The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-08
He WAS NOT OEMENTED
Testimony of Experts in the
Larkin Hearing.
HIS ACTS WERE COMMON
The Ordinary Excentrtcities of Man
Who Drinks to Excess-An Inter-
esting Day With the
Specialists.

James Larkin may have had a bat or
two in his belfry when he sold his in
terests in the Tramway and Snohomish
mines to the Butte and Boston COM
pany, but he was not demented. That
seems to be the effect of the evidence
up to date. The parties who are try
ing to have the sale set aside on the
ground that Larkin was insane at the
time he made it, have supported their
case by evidence that he was dement,
ed. that is, that the particular form
of insanity from which he suffered, and
from which he died five years later,
was dementia. The autopsy made on
the brain showed that, and the testi
mony of Drs. Wells. Siever and Sheer
an supported it. No evidence of any
other kind of insanity was offered.
Now comes the other side with the
testimony of eminent specialists on
mental diseases, by which it is made
to appear that if Larkin suffered from
dementia he was not demented in 1888
at the time the sale was made, and
that all the peculiar acts of which he
had been guilty for years, according
to the testimony of some witnesses,
were simply the common and ordinary
acts of drunken man.
Another day was devoted to interest
ing expert testimony at the hearing
before Examiner Blake yesterday. DR..
Eskridge, the specialist on nervous dis
eases, who was on the witness stand
all day Tuesday, was recalled yester-
day morning for further cross-exami-
nation. At the afternoon session Dr.
H. T. Pershing, another eminent spe-
cialist, was on the witness stand.
Attorney Frank E. Corbett cross-ex-
amined DR.. Eskridge, and the first
question put to him yesterday morn
ing was the following, based on the
testimony of Levi Prentice:
IF it shall appear from the testi-
mony in this case that James Larkin,
in the winter of 1898, during the period
of two and a half or three months,
went nearly every morning before day
light, or about daylight, to the house
of person, Levi Prentice, in this city:
that on arriving at such house he would
rap on the sidewalk and knock on the
door, and call out to the said Prentice
to walk up town with him; that he COM
mitted these acts during the wi lter
time, on occasions when the weather
was extremely cold; that upon beng
walked up Prentice would say, L1lkin
what is the matter with you; whaT do
you want? Larkin would smile ana
pay no attention to the question, and
would sometimes say, Get up and let
us walk up town. that he would sit
out on the sidewalk AMI refuse an in
vitation to enter the house, and tina
he would commit these acts during ex-
tremely cold weather: that at times
during the same period ne would state
to said Prentice that he had a piece Of
silver in his head, at such times taking
Prentice's hand and placing it upon
his, Larkin's, head; that frequently
upon such occasions he was wild and
rough in his behavior meeting men
upon the street and subjecting them to
abusive language. All of this taken in
connection with the fact that in June
1894, Larkin was taken to the hospital
of DR.. Wells and there found to be
suffering from dementia; that he was
subsequently taken to the asylum and
there died insane, what in your opinion
would this indicate as to whether or not
Larkin. during the period referred to
in this question, that is during the Win
ter of 1884, was of sound mind or
not?'
1.-THE facts you have given are not
positive proof for or against insanity"
said the doctor.
1.-THE question was not addressed to
you as to proof, but for the purpose of
getting your opinion" said Mr.. Cor
bett
"Those acts in themselves do not in
dictate unsoundness of mind in man of
Larkin's habits
would it indicate unsoundness of
mind?"
1T would entirely depend on the
mans habits
Ever hear of any other man doing
such things and be sane?"
DR.. Eskridge said he often observed