The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-03-03
ANGER YS. INSANITY
sTRoTHEias BROTHERS WE'RE uN-
 DEH GREAT STRAIN. {
One Doctor says They Were ArSused fast Renssnian, while 0pponent Declares They Were In
 Hs&ht Mind.

 morninr in the interest which attached to inc appearance of Dr. Charles Clark. whose presence here is to develop Tor the defsuse all that may come out or US new plea that the Strother brothers were seized with uncontroilable emo tional insanity on the night or the shooting.
 Tn my opinion" said pr. Clark slow iy. as Attorney Moore for the defense ceased reading the Hypothetical ques- tion, "the act was an irresistible I'm. pulse, and 1t can also be designated scientifically az impulsive insanity. the result of a highly emotiona state brought on by many insults- to which the accused had been subieeted."
 Doctor" asked Mir. Moore, "1s there any rigid test as to the excess of ment' al insanity or mental deransementF
 No. sir"
 'Is the condition of mental deranse. ment preceded by any one cause or set
 "The causes. are numerous"
 "what are the principal causes Of mental derangemef1t."
 stress. usually.' replied Che witness. .sThere may be a variety of things--a great variety--causing stress"
 May the condition of mental de- engagement occur without prior dis ease?"
 'fn my opinion 1t can.
 ''Is there any fixed period of dura- ton for the condition of mental ae- rangement which occurs In the human system?'N
 '.No."
 The witness was then turned over to the prosecution.
 Captain Micajah Wood said to Dr. Clark: .x. .,A | n during the tragedy they exercised there noweY in connection with one act when thev nerpetrated the homicide. Where ,n 9o vo,i draw the distinction between what you call impnisive insanity ana rage and anger. such as any man may have borne in his bosoing"
 1T framed my opinion In this case on inc hypothetical question. and be- lieye 1t can be logically put into two separate acts. The first when they hao received information at various times af ong-doing on the part Of the de- sceRsed and the information aeenmu- lated. As I understood they had con sultation, met and considered ana wal. .. ed and reasoned and determined finally to tell this young man he must marry their sister or they would XIII him,
 s'Between the execution of the action srau the time they made the decision, there was no interval. During that m terval the mental process was one ot peaee az is evidenced by the fact that they congratulated him ana LOOK n's hand and kissed their sister. And there the mental process ended. Tne new process was due entirely to sud. den imnulse. think the emotional condition overwhelmed the intellectual nrooess and that the act was not com rnitted under full volition of power.
 The witness said he thought that Q sudden break to get out Of the room from that time on until the end of the crima--there was mental aerange-
 With the conclusion Of pr. eiarke's testImony. the defense rested It's case
 The State then called pr. W. Y prewry of Petersburg to reeut pr. Ciark,s testimony. pr. Drewry, In re- niv to questions by MT. Keith, stated | that his experiences as an alienist had | heen in treating patients at the Cen | tral State Hospital for Insane Negrpes' | He had treated bat few white insane l patients, he said.
 MT. Keith chen read the same n.y. pothetieal question propounded to pr. l Clark.
 @What mental condition, in your | oninion. doctor would result from that | condition, as you see it?'' asked MT. | Keith.
 ''Violent anger" he replied. Mir. Keith then changed his question | to show whether or not the effort Of | the Strother brothers to restrain By ! waters from leaving the house had \ materially affected their mental eondi" ! ton. . they were angry-almost to the last
 He stated that the events both be- fore and after were such as to produce
 "Were these men in your opinion iusaueY' asked Mir. Keith. | ssNo, he replied. T don't think they were insane"
 Attorney Lee, for the defense. then took up the questioning, asking pr
 .,Is tho organism of Virginia gen tieman1 mind as sensitive as that oi any other human being you ever came | In contact withT'
 l "You say violent anger and In al- most the last degree. What is the last ] degree?' .T,aup you draw the line of distinc- ! ton between the last degree and that | immediately before?"
 Il don't think that can be done with certainty
 The succeeding questions were main- itv amount the different degree Of mental | deraneement and then at the sugges- | ton of the defense Judge Harrison de- olared a recess until ? o'clock.
 At the afternoon session M. s. Rems- burg of Elkwood. the next witness testified that he met Philip Strother on a train three days prior to the tragedy He was excused after testi- | h. or was drinking because he 'smelled liquor on his breath" and added that ' Philip had spoken to him of drinking.
 Rev. J. Ware. the Episcopal minister who married Bywaters and Viola Strother was called to rebut Mir Remsburg's testimony. He flatly con tradicted the statement that Philip l strother had been drinking on the oc' caslon referred to.
 Tha ounstfou of hrfn Ring Edward |,