El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-05-03
Knapp Quotes Lombroso
In Affidavit Filed
For Blancett
MOTION MADE
FOR NEW TRIAL

TON NEW lNlAL
Giving just Sc reasons why he be-
lieves Ebert w. Blancett recently
convicted Of the murder of Clyde d.
Armour, Is entitled to a new trial, At.
torney A. B. Renehan, counsel for
Blancett, states in his motion filed
in the district clerks office that new
and material evidence has been dis.
covered since the trial which will
clear the defendant Of the charge
against him."
This new evidence, Mr.. Renehan
contends, has been received since the
trial and is explained in the form OF
In affidavit by DR.. David Knapp, OF
Santa Fe, post graduate of the Uni
versity OF Berlin, showing, it is al
legged that Blancett has been a sui
ferer of a peculiar form of mental de-
rangement which deprived him of
criminal responsibility, commonly
known as atayism, degeneracy. moral
insanity, psychic or criminal anna
nology, according to different crlmit
biological and ~analystic views and
theories"
Attached to the motion appears an
affidavit by DR.. Knapp which is like
ly to prove Of extreme interest to the
hundreds of people who have attend
ed Blancett's trial and to the hum
dreds of thousands and millions who
have read about it all YER the south
west and United States. DIR. Knapp
states that he has had a great deal OF
experience in dealing with mental
defects in human individuals in the
line of alienism, and he adds: I'm the
human mind there are obscure de-
fects which are difficult of determ.-
nation and under the influence OF
which all kinds of abnormal acts
from the lowest infraction of natural
and positive law to the highest there
Of, homicide, may result"
Blancett's Peculiar Behavior
The affiant admits that he discuss
ed this possibility with Mr.. Renehan
before the trial but there was insult
ficient data at that time to form con-
illusions, he adds. But during and
since the trial, DR.. Knapp says he has
given great thought and study to the
p~eculiarities of the case and he has
taken into consideration the peculiar
behavior Of Blancett in the court
room and noticed defendants lack
Of emotion, sense Of feeling, OF shame,
Of pity and the like" coupling this
with the peculiar behavior of Blan-
cett after the killing of. Armour. The
affiant mentions as peculiarities the
defendants utter lack of the ordi-
nary habits of self-protection, con-
cealment, the absence of remorse AMI
pity, the impulsiveness of his be-
havior, his i%mprovidence and reck-
~lessness, his passion for gambling
and alcoholic drinks, etc.,
Studies Lombroso and Garofalo
DR.. Knapp states, moreover, that he
has concluded his studies Of this ex-
traordinary case by a consideration of
the work of the noted alienist, Lom-
broso, called "Crime, It's Causes and
Remedies and also the work of the
criminologist, G~arofalo, entitled
"Criminology." AS a result of these
studies and his other observations,
the affiant states he is convinced that
Blancett is IAN example Of criminal
anomaly, of psychic anomaly, of
moral anomaly, p~athologic anomaly
and atavism, or at least n or all Of
these expressions of defective mental
type, all of which are in a greater or
less degree correlated"
DR.. Knapp sums UP his conclusions
by stating that for these reasons,
whether Blancett killed Armour in
~tentionally or by accident, ne believes
Blancett is not criminally response
BILE. The doctor goes into details why
he thinks Blancett was not RESPONSE
BILE and cites his "recklessness, his
spendthrift doings, his d~ebaucheries,
bis rapid moving from place to place,
his reckless sale Of Armour's prop
erty at ridiculously small prices, his
beginning to sign the register of the
Monte1uma hotel with the letter 'E'
and over-writing the fE' with a e
without attempt at obliteration of the
81, his rambling, his drinking, his
freuuenting OF houses of i'll fame, his
over abundant generosity, his mani
festations of the exalted ego by pre-
lenses Of great wealth and position,
his intrusion upon strangers of his
personality, his haphazardl ~associaf
t'ors, his sending of kilograms with
ort arv attempt at disguise Of his
handwriting. his apparent writing OF
. letter from Seattle to the governor
without anparent attempt at disguise,
bic ~enrerent lack Of remorse Or nifty,
his lack Of appreciation of the
enormitv Of his offense If 1t was vol
urtarv. ard his lack Of sensitiveness,
ritv. remorse or sentiment If the
death Of his companion. was accident
ol his or'isrion to take any means Of
Commandment 1T the crime If 1t was a
crime, or ~ avoidance of ~detectioni
liability and responsibility, his omis+
sion 10 Sec'ore the act accidental, If
" we've accidental"
DR.. Knapp says that all these acts
are Significant Of obscure mental
arrangement and irresponsDbility,
atavistic in character"
To carry out the penalty of a first
degree murder on such a man as Blan-
cett, DR.. Knapp says would be Elm
posing the highest form of chastise-
ment on a man mentally incapable OF
conceiving and carrying out a crime
in which generalization, elaboration,
purpose, wilfulness and express NAL
ice a~forethought are essential ele-
ments,"
Other Reasons Given
In his motion for a new trial. which