Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-04-28

g.gement, but be said be would never
marry Miss Wheeler. She said she
did not know that she was jealous OF
Anna Wheeler and knew Of Do reason
why she should have killed her. She
remembered nothing about the
tragedy except that she was frantic
and left the house with the intention
of shooting herself She did not re-
member having seen Anna Wheeler
upon the day of the tragedy. Dr.
Page said she heard voices and
dreamed sometimes of killing one
person and sometimes of another.
She told DIR. Page that as she sat
there in the chair at the hospital her
thoughts were on ending her own
life. She would do il some time, but
not with a revolver. she was closely
watched in the hospital. DR. Page
visited her again in August. He
found her inclined TO answer his
questions with the reply, II don't
know She would laugh easily and
would not admit that she had ever
been melancholy. She thought her
life was wrecked and did not care to
| live. Before she knew Jack Wheeler
she used TO go 10 church, but since her
intimacy with him she had consider
ed herself too wicked. In september
she did not believe she fired the re-
volver at a mark. She bought the re-
volYer to shoot herself because Of her
unhappiness and betrayal. She had
often spoken TO Wheeler about shoot
ing herself. She did not care what
became of her, but supposed she
would be sent to states prison or be
hanged. She did not care except for
her father. She said she still loved
Jack Wheeler, although she knew he
was not worthy. She had always
thought life was not worth living and
would have committed suicide in
Burlington il she had had the means.
She said she found out in March, 1897,
that Wheeler was engaged 10 another
girl. Wheeler told her he could not
marry her because he had not finish
ed learning his trade and could not
support a wife. She said she had
told Wheeler she could make him
trouble, but she had meant to make
him trouble in legal ways. She said:
s.People think Wheeler is all right,
that there is nothing against him. Ii
is all against me- In November an
other examination was made at the
Jail, but no minutes were male by
DIR. Page. To hypothetical question
covering II pages of typew ritten mat
ter and embracing every phase of
the testimony introduced by the de-
Tense, DIR. Page replied that he did |
not consider the respondent OF sound
mind nor responsible for the shoot
ing.
Friday, DIR. Page in continuing his !
testimony said the fact that there was
strain Of insanity in her mothers |
family and a weaker strain OF insan-
ity in the fathers family would have
a greater effect on the child than il
the insanity was confined to one side
OF the family. He said he considered
Mildred insane at the present time. he
thought the shock occasioned by the 4
injury caused by the shooting had
some influence in causing loss of !
memory of events preceding the trag-
edy, but thought the memory would
return in a reasonable time. The fact |
that she recovered consciousness soon
after the injury, that for several weeks
she showed dependency, hysterical
action and suicidal purposes had very
little TO do with the mental condition
of the respondent at the present time.
The cross-examination of DIR. Page by
States Attorney Rowland extended
over several hours DIR. Page classed
the respondents form of insanity as
primary dementia," but thought it
was more particularly form of she
reditary insanity" He could not re-
fer to any authority in support OF his
theory, but he thought this had moth
ing to do with the fact that the re-
spondent was insane. DIR. Page said
he had no patient suffering from the
form OF insanity with which respond
ent was suffering, but he said he had
patients suffering from the same in
sanity the respondent would have il
she lived long enough. He believed
Mildred's insanity incurable.
The direct examination by Mr..
Lord showed that classificafions of in
sanity vary continually, and that no
two authors agree on their classifica-
ton. DIR. Page testified that among Il
the 500 patients in the Waterbury
asylum there are several whose insan-
ity could not be classified.
ANOTHER PAGE on INSANITY.
DR.. Charles w. Page, medical
and general superintendent of the
DanTers, Mass, insane hospital, next
went on the stand. During the time
he has been in that asylum several
thousand patients have come under .
his immediate care and attention. He I
was called November Is last to exam
ine Mildred. She told him suDstan-
italy the same story detailed on the
stand by DIR. +. w. Page. She adj