The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-09-27
INSANITY PLEA
IS STRENGTHENED
BY PAST EVENTS
Brother and Sister of Benjas
min Hubbard Were De-
clared Insane
PREVIOUS EFFORTS TO
ASSASSlNATE DR.. PETITE
Man Who Committed Muir
der At Lovingston Was .
Boyhood Neighbor
of Physician

| Especial by Long Distance Telephone.N
LIVINGSTON, VA. Sept. 80
Quiet prevails here to-day following
I tho shooting of DR.. J. a. Petit by
benjamin Hubbard, in front Of tho
Virginia Hotel yesterday. Though
there is nothing heard on the streets
| or in the homes OF the town but talk
I OF the murder. there seems to be leSQ
| excitement than might be axpectedsa
due no doubt to the gradually ac-S
cepted belief that the man who CONF
mttted the shooting Is q lunAuc, OH
that, If he is sane, he will be gtveud
d speedy trial and ready justice.
Speculation Is rife AZ to the result3
of the trial. Many are heard to ro-i
call previous curious actions OF Hub-@
bard. and. since the crime has BEEN
committed, there are the usual num-
Der of explanations as to how 1t wa1
brought about and how 1t might hav04
| been avoided
DIR. Petit Shot at Before.
1t is said that DIR. Petit was shotl
at several years ago while ridinEs
down a country road on dark night
The physician was mounted on a
horse of fiery temper and the horse
Is said to have then saved the man
| by jumping forward as figure sud-
denly stepped from under cover into
the road "A flash of gun followed
and the horse broke away and went
at wild speed in the direction of the
physicians home.
Dr. Petit and the man who killed
him were near neighbors. and were
raised on adjoining farms. They had
known each other since they were
boys and until recent years there
was no sign of Ill feeling on the part
Of Hubbard. Unless the current re-
port Is true, that Hubbard resented
the fact that the physician attended
his wife. under orders from Colonel
Hubbard, the father of Benjamin.
there seems 10 be no explanation AZ
TO how the strange hatred was en-
gsndered in the breast of Benjamin
Hubbard.
First Visit in Many Months.
That Hubbard had not been To
Loyingston before in many months Is
said to be a fact. The man remain
ed on his farm, which was one OF the
tenant houses on his fathers PLAN
taton. in the neighborhood of the
Petit home.
Making up his mind that he had
just cause for killing the physician.
Hubbard came to Lovingston yesrer-
day without announcement. How ho
got into the hotel now seems a ulys-
terry. At first it was said that he wax
seen in the lobby OF tho hotel. though
!
kept himself practically out OF sight
until the opportune moment. 1t II
believed that he crept behind DR., Pet
tit, after seeing him seat himself on
the steps of the hotel
DIR. Petit said in the hearing o1
friends recently that he had one man
to keep an eye on, but at the same
time laughed at the idea of any real
danger. He had been cautioned I'd
watch out for Hubbard, who had long
made threats. Knowing the man Al
we'll as he did, DR.. Petit must not
have taken him to be as dangerous
as he has proven himself to be.
separated From His People.
One of the most sensational reports
heard to-day is that following his
marriage to a woman who came here
with him from Tennessee, Hubbard
objected to the attention of the phy-
sician--and this included any phy-
sician--to his wife. declaring that they
should let the woman DIE
1t Is said that he left his family
owing to his marriage and that his
wife was not included in the Hubbard
circle. This, II is said. incensed the
man. and he lived as a tenant rather
than with his people. He had two
sons, or claimed two sons, one On
them boy Of nineteen and the other
a boy of nine years Of age. 1t is re-
ported here that the Oldest son Is the
child or the wife by her first husband
Brother and Sister Insane.
I Hubbard has a. brother now in the
Insane asylum at Staunton This
brother Bernard Hubbard, has long
been insane. 1t is also said that the
murderer had a sister who lost her
mind some years ago and has since
died.
With this TO work on 1t Is believed
, a a yy4h yxr{n IAf~
Hubbard Will have little difficulty tn
getting him in an asylum for the
criminal insane.
Other actions OF Benjamin Hubbard
have caused talk from time to time.
The man was educated at the Nelson.
Academy. conducted by Professor w.
B. Cabell. at Norwood and at Kens-
more Academy in Amherst. He was
regarded as a man of excellent IN.
telligence 80 far as his acquaintance
with books is concerned. He talk0
on any and all subjects with a Quick~
ness not found in the average man.
For this reason there are many whI
deny that Hubbard is crazy or hnn
ever been crazy.
There Was No Mob.
Talk. of mob of course foYYowa
murders like the one which darkenaA
this section yesterday. but that q mos
actually formed can hardly be said -
be true. There y@#re groups ofsw&sk%
gathered who naturally fafS ~
nant. A real mob ~ 10 have a leader
and some organization ind nothing ~
the kind happened here following The
murder.
The railroad men fearing that some
effort might be made to get the MAJ
from the train assisted the authoettie9
In working bun, by placing Huh
bard on train No. 20. going south M
Lynchburg. after giving out Z repou1
that the man would be sent 70 CHI
lottesviile on train No. ~. northboun
This worked well. ~
Rumor had It last night that -
(Continued on EixhtA tA001