The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-10-21
EXPERTS TESTIFY.
Many Doctors Called to Stand in
GOrdOn-Munn Case.
Question of Sanity of Late G. s.
Gordon.
CASE HINGES UPON
His Strange Actions During His
Last Years.
From ParsimOny to Liberality-
Forgotten Wealth.

The hypothetical question has come
in the Munn-Gordon case. 1t IS
comprehensive article involving many
strange acts of G. S. Gordon during
the later years of his life and a sue
cession of doctors representing the
talent of Topeka were placed on the
witness stand today by the plaintiff
counsel in their effort to prove that
the late Mr.. Gordon was not OF
sound mind, during his later years.
Suppose" the question runs, that
a man who up until a few years OF
his death had been most exact1ng
business man, one VINO denleo ms
own family all but the bare neces-
stiles of life and demanded the closest
economy in every matter of the house
hold affairs, and who had refused his
only son, who was about to enter into
a mercantile business a wedding pres
ent until urged by others of the fam
lily to do so, and finally consented to
paItry check of 5000, when he was
worth 100000 and had 100000 in
bank, suddenly becomes so len1ent
that he presented a stepson with an
automobile costing $500; suppose that
he then presents his wife with two diff
ferent checks for $1,000 each; sup
pose that he had in the bank $4,000
in two deposit certificates paying IN
terest but renewable every six months
in order to draw that interest, that up
to this period he had been most dill
gent in renewing those certificates
when they had expired, but that then
he began to neglect this renewal and
finally forgot that he had any money
in the bank and when so advised by
the bank authorities denied the fact;
suppose that he was engaged in real
estate transactions with DR.. Mum
and that DIR. Mum collected rents and
so forth and paid him regularly his
I,,,% hot 6n forget
payments and insist that they had
not been made until the doctor requir-
ed that a memorandum be kept; sup
pose that he received a letter from
Texas enclosing a dividend on grocer
stock in that state but that he insisted
to the doctor that he did not own any
such stock until the doctor opened the
safe and showed him the certificates;
suppose that he went to a man whom
he had known 20 years and asked
him for payment for returned lum-
Der when that man had never been
engaged in the lumber business; sup
pose that he became nervous and suf-
fered SleepleSsneSS over the closing OF
an alley back of his residence and
that he went to some person COM
planning about it and in a few days
approached the same person again
about it forgetting that he had spok-
en- to him and that he went to that
person again the third time bringing
would you say that he was possessed
of sound and discerning mind?"
DIR. Biddle ON the Stand.
DIR. T. c. Biddle, superintendent of
the state hospital for the insane, was
placed on the stand as an expert. In
his answer he testified that he consid
cred such a man of unsound mind In
finishing his testimony he stated that
he had received 5000 cases into the
hospital
The shaking palsy with which Mr..
Gordon was afflicted during the later
ten years of his life is known to the
doctors as paralysis agitans or Park
inson's disease. A. E. Crane in his
cross examination of the witness asked
him:
"Out of these 5000 patients. doctor.
how many were there of this class ?"
''Oh. about eight or ten"
''Will you cite us a single example, |
for instance?"
Dr. Biddle's eyes sought the ceiling
for relief, but he answered, st do not
remember of any,
"Picture a man." continued Mr. |
Crane. who would in your opinion fill
the description of the hypothetical
question:
"A fellow who was not competent to
convey his property judiciously, as he
was ten years before the witness |
replied.
Other Experts Testify.
Dr. Hammil, DIR. Mcclure and DIR. |
Grubbs all concurred in the opinion
generally stated that the man would
not be possessed of a sound mind.
DR.. H. B. Hogeboom, who occupied
an Office in the same suite with DR..
Mum for a number of years and who |
had known Mr.. Gordon for many |
years. was placed on the stand.
Estate what changes you observed |
in Mr.. Gordon four or five years be- !
fore his death?' Attorney Hite asked. |
Formerly he had always known me
and spoken to me but at that time he |
seemed to have forgotten who I was
and would not speak until I would go |
UP to him and tell him was DR. Hoge- |
boom. Then he would remember |
me-
Did the change become more no.
ticeable toward the last years of his |
Jife?"
81 do not know. as moved in 1907. |
and did not see much of NJ. Gordon
after that time
you have heard this hypotheticel
question:"
Eyes, sir
I'm the course of your practice has
this disease paralysis agitans, come
under your observation"
Eyes, SIR
"Are you acquainted with this Park
irsons disease?"
ST am"
State if Mr.. Gordon exhibited it,"
Have you formed an opinion from
the hypothetical question whether or not
Mr.. Gordon was of sound mind?"
II have"
WAS he possessed of a sound mind,
in your orinion?"
He was not"
Mr. Larimer or the cross examination
after the preliminary questions asked:
Were you associated with Dr. Mum
during your occupancy of rooms near
him?''
Yes, gave the chloroform for him"
Were you quite closely associated
with him? ''
IT was"
did he talk to you before this triaI?''
mo. sir. :"
you are now intimately associated
hin, 70 Won