The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-02-04
POPULAR SENTIMENT AT BLUFF
TON, IND, THE HOME OF THE
MAN, is FOR HIM AND HE
WOULD NOT BE SENT TO PEN.
SENTIMENT WITH SMITH.
II Is Asserted That the Medical
Superintendent Would Never Tol-
crate Such Actions Charged in the
Sensational Letter.

The publication of the letter reCeiv-
ed from John w. Terrell. the Bluffton
murderer, confined at Eastern Indiana
insane hospital, has created the great
est excitement at BlufftOn and has
| had the result of influencing public
sentiment in his favor.
| According to advices received from
BIuffton this morning Mrs. Lucy Wolf.
daughter of Terrell and widow of the
man killed by her father, has left
Bluffton and is now on the way TO
Eastern Indiana hospital for the pur
pose Of thoroughly Investigating the
charges made by Terrell.
Dr. Smith, medical superintendent
at the local institution would make
no further statement on the case to-
day.
Popular sentiment in Richmond is
with the superintendent, as il is
thought that not for q second would
he cOuntenanCe inhuman treatment of
patients at the hands of guards at the
institution. The charges made by
Terrell are considered the outgrOWth
of a diseased mind and are not believ-
ed
/ People Of Bluffton on the other
hand, believe that Terrell spoke the
! truth in his sensational letter and it
is rumOred in that city that relatives
OF Terrell will file habeas corpus pro
ceedings in the Wayne circuit court
for the purpose of securing his release
from Easthaven. This action will be
taken, according to the report, SO that
Terrell can again be placed on trial at
BlufftOn. Relatives and friends of the
man are confident that if he was TO be
tried again public sentiment would be
such as to insure a verdict of not gull
ty being returned. A Bluffton dis
patch has the following to say:
Since John w. Terrell has been in
the Easthaven hospital but one man
with whom he was acquainted has
been able to see him. Judge r. X.
Erwin, of the Adams county circuit
court, now of Fort Wayne, made a
visit to Easthaven last summer for
the purpose of talking with him and
satisfying himself as to his true con
ditiOn. He found the murderer con
fined in a cell in the violent ward. and
DR.. Smiths statement that ne was
viciOusly insane was substantiated by
TerrellS appearance and actions. The
judge reported him so upon his re
turn. but still there were many people
in the county who were Yet unwilling
to credit the story. If Terrell tells the
truth in his letter. in which he says
he is allowed TO roam about the hos
pital ward al will, it is asked why does
Smith wish the public to believe that
he is constantly under guard and is
dangerous to be at large in the asy
lum? There is thought to be a rea
son and it i'll develop in the series OF
investigations that are sure TO follow
the appeal OF the murderer TO be talk
en- from the asylum, and placed or
! trial again for his crime.
"Terrell's fate now lies wholly Will
his family and unless they become ac
tive in his behalf at once. he will nev
or be released from the asylum. L
is thought that they will at once in
Nestigate affairs, ascertainIng whether
or not the letter was really writer
by him. They WIZ doubtless find il tC
have been. and there seems no uues
. tion but that tney will tnen begin K
, work toward the end he now wishes
: 1t was said yesterday by a prominen
resident OF Petroleum that the famil,
has already spent $4,000 in Terrell
defense and that at all times durins
l the past three years they have beer
I beseeching attorneys to do somethin.
: toward securing his freedom. and nov
it appears improbable that they viii
not aid in carrying out his desire.