The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-07-17
ANACONDA news.
SENT TO WARM. SPRINGS
j. N. Mackley Ordered Commit
ted to the Asylum.
HE'S NOT so VERY CRAZY
At the Hearing Yesterday He Talked in
q Rational Manner and Quoted
voItaire Like a Scholar and
Gentleman of Thought.

An examination into the sanity of j.
NJ. Mackley was conducted by A. M.
Walker yesterday afternoon in the Of
flee of the clerk of the court. Judge
Walker presided, owing to the absence
of Judge Brantly. This commission was
made up of Doctors 7. b. Marquis and
VIM. Ray, and the hearing was COM
menced at 2 o'clock. The two principal
witnesses were Robert Harris. better
known as Fighting Bob" and p. ].
Murphy. guards at the western peni-
Tertiary. located in Deer Lodge, and
David Sheffield, town marshal of Deer
Lodge.
The two guards testified thai Mack
ley was only released from the penal
institution last Tuesday morning. Upon
that day his time as a convict was
served He had been sent up for two
years, but on account of good beIavior
his time had been reduced 80 days. For
the past six months he had acted
strangely. He had a habit of talking to
himself, n when walking in the prison
yard of kicking at rocks, at all of which
times he would be mumbling something
to himself. Witness Harris said that a
few days before Mackley was released
he talked with him and told him he had
better brace up or the first thing he
knew when he got out of the prison he
would be taken up and tried for insan-
ity, and If once sent to the asylum he
was liable to stay there all the rest of
his life. He behaved all right for sew
eral days after this. Last Tuesday, the
day of his discharge, Mackley was so
anxious to leave that he left the insti-
tuition without first getting breakfast
n proceeded down town and started
in drinking.
David Sheffield testified that he found
Mackley in an intoxicated or crazy con-
dition Tuesday night, near the Deer
Lodge depot. He had a great time ar
resting him as he resisted and acted in
a wild manner. Next morning he was
taken before a magistrate and fined $40
for disturbing the peace. This action
of filming him appears to have been ac-
tuated by a desire to hold him until his
case could be further investigated as
much as for any other reason. Wednes-
day morning, when taken into court, he
seemed to be fairly rational.
Mackley himself was then questioned.
He is not a very crazy looking man,
and is an expert penman, and some OF
his work on visiting cards is exception
ally fine. Mackley said. he was 80 years
of age, and that he had been a pro-
fessional penman since he was IL. he
did not think he was crazy, and he
knew everything that was COINS on
and that had happened. He had taken
his sentence pretty hard and IL had
weighed upon his mind considerably.
Soon after he got into prison he heard
that a little sister of his, whom he
thought a great deal of, and whom he
intended to educate. had got into the
mower of a scoundrel in Idaho who mad
mesmerized her and aiken her around
the country giving Exhibitions. Inc
81 Z h. lynnur ahnIIf this was while
he was in prison. and then 1t was he
heard that she had died under the mes
meric influence. This. he said, did near
ly make him crazy. He had never got
ten into any trouble except when ne
drank wisky. There were four occa-
sions in his life when he had expert
enced trouble, and all of them occurred
while he was under the influence OF IL
4ouoris The burglary he committed In
Helena was done while he was drunk,
and he pleaded guilty to the charge
when he got sober and was informed
what it was said he had done. He told
the commission time and again tnat ne
had taken his last drink He said his
last spree had so completely Knocked
his stomach out that yesterday, when
they brought him a little bottle of vine
gar to his cell with his meal, the sight
of the vinegar, which resembled whisky,
made him violently i'll. In reference to
this he said: Tn of the opinion OF VOL
taire. The fates of nations depend upon
the omachs of their chancellors.
During the time he was in the Deer
Lodge Institution he taught penman-
ship in the prison school for seven
months and he also made 500 out or
card writing and carving, but he nae
blown in that honey He was born In
Iowa, n moved to Idaho with his par
ents when young. He said he had an
uncle living in Keokuk, Iowa, named j.
F. Dougherty. He was a large whole
sale liquor dealer. His own name was
Dougherty, and not Mackley, but when
ne got into trouble IN Helena he
changed his name. This statement, Mr..
Harris says, is not true, as he has seen
letters from Mackley's people and they
all appeared to be named Mackley.
The unfortunate man said he knew
he had a habit of talking to himself.
Some months ago. down at the peniten-
tiary. he had been moved into the new
building, and then placed in a cell by
himself. In the next cell there was a
man who was ray. and always shout
ing and making a noise. Mackley said
this led him to talk out loud. He was
something of an elocutionist, and he
practiced elocution in his cell and fire.
ouently in a loud and what might seem
to be. a crazy manner cursed his fate.
He said il he were out he could make
n a day at his profession, and was anx-