The morning call., 1895-02-12
His Schemes for Building FOrtresses
and Asylums.
THE ATTORNEY.GENERAL TESTIFIES.
He Says if 1t Had Not Been for the Panic
in April, 1898, the Bank
Would Have Stood.

p
political ambitions and schemes all formed
the subjects of testimony in regard to his
sanity in Judge Murphy's court yesterday.
Numerous witnesses were examined, but
none of them were or claimed to be ex-
perts. They were people who had known
him and who, from their own observation,
believed him insane.
The first witness called in the morning
was E. G. Parker, long-suffering stereop-
ticon lecturer, who had been compelled to
throw upon his sdeeens first picture of
the Peoples Home Savings Bank and then
portrait of R. II. Mcdonald Jr., making
highly laudatory remarks about each mean
while. He had been especially ordered to
do so. He thought Mcdonald little un-
balanced, but he waived any claim to being
an expert.
Ex-Attorney- General H. II. Hart was
then called. He said he thought the
Pacific Bank carried too much unproduc-
tive property among its assets, but accord
ing to the examinations he did not think
the bank insolvent. The witness was not
allowed, however, to go very far into the
details of what he knew about the banks
affairs. The bank had on hand, according
to the witnesses information, about $780,
600 in good assets and about 81 300, 900 more
in what he termed unbankable assets, that
is, assets which would not be received at
all banking institutions as securities,
but which were of considerable value.
The witness thought that only for the
sudden panic among the creditors in April,
1898, the Pacific Bank might have
weathered the crisis.
DIR. George Davis, McDonald's family
physician, testified that he considered
Richard Mcdonald Jr. a monomaniac, his
- II, &c
finance. He thought he was the greatest
financier in the country. The witness had
known Mcdonald during the time of
trouble with his first wife, and the great
mental strain and worriment which he
then suffered would tend, in the opinion
of witness, to predispose him to mania of
some form. DIR. Davis had formed his
opinion of the defendants mental caliber
from his general manner as well as from
his conversation, and long before the fail
ure of the bank he had arrived at the con-
clusion which he had mentioned.
"Supposing the bank had weathered the
financial storm and was now prosperous,
assuming that the defendant was man.
ager, would you still think he was mono
maniac" was asked.
Livernash objected to the question be-
cause it assumed state of facts not pres
ent. The objection was overruled, and
the witness answered:
Eyes. sir; had formed my opinion long
before"
Then followed several more witnesses,
who testified to substantially the same
state of facts presented by DR.. Davis.
They had all noticed McDonald's shifting
glance, his nervous, uneasy movements
and his loose and erratic method of ex-
pressing himself.
DR.. Edwin Robbins, in addition to giving
his testimony regarding McDonalds SAN
ity or insanity, told how at present he was
an irregular practitioner of medicine, but
he had not always been such. He was ed
ucated for the ministry and did some re-
ligious work. He had treated Mcdonald
for cerebral meningitis, and among other
remedies which he prescribed were sherry
and egg and milk punches. Dick refused
these delectable decoctions, however, say
ing he would sooner die than drink liquor.
He then proposed to the doctor that he
join the Band of Hope, temperance or
ganization, and to please his patient the
doctor did so.
F. L. Gibbs, who had at one time had
business dealings with the defendant grow
ing out of proposition made to him in
regard to work upon the Californian, told
how Mcdonald talked of his gubernatorial
aspirations, and also of his intention to
gain control of the school board as pre-
liminary step. When he would be in con-
troll of the schools, the witness said, it was
McDonald's intention to go around to the
various schools and address the pupils and
teachers who would be assembled to hear
him. He also told the witness that he was
going to write book.
Frank Goewey, former employe in the
Pacific Bank, added the fact that McDon-
aid had said when he reached the executive
chair one of his first acts would be to par
don Seneca Swain. He was then going to
eh in oil .1f hQ al
and each was to be dependent upon the
Pacific Bank, the center of the banking sys-
tenn on this coast.
Jasper Mcdonald and Mark Mcdonald,
uncles of the defendant, both testified.
Their testimony can be summed up in the
words of Jasper Mcdonald. 81 always
thought he was a crank" was the uncle's
way of putting it.
Late in the afternoon, Mrs. Mcdonald,
wife of the defendant, was called to the
stand and was asked to tell what she knew
of the mental condition of her husband and
her observations of it. She met Richard
Mcdonald Jr. about six years ago. she
said, the acquaintance being brought about
by her sister. She had heard good deal
about him-about his queer ways, his high
position and his education-and she de-
sired to meet him. The acquaintance thus
formed grew until they were engaged.
Soon after the engagement she went to
Europe, and it was then that the peculiar
tiles OF the man she had left here became
more apparent. His letters to her were of
the most visionary character, telling of all
kinds Of schemes and ambitions, and jump
ing from one to the other with facility
only possible to a diseased mind.
In one letter he told her he was going to
become priest and that he would immedi-
ately take up such studies rs would fit him
for such position, but before his letter
was ended his mood had changed, and in
the last paragraph he informed her he had
decided to become Jewish rabbi.
He also confided in her all he hoped for
and expected in political way. She was
we'll aware of his ambition to become Gov
ernor, for he had told her all about it and
Just how he was going to attain his end.
When he was Governor he told her, he
was going to erect in this State an immense
asylum for children. They would be cared
for and educated upon the most approved
plan and the whole would be directly under
his personal supervision. The children
were to be given no meat to eat, meat be-
ing bad for the health. While water for
bathing purposes was to be plenty as air
the children were not to get any. Milk is
much better for young people, thought
Mcdonald. He told his promised wife to
investigate. whenever possible, institutions
of a like nature in England or in Europe