Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-15
THE ARGUMENTS
Made in the Knight Murder
Trial, Tuesday.
Judge Emery Will Deliver Charge to
the Jury, This Morning.
Able Arguments For and isainst the Theory
Of Insanity.

An hour of the forenoon session in
the Knight trial was occupied, Tuesda V
morning. by the reading of corr, spond-
ence by the counsel for the defense.
After this was completed the doors
were thrown open for the public. CITY
Marshal Drake of Gardiner was again
recalled ard said that Knight had
asked on the train. after his arrest.
whether the officers We're from the in
sane asylum and if they We're taking
him there.
DR. c. =. Bancroft of the New Hamp-
shire state insane hospital was then
recalled He has heard all the teSti-
mony in the case. At the time Of the
killing he considers that Knight was
insane. According 10 the evidence pro-
duced in court. he was Of the opinion
that the respondent had an attack ~
acute melanchulia ten years ago ana
that ne has not recovered. This attaci,
has gradually merged into chronic de-
lusional insanity. This is shown ~
his depression NC mind ana the delus-
ions ana Authorizations under which
he has been laboring. He considered
his condition incurable He thought
that Knight is suffering from a mental
disease which eventually Will end In
dementia. He belongs to that type OF
the insane which is dangerous. II.
has had the delusion of pers 7cutiun
which has ended in one homicide and
would doubtless have resulted liz others
also had not proper means been taken
To prevent it. Monomania is a char
acteristic of the disease from which
Knight is suffering. He may b. per
feCtly clear on some points and subject
to decisions on others. There is Moth
ing peculiar about the case. the doctor
stated. but ne considered il typical
case.
The witness was given . thorough
cross-cXamination by the counsel fol
the State. He was asked what part of
the evidence showed that Knight MAS
lahoring under Authorizations. II.
thought that the testimony of Mn IiuI-
man had showed that he was Iaburin-
under the delusion that someone MAS
prosecuting him ana trying to gct him
into the State prison H. WAS asked III
when man, who knows that adultery
is punishable by confinement in STATE
prison and who has ruined 4 young
girl, thought that some one was trying
to get him into the State prison. it was
delusion or fact. He thought
that this had not been shown clearly
in the testimony. The witness thnu
gave the fact as shown by the tcsti-
mony of Mrs. Knight that her husband
thought that he was doomed to hell.
He was asked if he thought this in a
man who had ruined a young girl was
the pricks of his conscience of the de-
fusion of diseased mind. Thought
it might be delusion. but should want
all the facts in the case before he CAV"
his decision. The witness then stated
that in his opinion knight had suffered
from Authorizations of both sight and
hearing. This was shown by the evil
dence that he heard voices calling to
him and saw a light in a picture with
Mamie reckoning to him. Witness was
then asked if he had not had at times
decisions and had thought he had seen
in pictures what was not there. Said
counsel was mixing the two words
Illusions and Authorizations. Well "
replied the counsel. II know what fact
and evidence is" The witness was
asked to define the two words. He
said that "hallucination" was born in
the mind without any external cause.
1t was simply a product Of the mind
itself. A ''delusion' is caused by some
external object and the mind receives
q wrong impression from the Object.
Another Authorization shown in
Knight was the fear that he would he
put in the asylum. This was shown
by the last witness. Marshal Drake
in his testimony about knights con-
VerSation on the train. He said that
Authorizations of sight and hearing
We're usually characteristic of the
form Of insanity from which he con-
sidered Knight to be suffering.
\ delusion is belief that from the
very nature of things. cannot exist
An insane delusion is liable to start
without any foundation. Sometimes it
starts out of morbid suspicious.
The witness had not seen any signs
of feigning in Knight. He considered
that he was unquesticnably insane.
His condition has been too consistent
throughout to be feigned. No man can
feign chronic deIusional insanity for
any length of time. He might for
short time-for a few days. or 4 week
but it is impossible to keep it up any
length of time. just as ii is impossible
to feign pneumonia and deceive a ply
stefan. He considered that Knight was
laboring under an insane delusicn that
he must kill the girl and that it was
right for him to do it.
DR.. Sanborn of the Maine State IN
sane Hospital. was next recalled. He
had attended the trial and heard all
the testimony or had il read to him.
He was Of the opinion that knight was
insane at the time of the killing. He
considered it to be chronic delusiOnal
insanity. Consequently an attack of
acute melancholia supervened. He con-
sidered that he was diseased in mind
at least several months before he was
brought to the asylum in 1889. He con-
sidered the disease to be incurable.
The future of the disease would be that
the faculties would gradually weaken
and end in dementia. He considered
Knight more profoundly insane now
than he was in 1898.
At this point the evidence Of both
sides was concluded. Court was adj
iourned until 1.30 in the afternoon. 50
(Continued on page 50