Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-03-17
WAS HAMLET insane!
Defense In Murder Trial Intro
duces Expert Testimony to
Prove That He Was
KING EDWARD IN THE TRIAL
Letter Written BY claudius to Edward
when he Sent Hamlet to England
produced-contained Orders for the
Speedy Death Of Hamlet as an Insane
and Dangerous Person.
KING EDWARD in THE TRIAL
Letter Written BY claudius to Edward
Special to Tlmes-Republican.

Special to TImeS-RepubHcan.
Iowa City, March 17.-Dr. A. j.
Bu,.ge member of the faculty Of the
college of medicine and DR.. f. j.
Becker, a member of the faculty of the
homeopathic college of medicine of the
University of Iowa, testified as expert
witnesses for the defense in the trial Of
Hamlet before the junior law court
today. DIR. L. w. Littig, a member of
the medical faculty and A. Is. Porter, a
senior medical student Of considerable
experience with insane persons. testi-
fed for the state in the same capacity
as expert witnesses.
DR.. Burge and DR.. Becker were Of the
opinion that a young prince who had
been, before his fathers death, jovial,
mirthful, scrupulously dressed, atfable
OF excellent standing in society, duttful
to his parents, devoted to his sweet
heart, fond of exercise and manly sports
careful in his speech, and Of a healthy
color In his cheeks, but who. after the
fathers death became morores. careless
lected his athletic sports, became dis
respectful to his mother. abused his
sweetheart, took to mumbling to him
self and working himself into passions,
ended in giving vent to soliloquies on
the doubtful good of living, killed a
revered counsel of the court and ex-.
hibited the utmost GOODNESS when APP
prised of his deed. saw things in his
creams and in waking hours beheld
visions of his dead father unperceiv-
able by other persons, whose attention
was closely directed to them, who de-
MED his madness when taxed with 1t,
and asserted he was as sane as anyone
was in fact insane, and not responsible
for his actions.
DR.. Littig and DR.. Porter answered a
somewhat similar Hypothetical cues
ton, put by the state in rebuttal, in the
negative saying that such a person
would be sane, that his insanity in
some acts might be assumed, but that
he was possessed of sufficient reason
to know the difference between rigN
and wrong and power of will to carry
out the knowledge of his reason.
The disagreement Of the experts pro-
duced quizzical expressions on the
minds of the jurymen, to most of whom
expert testimony and it's disagreements
was new phase of their law studies.
King Edward Of England was drawn
into the Hamlet trial in the closing
portions of the defendants non-expert
tetimony. The letters from King
Claudius to Edward when he sent
Hamlet to England in order to get rid
of him, after the death of PolOnius,
were produced. The letter written by
Claudius and entrusted to the messen-
gers, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
was:
castle Elsinore, Iowa City, Iowa,
jan 5, 1903.
"Claudius, King Of Denmark and of
Zealand, Emperor Of Iceland and of
Greenland, and of the Danish Isles OF
the West Indies, to King Edward VII,
King of England, Greeting: We do re-
quest on the brotherly courtesy and
kindness which exists between the
thrones of Denmark and England. that
one Hamlet, who is in charge of the
messengers, bearing this packet, Ro-
sencrantz and Guildenstern. be immed-
lately put to death. This Hamlet is
so dangerously insane that to allow
him liberty or even life will endlnger
the security of all those around him,
In one of his recent outbursts he muir
dered Polonius, the chief counselor of
the realm The speedy death OF Ham
let in accordance with this request will
increase the cordial relations now ex-
listing between England and Denmark.
CLAUDIUS."