The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-24
COMPLAINANTS' WITNESSES TELL
A DIFFERENT TALE OF
MRS. GARCELON.
THE OLD LADY's 5000 SHAWL.
MOORE ASKS DR.. ADAMS IF HE Is
AN ALLEN IST," AND He
DOESN'T KNOW.


nesses were on the stand, and most OF the
testimony went to show that the rich old
lady was mentally independent and pos
sessed of mind of her own.
The last letter of the missing Miss Nc
ClelIan to Henry Rodgers, together with
copy of the telegram sent after her in
South Africa, were read in evidence.
The telegram was dated January, 1893, and
read as follows:
Jeonaett Mcclellan, johannesburg, South
you come? Answer. HENRY RODGERS.
And the letter in substance read thus:
NEW YORK, May TO- 1895.
My Dear Mr.. Rodgers: l am so indignant
over Miss shattuck's story. l don't know
where she got her information. She must
Now about Judge Stanly, don't feel that he
is unfriendly toward me. God knows l have
few enough friends to afford to lose one.
May go to Dobbs Ferry after while have
q cousin there.
1 never have had any doubt about your
m management of my little pittance-
JEANNETT MCCLELLAN.
Dr. G. s. Adams, formerly a partner of
Mrs. Garcelon's ply sician, DR.. Agard, took
the stand for the compliments. His testi-
mony was in the line Of expert opinion on
Mrs. Garcelon's mental condition, he hav-
and at the request of DR.. Agard to size her
up during an hours friendly chat.
Under Judge Haynes questioning the
witness told his story.
81 have been a physician and surgeon
for forty years, and have been in Oakland
for the last twenty-one years.
~ attended Mrs. Garcelon when she had
typhoid fever, and several years later, in
1889, from the 4th of April until about
November, and in her last illness from
December 1S to the 2Sth, inclusive, l at
tended her with DR.. Agard; but he was
her regular physician.
MY opinion would be that she was of
sound mind-perfectly. l should think
from what | knew of her that she had a
will of her own; that her mind acted fairly
clearly. She was decided in her opinions.
"She had neuralgia, affecting the nerves
and muscles at the back of the head but
it did not affect the brain"
Then the effects of antipyrine and ply
rastine that the old lady used to take were
discussed, and the doctor said that before
enough could be taken to affect the brain,
muscular activity would be severely i'm
paired. 81 never knew antipyrine to
cause DEATH" remarked the physician,
after venturing the assertion that it would
! take good deal of this coal-tar extract to
affect the brain and that death would prob
ably result first.
Attorney A. II. Moore took the witness
| for cross examination and piled him with
questions as to whether or not he was an
expert on insanity, If 1t was customary for
him to go to make social calls" for the
purpose of examining mental sanity.
| Then after the witness related his expert
ence in these matters as a general prac-
titioner of many years, Moore suddenly
turned on him with:
CDR. Adams, are you an alienfst?'
And everybody in the courtroom as
sumed facial expression that said ga
what?"
"Why, it's common word" continued
the man who is assisting in the opposition
to the distribution of the trust, $50 COM
mon that we often see it in the newspapers.
"Are you an alienist?" persisted the
attorney
Not that 1 know OFF,
tDo you know what the word means ?"
"Well, | know what alien is. | suppose
an alienist is person opposed to foreign
| ers"
"You do! A sort of Chinese ust-go
man, Ell? Well, that's all 1 want to
| know"
Mrs. W. w. Dyer, little snow-haired
woman, was called to the witness chair
She said that she had lived in Oakland for
twenty-five years opposite the Merritt
house, and used to visit Mrs. Garcelon
once week before DR.. Merritts death and
two or three times week after his death.
"How much are you down for in this
| trust deed? ?" asked the defense in cross-ex-
animation.
lone thousand dollars, and other mem
bers of my family $4,000"
| Miss Minnie DYER followed her mother
81 knew Mrs. Garcelon ever since l could
remem ber-since IA. | used to see her
every few days at her house.
"She was dignlned firm, decided old
lady, strong in her likes, yes, and her dis
likes also.'
"How much are you down for in this
trust paper?" began Philbrook, when his
| turn came.
Give thousand dollars
Eyes, she liked me-"
"She was always carefully dressed; I'm
very sure about that
I'll. G. Taft, one of the proprietors of the
| Oakland dry-goods house where Mrs. Gar
celon was a regular customer, said that he
| used to see her in his store about twice a
week, but he could not recall any instance
of her being forgetful or inclined to pay
twice for an order.
"She never gave me any presents, but
when my baby was 2days old she gave her
three small gold studs, chained together
and with little diamond chip in each.'
| 'Do you remember selling her q shawl
| for $900P" asked the cross-examiner.
| II do. She talked about getting it for
| two years, and l bought it for her in New
YORK. ana sne pouSnt 9zoo snaWI 1or
Mrs. Purinton.
| "No, did not think she was extravaganza
| for a woman of her means"
Editor w. G. Bartlett of the Oakland
Tribune told something of his editorial ex-
perieuce of thirty years, twenty-nine OF
which were spent on the Bulletin in this
City; of his long intimacy during fifteen
years of that time with DR.. Merritt, and OF
his acquaintance with Mrs. Garcelon.
Il took occasion on one of my calls, u
said the editor, referring to DR.. Merritt
Ito suggest to him the ACCESSIBILITY of his
founding an Oakland hospital, and he said
rather encouragingly he would think more
about it. Then some unmarried minister
in Oakland wrote to him and suggested
the subject, and he was nettled. l heard
Mrs. Garcelon make a remark to him
about the matter something like this
Yes, Samuel, you ought to do it.
"She was very shrewd old lady, with
unusual will power and force of character
| and had rather dominating mind. |
should say she was one of the best judges
OF character l ever met among women
but women are not much on Judging char.
| acter.
''She had her own way in domestic mat
tiers, and she dominated Miss Mcclellan.
n fnr l. 1--A Il r