New-York tribune., 1900-05-01
II. VICTOR NEWCOMB,S SANITY
JUSTICE FITZGERALD ASKED TO DIS
CHARGE THE COMMITTEE OF HIS
PERSON AND ESTATE

Gignoux & Gignoux. s attorneys for IT, Victor
Newcomb. together with Franklin Bartlett as
counsel, applied to Justice Fitzgerald in the Su-
preme Court yesterday for the discharge of James
Anderson Hawes as committee of the person and
estate of II. Victor Newcomb, of No Gs3 Fifth
ave- and also for an order that Mr.. Newcomb
may be examined to his sanity 1t was MAIN
tanned by Colonel Bartlett Newcomb's behalf
that he is now perfectly sane and competent to
manage his own affairs, He Is now living at the
Grenoble having returned from DR. Ferguson,s :
Sanltarlum at Central Valley n. Y, last December
NeWcomb was adiudsed insane by a Sheriffs iIrv
last July, and Justice Fitzgerald appointed Mr.
Hawes as committee Of MS person and estate.
The application to have him declared insane was
made by his wife, Mrs. Florence Newcomb and
his son. Herman ID. NewComb, who lives at Louis
VILE KY.
Colonel Bartlett submitted afidavits from DR..
Charles l.. Dana DR.. Edward d. Fisher, DR.. Fred
erick Petersen. and DR. Edward P. Fowler. averring
that Newcomb is at present and perfectly
competent TO manage his affairs. Other affdavfts
were TO the same effect
Robert n Gignoux one of Nawcornh,s .,,wva-s
put in an affidavit saying that Mr.. Halves the
committee of Newcombs person and estate de-
clares he Is now He says the Sherffr's Jury
stated In their verdict that they did not know
how lie had become insane. He married his wife
IN lSoo She had no separate estate. except a few
thousand dollars from her fathers estate He had
since created a trust for her benefit, and that of
his two children, Herman, and Mrs Edythe y Ward
or London, of real estate in Kentucky which now
Yields her $4,000 year. He had insured his life
for their benefit for s22 OO and had set aside suff1
cient securities to pay the annual premiums on the
po1cy. BY supplementary agreement he gave his
"ife and children half the income of his house No
os5 F1fth-ave. Of his stable No los West Fifty
fourth-st and OF his country place at Elberon n J
General Wager Swayne. counsel for Mrs New
conn., opposed the motion for Newcomb's dis
charge. and read affidavit by Mr.. Hawes in
which he said that while he believed Newcomb tn
oInerS ne considered he still insane. This
tiHuaVlt set torth that the mother Of NeWCOmb had
peen In an insane asylum for than forty
years, and that Newcomb himself was confined
IN a Sanatorlum by order of the Court, was
only discharged on the petition of Mrs Newcomb
since ms discharge he had charged his wife with
accusations being absolutely false He became so
violently insane to imperi the lives of those
VINO resided under the same roof with him 1t was
not fact, moreover, that Newcomb paid all the
insurance his life As matter of fact Mrs
NewcOmb paid s.. a year out Of her share of the
income of the property.
and her son. denied that Newcomb was now sane
or that he ever would be sane. He characterized
MIN as ingenious man. had employed
a lot of doctors who had no acquaintance with him
history -
Newcomb, Mr.. Harrison said. had filed Colonel
bartlett with his hallucfnatfons and delusions and
they had been retaied in court Newcomb he said
was not sane, and, DR.. Edison said would re-
turn to his use of chloral in the summer and
would have to be again put under restraint
Justice Fitzgerald took the papers and reserved
his decision
Newcomb's is valued at S2Go 600 and is held
in trust under agreement made by his f. thpr
several years He a large Of
real estate but been reticent with reference
TO IT that Its value has not been discovered.