report of the two physicians sait
that she had n neurotic temperament
and that her troubles, partly real ant
partly fancied. had developed mania. ant
i; had taken a homicidal turn severa
months before, as evidenced by her fire.
quently expressed intention to kill hel
children.
Mr.. Davis, who could not consistent,
call other experts to oppose the testi
mony given by his own Gppointees, nov
took the anomalous position OF a cross
TO make the jury question the thorough
ness OF tho examination of the patient.
But DIR. McDonald's man years OF ex
perience, with it's thousands OF insan,
patients, and Of simulated insanity, ena
bied him to explain all the points. II,
said that many insane patients wer,
able to distinguish between right an
wrong, but in this case the patient
mania was directly due to the delusionl
concerning her victim, and she did no
know the nature and quality OF the act
DIR. Austin T.. Flint was even NOR,
emphatic In his declaration q the IRE
sponslhility OF Mrs, Fitzgerald, He sale
that she was insane in December. insane
at the time of the tragedy and had beef
= Gus - - , 'Na - ~ 'N''A' NslhA'
Undoubtedly she knew she was shoot
ing. although her understanding wa
cloudy, so cloudy and indistinct that
any thought to the consequences to her
self" said DR.. Flint on c~ross-examina
ton.
Or. George w. jacob, of Gs3 Madison
avenue. another famous alienist. anC
Professor of Mental and Nervous Dis
cases in the Women's Medical College
testified as to the results OF exanlina
ton OF Mrs. Fitzgerald, that she was in
sane, and had been for years. She haC
all the physical symptoms OF mania
and she was incoherent and fun o
decisions, In DIR. Jacobs. opinion, a
the time OF the tragedy Mrs. Fitzger
aid was not a condition TO permit he
appreciation OF the consequences OF he
act to govern her et all, and was no
competent to distinguish between RICH
and wrong. She was suffering will
melapcholia, and In that condition com
mitted the tragedy.
Recess.