The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-22
THE SANITY OF SENIOR MASON Question Raised in Mo-
 bile Will Case. CRAZY, SAY THE SERVANTS Mrs. Fletcher Tells of His Fond
 ness for Women. Niece of Dead Tanker Says He TsId of His Mistress-Business
 Associates en the
CRAZY, SAY THE SERVANTS

Mobile, Dec. 21.-(Special. .)-All the witnesses introduced at the Mason trial today corroborated the testimony given yesterday by several servants of the household in regard to the actions of James of James Henry Mason. Sr., all of whom swore that in their opinion he was insane.
 The most important witness of the day was Mrs. Fletcher. niece Of the dead banker. and who also told of fre- auent rages MT. Mason went into. She further testified as to several mern- bers of the Mason family being put in insane asylums and that she believed his insanity was hereditary.
 The lawyers had a rather long and unintsresting argument over the, read ing of several dispositions with the re- suit that they were ordered read by court.
 After the depositions had been dis pose. If the attorneys for the contest ant an< ,unced that they would exam inc Mrs. Henrietta Fletcher. who said she was the wife of Rev. Mir. Fletcher of Maryland. She never met Mrs. Mary Lee Mason until after the di- yorce. She had received letters from MT. Mason and had visited Mobile at his request. She said he often spoke of women of questionable character. He told her in particular that one wo- man was his mistress. He continually talked of his mistress and his harsh feelings against his son. He had no use for him and intended to leave noth- ing to him. He often got excited and walked the floor. mumbling to himself. He always spoke of Henry as illegiti- mate and in contemptuous terms.
 She told of Christmas gift Henry sent his father and the actions of Mir. Mason. She spoke of scar on -l. 1t L inA fnA fin Nashville Tenn, in store by customer. She said he admitted having pains in his head from the wound. During the winter she spent with him Mir. Mason spoke of pains Tn ms nead.
 In speaking of his conversation with her she said he told her he could not have been as successful in the North as he had been in Mobile.~as the men in Mobile "are slow"
 She then went back to the subject of women, saying that MT. Mason made his mistress get riding habit and hat and horse and ride down town as near like Mrs. Mary Lee Mason as she could. He compelled his mistress to ride down the street behind his for fner wife. The witness expressed fear of the mistress. She said Mir. Mason enjoyed being with women. respectable or notorious. He was afraid. however, that women would exercise influence over him and that the relations of his mistress would compel him to marry her. He said he feared to meet his God if he married a second time.
 Mrs Fletcher testified to promises Mr. Mason made relative to making a will. He did not intend to leave his son anything. He had abused his own sisters and made threats against oth- male relatives to come around him. male relatives to come around him. and had written her relative to that. He received letters weekly from wc- men and regularly from his mistress while visiting In Maryland. He said his visit to a minister while in Mary land would help him In Mobile. He drew a will in her favor and wrote her several letters. She identified certain letters from him along this subject.