Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1914-03-31
WIFE MURDERER
TO PLEAD CASE
PORTER CHARLTON. AMERICAN,
ACQUIRES SUFFICIENT kNOWL-
EDGE OF ITALIAN TO ADDRESS
JURY IN HIS CASE.
PUBLIC OPINION CHANGES
ITALIANS EXHIBIT INTEREST IN
CASE OF YOUNG AMERICAN. FOL
LOWING EFFORTS IN HIS BE
HALF BY HIS LAWYERS.

(ISsocidfcd Press COrrcSpoBdcRcc.l
Como. Italy. March 3l.-Portcr Charl
ton. the 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 10 avail himself oi
the privilege under the Italian law To be
the first and last to address the Jurors
before whom he H. to he tried on the
charge 81 murder.
Sympathy for the accused youth has
been demonstrated frequently during his
detention in the San Donncno Jail. since
c~xtradition from the United States last
August. While Charlton has been study.
ing the language If the country his law.
ycrs have been working up public opin.
ion In his favor. The effect j. apparent.
Visitors Ia the Jail are many ami privil
eyes have been granted To the prisoner
hc the director 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 have kept
him in fine health.
II may be- mid summer before the cas-,
is tried. delays being due 10 extended in
vrstigntionS undertaken by both sides
Charlton's lawyers have been getting
tonch with numerous witnesses in Amer
leu. Twenty Of them have been subpoen
aed. and il is expected that several may
appear personally before the cour. OF
OF Assizers at Como To contribuate their
testimony as tn the psychological condi
ton Of the accused.
While the ease il new i'm the sense that
IL Is the first tim an American citizen
has been extraditcd and tried in Italy,
il does not differ greatly from the so
called crimes Of passion 80 frequent
here.
"Studying the terrible drama. We have
become convinced and will demonstrate
say Charlton's lawyers in a sketch If the
theories they will pursue. chat an oh
scure and inevitable fatality preside,
over these awful crimes. which GO from
death. from the iiyll TO tragedy. by which
n human life is suddenly cut short u,
the hand Of a creature who loved. and
who still passionatcly loves. and who aft
er the crime remains terrified. weakened,
and stunned by what he has done. inca.
pable Of believing that the blood was
shed by him.
Charlton If weak character. incxpcri
cnccd, ovcrw hclmcd by the artful attrac
tion If Mary Scott. was captured hy nm
almost pathological fascination, had his
conscience weakened and cnslavcd and
became the easy tool of incoherent and il
logical excuses.
TO prove this We have added To- the
documents Of the trial the interviews
with Dr. Procaccini. major ia the ROYAL
Navy. who travelled as ROYAL Commits
sioncr aboard the steamer which brought
Charlton from New York 10 Naples. DIR
Procaccini. after having studied Charl
ton for about two weeks. expressed IN,
opinion that Ut the time of the crime h,
was in Il state Of moral infancy. and
therefore i'll a condition of not realizing
the cnormiiy of what he had done.
"In the majority Of eases these crime,
arouse the pity. IN the severity of tn,
Jurors Ii the accused il acquitted th,
reason will not hc found i'm sentimental
itv or distortion ~ the human sense al
iustire. but rather in the conviction al
the Jurors that human agencies should
not inflict further penalties upon IN,
man before them who. having made n vic
tim IL another. j. himself the victim oI
mn memorable fate.
we shall prove before the Court oi
AssizcS that the Charlton drama l. du,
10 an alteration which upset the normal
mental faculties If the accused. This will
clearly appear from the interrogation 81
witnesses. and our contention will h,
further supported by the testimon,s 20
Italian alicni>tA
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