Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-09-01
says Boy 10 Insane.

insane. IT'S hereditary insanity"
These were the first explanations of
Mrs. Lulu N. Petit, the boys mother,
when she learned Thursday night 4
sthe tragedy. Mrs. Petit lives at 1919
A avenue, west.
Mrs Petit was found In a moving
picture theater at $3.50 by newspaper
men. ready to leave for Chicago at II
o..cleek in response to- letter from
Pettit's: employer. c. NJ. Tuttle cred
it manager, saying the boy was show
ing signs Of mental arrangement. She
Immediately came to the Republican
office to learn the details Of her sons
trouble and there she was appraised Of
the real nature Of the tragedy.
Tragedy No Surprise.
For moment Mrs. Petit seemed
stunned. But she did not seem sur
prised.
IT was afraid OF IT," said the moth-
/; er When he left Cedar Rapids Tues
Gay night he begged me to have him
placed in an asylum. He was wild
with Jealousy over Katherine. He
said she was going with other men
and they were trying to take her
away from him. He said that If they
succeeded he would dynamite them
ALL
Grief stricken but composed the
gray haired mother told police officers
and newspapermen Of her struggle for
the last few months to help her son
maintain his sanity.
Father Was Insane.
According to her story Morris's
father, J. C. F. Petit, was insane for
many years and two or three years
ago was sent to the state asylum. Re-
Gently he was paroled to a brother in
Michigan.
The son has been perfectly Norman
until the last few years. He was en-
ployed for many years In the Mer-
chants National Bank. He was mar.
ried to a Miss Gaskill, daughter of a
/ former landlord Of the Allison Hotel,
Later she obtained a divorce.
fs Petit worked In Minneapolis for a
1 time but has been in Chicago for the
lpast three years. Petit made good
in his work and was earning 500 q
week when q few months ago he met
1S-year-old Katherine Sheibner. Ac-
cording to Pettit's mother, the Sheib
rers enticed him into marriage with
? the girl. The marriage occurred a
month ago.
Acted Strangely While Here.
Since that time Petit has not been
himself. He and his bride came to
Cedar Rapids on their wedding trip.
Even then, his mother says he was
morose and acted much as his father
had. When the young couple left
Mrs. Petit pleaded with her daugh-
ter-in-law TO watch over Morris.
Several times since then Petit has
come to Cedar Rapids, his last visit
+ here ending Tuesday night when he
returned to Chicago. His mother has
done everything in her power, she
says. to help him, both by going
to Chicago to visit him and by sending
4 him to distant points in hopes that the
change might be a benefit. Always
the son complained that his bride wal
not true and he made threats of TAX
ing her life. Il can't get her face
cut of my .,ight,' he toldlhis mother.
Mother Well Known Here.
When Petit left here Tuesday he
told his mother that he owed $50 in
Chicago. The idea that he owed money
was one Of his most common hallu-
cinations but, his mother gave him the
amount. Thursday morning she re-
ceived a letter from her. sons employ
ser saying that Petit had tried to pay
! him money he did not owe. Mrs. Pet
tit then decided that she must go to
her son.
Mrs. Lulu Petit is well known to
Cedar Rapids residents. For many
years she has conducted classes In
i Y1tisfc 4 n order that she might tsl1puori
herself and pay the expenses incurred
: by her husbands trouble Norris was
the only child and her che hope was
tia t he gnaigi int be spared the affIictioH
of Il his family. = :, -