The record-union., 1899-07-26
IS THOS. HARRISON INSANE?
AN INQUIRY TO BE MADE BY
A JURY.
An the Meantime the Murder
Trial Has Been Sus-
pended.

Z
The taking. of testimony in the case
o1 Ihomas Harrison, charged with the
murder of his wife at their home near
Oak Park on October 3. 1898, was be-
gun at 10 o'clock yesterday morning
ana the prosecution called as it's first
witness DR.. w. A. Brooke, Assistant
County Physician.
Dr. Brooke testified to having visited
Mrs. Harrison a short time after the
shooting. He saw Harrison in an outs
mouse with his throat cut and very
weak. He, together with DR.. White,
nxed up the wounds of both parties.
one bullet had penetrated Mrs. Harri-
sons left lung and was found lying
loose in the bottom of the left cavity,
She also had a bullet wound in the
left arm, and several scalp wounds. The
chest wound was necessarily fatal.
DR.. Brooke said that Mrs. Harrison
believed she could not recover, and so
believing made statement in the
presence of himself and Mrs. E. Had
lock, which he (witness) had reduced
to writing
1t was admitted in evidence and was
to the effect that on the morning OF
October Sd her husband got out of bed
went out of the house. came back and
accused her of having men around all
the time He then. according to the
statement, seized her by the throat and
drawing revolver shot her twice and
was preparing to shoot a third time
when she cried: "Oh. Tom, don't shoot
me-" whereupon he left and she got out
of the house and attempted to go to
the house of a neighbor.
According to the ante -mortem state
ment, Harrison accused his wife of put,
ting poison in his tea and milk, and of
giving him sleeping draughts in order
that she might go out with other men,
and it concluded as follows:
4 know he is insane by his many
strange actions"
Harrison told DR.. Brooke that he shot
his wife in an unguarded moment.
]. J. .Hinters, Deputy Sheriff, was the
next witness called. He visited the
Harrison premises a short time after
the shooting, and when asked to de-
scribe the condition of things Mr.. John
son interposed an objection.
Mr.. Johnson said the defense did not
propose to deny that Harrison killed
his wife, but that it would be claimed
that he was at that time, has since
been and is now insane. The homicide;
he said, had been conclusively shown
by the ante-mortem statement of the
dead woman, not one word of which
would the defense deny-there was no
question of doubt as to the killing.
District Attorney Baker contended
that the prosecution had an undoubted
right to make out it's case, regardless
of the fact that the defense relied for
acquittal on the plea of insanity. He
thought the jury ought to know all the
details of the case which would tend
to throw light on the condition of the
mind of the accused at the time of the
shooting.
MIR. Johnson said that the condition
of the premises-the question as to
whether or not there was much blood
around-had nothing whatever to do
with the defense of insanity. He ad
mitted that the question, if answered
could do no harm but maintained that
it could do no good.
The objection was overruled and Hin
ters described the condition of tho
premises, and testified as to finding
Harrison in the closet after first trac-
ing him to the hay loft over the stable.
The witness had a talk with the ac-
cused about three weeks after the
shooting, after his removal from the
County Hospital to the County Jail, in
which he said he did not know what
caused him to kill his wife, and that
he had on the afternoon before the
shooting. been seized with an inclina-
tion to jump into the river and destroy
himself, and that he had been obliged
to quit work to keep from carrying that
inclination into effect. Harrison, wit
ness said. also informed him in answer
to a question as to whether or not there
was insanity in his family, that he had
a sister in an asylum somewhere, but
he did not know where.
The remainder of Hinter's testimony
was similar to that given at the pre-
liminary examination.
G. Fl. Stubbe. who was a neighbor
of the Harrisons. testified that Mrs.
Harrison came to his house after
the shooting and that she said to him:
'.See what Tommy has done. He ac-
cused me of being out with other men
and shot me-"
Witness said he subsequently talked
with Harrison who said he had shot
his wife because she was unfaithful,
and was a bad woman.
August Rost was also called and tes.
titled to extnguishing fire in the Har-
rison house after the shooting.
Joseph Burns and Mrs. Mary Coombs
testified substantially to the same state
of facts which We're brought out at the
preliminary examination.
District Attorney Baker offered in
evidence the deposition of Florence
Harrison. taken at the preliminary ex-
animation.
Mr.. Johnson objected to the deposit
ton on the ground that it bore no in
dorsement or certificate of the commit
ting magistrate (ex-Justice of the
Peace Candy of Oak Park that it was
correct.
District Attorney Baker contended
that the only certificate sent in by the
committing magistrate was the COM
mitment itself, which was properly in
dorsed.
Judge Hughes said there seemed to