Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-05
PLEA BEING sUBsTAN.
TlATED IN BEHALF OF PAT.
RIcIDE M'NAMARA,
DEFENDANT QUEER FROM
INFANCY TO MANHOOD
Many Witnesses Vet to Be Examined
by Defense in Addition to Expert
Testimony and End of Trial is Far
off-court Rules FavorabIy to Pris-
oner on Important Point.

Special to Times Republican.
Northwood, April 5.-The first direct
proof that Ed Mcnamara, on trial
here for numbering his father, was
when a baby subject to commissions
came Saturday, when Mrs. Katherine
Kane, testified that he had spasms
when a baby which the doctors dag
nosed as spinal meningitis. Under the
circumstances, the attending physi-
clans being dead, she was permitted
to testify as to what they said. She
described his commissions vividly, and
also told of a time when he visited at
her home in Lanesboro, Mimi, two
years ago, when he acted so strangely
that she feared that he would become
violent, and watched him almost con-
stantly, to guard against an attack. At
that time he laughed, and cried, and
talked to himself, without reason
therefor, apparently, and gave no at
tention to the remarks of people who
tried TO talk to him, most of the time,
and when he did talk was brief and
reticent. She said that he could not
talk about his mother at all, breaking
down entirely when her name was
mentioned.
The defense still has many witnesses
to offer, besides the medical testimony
No one has yet hazarded a guess as to
how much longer the defense will
take.
About Tom ScanIon.
John Barrett, of Lanesboro, Mimi,
testified concerning the peculiar be-
havior of Tom Scanlon, who was his
cousin, and the uncle of Ed. He said
that Tom came to his home once, and
told him that he knew just exactly
when he was going to die, and that he
wanted to make his will and leave
forty acres of his land to Barrett
There was no earthly reason why he
should do this but he insisted that he
wanted to. Barrett put him to bed
and kept him over night, and then sent
him to see the priest. The priest adj
vised Tom to take a long walk and
get the idea out of his mind But he
could not get rid of the idea that he
wanted to give something to Barrett,
and was determined to give him his
note for $1,000. This Barrett refused
From these circumstances, he formed
an opinion as to his sanity, but the
court ruled, sustaining the states OBJ
lection that sufficient foundation had
not been laid for the giving of a non
experts opinion, and he was not al
lowed to give his opinion to the jury.
This testimony like the other about
the uncles of the accused, is intended
to show hereditary insanity.
Was Queer in Dakota.
Thomas Stanton, formerly of lanes
boro, Mimi, but now living most of the
time on a farm near Bowman, N. D.,
was the next man called for the de-
Tense. He had met Ed several times
last summer, and described him as
having seemed to be very nervous and
excited. His way of talking was pc
culiar, seeming to hesitate between his
words, and could not "get them out
right" The witness described Eds APP
pearance as that of a man who was
brooding over something He noticed
these peculiarities whenever he saw Ed,
and they made q marked impression
upon him.
Discussed With Others.
Mr.. Stantons testimony did not mar
rate as striking incidents concerning
Eds past life as some of the other wit
nesses have described. He admitted
on cross examination that there We're
only two times when he had conversa-
tons of any length with Ed but it
was brought out on cross examination
that Eds appearance and actions made
such an impression on him that he
formed an opinion as to his mental
calibre, and discussed the matter with
others, once with friend on the way
nome, after seeing Ed, and talking to
him about his deep well and gasoline
engine, for which he had been getting
some repairs. They thought it strange
and lmpracticable that a man should
dig a 800 foot we'll, and put in a gas
engine, when other wells in that col1n-
try are only from ten to so feet deep.
MI. Stanton had discussed Eds an
pearanee and talk, upon the day when