The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-11-15

SoIl, Arizona, was crowded. Tor the
trial was one of unusual interest The
defendant, who was accused of murder,
was a member of wealthy California
family, who had placed him in charge
of a range and band of sheep in Ari-
iona. He was young man of slight
build and nervous temperament, who
had shot and killed his neighbor-also
a sheep herder. The deceased was
sarge, burly, quarrelsome man, who had
often threatened the defendant with
violence, but who was unarmed at the
fiI7ae of the homicide, although this fact
waa unknown to the defendant, who
fired the fatal shot under the influence
difficult defense to esta blish, for at the
time of the trial, the defendant gave
no sign of weak mentality, and for
year or more before the shooting he
had lived alone in cabin in the noun
tains. Evidence was given that the
paternal grandfather and a maternal
aunt of the defendant, had each been
and that there had been three suicides
in the family. But the insanity of the
defendant himself, at the time of the
shooting could only be inferentially
shown, for there was no direct medi-
cal testimony obtainable, and nom
expert witnesses could only testify to
unusual acts of the defendant, and
physicians could then be permitted to
<JiI WI Sr1nh acts
indications of an unsound mind
The case looked badly for the de-
PENDANT when his counsel called to the
stand a white haired man, who testi-
fed that few weeks before the homi-
eide, he had been employed by defend
ant as a cook, and that he had worked
in that capacity until the day before
the homicide, when he had left and
started on foot for Prescott why
did you leave?" inquired counsel for
defendant Because my employer
was crazy and I considered my life in
danger" was the reply. Your Hon
or. 1 object" said the District Attor-
ney, land I move to strike out the last
answer of the witness. He is shown
to be a cook and not doctor, and
cannot give an opinion as to the sanity
or insanity of the defendant" mo
ton sustained" said the Court. Mr..
Witness, you will testify merely as to
~Sacts and not as to your opinions"
che old man bowed quietly in reply
to the Court and awaited the next
question. 'what facts" was asked,
<'caused you to consider your life in
danger from the defendant" well,
said the witness, 81 had watched my
employer closely, for he was often
about the kitchen, where I was cook
ing. His eyes would often dilate and
contract rapidly He complained of
headache, loss of sleep, pain in the
head and eyeballs, flashes of light be-
fore the eyes and general exhaustion.
He was melancholy. He would sudden
" become frightened and jump from
his seat when the kettle boiled over.
He evinced dislike and suspicion of all
about him. He was restless, irritable,
and unable to apply his mind to the
every day affairs of life. On the day
I left 1 had roasted leg of mutton
for the noon dinner, and when he
started to carve it, he muttered to
himself and instead of slicing the meat
he thrust or stabbed it with the knife.
I concluded that he was afflicted with
idiopathic mania, that was likely to
take a homicidal form, and after din
ner 7 departed on foot for the next
ranch, intending to return with assist
ance to take him to Prescott. The
next day after left, the homicide oc-
Cured"
Everybody listened with the deepest
interest and the cross examination De-
gan. Where did you learn so much
about insane symptoms?" sneered the
nrosaoutor. what doctor has been
csamming you?" 81 have been cram
Asa1ed by good many doctors during the
Vast forty years." was the reply YOU
Nave been employed then in an in
tsane hospital at some time in your
life nresun. p" II have" re1oined
tho witness. LAS nurse?" said the
LAWYER. mo, SIR rejoined the witness.
Here" said the prosecutor, and tax
ing from the table text book on m
sanity he said with sheer. ours IS
the same name as the author or TINS
work. maybe you wrote it? Yes, sir
was the quiet reply, Il wrote II.
'.why." said the surprised lawyer, TINS
book was written by a distinguished
nhvsician. who was for thirty years in
charge of/an insane asylum, am
the physician to whom you refer WAS
the reply. Then said the lawyer
-'unless you are an escaped lunadc
yourself, will you tell me what YOU
were doing out here in Arizona as
cook on a sheep ranch?'
With some emotion. the old man told
his modest story. He had been grant
ed a years furlough. to enable him 10
make a journey around the world. Ar
rived in San Francisco, he had been
persuaded to invest all his available
resources in a promising mining swim
die. and went TO Arizona to examine
his property He found it absolutely
worthless. He was ASHAMED to write
home and tell what he had DONE ana
he determined to work at anything that
he could get to do. until he could earn
anoneh money to return, and so dom
ming his Oldest clothes, he sought ana
aobtained position as cook on sheep
ranch. 49,
The jury, on the instructions OF the
Infn M