The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-19

oI SOuuu or unSOunu mlnd, sane or 1n- sane" Objections were raised by the state. The point was argued, as 1t, of course, would be one of the most im- portant in the trial of the case and in Ele testimony of the witnesses for the defense. Finally the question was formed so as to be permissible the at- torney asking questions first laying a predicate. as to what he observed, his actions, etc. Witness continued:
 Almost Wreck.
 I was with defendant practically every day Talked with him and observed his conduct. He was almost a total wreck. Some days he would appear worse than others. Often met him and he would ask me to take a drink He would say he had stopped drinking, and in a minute would say, Let's go and have one" Sometimes he would almost fall to recog- nize me. He would seem to be perfectly sane at one moment and would go per- fectly wild the next. He would talk at random. This continued from January to July. In my opinion he was of unsounu mind at times. He was brought to the county Jail after Leonard was killed He came to the jail the next day after the killing. l talked with him at nights He was very nervous, almost wild If he slept one hour night for the first week While he was in his cell I do not know It. His brother came down to attend the funeral of a relative and saw Parrish at the jail. His brother said 1t was the saddest trip that he had ever made to Birmingham. Hollis said: Yes, one dead and the other in jail" in a very unconcerned manner. Tn my opinion he was insane. I saw him the Saturday evening before the killing. He was in a very nervous condition. He then talked and acted like man of unsound mind am not related to Parrish.
 cross examinations: I sometimes saw Parrish at his office and sometimes on the streets. have known him eight or ten years have been a friend of the family for some time Some times I went to tell him about prisoners In jail who wanted an, attorney He would take down their names and forget all about 1t. He did this dozen times during the sum- mer.
 Question of Hehin: "Do you mean to say you went to a crazy man to ask him to take case?'
 did not know he was crazy. I am of the opinion he was crazy at times. I be- leve at times he was sane and at other times he was insane. He was usually suc- cessful in the cases he had. I know of one Judgment he got on a civil suit. oon't think he took as many as fifteen drinks day. l have taken drinks with him. His actions led me to think his mind Is not right. Some times he knew right from wrong and at other times he did not.
 An Expert Witness.
 The next witness was an expert pr. R. V. Mobley
 I am a physician; have been practice ing thirteen years, and am a graduate of the Mobile Medical college. live in Bir- mingham. Am not related to the defend- ant. l have a slight acquaintance with him. remember seeing an account of the killing of Leonard. hold the official po- sition of police commissioner. I saw Par rish the day before the killing He was on Twentieth street and Fourth ave- nue. I observed him. He was under the influence of whisky. It was on Sunday between 12 and 1 o'clock. I hesitated when I saw his condition whether or not to send him to the city jail to be cared for From his condition on that say I should say he was Irresponsible at that time
 Here the main question was asked by Bowman: If a man was in that condi- ton, and had been drinking five or six months previous in that way, what effect would you say that such excess would have on the condition of his mind?"
 It would upset reason.
 Nervous Diseases.
 Cross examination-During my experl- ence have treated nervous diseases a num- Der of times. Have had limited experience on this line. know the effect on the mind of long and continuous use of alcohol and also upon the human system. It Is diff ferent in It's effects on different persons. l know the usual effect. Probable effect would be to upset reason. There might be times when man Is rational and times when he Is not. A man in that condition would not wholly have the power of knowing right from wrong. l have no patience with a drinking man and have had no great experience in dealing with them My opinion is based largely on what have read and also observations to a certain extent A man might be very nervous and have a sound mind If the nervousness continues very long he will become unbalanced. I have seen defend ant intoxicated before. never saw him in such state of high nervous tension before. He attracted my attention. notice a drunk man quicker that most people. I usually see them so I can shun them. I never drank myself and do not know the effects of whisky from personal experience
 Next Witness.
 Wade Mothershed, with whom Parrish boarded was called next.
 Have lived in Birmingham thirteen years. I known Hollis E. Parrish and have known him for five or six years. I remember when Leonard was killed on street car. Parrish lived with me at Owenton. I saw him almost every day. He had been living with me for five or six months before the shooting occurred. I talked to him frequently and observed his actions and conversation. He was al- most always under the influence of whisky and drank absinthe, and took some kind of a drug. It was something to make him sleep. I do not think he was sober the last two or three months before Leo nard was killed. He did not appear at times to know what he was doing I noticed these peculiarites. Some times he would ask a sane question, but he would ask it four or five times in succession. He talked incoherently and disconnected ly. He would start to talk on one sub 5ect and then change off abruptly to an- other. His nervous condition seemed to be shattered and he could not control him self Some times on hot nights he would keep the windows in his room closed, would walk the floor, move chairs around in the room and make other noises One night 1t was very hot and the windows were down.
 Afraid of Bugs.
 I heard a noise and went to his room. He was on the bed with his clothes on. I asked him to raise the window but he said if he did that the bugs would get him. He motioned toward the ceiling when he mentioned them. He never said anything to me about killing me. One time he told me he thought he would go
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