The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-15
The Kittery Murder
Trial Will End Today.
A Family Record Of Liquor Con.
sumption.
ESPECIAL TO THE rRxss.l


Alfred. June 1.-the end of the Kit
terry murder trial is expected to be
reachsd tomorrow. The defence occupied
all Of today, not in trying to shake the
testimony of the states witnesses con-
Meeting Frank p. Parks with the murder
Of Mrs. Mary K. Tarlton. but in contend
ing that Parks Is anlinebriste the victim
Of q mental disease. and not responsible
for the crime of which he Is charged.
Parks. who was ON the witness stand
an hour, did not admit that he killed and
robbed Mrs. Tariton, but his counsel had
already made that admission In his open.
ing argument The nearest the prisoner
came TO confession was TO state that he
was under the influences Of liquor on the
afternoon Of the murder, and has no
recollection Of anything that transpired
after he CROSSED the Portsmouth bridge
into Kittery.
The most sensational testimony of the
day was that of the prisoners mother,
Mrs. George Parks, who went deeply in.
to family history and showed that her
son who ID charged with murder, comes
from long line Of mentally impaired
and liquor drinking antscedents. She
said her grandmother was insane at 45
years Of age, and a great uncle of the
prisoner also had to be kept In straight
jacket. Her father used liquor to excess,
and both she and her husband occasional
" induiged in liquor drinking. She said
tha< ,.~< ..,-s<..- A.. A.. I.;rkt - U.xs- ~,
craved liquor. drank considerable and got
drunk.
In infancy Frank developed a taste for
liquor and when only eleven years of age
was brought home one day dead drunk.
He wouldn't go to school, carried bottle
around with him, and has been druck-
ard ever since. He has never worked
more than day or two at time, except
once when he worked eight days on a
brick schooner, and earned seven dollars
-tLe largest sum OF money he ever had
in his possession. There Is no limit to his
capacity for rum. and his thirst is never
appeased. He is vicious when drunk, but
after he becomes sober is unable to re-
member what transpired when he was
under the influence of liquor.
Mrs. Parks further testified that she
have given birth to nine children, of
whom only three are living. Three died
at birth and three died in infancy of con-
WILSON'S.
George Parks. the father, and William
A. Parks, brother of the respondent,
corroborated the mothers testimony and
described some of the scenes of family
drunks
Charles g. Trefethen, a ohum of Parks,
who was with him on the afternoon of
January %, and left him half and hour
before the murder was committed, testi-
lied that he had got drunk many time
with Frank Parks, but that Frank never
staggered. Witness outlined their move
ments on the afternoon of January 23, up
to the time that they. got drunk. 1t was
all blank to him from then till night,
when he found himself In his woodshed.
EsJudge Wiswell asked Trefethen if he
claimed to have an uncomfortable dssire
to drink, and the witness replied: "No
sir. can knock off sometimes, when /
feel like it"
Several residents of Kittery testified
that they had seen Parks under the in
fuenee Of liquor at various times.
Frank P. PARKS. the prisoner, was on
the stand an hour. He narrated the story
of his life, much as his parents had done,
and elaborated on his appetite for liquor.
He liked rum best, he said, but would
drink anything he could get his hands
on, even clear alcohol and Jamaica
ginger. A half pint would make him
ugly, and a pint 90 to his head and affect
his memory. He gave an account OF him.
self during the early part Of the afternoon
of January %, but could not remembe a
single thing that happened after he
crossed the Portsmouth bridge into Kit
tory. He had no recollection of visiting
Mrs. Tarlton's house and killing her.
Then came the testimony of the insani-
ty experts, of whom the defence intro
duced one and the state two. The first to
testify was DR.. Marcello Hutchinson.
superintendent of the state insane
hospital. HIS was tho last witness fer the
defence, and was followed by Dr. Charles
0. Bancroft, superintendent Of the New
Hampshire stat. Insane hosp ital at Con-
cord. an llr. q. L SanborD of the Maine
insane spital, both OF whom were sum-
monsd in be af OF the prosecution.
Il Is needless 60 add thai these three
docfori didn't ngIes on all the fine points
OF the insanity question. DR.. Hutchinson
considered Franz Parks an inehriate. tha
victim OF an inherited and uncomfortable
thirst FIR alcohol. and considered his acts