The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1897-07-03
Seeber shot Filing; the defense dlo
not deny 1t, and the state rested

crowd Hoh III P =
LAFAYETTE county, and every WORD Oh
testimony in the trial of IRWIN Seeoer
the killing of David Filing was
listened to with the closest attention
DIR. C. w. Seeber, the father OF the
boy, is very popular, and many are
for the acquIttal oil the son ior
the sake of the father.
Youno Seeber sat all day without
olancing at Il witness or giving any
Sion that he understood anything that
was going on. He did not even change
or move. His eyes were e
in a steady stare. A fly crawled over
his face and he made no move TO
knock it off. If is is a piece OF acting
it is a remarkable one.
The most important witness was Ut:
C. w. Seeber, who was on the stand
all the morning and a part OF the AFTER
noon. DIR. Seeber was n OF the most
self- possessed witnesses ever on the
stand. While he was laboring under
the emotions, he never for II
moment lost his self-possession. Al
times he was dramatic, and he maze u
strong impression on the members Vi
the Jury. He went into an elaborate
review of his sons life, and swore tnat
he had known for many years that ms
mind was unsound. lie had Locked
his knowledge in his breast n tried
to he with his son all the time TO shleld
him and to try in every way to heip
bim. He told of the illness OF IRWIN
from the time he was born, n as ne
named them all over it seemed a Won-
der of great magnitude that the BOY
had managed to get through them All
alive. The particular disease ne IS
suffering from now, the DOCTOR sa"''
was Bright disease of liz kidneys,
and the effect of this disease on the
brain is one of the strong points
of the License, The doctor swore
that mn TO the time his son was seven
wears old he thought he was gong TO
be an imbecile, and that by the Tune
he was twelve a arrangement ol tue
mind was manifested.
The doctor remembered many thlngs
his son had done that he thought
proved him crazy. He had thrown a
net dog from a porch and broken ITS
iegs. he had broken up his sled; he
he had thrown biscuits at he table,
and broken up furniture. He told OF
how, when young Seeber was TO- ne
had been trying TO help HIM win ms
lessons, and that Irwin had drawn a
knife and threatened to kill him. Attor-
nay I.amm cross-examined DIR. Seeber
and asked him If he had ever tried the
effect of a good sound whipping when
his son acted so badly. AT this some
one IN the back of the room started 10
applaud. The jurymen leaned ior-
ware with interest. The witness lrehi-
bled with emotion, half arose III ms
seat, and holding his hand above MS
head, exclaimed with dramatic erect
s.No. sir: [ would sooner have lost
this right arm than TO have struck tue
| bow, knowing him to be as he was IL
7 had ever done such a thing the peo-
ple of the county should have
me out and hanged me-"
DIR. Seeber told how many times he
and his wife had knelt and prayed 'hat
God would point out to them some way
of helping their boy, and the eyes Oh
SOME of the women in the audience
| 6lIed with tears. DIR. Seeber testified
"A an expert as well as the defendants
father. He told all about the hts OF
snllen melancholy to which he BOY
was subject. He said that the spells
lasted from a day to a week OF TWO a.
a time, and occurred at intervals Vi
from two to six months, ana lnat
during these times his son would go 10
his room and spend most OF his Time
living face down on his bed. Or. Seeoer
went into elaborate details about his
sons experiences Mt school, telling
what a very dull boy he was.
The fire of a hot cross-examination
rafher strengthened than weakened his
testimony. Attorney Lamm tried 10
bring it out that, knowing his son 10
be of weak mind, DIR. Seeber should
not have placed him in the bank ana
treated him as he did, and tue witness
won n great deal of sympathy by tell
ing of his love for the boy, u ms
desire ia save him from the humilla-
lion that would follow it 1t became
known that at times he was insane.
DIR. Seeber did not stop with teiilns
of the insanity of his son, u he swore
that there was insanity in his wlies
family. He said his wite's faiher hac
killed himself I; that her mother hau
died of softening of the brain' and
that the boys great uncle aud seFera
of his cousins went crazy.
After finishing with DIR. Seeber th'
defense called DIR. c. r. Woodson
4 superintendent of the ST. Joseph insane
ASYLUM, who qualified as an expert OF
diseases of the mind, Or. Woodsor
said that he had made an examination
of Young Seeber, and that he was sur
ferino from a severe case of Bright
disease. Bright's disease, he ,tesllhed
was one OF the most frequent auses o
insanity, and it was a disease whlcl
the insane were much more subject Il
than other people. The defense ihei
sprung . hypothetical question upol
the expert, to which the state at ono
objected. This question was as ionl
AS the moral law. II recited all ",
facts that had been testified TO and al
that it is expected will be testified to
/, DIR. Woodson was asked to assume a.
! these statements TO be trne, an
: hen state whether or not he Though
! Seeber insane. The eonrt held tha
the question was improper, and th
evidence must be submitted first, an
Attorney Blackwell said that DIR. Wood
: son wanted to leave town. MIR. BlacE
! well then asked the doctor IT, from IN
o testimony he had heard and what h
had seen of Seeber since he had bee
here, he believed him sane or insane
and DR.. Woodson testified thai y
; thought he was insane, and that he d.
> not believe he knew right from wron
when he killed Filing.
S. Vivion, a grOceryman for whol
9 Seeber worked for a time, testified Thu
u Seeber had always acted queerly, an
that on several OCCASIONS had left b
work and gone away without gym
d any reason for his actions.
g w. h. Jackson, for whom SeeD'
T, had driven a delivery wagon, testihe
{ to much the same things as did ViVlol
Judge James w. Harrison ~testiile
that be thought Seeber was insane an
: gave instances to prove j.
= Mrs. Hendricks, who lives at wa
e ~repsburg, but who formerly lived
H~igginsVllle, took the stand to tell no
once upon Il time. when Seeher was
> wears old, his parents went from hon
for a night and sent him over 10 slice
with her little boy, and how after l
. had gone to bed he got up n WEI
49,