The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1912-05-15
Alicnist Briggs Finds He Is a
Degenerate. but Responsible
for His Acts.
PRISONER HOLDS lP WELL
Goes to state Prison Handcuffcd
to Guard-Sccond Report
Of Alicnists To-day.

mobile this afternoon
| Tonight the former Baptist clergyman n
is occupying one of the three death cells
in which condemned criminals have
spent their last days before going to the
electric chair.
| IL IL only thirteen PAGES from the iron
grating that forms the door OF Richeson 5
quarters to the deadly contrvancc
| Richeson can sec the door of the death
chamber from his cell. and unless there
is intervention on the part of Gov. Foss
and the Executive Council he will pass
through it not to come out alive some
time early next Monday or Tuesday
morning
Rcheson will in all probability h'
executed. Everything points that way
! now.
What is to be done at the State House
has not been decided upon yet Gov.
FosS has received the opinion of only
one of his alienists, DR. L. Vernon Briggs.
, Secretary Holman said tonight that his
chief had not read the opinion yet.
Gov. Foss is awaiting the reports Of
the other three alienists. Drs. Stedman.
Tuttle and Frost. but he had not received
/ them up TO O'Clock tonight. and Sec
rotary Holman said he did not believe
they would be turned in until tomorrow
Holman said there was nothing new
and that Gov. Foss had no statement to
make tonight. Holman did say that the
Richeson case would not he placed be-
! fore the Executive Council at tomorrow =
meeting. This does not mean that Gov.
Foss has decided not to refer the plea
Of the condemned man for commutati ion
of sentence. because there will he ample
time to do that within the next three days,
when the council is To sit on the primary
election results.
Should the Governor make up his mind
| from what the doctors tell him that Richie
son = mental condition is such that he will
be justified in asking the council to give
IA hearing at which the alienists' reports
will he read and counsel heard he will do
/ so. but Mr.. Foss. although opposed to
capital punishment. has no intention OF
shifting the responsibility to the council
At the State House this afternoon il
became known that the report of DR.
! Briggs shows that while Richeson prob
ably was responsible under the law for
his acts when he poisoned his former
I ana Niieil Nv IllN tOIiI'SNtOIl
he is SO abnormal mentally that his case
, is most pu2z!ing.
I There is reason to believe that had
! there been a law providing for the con
! fnement Of degenerates. "a is proposed
| Richeson might have been kept in an
asylum for the last two years. The
report is said TO show that the murderer
is beyond doubt a degenerate in several
ways
Richeson had spell, resembling cata-
lepsy. which were induced by strong
emotions. and for some time after them
he probably was far from normal Even
for a few hours before one of these spells,
would become evident To the casua
observer he would be coming more and
more under its effects When the spell
really was on the subj iect was unconscious
or semi conscious.
As Richeson was unable to perform any
act while under one of these fits it is
evident that he could not have been in
that condition when he murdered Miss
Linnell. when he confessed to that crime
or when he pleaded in court
The question raised by DR.. Briggs $
| report is the rather puzzling one of just
where the law draws the line between a
man who is legally sane and one who is
not The intent Of the law is to protect
| society, and on this basis the man =
ability to know right and wrong and to
follow either course is tls' deciding factor.
THIS would Indicate that Richeson Is
responsible for his acts. and if the repor,
Of the u alienis;s commission comedies with
that Of DR. Briggs there is little likelihood
Of the murderer being saved
Should the commission coincide with
DIR. BrigXss views there would seem to be
little chance that Gov. Foss would
refer the plea for communication of the
death sentence 10 the Executive Council
Still the Governor. nevertheless, may
decideAto get the councils views because
of the puzzling legal situation. which
. qualities Dr. Bnggs's finding in measure.
| True To his word Sheriff Quinn held
Richeson at the Jail until after dinner.
| This WAS done TO allow the alienists to
put him through another examination
this forenoon If they desired. but none
of them visited the institution. The
Sheriff probably received some word
from the state House about ] O'Clock
that there was no longer any necessity
/ of holding Richeson. although. strictly
( speaking, he could have turned the Dris-
oner over Ia Warden Bridges at any time
between lastltridsy and next Sunday.
NNTlnS IoT inc tpIltleUllcu man was n
responsibility that Sheriff Quinn did moi
relish, He has been fearful that some
! thing would happen to Richeson while
| in his charge and he made haste 10 sur
render him to the State authorities in
| Charlestown,
| Richeson. however did not know what
| plans were being made. He was sittino o
| in his cell reading at 3:IS O'Clock this
afternoon when Deputy Sheriff Kelley
opened the door and remarked pleasantly.
"Co'nc ON, doctor, we're going to take
a walk"
kchcson expressed his pleasure, think
ing that he was going to stroll out of
doors IN the sunlight, IA privilege which
he had when he was convalescing from
his self inflicted wounds. Sheriff Kelley
marched alongside tho prisoner ~
they descended from the second tier
Of cells to the roi'nda, from the vcinit v
of which everybody had been cleared.
As he stepped down Richeson saw
sheriff Quinn, Court Officers Lane and
Mccarthy and Jail Clerk Iowle standing
near the door. Mccarthy had a pair ~
handcuffs with him. One was locked IN
his left wrist and the other danrleI
When he got within n fow feet OF The
group Richeson spied il He was starr led
and stenped hack, just then Kelley
graspod his right arm, and tho Others
=. asssted in locking the condemned man 10
: Mccarthy. w
hicheson was nOnplussed for o. few
seconds, lost what little color he had in
his cheeks and stared at the sheriff Then
hC recovered hls pomnnarro ,..i 49,