Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-02-15

see his daughter, said he wanted her
to be placed under experts as soon as
possible. Witness prevailed upon him
to wait. About Jan. 1st they talked
about her, he didn't seem to remember
much about it. About Jan. 7th, after
the doctors had examined him. they
had conversation. He said they
asked him if there was insanity in the
family, he told them his daughter was
out of her head and said II didn't tell
them that you were crazy" Jan. 27th
he said he saw a strange white circle
of light with his wife and Floy with
in the circle, flying at him. He had
something in his hand which he
dropped, but instead of dropping it
went straight into Floy's face; then
he held his hands up and exclaimed
my God, what have 1 done. F" From
what witness had seen and sworn to in
her opinion her husband is insane, and
was insane on the day of the tragedy
capable of knowing and appreciating
the difference between right and
wrong. She had not heard of insanity
in Glfford's family before marrying
him.
REV. CHARLES CLIFFORD.
Lives at Clifford, Iowa, formerly
lived in New York. Defendant is his
nephew, his father was witness
brother. Knew defendants great
grandfather. He died in witness
fathers cow yard, dropped dead in
epileptic fit. Witness was then
years, 3 months and days old. On
the tombstone his death was recorded
July 6, 1899. He was a dark COM
plexioned man, with a narrow, hatchet
face. Witness father often told him
his grandfather died in an eplleptic fit.
DR.. ARTHUR L. KILBOURN.
was recalled. Atty. Gray then read
to him the hypothetical question pre-
pared by defense.
(The Hypothetical question" is a
very lengthy series of assumptions that
the various statements made by the de-
fense through witnesses in this trial
are true. 1t includes the statement
that defendants great grand father
died in an epileptic fit, his son Henry
died insane this son Henry's son AL
onzo Clifford, father of defendant)
died insane; defendants daughter
went insane in fall of 1904 defendant S
sister Nellie married man named
Coots who then had seven children,
none of whom were insane, but they
had a son who became insane. That
the great grand father of defendant
had another son Obadiah Clifford who
died insane he had daughter Eliza,
who married and had a son who died
insane. The great grand father of de-
fendant has another son, Daniel Gift
ford, who had two sons, one died in
sane and the other is now insane. 1t
also refers to Gifford's S good record as
a teacher, his quiet disposition, his
church and home relations, his know
ledge of insanity in family and study
of the question, his loss of conscious
ness and strange actions at repeated
intervals the past few years as shown
by the evidence. his Overwork. etc.
culpinating in the tragedy, his very
strange actions in Jail and in court
since, and in fact all circumstances
brought out in the testimony, includ-
ing the testimony of the experts. The
question ends with, assuming. doc
tor, that the statements made in the
hypothetical question are
and in all important
respects in accordance with the facts,
are you of the opinion that the de-
fendant is sane or insane?
In answer to this question the wit
ness answered she is insane.
In his opinion he has form of
Epilepsy. They are three forms or
of epilepsy. When we
speak of epilepsy the ordinary lay
mind imagines no one is effected eX-
cept man has convulsions or fits. We
know of forms in which no convulsions
appear, in which the place of the con-
vulsion is taken by some other mani
festation. In many cases the convul-
sive form of epilepsy is called "grand
epilepsy. There is form of epilep-
sy called "little epilepsy" in which
there are no commissions it might be
shown by twitching of the face, might
not be discovered for years, might be
shown by sudden stops in speech, star
ing ahead, then recovering himself and
going on, might last to 8 seconds or
/ minute. Though these manifesto
tions may be slight, man in that
form is in just as serious condition
as man having commissions. The
small manifestations of epilepsy may
develop into greater manifestations.
There are many manifestations of
epilepsy, some say IA. A man who
suffers from little epilepsy, his atti-
tude toward society is greater dan
ger to society than man having
greater epilepsy. The description of
epilepsy just given comedies with the
hypothetical question. In his opinion
if the defendant has this, he is not
liable to return to nationality and
sanity. In his opinion it is necessary
that person in this condition be per-
manently confined, for the safety of
the public. Cases might arise by
which this man might be safeguarded
by the constant attendance of atten-
dants. From the hypothetical question
witness thinks the insanity of defen-
dant is permanent. His insanity dates
back to events in New York ON the
farm, in 1898. These cases are always
dangerous, no matter what the kind.
The quality of the dementia bears no
relation to the form IF epilepsy. There
is just exactly rs much danger TO
society in little epilepsy as in grand
epilepsy. These spells may be homi-
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