The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1915-01-27
PERKINS Convicted
THREE YEARS FOR SLAYER OF
HIRMAN ON STEAMER
CRAzED BY MAD Voices

tkALEU Dl MAD YUlG[l
Tried in the United States Court a
: Columbia Boston Architect Tell
One of the Most Interesting Stories
Ever Heard in a Court Room il
I. This Country.
With the same stoical indifference
that has marked his conduct during
his entire trial, George B. Perkins
Boston architect, was Thursday night
sentenced by Judge H. A. NJ. Smith
in the federal court at Columbia, tc
three years in the Atlanta federal
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 2:30
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 a
writ of. error will be sued for, and
Judge Smith fixed $1,000 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 il he
serves the sentence imposed upon
him.
Perkins told his story Wednesday.
With gripping intensity he described
"the awful hallucinations," "the su-
pernatural voices that drove me into
a frenzy" and this series Of horri-
Bile Nightmares that were ten thou
sand times worse than anything
have ever experienced, from which I
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-
Der 9, 1914, when he had luncheon
| with his brother-in-law, H. B. Rol-
| 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-
tons in the form Of black nebulous
objects" his departure for the West
! Indian Islands on the Clyde liner Mo-
hawk, t'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 thousand
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 a calm.
quiet voice how he recklessly drank
from bottle of medicine which bore
directions to take 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 qualifica-
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
lecting his thoughts. Again he would
inject a humorous touch by reciting
some trivial circumstance-for in
stance, his attempt to read an e1ces-
siyely dull book on the ship Or to reg
lister his complaint against the SER
vice in the dining room.
Once he controverted testimony Of
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
lI 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
tweetched, he stretched out his legs
and dangled them in the air in illus
tration. The voices would be dlscon-
tirued 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 his
own behalf After a brief recital OF
his life work and his habits, he
Launched into his remarkable story
Perkins stated he was A years, two
months and six days Of age; that he
was an architect and designer, haV-
| ing designed the furniture for the
ways and means committee of the ma
tional House of Representatives, fo1
the New York public library and 9th
er noted buildings.
'I have been eight times in Eu,
rome, three times around the world, q
dozen or more times in the West In
dies, and through South America.
went over the Andes Mountains wheI
four revolut' ons we're in progress II
Argentina. He stated he generall5
drank light wines after his meals.
Perkins stated he wanted to go te
the West Indies to do "some huntln&
: and swimming" He said he fell
: nervous" when he left Boston, Nov