The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1916-10-20
MURDERER MUELLER
DECLARED INSANE
And Sent to Asylum-Other
Court Proceedings.

Court finished it's work Wednesday
evening and adjourned, though few
cases on the docket were continued.
Probably the most important crimi-
ma case of the term was that of John
Mueller, charged with the murder of
his father and mother in the Francis
precinct on August 31st last. States
Attorney Long summoned DR.. H. Ma
rion Smith, senior assistant at the
Florida Hospital for the Insane to ex-
anime the plaintiff. DR.. Smith who
spent a couple days here closely ex-
amining the man, made his report to
the court on Wednesday. DR.. Smiths
report was as follows:
To the Honorable Jas. 7. Wills, Judge
of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Put
nam County.
"My dear Sir:
81 have been requested by the State
Attorney, the Honorable A. V. Long,
to make an examination of John Muel-
J Ter, the defendant in the case herein
pending, for the purpose of ascer-
tanning his present mental condition.
After a thorough and careful eXami-
nation, am in position to state that
he is in demented or insane state Of
mind; he is laboring under number
of poorly systematized and absurd de-
lusions, much of which is that he is
the cause of the world war now being
waged in Europe; that it was neces-
sary for him to murder his parents,
L. "a IL J,,+1y TO
was compelled and constrained to do
so to influence this war. He also
manifested auditory and sensory hal
lucinations, and from the character OF
the delusions he displayed and the
physical symptoms that | find the dl-
agnosis of dementia precox has been
made. This is a disease of the mind
which is characterized by gradual
dementing course and has progressed
to that point where the subject IS men,
tally Irresponsible"
After questioning DR.. Smith as to
| his experience and satisfying himself
| that Mueller is insane, Judge Wills de-
creed the following sentence:
at having been suggested by the
Court that the question of the sanity
of defendant at the present time vii.
arise in the case the Court ordered
the defendant to be brought before
| him. and the defendant, John Mueller
who appeared in his own proper, per
son, accompanied by his counsel, ap'
| ncared before the Judge of the sale
| Court, and the Judge of said Cour
| after hearing the evidence, being Of
! the opinion that the said John Mueller
| is at the present time insane and
| dangerous lunatic to be allowed to g
| at large, it is considered by th'
| Court that the said John Mueller b'
| remanded to the custody of the Su
| perintendent of the Florida Hosplta
| for the Insane, there to be safely KEEP
| until he shall be restored to sanity.
| Mueller left for Chattahoochee Il
:. custody of DR.. Smith yesterday morn
Nh ing. .,,. -. po1,r.o No
= ORC indicted for the murder OF Wlle
Benbow, plead guilty to murder IN tn IN
second degree and was given a III
sentence. III :,4o,,+ :
murder; guilty; sentenced 10
months in county jail. III.
Tonnie Robinson, aged 14,gulity'
braakinp into store in East Palatk
was sentenced to one year at nara Ii
hor in State penitentiary, with alte
no+;ve sentence to confinement IN u
q. Fiorida I5i Industrial School for Boys.
AF n Pnbert Mobiles and Nathaniel Rel
=, i'oD1 w., IA ooIored hoys, plead guilt
"a breaking into store of NJ. ID. ki'
", T on,on street. were sentenced
State Industrial School tlll they rea' @
ace of y years, with alternative Sc Sc
tonce of u months in the state pen
tentiarv. but Judge Wills ADVISE
tbnm TO accept the former sentehc
Ransom Green was found guilty
rob%orv with intent to kill but JudC'
Wils in passing sentence SAID tn
"a ,'ama "r,,' +barn not a doubt in his mn
concerning his guilt, he would Sc
tonca him to five years in the per
.-- @ tentiary, instead Of the one yea
= which he was given. o., ,on
Chas. Roam of Crescent Clty' char
od with breaking and entering ca
= continued to spring term Al
Sarah Roach, Jessie Owe and Adu
- Daniels pleaded guilty to breaking al
.p- entering, though claiming that u w w
in rnintentional wrong doing. Senteh
,ry "@o Possibly the most imp0rta9t 1; CIV
ou case was that of Richard |. Nasn
ost oI oIS VS. The Rodman Lumber C9mpar
Wherein ", err the plaintiff asked damag
in sum of $4,000 for treS5pass, a. !;
& blackwell RI represented the plaintt
and Messrs. Hilburn Il Merryuay
Jnfondants. ,l,E The case had been per per
mo some time and efforts haa DC DC
made n,s for private settlement throu u
. o,;Ii nrbitrators, without success: "A v,
a Jict a. was brought in after trla6 da6 1or NJ !
uioi uIairtiffs in sum of $4,000. .,, I, ,
wss vas claimed by the attorneys 1or
r fondent E%S to be excessive, and they ma ma
ror, nontion for new trial. Ihe co.
s'loyl n%racd with the defendants attornt
"S aSSd stated that unless the pialne =
ynnld un% agrere to remittor of S4,o
ers., Se %o would order a new trial. rms NJ 5
OF mT mio;ntiff accented and his VerdlcC