El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-03-28
IS
AROUSED FOR
WIFE SLAYER.
Porter Charlton's Lawyers
Are Active Among
the Italians.
CLAIM AMERICAN Is
MENTALLY UNSOUND

y ONO, Italy, March 2S-Porter
Charlton, che young American.
who, killed his wife. Mary Scott
Charlton. when they were spending
their honeymoon here in June 1910,
has acquired a sufficient knowledge
OF Italian to avail himself of the
privilege under the italian law to be
the first and the last to address the
Jurors before whom ne is to be tried
on the charge Of murder.
Sympathy for the accused youth has
been demonstrated frequently during
his detention in the san DonnenO Jail
since eXtraditiOn from the United
states last August. While Charlton
has been studying the language of the
country his lawyers have been work
Ing up public opinion in his favor. The
effect is apparent Visitors to the Jail
are many and privileges have been
granted to the prisoner by the direc-
tor and keepers of the jail. His
meals are served from the outside,
Good food and daily exercise in the
court yard Of the palace of justice
nave kept him in fine health.
1t may be midsummer before the
case is tried, delays being due to ex-
tended Investigations undertaken by
both sides.
Witnesses From America.
Charlton's lawyers have been get
ting in touch with numerous witnesses
in America Twenty of them have
been subpenaed, and it is expected that
several may appear personally before
the court of Assizes at Como to con-
tribute their testimony as to the psy-
choloEical condition of the accused.
" ME the case is new in the sense
lhar II is the first time an American
citizen has been extradited ard tried
IN italy, It does not differ greatly
from the socalled crimes of passion so
Theories Are Outlined.
Studying the terrible drama, we
have become convinced and viii dem
onstrate, say Charlton's lawyers in
sue that an obscure and inevitable
fatality presides over these awful
crimes, which go from love to death,
from the idyu to tragedy, by which a
human life is suddenly cut short by
the hand of a creature who loved
and who still psssionately loves and
who after the crime remains terri
lied, weakened, and stunned by what
ne mas done, incapable of believing
that the blood was shed by him
charlton, Of weak character. mex
periencedt overwhelmed by the art
1ul attractions OF Mary Scott was can
tured by an almost pathological fas-
clnauon, had his conscience weakened
and enslaved and became the easv
IooI OF incoherent and Illogical ez-
ITO prove this we have added to
the documents Of the trial the inter
views with DR.. Procaccini major in
LtlS NY al -Ndt+s VINO travelled as
ROYAL commissioner aboard the steam
er which brought Charlton from New
ork to Naples Dr. PrOcaccini, after
having studied Charlton for about two
weeks, expressed the opinion that at
Inc time OF the crime he was in
state of moral infancy and there
fore in a condition OF not realizing the
enormtty Of what he he done.
Mental Alteration the plea.
In the majority % cases these
crimes arouse the pity, not the sever
ity of the jurors II the accused is |
acquitted the reason will not be found
IN senumentality or distortion Of the /
Continued on last page, this section. col. ~