Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-10-29
STEVENS CASE.
Decision Will Be Rem
dered Tuesday.
Presentation Of the Evidence.
Arguments This Morning.
Hearing on Fairfield Water Case
Will Be Held This Week.

|
| aftcruoI the evidence had all been adj
| ducrd Ia the hearing on the bill in
! equity brought by Herman II. Adams
as guardian of the late Licweilyn X.
| Stevens ". !trn, st \. Cook ard Min
| ME NJ. Cook. All the parties reside in
| Belgrade ami the plaintiff alleges that
| when the late Mr.. Stevens on May u,
| 1908 conveyed his real estate and per-
sollal property to the defendants that
he vas Of unsound mind. The hearing
! began last Saturday.
| 4, the opening OF court this morn
| ing arguments VIII be made by George
! W. Heseltun of Gardiner for the de-
| fnn,lants and by f.. Nj. Thompson of
| Augusta for the plaintiff. 1t is believed
| that Justice Spear will render his de-
c;sion shortly after the presentation of
| the arguments by the counsel.
| \ feature of Mondays session was an
! Ey, othetcal question consistingof eight
typewriter pages ard which required
| L. minutes to read which was pro-
| pounded by Attorney Thompson for the
Plaintiff to DIR. BiGclow T. Sanborn.
| who qualified as an expert in insanity.
| The first witness called by the plain
| tiT at the opening Of court, Monday
| morning. WAS DR.. Bigclow /. Sanborn.
! sIp"rint. ndcnt of the Maine InSln"
| hospital He testified that he examined
| ,Ir. stevens March 30. 1905. and Dr.. W.
". Harris vas present. The man was
not strong and signs of arterial tension
We're noticed. Discovered condition
/ of the hardening of the arteries marked
moe By the mental significance than
the physical. There was almost an en-
! tire absence Of control of the muscles
| and nerves because that part of the
| brain which controls the physical at
! tributes was diseased. He understood
! that Mr. Stevens suffered from Il con-
dition of unrest about the head which
| led to confusion Of the brain
Putting all this together. said the
DOCTOR he concluded that they were
| the result of a sporadic condition of
the arteries. This has the result. when
tie vessels which supply blood to the
brain are clogGcd up. of discussing tho
brain and causing confusion. This con-
Gition after once fully inauguratcd is
| pei m"rent and liable to become pro-
grcssiv".
Dir. Sarhorn further testified that he
mans dependence and suspicion. Mr..
stevens had told him that he (Stevcrs)
had been told that lie had decided away
his rropertE. He could not understand
| some THINGS about this for he thought
| he vas to go on in the same duties as
| he had formerly carried out. He told
the doctor that people seemed to be
| opposed to this, hut he did not know
l ,,-b aft n -,
] arrived at the conclusion that Mr.. Ste
! vcns was suffering, from sgnile icnan-
; tia.
| I0on being asked to define til" differ
ercc between normal and diseased old
age. Dr. Sanborn said that il normal
! old age there were physical weaknesses
! and man became mora conservative,
! took less initiative and lived within
himself When this state of lethargy
passes into suspicion and uneasincss.
then. said the witness, there exists
senil, demcntia. The age limit is not
fined in these states. said the doctor.
| Nan is as old as his arteries. which
hive varying periods of years. Once
| seni,C dementia. with its mOrbidnCsS
arrives. it continues throughout life.
Life may last three or five years.
"Scnile dcmcntia is Il pathological
condition lf pendent upon the condition
Of tho blood conduits supplying the
BRAIN SAID the witness. in reply to Il
question by Justice Spear.
| Dr.. s:antorn was asked to examine
Mir. Stevens again. October -. 1906. He
MIS- impressed ut that cXaminati ton
that there was less comprehension of
nlnd than before. When asked a Quas-
ton +" woul'l ask his daughter. Mrs.
iolhrooH. as il 80, is it so. SiS?' At
this; interview Mr.. Stevens did not
know tho witness but kept asking him
if l,o was DR.. Harris. who was in the
room most of tho timc and who. ac-
corling to previous evidence. Stevens
know.
At this point Attorney Thompson
if.trnducod AN Hypothetical question.
Hiich required /. minutes to ask and
| which NaS about onc-third as long as
t!ir question askcd by Attorney MrCfi,-
licuo"y III the Patrick McGiIlcuddy
decd case. recently tried before n jury
in the 5upreH" court for Andr0ScoggiIl
county.
Attorney Hcsn!ton objected to the
admission If tic question but was
| hNtirlluC ny JUStlCc spear. the court
stating that the question had been
twice put ANA answered in the courts
of this State.
Attorney Thom7s"n's hypothetical
question was in part as follows:
| Assuming that Tlcwellyn X. Stevens
was born in TIL" town of Rome ca years
ago this OctOher-that down to March
&c. 1905 the family relations had al
WAYS been pleasant except possibly
slight differences between Llewe!lyn *
stevens and his son Willard: that up
to five or SIX Years before March IS
| 1905. LlcWcllNn X. Stevens had been 4
strong. healthy, robust farmer. shreWd
and keen il business matters: that for
five or SIX years to March IS. 1905. ne
! vas subject more or less to sick spells
he changed physically. ne gradually
became jncarH citated for labor and did
less work from year to year. that
3ftar he b. gan to have sick spells he
, became irritable: that some five ~
SIX years prior II March &c. 1906. he
did business alone. went to market
alone. drove IN Oakland alone and did
! business. ard while his eldest daughte,