The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-01-15
Expert in Nervous Diseases on
the Stand
SAYS RESPONDENT IS SANE
Three Attendants at Waterbury Asy.
Ium For Insane Also Called a.
Witnesses.

WINS, was Wy ldA Tic IlOSl INTEREST,"
ing of any, made SO by the testimony
OF DR.. David A. Shirres of Montreal,
the expert and specialist in nervous
diseases. Although at times COMPEL.
ed to use medical terms DR.. Shirres in
yariably followed any obscure expires.
sion with such lucid explanations that
not only the jury but even the specta-
tors must have been able to compre
bend and understand the whole.
In the opinion of DR.. Shirres, draw
ing his deductions from the examinat
ions made at Waterbury, Alfred Ma
han is a sane man today and was
sane man on the day that the crime
for which he is being tried was com.
mitted
When court opened this morning
James Maxwell, assistant supervisor
at the Waterbury asylum, was recall.
ed to the stand and his testimony was
continued In answer to questions by
the attorney general. The witness
testified that the respondent used all
the tobacco he codld get and some
times asked for his next weeks sup
ply ahead of time
Cross-examined by Mr.. Barber the
witness testified that he tried half a
dozen times to teach Alfred to play
cribbage but he couldn't learn the
game. Alfred would ask the super
visor for work and would be given
busting and sweeping which he didn't
do very well. In the debating of Al
fred's letters the language of the re-
spondent was crude and the letters
were short. He did not sign his name
to the letters. During the latter part
OF the time that Alfred was at the
asylum money was sent him to pur.
chase an extra supply of tobacco.
G. H. Pinkham, testified that he was
an attendant on the criminal ward at
the asylum and that he was SO employ.
ed while Alfred Mahan was at the In.
stitution. Alfred talked very little
with the witness or any one else. Al
fred was given the work Of busting the
woodwork and did 1t all right. The
witness wrote one letter for him to
his sister. Alfred never had any
spasms or commissions, was never seen
talking to himself or gesticulating.
Ihe witness saw nothing out of the or.
binary with the patient.
Cross-examined by Mr.. Barber the
witness testified that he considered
Alfred's silence unusual. The game
Of pickup played by Alfred was one of
The most simple games Of cards. In
reply to questions concerning the
monthly charts kept by the attendants
the witness testified that the patients
we're weighed the first of every month,
II the patients wept considerably or
laughed the fact was noted. Having
learned that Alfred could not read
The fact was not noted after the first
month. Alfred cried on several days,
just before he came away.
G. A. Cutting testified that he has
been a night nurse on the epileptic and
criminal wards at the Waterbury asy.
lum and testified that Alfred would be
in bed when he went on the ward and
that he saw but little of the patient.
He never heard any disturbance In
Mahan's room or saw anything out OF
the ordinary when he looked into the
room, as he did several times each
night
Cross-examined by Mr.. Barber the
witness testified that Alfred never
| made any trouble.
Dr. David A. Shires of Montreal ties
tilted that he was graduate of Aber
| deem and London colleges and a mem
her of several institutions and that he
had been connected with the Univer
sity of Vermont for the past eight
years and had treated the insane per
sons for the same period. The wit
ness first saw the respondent in Aug
dst and in all six times. On the first
time he examined him as to his ner
vous system and was unable to fine
any definite nervous difficulty. The
muscles Of the eye responded to the
will, the hands were normal, as were
also the muscles of the legs. The
memory was good, as was ascertaineG
by questions regarding his parents
and school life. The connections witt
The brain were found to be intact
A large percentage of epileptics bite
the tongue but in Alfred's case there
we're no scars. The reflex action O.
The throat was normal as was the fell
of vision. There was no congestion
Of the blood vessels back of the eye
Found no scars on the head or indica
ton of injury that would produce epil
epsy. The blood pressure was nor
nal. If there was any hereditary ten
dency In the family to hardening o
the arteries 1t had not yet develope,
in the respondent.
What conversation the witness ha,
with the respondent was in relation I,
his life, in which he learned that h
had never learned how to read o
write, Alfred informed the witnes
that he was to be tried but did no
state for what offence.
On second visit fortnight late
he examination was similar to tn
first with the same results. The wi,
ness was with Alfred about an hour
Three weeks later the witness mad
a third visit and made similar exam
nation but in this and all subsequen
visits he was unable to discover an
abnormal condition.
Alfred was asked II he ever ha
hallucination, heard voices or bee
hypnotized and replied in the negs
tive and he never made any prefer
sions along these lines. In the opir
ion of the witness Alfred Mahan is
sane man.