The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-12-20
.O'BR|EN PLEADS INSANITY
He Takes Morphine Chloral
and Hasohisch and
Don't Remember.

| The testimony in the trial of Grant
O'Brien for shooting Ernest Ranney with
intent to kill him was concluded yester-
day afternoon and the case went over
until this morning for the summing up
and charge to the jury The defence fur
| nEshed the State with a surprise by
claiming that O'Brien was insane when
he went cunning for Edward Quacken-
bush on October Is. and, failing to find
him, shot Ranney as he was going up
the stoop Of his house. NO. 572 Bergen
avenue. The defence alleged that OBrien
was suffering from insomnia and had
become addicted to the use Of drugs such
as choral and morphine. It was also
alleged that he had taken cannabis in
dfca. commonly known as haschisch or In
dian hemp which, when taken IN excess
i've quantities, produces a honIicidal
mania
The first witness called yesterday was
Miss Mabel Toogood, who lives next door
to Quackenbnsh's house. She was in the
car on which OBrien was passenger
ard saw him. O,Brien asked the conduc-
tor If that was Bergen Square, and get
|soff The witness saw him going uD The
defendant on the sidewalk with a revol-
YER in his hand ard heard him say he
would kill Quacl1enbush yet.
Mrs. Mary Qnackenbush, wife of Ed
ward Quackenbush, testified that she
<and her mother, Mrs. Ranney, and Mrs.
Knapp were in the house at the time
O'Brien called Mrs Ranney opened the
door and OBrien asked her If Gu%exen-
had Just gone across the street and she
expected him back in a few minutes.
O'Brien went down the stoop. A minute
or two afterwRrd Ranney came up the
stoop and the witness let him in. Ran
ney. said, My God. there's O'Brien.1
The next moment the shot was fired.
Mary Ranney, the mother of Ranney,
and Mrs. Quackenbush testified about
opening the door for O'Brien. After he
had shot Ranney he forced his way into
the house. but she stopped him at the
dining room door He soon had run
through the dining room and kitchen and
into the rear yard.
Ernest Ranney related his experiei vv
He was going up the stoop when he heard
somebody say, Hello, Quack." He turned
and saw O'Brien standing IN the middle
of the track. A moment or two after
ward he heard The shot and felt sharp
pain in his arm. The witness fled to the
rear yard and climbed over several fences
until he reached DIR. Putnam's house. The
witness said That o. 3rien was about six
feet away from him when he fred AT
the police station O'Brien told the SER
geant in charge that he would do 1t again.
Ranney told about O'Brien's visit TO
Guacl1enbush's coal office at Newark ave-
nue. and Seventh street on January 6, and
firing off his revolver there
The policemen who arrested. C'Frien tes-
titled to the struggle they had with him
In opening for the defence Lawyer
Joseph NJ. Noonan said 1t was proposed
to show that at the time of the shoot
ing O'Brien was temporarily insane from
the use of drugs and therefore irrespon-
sib!a,
Henry McGrevey, a keeper in the Coun-
ty Jail, testified that on the night,
O'Brien was brought TO the jail he act-
ed like a crazy man. He yelled, "Firei'
and when told that there was no fire
in the Jail, he INSISTED that restaurant
down the street was on fire.
Ambrose Lynch the bookkeeper, testi-
fed that when O'Brien was brought to
the jail on October 20 he created the
belief in the mind Of the witness that
he was insane. He was so violent that
it became necessary to shacble him. The
next day the shackles We're removed from
his legs but he was kept handcuffed for
a few days. Keepers Patrick Golden
and Joseph Congree testified that they
considered O'Brien crazy and formed
that opinion from the way he acted.
DR. William Gibson, of Huntington. L.
L. where O'Bren was employed in the
latter part of the SUMMER. testified that
the defendant consulted him for Insomnia
He had been taking morphine and other.
drugs, but they had no beneficial effect.
DR.. Gibson prescribed haschish. an Indian
drug An overdose of the drug has a
tendency to produce q homlcidal mania.
OfBrien toek the stand and testified
that he is thsrty-flve years cid and I. fore
man mason. He told about berg trou-
bled with insomnia and taking choral and
morphine for il ana about consulting Dr.
Gibson. who prescrlhed the Tadisn. drug
He remembered that or October II. at
10 A. NJ. he was at Nc. Boulevard.
New York. and took a teasnaonful of the
drug. From that time uatl he found
himself in the County Jal his mind was
perfect blank.
Counsel summed up this morning and
the case was given 10 the jury AT 1890
after a clear and elaborate charge by
Judge Blair.