Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-11-13
THE KNIGHT TRIAL,
Over 40 Witnesses Examined
at Saturdays Session.
The Defence Closes and State Presents
Evidence in Rebuttai.
Many Witnesses TO Testify and Tr,al will
Last Several Days.

/
1899, was occupied mostly bv the ex-
animation of witnesses for the State
| IN rebuttal over 40 have been sum
noned for this purpose. AMONG them
We're those who had known knight
from boyhood and those who had work
ed with him and had business tran
sactions with him during period COW
ering from 10 to 20 years. The pur-
pose was evidently to show the condi-
ton OF the respondent personally in his
every day life as seen by his he. ghbors
| and business acquaintance
| Many Of the witnesses had rot no
ticed anything peculiar about him and
| some who had known him for many
years did not even know that he had
| been committed to the Insane hospital.
y lev had noticed change in him ana
| that times he seemed strange. Some
nf the most interesting testimony Of
| the day was that Of the witnesses from
| New Hampshire who came in contact
| with Knight at the time he went 10
that state in search Of Mamie Small
Many more witnesses are yet to b.
examined by both sides ana the trial
Will probably last several days longer.
| Saturday forenoon the examination
| Of DR.. Sanborn was continued He
| said that while Knight was confined in
| the hospital he offered violence to the
witness. one morning as the witness
was making his usual calls. he met
| knight and said Good Morning to him.
| knight suddenly started towards him
walking rapidly. His muscles were
contracted. When Knight got near To
the witness. ne suddenly stopped ana
spat in his face and asked the witness
why he was tormenting him and try
ing 70 prevent his family from visiting
him. The witness had the patient
placed in the strong room. He resisted
the attendants and kept repeating. II
will learn YOU To keep my family from
me-
The witness regarded Knight as in
sane at the time he was in the hos
pital. He was suffering from melan-
cholia. During the first few days he
appeared stupid. bat afterwards be
came excited. The witness called it
muscular excitement. The witness
stated stated that there We're two
types Of melancholia. one called ag-
tated melancholia distinguished
from stuporous melancholia. The Wit
ness said he considered Knight insane
at present and that he IS suffering
from chronic mental disease. one
type Of which is melancholia The
witness had seen no indications that
Knight was feiEning insanity during
the eight months he was in the
asylum.
The deposition Of Mary Woodman Of
Freeport, was then read by the coun-
sci for the defense She said that
Knights mother had been insane.
Her mind was not right and she could
not control herself A. X. Woodman.
The witness husband. and an uncle of
The prisoner. had been insane. He
had kidney trouble and considered his
ease hopeless. The doctors said that
he had softcning Of the brain. He
wished to take his own life. This was
his only dclusion. In other ways he
was all right. When he had the
measles he was out of his head when
the fever was at its height. This only
lasted a few days. and when he re-
covered his mind was all right. From
this the report had spread that he
was insane. He died in the insane
hospital ten days after his commit
ment.
The witness said that Alice Chad
bourne was not quite right. She kept
house, but was not exactly right in her
head Harriet. a twin sister Of knights
mother. had been insane for while.
She had died of kidney trouble.
DR. G. p Bancroft Of Concord n. H.,
superintendent of the state insane hos
pital Of New Hampshire. said he had
been connected with the institution Il
years. During this time he has OBJ
served about 5000 patients. There are
at present between 400 and $50 patients
in the hospital. He examined Knight
at the Jail. He was with him alone
about two hours. He considered
Knight insane.
The counsel for the defense then
produced the bits of paper which were
found in knights pockets at the time
of his arrest and the pieces taken
from him by DR.. Vaughan at the hos
pital when he was searched there. On
the paper the statement was written,
II am in Gardiner tonight for the pur
pose of shooting Mamie Small. The
writer then went on to say that ne had
sent to Augusta for his wife to come |
down to Gardiner to see Mamie in or
der to find out what she intended to
do.
AT this point the defense rested its
case.
Twentv-nine witnesses We're then
sworn for the testimony of the state IN
rebuttal More witnesses We're sum-
moned for this purpose, but were not
present at this time.
Horace Purinton. contractor ana
builder of Waterville. said that he had
once taught school in Bowdoin. Bow
doinham and neighboring towns.
Knight had been his pupil when he
was about IA years old. He was .
well-behayed boy. He was quiet and
perhaps a little dull. He had met him
in rs. while the witness had charge OF vi
a crew in Bowdoinham putting up ice
Knight worked in his crew. At the
time he was profane and generally
abusive. His language was obscene.
James p. Thomas Of Bowdoinham.
had also had Knight for pupil when