Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1906-03-17
DECLARE BUCK
IS SHAMM|NG
EXPERTS EXPRESS OPINION
MURDERER is SANE
Prosecution Makes Strong Point of
tho Fact That He Has Twice
Collapsed During Prog
ress of Trial


for the murder of Mrs. Cloe Garfield
left the stand and the court adjourned
until Monday morning at 10 o'clock,
when Attorney Earl Rogers, for the
prosecution, will open the argument.
He will be followed by District Attor-
ney Fredericks, after which FORMER
Governor Gage will argue. Attorney
A. D. Warner for the defense, probably
will require an entire day to present
his side OF the case to the jury, and
District Attorney Fredericks will close
the argument for the prosecution.
Slowly and surely yesterday the case
Of insanity put up by the defense was
undermined by the testimony given by
experts and local physicians who nave
been watching Buck during the trial
But the technical evidence entered by
Attorney Warner, linked with the
record Of Buck, his many accidents in
early life and the history Of his rela-
t.yes, may GO far to save the accused
from the gallows.
Testimony Of Physicians
Up to Thursday evening Bucks ap-
pearance in court was calculated TO
deceive the most careful observer. IL
he was shamming insanity, according
to the testimony of the physicians he
had he been connected with an asylum
for years. Every move of his hands
and every twitch of his muscles seemed
to show that the mans mind was I'M
balanced. His face was as expression
less as that of an idiot, and he smiled
foolishly at some of the small jokes he
had written to his relatives.
But when the experts took the stand
a change came over the man. For the
til =, Nnd 70
be nervous and his fingers twitched
and his feet moved restlessly on the
floor. During all the evidence. how
ever, he never looked up, but those
near him could see that he was making
a great effort to hold himself together.
Following the evidence given by DR..
Kurtz. Buck collapsed. II was his first
show of feeling, and Judge Smith hur-
ried the iurymen from the room to pre-
vent them from seeing the mans con-
dition.
Say He Was Shamming
But yesterday the story of Bucks
collapse was made one of the strong
points offered by the prosecution in re-
buttal Of the evidence produced by the
defense. Several physicians were ex-
amned in the morning and all were
explicit in their statements regarding
the prisoners condition.
1.-THE man is sane and has only been
shamming to save his neck from the
rallows," was the statement of many
of them.
At the noon recess Buck again
tainted, and it was several minutes be-
fore he was revived and taken to the
county Jail.
I'm my opinion Bucks fainting fit
will go further to condemn him than
any other evidence produced by the
prosecution said DIR. ]. 70. Conn, the
Napa asylum insanity expert, yester-
day. Nothing could be more convinc-
ing to my mind that Buck fully real
ICES his position and knows what Is
happening than his fainting spells. An
insane man would not have collapsed.
Anybody who would have been as In
sane as Buck has pretended to be
would have kept the same foolish APP
pearance to the last"
Prisoners Face Flushed
During the afternoon Bucks face
was flushed and at times his COM
plexion was almost purple. He seemed
to he Watching himself closely to pre-
vent any show of interest in the case
or to prevent another collapse. When
the case was continued until the argu-
ment he turned deathly white and
staggered slightly as the deputies began
to lead him from the room, but
managed to walk to the jail with little
assistance.
From now until the time when the
verdict Is returned Buck probably Will
be visited once q. day in order that he
may suffer no i'll effects from excite
ment or collapse.
DR.. George Campbell, the autopsy
surgeon, was one of the chief witnesses
+r;o aft
told a long story related by Buck soon
after the murder. Dr. Campbelps evil
dence was in part as follows:
st visited Buck III the Jail several
days after the murder and at that
time he seemed quite calm and told
his story perfectly. He held his atten-
ton to what was saying, and an in
sane man would not have been able to
do that. He talked very we'll and kept
right at it unless 1 interrupted to ask
him questions.
Told Story in Detail
HE told me of the accidents received
while he was a. youngster and then in
detail he told me all the story of his
life UP to the events closely preceding
the death of Mrs. Garfield. When he
began to tell me of the tragedy he went
into detail, and not ono act of the
SnOOLlnR ulO ne ONeTluOh. ne lOlu ilio
that early in the week of the shooting
he had gone to see a play at a variety
show, but declared it did not infiame
his mind and that afterwards he ate
tamales,
"He told me that he lost his job. and
after falling to secure work he had
written the letter to Mrs, Garfield, as
he had been employed by her several
years ago and he thought she would be
the only one likely to give him the
money he wanted. He said he armed
himself when he went there because
he had seen Mrs. Garfield with a re-
volver when he was working for her
before, and for that reason he feared
her. Finally, when he told me OF the
details of the shooting he said that
when Mrs. Garfield called for her
coachman he knew there was trouble
coming, and so he drew his revolver
and shot the woman when she raised