The Washington times., 1901-09-09
BUSINESS OF THE COURTS.
Ending of the Vacation Term Find'
n Practically Clean Docket.

| What is known as vacation term of
the Supreme Court of the District is draw
| ing to a close. The session consists of
| the months of July. August and Septem-
| Der. and during the latter part of the last
| named month it is very seldom that any
matters of great moment are submitted
| TO the court for adjudication. From the
| present outlook 1t appears as if this GUS
| tom will be adhered to by the members
| of the local bar during the remainder of
| the vacation term.
| A Leftwich Sinclair, Assistant Attor-
ney to the Commissioners, will. however.
| contribute his usual share TO the interest
| of the proceedings during the current
| week One of Mr.. Sinclairs special
| branches of work is that of conducting
| the proceedings relating to the mental
| condition of persons alleged to be Of un-
sound mind. He has already reported
| twelve persons whose mental condition
is such as to require judicial investigation
| and Justice Anderson viii hear evidence
| concerning their sanity on Friday next.
| Among those whose mental condition Will
be enquired into are Mrs Catherine \.
Babcock, the widow of the late Col. o.
E. Babcock and Harriet Brown, colored,
who is laboring under the hallucinatiou
that she is the queen of the colored race.
Mrs. Babcock is nearly seventy years
of age, is woman of education and re-
fnement, and during President Grants
terms of Administration was prominent in
military and social circles. She is also
said to have been quite wealthy, but lost
most of her fortune in Improbable in
vestments. This. 1t is stated, preyed upon
her mind and is believed to have been
in a great measure responsible for her
mental trouble. The death of her daugh-
ter in Baltimore several years ago is also
said to have greatly worried Mrs. Bah
cock. and she was troubled with halluci-
nations that some persons would disturb
her daughters grave unless certain sums
of money were paid them.
For several years Mrs. Babcock lived
at 1918 1 Street but recently removed to
900 NJ Street, where she resided with Mrs.
Martha Mclaughlin. For some time past
Mrs Mclaughlin noticed that Mrs. Bah
cock was acting queerly and that her
conversation was quite disconnected. On
last Wednesday Mrs. Mclaughlin called
the attention of the police to the fact,
! and Mrs. Babcock was taken into custody
and sent to the House of Detention. on
the day following she was adIaitted 10
St Elizabcth's Hospital for the Insane
on a special permit issued by Sanitary
officer Frank.
Mrs. Babcock s husband, Col. Orvilie E.
Eabcock, won distinction during TIE civi!
war He was with General Grant at
Richmond, and when the latter was
chosen President of the United States in
1865 he appointed Colonel Babcock as
his military secretary. During the
remainder of the time that Grant was
President Colonel Babcock occupied po-
sition at the White House ana had charge
of all the social functions during the two
terms of Grants Administration.
Harriet Brown, the queen of the col
ored race was arrested at the Pennsyl-
vania depot on August -. She stated
that her mission to this city was to up
lift her down-trodden n race She stated
with an air of great confidence that she
had plenty of money TO carry out her
object but that unfortunately 1t was
tied up in numerous ntigdtions going on