The Washington herald., 1915-01-10

the verdict But they did not count upon
DR.. Floyd S. Gregg. the Buffalo alienist.
DR. Gregg took the stand at the Cleary
trial and said that Cleary was in a "twi-
light state" when he committed the
crime The great mental shock that
Cleary suffered when he was told of his
daughters condition, DR.. Gregg said, was
accelerated by alcohol. and both together
made Cleary irresponsible for the crime.
And so well did DR.. Crego urge this point
and so much evidence did he bring in
support of it that the jury promptly went
to work and acquitted Cleary.
Justice Joseph Morschauser the trial
Judge, condemned the verdict. So did
Mrs. Harriet Stanton BlatCh. president OF
the Women's Political Union. The YER
dict was disgraceful." she says. 1T
stands as an example of American law
lessness. 1t is time that all men got over
the idea that the honor of US women is
in their especial keeping. We are per-
fectIy able to protect it ourselves
But despite all the condemnation the
verdict brought forth it stands. 1t is
granite monument to the fact that anoth-
or new and effective defense has been
founf for the murderer, especially for
the murderer with funds. 1t is also an
imperishable monument to the fact that
the only unsafe man in the American
legal world is the sane man.
The Cleary case, recent as il is is al
together Overshadowed by the Thaw
murder case. which is still altogether too
Verdant in the American mind. The in
sanity plea was not used in this case for
the first time by any means. but never
before in the history of crime were so
many experts brought together. never be-
fore were SO many insanity terms
brought forth. and never before was COM
mon sense so completely defeated by
mediO-techniCal obscurities.
"Dementia Americana and brain
storm were two insanity terms which
were brought forward by this trial Sci
entists who had enjoyed a countrywide
reputation previous to the trial for what
they were supposed to know about in
sanity were exposed as dulards and i'm
posters. Scientists previously unknown
blOSsOmed over night into insanity eX-
perts with international regulations. The
Thousand and one insanity pleas put
forth saved the prisoner from conviction
and death and sent him TO an insane
asylum, which--as many persons believe
will not hold him for long.
The twilight state" defense offered
by William V. Cleary was without prece-
dent in criminal trials in this country,
according to Or. Floyd S. Gregg. the
Buffalo alienist who gave the technical
defense evidence for the defense. Or.
Gregg testified that great mental
shock, accelerated by alcohol, made
CIeary irresponsible while in the "twi-
light state.
DR.. Gregg admits that he is not the
originator Of the term twilight state"
1t originated with the late Professor
Mendel. of the University of Berlin. Pro-
fessOr Mendel used it in his text book on
psychiatry. the translation of which was
published in this country in 1907. Pro-
fessor Mendel gave this definition to the
twilight state:
This is the want of clearness of con-
sciousness. In this case the psychic
phenomena which are being completed
are not recognized by the individual The
actions performed in this condition are
completed on the threshold of self-eon-
sCiousness by means of images of men,
ory."
DR.. Gregg. who is consulting physician
of the Providence Retreat in Buffalo, an