The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-12-16
EXAMINED FOR INSANITY
Mrs. Mary Pushman Before a
Commission of Physicians.
SHE WILL APPEAR AGAIN
A. B. Keith Testifi IS From a Phreno-
logical Point OF View r. He Con-
sidered Her Intellectually Sane
but a Moral Idiot

Mrs. Mary T.. Pushman, the young
woman who served year in the peni-
tertiary for killing her child, and who
was again arrested a few weeks ago
for making an alleged attempt on the
life of her last offspring, was taken be-
fore commission of physicians in
Judge Lindsay's court last evening and
examined under a complaint charging
her with insanity. The examination
was not concluded and will be resumed
this afternoon. The physicians were
+. ID. Leavitt, II. ]. Mcdonald and
| w. M. ShultZ. A number OF witnesses
were examined, including Acting Coun-
ty Physician Brooke, but none would
! say that the woman was insane. though
| 1t was apparent that the examining
physicians themselves considered her
to be insane. Both DR.. Leavtt and DIR.
! Shultz We're witnesses at the time Mrs.
Pushman was on trial for the murder
! of her child about four years ago, and
both gave it then as their unqualified
! opinion that the woman was insane.
A. Ii. Keith. editor of the Western
| Mining World, and phrenologist of
repute, was the first witness at the
examination last evening. He stated.
| In reply to questions asked by Judge
Lindsay. that he was a graduate of the
! American Institute Of Phrenology and
I y
/ and had examined many insane persons
! and persons of marked eccentricties.
| About two weeks ago. in company with
D.. Brooke. he visited Mrs. Pushman
In jail and made q chronological ex-
animation of her He concluded, from
his examination. that the woman was
sane as far as her intellectual faculties
| were concerned, but that she was very
! deficient in her moral faculties. lie
tound her especially deficient in con-
scientiousness, approbativeness. conju-
| gal love, the love of children and abncr-
| NAL in her amative nature, He con-
sidered her a moral idiot, but intellect
! ually an average person. He said she
was able to distinguish right from
wrong from an intellectual standpoint.
but w6s Indifferent as to the result or
| as to public opinion. Mr. Keith was
subjected to very searching cross-ex-
animation by Drs. Leavitt and Schultz,
and for half an hour the spectators in
the court room were given very inter
esting and learned dissertation ON phre-
nolegy ana mental characteristics, as
viewed by medical science.
d.. Shultz asked the witness IL the
configuration Of the skull indicated the
shape of the brain.
M. Keith said it did. except in alb
normal cases.
But it is a fact in anatomy that it
does not" asserted the doctor
1T does exist in abnormal cases" re-
peated the witness.
Mr.. Keith said phrenology, like medi-
cine, had not passed beyond n doubt or
became an exact science. but was ap-
preaching it,
City Detective Murphy was the next
witness and testified about arrestng
Mrs. Pushman on complaint of Mrs.
Lewis. the colored woman. who said
Mrs. Pushman had attempted to kill her
child. He found her an inmate of a
colored woman's house in Pleasant al
ley.
DR.. Brooke testified that he saw Mrs.
Pushman frequently in jail since her
arrest. and on three different occa-
SionS made special examinations of her
and found nothing to indicate that she
was not sane The only thing she said
that did not indicate sane condition
was o statement that she did not re-
member injuring her child, but wheth-
CT she was telling the truth or not he
could not say lie considered that her
behavior was just that of any woman
under like circumstances. He said she
doubtless had a criminal tendency and
that II might show itself in a desire
to destroy her child, but he regarded
that as matter for treatment by the
criminal laws rather than confinement
in an asylum. She might be totally de-
PRAYED. as DIR. Mcdonald suggested by
n question. but DR. Brooke regarded
law
DR.. Shultz made statement that he
delivered Mrs. Pushman of a child in
November, 1896. and that for several
weeks she suffered from Authorizations
and he asked the witness If he regarded
such woman n responsible being.
DR.. Brooke said he would not have
regarded her responsible at that time.
but that was no reason why she should
not have regained her mental faculties
She might have been insane, he said,
and might become so again. but from
what he observed she was not insane
at present
Mrs. Lewis. the colored woman. who
had cared for Mrs. Pushmans child for
some weeks. testified that the child was
ailing at one time and she sent for the
mother When Mrs. pushman came
and tried to take the child II drew away
from her ard Mrs. Pushman grabbed 1t
and threw IL violently on the floor two
times before anyone could interfere
with her. The child was badly hurt,
and afterwards was unable to raise its
arms. and Mrs. Lewis said she believed
its shoulder was broken. She did not
testify about the occasion Mrs. Push
man cut the child with knife. The
child was taken a few weeks ago by
sister of Mrs. pushman.
Mrs. Pushman was next put on the
stand and talked to the judge and doc
tfitt WY iaAititdliSs buA &idiih1u stit
did not remember iniuring her child
and declared that she loved it. She re-
Numbered DIR. Leavitt, who called on
her in iail four years ago. She said
she had had three children. but only
one was living. and she said her nus
band was the father of that. She had
nlved with her husband at Burke, Ida
no. up to about three months ago. when
she left him because thew could not get
along together. She said she WAS horn
in ireland % wears ago and was u.af-
rled in Butte five years age. She has
sister living in this city. but has net
seen her in 10 months, because tney are
not on good terms.
After Mrs. Pushman was taken hack
to Jail she made the rather significant
statement 10 an attendant that the only
thing that was ever wrong with her
was when she was drunk
m Gold chains, over 100 patterns
eLeS1s long and short. light and
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