Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1907-10-13
GIRL POISONER
IS DECLARED Sane
JENNIE BURCH. WHO KILLED
BABY. WITH POISON TO
BE LIBERATED.

Jennie Ruth Burch, the 15-year-old
nurse girl who, a year ago today,
killed with poison the 2-year-old son
of Herbert Winship, a well-to-do
farmer of Putnam county, has been
declared sane by the officials of the
state asylum here, and is about to
be set free.
DR.. Lamb, superintendent of the
institution, said today that the girl
was sane, so far as he and his col
leagues could judge, when she was
first received here, on the order of
the supreme court at Carmel, after
her acquittal of the charge of MUIR
der, and she has remained sane ever
since. This, Notwithstanding her
hysterical outbreak at the trial, in
March last, when the jury pronounc-
ed her insane.
Continuing adolescent emotional
insanity" was the high-sounding
phrase used to characterize to the
jury her mental condition at that
time. Just what that means nobody
has since been able to figure out.
Il have never seen any sign of in
sanity on her part" said Superin-
tendent Lamb. Ever since she has
been here in the asylum she has
been the almost constant subject of
study by me and the members of
the staff, and We are agreed that she
is sane That being the case, Mat
tewan is not the proper place for
her. have notified Supreme Court
Justice Mills, who committed her
here, that she is sane, and l expect
her to be realeased shortly.
Arrangements have been made
by her grandfather to take her back
under his watchful care She will
be carefully looked after, l have
been assured, and will not be allow
ed to fall into evil ways. 1t is bet
ter for her to be restored to her lib
erty now, at the impressionable age,
so that her future life and conduct
may be properly fashioned by pre-
cept and advice, among good people.
The most that can be said Of
Jennie Burch is that she is not what
is commonly called well balanced. ;
She has what has so often been OBJ
served in children born out of we'd
lock-dulled moral sensibilities.
have questioned her many times and
l do not believe she realizes the
crime she committed in killing the
baby confided to her care.
l do not know why l did it,
has been her nnvarying answer
when questioned regarding her act
That is the only answer anyone has
been able to get out of her. She
talks normally and has been an ON
niverous reader of books in the asy-
lum building. She has never at
tempted harm to anyone since she
has been here. She does not brood,
and she has never shown DISPOSE
ton to melancholia. On the con-
trary, she is of a cheerful DISPOSE
tion.'
Seated the other day on a bench
on the grassy lawn in the women's
Enclosure on the asylum grounds,
Jennie Burch, dressed in a blue
checked bingham dress, looked with
a smile at the antics of number
of other female patients. One young
woman was tumbling over on the
grass trying to play handball. An
other woman, with sandy hair, for
merly a ballot dancer, was execut-
ing a series of terpsichorean gyra-
| tons. After each of her impromptu
ballets, she ran up to the fence,
which she thought was a row of
footlights, and grinned at the imag-
ined audience. None of the other
old women paid any attention to
| her. They all had troubles of their
own, and were walking around,
mumbling.
Il will be glad to leave here,''
said Jennie Burch. Il expect to go
live again with gran'pa.'
Asked why she killed the Win
ship baby, she answered Il do not
know" with an absent-minded. in
different air. On general subjects
she gave rational answers to every
| question. Her manner was quiet,
From one nurse it was learned
that Jennie has talked very little
since entering the asylum, seeking
to avoid the other inmates, even
those of her own age. She has
done more reading than any other
woman inmate. The Bible, though,
| has claimed little of her attention.
Poetry, works of fiction and history
have had strong attraction for her.
Though she has been at Mattea-
wan only since March 80, 1907, she
IL. -