The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-11-27

but little more Of your time. a human
life hangs In the balance and beg YOU to
weigh well before rendering your verdict.
Consider his sanity or insanity and act ac-
cording to the dictates OF your consciences.
4 You ore now the judges.
Major Walton then consumed several
minutes In explaining wha, murder is and
the condition OF a mans mind must be In
TO be murderer according to the law. He
showed the difference between a criminal
murderer and maniac murderer. The
former has motive and aceomplshes some
peculiar object. the latter can not res train
his desires when they take hold Of him afd
Is not responsible for his actions. His
victims" continued the speaker. are most
~ those he loves and too frequently his
wife and children That is because he Is
with them more than with other people
and the opportunities are thus i1ore FREE
quent for the paroxysms to strike Rim,
When not under the power of these parox
ysins he would protect his wife and chill
dren Win his life They come on him in
UNEXPECTED moments and he mas no rover
to refrain from deeds of blood to which
they direct, when the paruxysms are past
ana he realizes what he has done he some
times yields himself up to the law. But
the majority OF these maniac murderprs fly
from the scene Of their crimes and Use
every means TO escape detection The same
unseen power which mpels them to som.
NIT the deed, takes different form after
| they come to realization of their crime
and forces them to fly. Like he who laps
human blood they know not what they do
| II partially insane people commit decide OF
blood when ldboring under paroxysms 1t rs
| but natural that thny should some times
use brutal means to hide their crimes after
| they come to realization of what they
| have done. When disease has fastened upun
q man humanity demands that his II is
fortune should be considered when t.ldgiug
the acts OF the unfortunate possessors Of the
disease. | shall attempt by the testimony
to bring before your minds tho true cen
diiion Of the defendant"
Major Walton then related the history OF
! Burts life and that of his family en- his
mothers side "a this has all been gwen
Two or three times in these columns it
VIII be needless to again give 1t here.
history of the crime was also related in
Major Wn'ton's most foroible way. hut this
history. tho, has been repeatedly L'llishud
IN The Post since the trial began and is
stu fresh in the minds Of he public
AFTER going through ali Of this, Of the
insanity In buri's family. of Burt's dcgen-
erhcy which increased as he grew older
me love Tor his wife and children, the sud.
dru hutehcry etc, Major Walton concluded.
Now gentlemen of the jury. leave it
Win you to decide whether OF not this man
~as sane when he committed the crime
lou have 1t in Your power to hang Inn or
TO send him to the penitcutiary As God
- 't't lNNSN' uelltNN Eugene Burt
insane when he committed that crime. Be
lleVing that. have done my duty toward
him | now leave him with you and i,now
That YOU will do yours | thank you. gem
tlemen of the jury, for bearing with me so
patiently TO the end "
Following Major Walton came District
Attorney Bnrleson. who closed for the
state. before beginning MIR Burloson mad
the bloody clothing brought into the court
room 1t was moment OF expectancy when
ne arose and addressed the Jury. and an
eyes were turned upon him Mir DurIcson
u%sah ny compiimonting the able attorney
VINO had just preceded him He denied that
ne was the prosecuting attorney that he
mad been pictured by the opposing counsnl
Ind said he thought It was unfair and nm,
Just FOR them to attempt to forestall him
IN his plans.
! shan argue this ease on the hypo-
lh'sis mat every particle of testimony in
lFoauced Is true ! shall contend that no |
evidence has been adduced to show that !
TINS Gcieudant, Eugene Burt is Insane
shall contend that this is pure murder in
'he ufEt degree, that there was no juHlfi-
.ation Tor the murders. and that Eugene
buft should pay the penalty OF his crime
upon the scnhold. The law does not nun
iSh criminal for the mere sake Of hastow-
ing punishment Eugene Burt ls "A mere
piece OF clay ana I would to God that he
We're MOI uu trial for his ne Tho lay bn,
example that others NAV hn Io, ,i,tNI 9n
lAe commitment Of crime No ana VA ~
doeper sympathy for thn hrotHors &c t'" ~, a
unfortunate creature than hay. ,, , ,
shuuld NOT drtar mo- fr',,, N.Y. out thls
my sworn duty to sorlew md "a no law iaw
he was nor nleadin,, t,, 'm,H 'olh'hR that
else was he pleading for? Ta,te nj. orr nat
men from beginning 10 end, ana what Other
can you arrive at7 I'm not 30
Ing to fiattor you. geutlampn NJ th, t,ir,.
10y telling YOU that took yon because Won
were the very men. and that It was plcas.
uuTe TO me 10 look into your honest faces
40 not believe that YOU are any morn
Intelligent or honcst than the average ai,i-
zen but ! took You because ! believed vou
were law-ahidinG citizens and without pref
uhl'e ~ TINS case | took you because
believed YOU would do your sworn dutr
,'t'a-d III" attendant. and ms honest III.
ZEN" pf0f'"r "a shum ,ut. ac,..aA ,he
shadow OF doubt thar this man co-nmitts-r
thr crime would not deprive the prls,
o.rr OF ono single protection Of the law to