The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-27
PERKINS CONVICTED
THREE YEARS FOR SLAYER OF
HINMAN ON STEAMER
CRAzED BY MAD Voices
Tried in the United States Court at
Columbia Boston Architect Tells
One Of the Most Interesting Stories
Ever Heard in q Court Room in
This Country.

This Country.
With the same stoical indifference
that has marked his conduct during
his entire trial, George B. Perkins
| Boston architect, was Thursday nigh,
Isentenced by Judge II. A. N. Smith
in the federal court at Columbia, tc
three years in the Atlanta fedora
prison for the killing Of F. w. R
Hinman, business manager of the
FLORIDA Times Union, of Jacksonville
last November aboard the Clyde liner
Mohawk.
| The morning was consumed with
arguments by the attorneys. At 2:3C
O'Clock the case was given to the
| jury. After taking one ballot the
jury found Perkins guilty Of man.
slaughter at 4:40 o'clock. Six O'Clock
was named as the time for sentence
to be pronounced.
It was stated by attorneys that
writ Of error will be sued for, and
Judge Smith fixed $4,000 as the
amount of Perkins bond. The case
will be carried on appeal to the fed
eral circuit court at Richmond. If
this verdict is sustained an appeal it
is said that the case will then be
taken to the United States supreme
court. With good behavior Perkins
would be released in two years if he
serves the sentence imposed upon
him.
| Perkins told his story Wednesday.
With gripping intensity he described
'tthe awful hallucinations,' "the su-
| pernatural voices that drove me into
frenzy" and this series Of horri-
Bile Nightmares that were ten thou
sand times worse than anything
have ever experienced, from which
wanted oblivion. even the oblivion OF
by suicide in preference to their con-
tinuation."
In perfect language, making use Of
an unusually large vocabulary, and
with excellent choice Of words to ex-
press the "awfulness" Of his mental
and physical condition, Perkins re-
lated his story, supplying even min
ute details from that time on Novem-
ber 9, 1914, when he had luncheon
| with his brother-in-law, H. B. Hol-
ton of Boston, at Boston club,
through a night in New York at the
Hotel Martinique, when he was be-
set, he said, "by terrible hallucina-
tions in the form OF black nebulous
objects" his departure for the West
Indian Islands on the Clyde liner Mo-
hawk, "the incessant humming in his
ears Of indistinct voices" during the
first night aboard the steamer, the
! frenzy" in which he was thrown
early in the second night on the
steamer "that was ten thoussnd
times worse than anything ever e1-
perienced, and how he obtained the
"oblivion" from these voices and his
| nightmare, he said, he desired, even
SHOULD it have been death"
Perkins told the court in calm,
quiet voice how he recklessly drank
from bottle Of medicine which bore
| directions to take a teaspoonful every
six hours, obtaining the ''oblivion"
he was frantic to find" He declar-
ed he did not remember the shooting
on the deck Of the steamer when he
committed the act for which he is
standing trial.
Displaying some of the qualifca-
tions of the trained actor, the accused
man made incessant use of infection,
facial expression, gestures and move
ments Of his entire body to increase
the horror of the story he related
with effective choice Of words. He
was a willing talker and answered
questions, direct, possibly dangerous
to his cause, with readiness never
hesitating for any reason.
At times the witness would close
his eyes or blink rapidly when col
llecting his thoughts. Again he would
inject humorous touch by recitlng
some trivial .circumstance-for In
stance, his attempt to read al e1ces-
sively dull book on the ship or to reg
lister his complaint against the SER
vice in the dining room.
| Once he controverted testimony or
fered the day before by one OF the
walters as to the dinner to which he
was served. The waiter swore that
Perkins ordered baked cod. "NoW
II never eat Goldfish. It's full OF
worms" said Perkins. The express
sion on his face was one Of disgust
AT different times the witness
would mimic the movements OF the
body when suffering from the halluci'
nation, and to indicate how his feet
rweetched, he stretched out his legs
and dangled them in the air in illus
tration. The voices would be discon'
tinued when the defendant talked
with others, he said.
With a slow, quiet pace, Perkins
walked to the witness chair after Dr.
Roberts had been asked to "come
down" and began to testify in hi:
own behalf. After a brief recital Of
his life work and his habits. he
1annnhed into his remarkable story