The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-21
REEFS PLEADS HIS SANITY.
IN ooURTAGAINsr CREST,
IN AN ASYLUM.

-. FINALLY Agrees to surrendeF Wts Liberty
o- six weeks without Trinl-H,s Father
s.,, ne Rlned the Firm sane and Used
,,y Money Ho Could Ray Hanas On.
porouKEnpsIE, July 20.-Tho .haboas corpus
..ocecdinrs In the case of Howell @. Rees, the
e. York business man who escaped on Satur-
A., from Dr. Forguson's Falkirk SAnitarium at
n.n,ral Valley. Orange county, came before Jus
~. barnard at Special Term Of the Supreme
Court here this morning.
william Ap Rces, father Of Howell o. Recu.
and his business associate. was in court. with
Robert Goellcr and Col. William o. Beechor a.
,ounsel and attorney. Lowell c. Rees had as
oounsol Herman Aarons, and as attorneys James
a Meyer and William II. Wood.
Col. peechcr at the opening Of the case made
NJ, return to the writ by reading an affidavit
,om Or. Ferguson stating that Howell G. Rees
had been regularly committed to his sanitarium
and that he had escaped and had not been re-
turned.
Mr.. Meyer made q traverse for Howell @.
poes objecting first to tho form OF the COM
mitment on tho ground that there had been no
n.rsonal examination Of the alleged insane mar
and no Joint examination by tho physicians az
required by statute, also that ono Of the exam
ming physicians was q brother-in.law OF a per-
,on Interested in business with the petitioner.
Tho physicians who examined Howell Rees were
Or. Richard T. Bang and DR.. Joseph @. Miller.
= Justice Barnard said:
"If the certificate was stricken out entirely It
would only affect the presumption OF insanity.
Twill deny the motion to strike out the return"
Mr.. Meyer objected to tho omission to give
notice to some friend of tho alleged insane
person. The Court oyerruled this also. Mr..
Meyers affidavit further stated that Recs IL
nns and entitled to his liberty.
AZ this point Howell Q. Ree'' addressing tho
iii a period of rest is prescribed for me, may
tplease your Honor, 1t ought to DO the kind that
ium. I am not insane"
THE signs Of insanity, may DO hidden" said
Poned until Sept; ls: 4 phy.isiaps here At
which |. carefully conducted; to sec you from
ases, unless your report is made. ! am still to
f Iion. up Teti N the SG pSSgsIci "a sh report sGtf I stii r S% IN
the eyes Of the world hold under the accusation
ana charge 2, insanity. which 1 insist is not
~ would like to have somebody study your
conduct" continued the Court. ~ think your
would be nothing in it except the loss of liberty
After . conference between Rees and bill
and Justice Barnard fixed the date for Monday,
Sept Is. Meantime Ress viii b treated a.
The petition on which Rees was committet
was his faith er's. 1t says:
THAT said Howell c. Rees was always scru
pulously honest and conscientious and conserya
live He now imegines, himself very, wealthy
and uses any and all funds he can get his hand,
on, believing them to be his own, even though
they belong to other people; has wild and Wis
ionary schemes, and is trying to organize differ
emit corporations on tho firms money. He ha
made contracts It will be impossible for him u
carry out, involving payments of large sums o
money In the near future. He has riied tn
iafes OF the firm and removed the books from tn
factory on Fortieth street to 10 Wall street, wher
tehas taken large and expensive offices. He ha
taken over 90, 900 of the firms money when III
money was needed to meet notes which he knew
were about to become due. He Is excitable, mel
vous, irritable, uses very vile and ~profane LAP
guage. a thing very unusual to him He 1
Irrational in his acts. He has tried to reorraniz
companies in which he was q minority holder @
stock. His language ID loud. He gesticulates
great deal. He sleeps but two or three hours
day and drinks very heavily, q thing he neye
father, mother, and brother. whereas he wa
always the most loving and snoctionate q
sons"
The doctors certify that Rees has delusion
Ind insomnia and marked periods of exaltatiol
md depression.