The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-03
EXPERT CLARK IN
STROTHER TRIAL
AlieniSt Declares Two Brothers
Were Mentally Deranged
MOI INSANE, SAYS ANOTHER
The State Will Call Third Witness to
Counterfeit Emotional Insanity
Plea of Men Who Killed
Brother-in-Law.
MOI INSANE, SAYS ANOTHER

| Culpeper, Va, March 1.-The attempt of
the defense TO show that Phillip and
James A. strother, charged with the muir
der of William +. Bywaters, their BROTH
er-in-iaw were laborng under the stress
Of emotional insanity on the night Of the
shooting was the feature of their trial
today Two Witnesses one called by the
defense 10 prove its theory of ''irressti-
be impulse, and the other by the state
in rebuttal, gave expert opinions.
The testimony of DR.. Charles Clark, con-
nected with the government hospital for
the insane at st. Elfzabeths, the defense
witness, declared in the broadest sense
his belief that the two brothers were
mentally deranged ON the night of the
tragedy at Rotherwood, the Strothers
home.
The testimony of the states witness,
! DR. w. f. brewery of Petersburg, con
! nectod with the State Central hospital for
( the insane negroes, was that the Strother
brothers were not, In his belief, insane
! lie stated it as his belief that the men
were induced by the greatest anger
almost to the limit-.o do the deed
To further controvert the emotional IN
sanity plea advanced by the defense, the
prosecution will call third witness Dr.
Jarnette, of the Western State hospital
at Stanton, Va, on Monday.
DR.. Clark Appears.
The tedium of the Strothcr trial was
! forgotten this morning in the interest
which attached to the appearance of DR..
Charles Clark, whose presence here is
to develop for the defense all that may
come out of its new plea that the stroth-
er brothers were seized with uncontro-
able emotional insanity on the night of
the shooting.
In my opinion" said Dr. Clark slow
ly, as Attorney Moore for the defense
ceased reading the hypothetical question,
the act was an irresistible impulse, and
it can also be designated scientifically as
impulsve insanity, the result of high
ly emotional state, brought on by many
insults TO which the accused had been
subjected"
Doctor" asked Mr.. Moore, lis there
any rigid test as to the excess of mental
insanity or mental arrangement
mo sir
us the condition of mental deranSe-
ment preceded by any one cause or set
of causes?"
'rhe causes are numerous
"What are the principal causes of msn-
tai arrangement?
Z "Stress, usually" replied the witness.
"rhere may be a variety of thlnss-a
great varlety--causing stress.
MAY the condition of mental deranSe-
ment occur without prior diseaseY
I'm my opinion it can
us there any fixed period of duration
for the. condition of mental arrangement
which occurs in the human SYSTEM?
Capt Micajoh Wood said to DR.. Clark
Sane Up to Crime.
"These men were sane up to the time
of the crime and sane afterward ana dur
ing the tragedy they exercised their
power in connection with one act Wheh
they perpetratod the homicide. wherein
do You draw the distinction between
what Won call impulsive insanity and
RACES anger, such as any man might have
borne in his hosom?"
II framed my opinion in TINS case on
the Hypothetical question, and peleNe
it can be logically put into TWO separate
acts The first when they had received
information at various times of wrong
doing on the part of the deceased. ana
The Information accumulated. AS | un-
derstand they had a consultation, met
and considered and waited and reasoned
and determined finally to tell TINS YOUNG
! man he must marry their sister OF they
would kin aim Between the execution
of the act from the time they made the
decision there was an interval. During
that interval the mental process was one
of peace. as is evidenced by the fact thal
they congratulated him on his stand and
kissed their sister. And there the men
tai process ended. The new process was
dae entirely to a sudden impulse | think
ti.,s,4 Ian
intellectual process and that the act was
not committed under full volition OF
power"
The witness sold he thought that from
the time the deceased made a sudden
break to get out of the room-from that
time on until the end Of the erime-there
was mental arrangement
Defense Rests.
With the CONCLUSION OF Dr. Carks testi-
, mony the de- else rested IT'S case.
me state tnen called Dr. W. +. Drewry
: of Petersburg to reputt DR.. Clarks testl-
mony. or. DreWry III reply to questions
by Mr. Keith stated that mis- experiences
as an alienist hau been in treating pa
tents at the Central State hospital tor
insane negroes.
J. jie nau treated but lew white insane
patients, he said.
Mr. >eith then read the same hypothet-
ical question propounded 10 Or. Clark.
What mental condition in your opinion,
doctor, would result from that condition,
as YOU see it, asked Mr. Keith
violent anger, he replied.
Mr.. Keith then changed his question to
show whether or not the efforts OF the
Strother brothers to RESTRAIN Bywaters
from leaving the house had materially
affected tnelr mental condition.
Il should say said Dr. Daewry, that
;ney were ansry-almost to the last de-
gree
lie stated that the events both before
and after We're such as 10 produce anger.
Were these men, in your opinion, in
sane?" asked Mr.. Keith.
NO" he replied, Il don't think they
were insane"
Dr. Dre~ry.
Attorney Lee for the defense then
took up the questioning. asking DE-.
Drewry: lis the organism of Virginia
sentleman's mind as sensitive as that of
any other human being you ever came in
contact within
II think SO.
"You say violent anger. and in almost
the last degree. What is the last de-
gree