The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-06-12
THE TESTIMONY ALL IN.
vERDTCT ~ the NEIDORS' CASE
NAY BE RLdCHED 10-DiI.
Expert Testimony Gearing Upon the If
feet of Epilepsy tpo" the Mind Addueed
on Both sides-The Other Evidence.


The first witness called was Mr.. James
W. Mcadors. q brother OF the accused,
who testified that his brother Willie
Ghe prisoner came TO his sisters house.
where he was. on Christmas-Day. and
said. Il am going TO tx you, making
motion as IL he Was going 10 pull
knife 10 cut the witness. Il then went
TO my mothers room continued the
witness, because 1 did not want to
have trouble with him. l judge that
| no had Il putty knife. lie had not been
| drinking. The next day he came to me
TO apologize for bis action, ana offered
me his hand" Witness next told about
giving Willie a handkerchief at Christ
/ mas which the latter tore up. When
| crOss-eXamincd. witness admitted that
! his brother was a drinking man. but
! he did not know 10 what extent. lie
said he had employed him to help In
! painting church steeples but when he
| was doing that kind OF work he was
so fixed that he could not fall. Witness
always did the risky part Of the work.
| AS 10 the incident on Chrsimas-Day,
witness was positive that prisoner had
| not been drinking.
Miss Annie Meadors sister OF the ac-
| cused. was the next witness. She said
| her brother had "A very bad epilcpuc
/ 1T some six or seven years ago. That
/ was the first time that she knew him
/ 10 be afflicted I'm that manner She then
| described the Chrlstmas-Day incident re-
ferred to by her brother, and
said she saw the putty knife
with which he inflicted upon him
self a slight wound. Witness then told
about a birthday party at which Willie
had another cpileptic III. Christmas a
year ago" witness continued. willie
came home crying and displaying
revolver. and threatening 10 shoot him
self but was prevailed upon not TO do
So"
THE DEADLY CIGARETTE.
DR.. W. ". Parker. who was then
recalled. testified that, in his opinion,
excessive cigarette smoking would weak
en- the minds OF some people. Counsel
FOR the defence cndeayored 10 bring ont
the fact tina; cigarette smoking by "a
person afflicted as Mcadors would have
a damaging effect ON the mind. in which
they succeeded 10 some extent.
Mr. Kelly. "a brothcr-in-law Of the
prisoner. said that Moad0rs was az his
home one evening i'm the spring Of 1880.
They were sitting on the steps at the
back door. when Willie jumped mp and
ran around the house. yelling that some
one was after him. II took several
hours 10 quiet him down. and he con-
tinued 70 have a bad look in his eyes
for several days. on cross-eXamnation
witness said me did not know whether
Meadors had an epileptic NJ.
Mrs. James Kelly. the wife Of the pre-
vious witness, testified that on Christmas.
1901 William came into the house and
said 10 his brother Jim: oh you
He had not been drinking and had no
! provocation for thus speaking TO his
rother. On cr0ss-examination, she at
first Insisted that this incident occurred
m Chrlstmas-Day, 1894. but when told
this incident occurred in 1855. she cor
rected herself to that effect.
A POLICEMAN AFTER HIM.
Mr.. Ed. J. Pagan. who was the next
witness. saw the prisoner for the first
time on the night of tie shooting. just
after ne had committed the deed. lie
was then reeling about the room. crazy
drunk. On crOss-examination. witness
said that MeadOrs acted. as II ne was
either drunk or crazy but he did not
know that he had shot any one.
After leaving the stand Mr.. Pagan
was recalled by Mr.. Smith. who asked
him IL there was not a policeman just
out. Witness said that he cid not
know whether the officer was seen by
Meadors or not. but there was an officer
very close to the place. He heard Cap
tain Thomas tell one Of his officers to 90
10 the rear door ana witness said he
was standing behind Captain Thomas
when Mcadors shot himself.
Dick Clark a colored nurse at the
city jail, testified that several weeks ago
Mcadors had an epilepuc Mt. The Com
monweath's Attorney here brought out
the fact that witness was in jail FOR COM
hitting a felony, and Judge witt stated
that the evidence Of man convicted OF
felony was not admissible while he
was scrysg DIS sentence. Witness
was therefore told 90 stand aside.
Mr. James Adams. who was a nurse
AZ The city almshouse while Meadows was
there, was uext called. He testified
that on one morning between Z and
O'Clock Mcadors had spasam but he
did not exactly know what sort Of an
attack il was. MeadOrs got over the
attack in a few minutes after he had
summoned the doctor. After this at
tack the prisoner was very sick for some
time.
Mr. Marion. one Of the officers al the
city jail testified in regard 10 the NJ.
which the prisoner had while he was in
carcerated there.
A VERY EXPERT WITNESS.
Dr.. Gee, a physician in the city. said
that he had examined Meadors
and thought that his mind was some
what unbalanced. Witness then pointed
out d scar on the head OF the prisoner
that had been caused by n blow. He
thought that the blow might have af-
fected his brain. In his opinion the en-
tire nervous system of the prisoner was
impaired. When asked by Mr.. Wise.
witness said that sixty per cent. OF all
feeble mindedness was produced by epl-
lepsy and that most of the crimes were
committed by epilepucs. Witness gave
a rather elaborate opinion on epilepsy,
but on cross-cxamination. by Mr.. Smith,
he stated he had treated only three per-
sons who were affected with epilepsy.
He was not "A specialist as 10 diseases
Of the mind. lie admitted that scientif-
f. men had been deceived 10y persons VINO
pretended to be suffering from epilepsy.
but he was positive that he himself could
not be deceived. lie said he gradu-
ated from the Medical College Of Virginia
I'm 1855. and then prac,iced in Lunenburg
county until eighteen months ago when
ne moved TO this city. He finally adj
mittod that the opinion he had given in
regard TO the prisoner was only based
ON puesses. he did not think that more
than one per cent. Of persons who had
three or four epileptic fits a great in
tervals had their minds impaired 10 such
an extent as 10 become unfit 10 transact
business. lie also admitted that a man
may drink whisky and smoke cigarettes
10 such an extent as TO undermine his
nervous s-stem and yet his mind may