New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-05-27
WAITE IS CALLED
A MORAL IDIOT
Continued from page 1

time 70 time has been attempting 10
catch their individual eyes. Egomaniac
that he undoubtedly is, he had assured
/ DR.. Diefendorf that the only reason
/ the air Of the courtroom was charged
with opposition was that no eyes would
meet his.
That's the whole trouble" the de-
PENDANT complained. That's why
they're all against me. I'm still able
to make plenty Of good friends, but be-
fore people become friendly ! have to
look at them and they have TO look at
me. When that's done it's sure
DR.. Diefendorf's testimony appeared
/ TO Undue the jury with some doubt as
TO Yates complete responsibility for
his crimes, although the defendant on
/ the stand readily assumed 1t. Where
/ his predecessor on the stand, DR.. Nor
ris J. Karpas, had become confused in
ss-examination DR.. Diefendorfs air
Of conviction successfully survived the
/ sarcastic broadsides OF Mr. Brothers.
/ That able prosecutor indeed, was put
on the defensive several times by the
swift and barbed replies of the alienist.
/ Before Walter F.. Deuel., Waite's at
torney, propounded his 6.000-word hy-
pothetical question DR.. Karpas told of
/ his several examinations Of the de-
/ PENDANT in Bellevue Hospital and in
the Tombs. The first Of these closely
/ followed the dentists arrest
Mysterious Egyptian Recalled.
II was to DR.. Karpas that Waite
mentioned that evil MAN from Egypt"
who whispered TO him Of wealth at the
end of a short, red road. Although the
defence has made no effort TO divert
the jury's attention 10 the impalpable
Egyptian-such an effort. in fact, hay-
ing been forestalled by Yates jocular
references TO him in letters received by
Mrs. Margaret Horton-the first Of the
slienists touched lightly on this mys-
ferrous personality.
DR.. Kaipas's reference TO the Egyp-
tian WAS brief. He merely quoted
Waite as saying 10 him, in a converse
ton written into his notebook under
date Of april IS:
~ am reincarnation. A Man from
Egypt is my real self"
Questions and answers subsequently
/ jotted down by the alienst showed
that the Oriental DR.. Waite of the
days OF Roman glory had been &C
/ dUainteG with three widely known per
sons Of the period--one Cesar, one
Anthony and one Cleopatra. Also. he
/ seemed 70 have had an intimate
/ knowledge OF their business and
/ pleasure, in speaking OF which he used
| TIE phrase, "the voluptuousness OF the
pyramids"
At another time Waite told Dr. Kar-
pas, according to the latter's testl-
| mony:
81 have two souls But I, myself,
killed the Pecks. ! had motive for
doing IT,"
And again Waite said:
whatever they may say OF me,
pride myself on being kind and always
! giving water TO flowers, so they will
not die. They are beautiful. This is
I nature"
Insanity in Family Shown.
In the Hypothetical question Mr..
Deuel. covered the defendants entire
career as kindly criminal and mild
murdcl err, besides calling attention 10
the strain of insanity which the de-
fence holds is in the family.
"And would you say. Doctor" he
concluded. that such person as
have described is Of sound mind"
"Hc is not Of sound mind" answered
the alicnist. "He didn't know that the
act o. murder was wrong"
From what mental disease would
you say he suffered?'
Moral imbecility, moral insanity
I ard moral idiocy.'
tho Oh 81 ~
person suffering from this affection ?"
Lack of will power and lack of feel
ing. 1t is a congenital condition.
The effect Of DR.. Karpas's testimony
was weakened on cross-eXamination He
admitted he had aided in the prepare
ton OF the hypothetical question which
he was TO answer, after giving an i'm
preston OF evading the issue, and per-
mitted the prosecutor to cloud the sci
entifc processes through which he had
reached his conclusion.
Finally he admitted that II an sde-
quate motive could be shown for the
murder Of the Pecks he would be in
clined TO believe the defendant sane.
On this point DR.. Diefendorf squarely
opposed him later.
DR.. Diefendorf, a late conner in tn,
case. said he had first examined Waite
on May IL.
Slayer Wrote Love Verses.
! 81 asked him what he had been doing
that day. he testified. "He said he
had been reading Les Miserables' and
writing poetry. one OF his poems was
! On Love Although he told me he
was fond OF Meredith, Whittier and
! Longfellow, he was able 20 make only
a short quotation from any OF his read
| ings-a bit from Burns. lie had a
Bible. but said that was only 20 ere
ate an impression. lie did not read
il.
Waite told ne - w fond ~