The San Francisco call., 1897-01-19
His Brain Revealed but
Slight Evidences of
Insanity.
The Demon of Destruction Is
Yelled in Psychic
Mystery.
Surgeons Will Keep and Examine at
Leisure the Murderer's Organ
of Thought.

| The brain of Roe, the murderer, the bit
of flesh that hatched his plans and held
his secrets and alone knew the emotions
that made him peer among criminals,
was taken from his skull last night. 1t
weighed but A ounces, and as the staff of
doctors of the College of Physicians and
| Surgeons gazed at the insignificant mass.
they found it no different from that which
might have guided the statesman,
prompted the philanthropist or carried
the conscience and affections of the purest
of the pure
Although some slight abnormalities ex-
listed they were not of sufficient impor-
tance to place the dead murderer among
the physically insane criminals who have
expiated their crimes on the gallows. In
| fact it is the opinion of the college faculty
that Roe was a psychical pervert and
morally irresponsible for any acts he COM
mitted.
One hundred and twenty students and
the entire faculty of the College of Physi.
clans and Surgeons witnessed the autopsy.
1t vas grewsome spectacle.
DR.. E. u. Hennessey of Napa, who at
tended the prisoner during his incarcera-
| ton preceding the execution, addressed
the students, placing before them a his
tory of the man.
He said in part that Roe had confessed,
he believed truthfully, to having commit
ted nineteen murders unaided and to
having been party in the ommission OF
! seven other similar crimes.
| DR.. J. R. Laine, presid ent of the faculty
of the College of Physicians and Surgeons
and professor of surgery, assisted by DR..
E. E. Kelley, professor of anatomy, and
| DR.. Howard, demonstrator of anatomy,
then proceeded with the autopsy.
The brain was removed bS taking off
the top of the skull, and then the doctors
| began their explorations with the seal
pei.
There was no engagement and no SUI
| perhcial hemorrhage. 1t weighed forty
four ounces, which is five ounces under
| the average. This, however, has no
special Specification, as brilliant men fre-
quently carry an organ of thought weigh
ing less than Roe's, and a gibbering idiot
! it was once found carried a brain weigh
ing sixty-four ounces.
The right temporal bone was found to
be very thin. a ridge or depression was
found on the left side of the skull, and the
! right temporal bone deviated TO some ex-
tent, the latter abnormality probably pro-
ducing slight com preston of the brain.
The convolutions were normal, and bar
ring slight adhesion along the median
| line the brain itself seemed to be unin jured
by disease.
The right hemisphere of the brain was
sliced in three pieces and the other was
put in preserving fluid and will be exam
ined thoroughly for evidence of degenera-
| ton. 1t is the intention of the doctors to
examine with equal care the other organs
of Roe body.
The faculty of the College of Physicians
and Surgeons. in which the autopsy was
held, is as follows:
DR.. S. NJ. Mouser president. board of trus-
tees), DR.. J. r. Lsine (president, faculty., DR..
| Winslow Anderson (dean of the college), DR..
| S o. S. Potter, DR.. W. F. Southard, DR.. A. E.
Osborne, Dr. f. E. Kelly, DR.. D. A. Hodghead,
| DR.. A E. Regensburger, DR.. +. G. Frisbie, DR..
f. H. Payne, DR.. Bartholomew Noyes, DR.. w.
| s. Whitwell, DR.. E. Goodman, DR.. Howard, DR..
Healey, Dr. G. C. Mcdonald and DR.. J. O'Con-
| nor.