New-York tribune., 1918-12-15
Charles Chaplin
Held TO Be Sane
By Commission
Former City Editor of S'The
Evening World'' Declared
to Have Been Legally Re-
sponsible for Killing Wife

Charles E. Chaplin, former city ed
itor of "The Evening World" who shot
and killed his wife in their apartment
at the Cumberland Hotel, on Broadway,
Septemer 16, was sane when he COM
mitted the crime, according to the
lunacy commission appointed by Judge
James T. Malone in General Sessions
The report of the commission was filed
yesterday with the clerk of the court.
Attached to the report is memo
randum signed by Judge Malone, in
which the court states that after ex-
amining the document carefully he con-
ours thoroughly with its findings and
directs that the defendant be brought
to trial on the Indictment
District Attorney Swami at once
caused the case to be placed on the call
calendar to be assigned for trial by
Judge Rosalsky tomorrow in General
Sessions. This means that Mr. Chaplin
will be tried for murder in the first
! degree as soon as the case can be
reached on the calendar.
Abraham Levy, counsel for Mr..
Chaplin, when asked whether the issue
of insanity would be raised by the de-
fence at the trial, said:
II haven't had time yet to study the
report of the commission"
Chaplin, without apparent concern,
received the news in his cell in the
Tombs. He has made no personal eff
fort to have himself declared insane.
On the contrary, he has assured those
of his friends who have stuck by him
that he prefers to go to the electric
chair Since he gave himself up to
the police, the day after the shooting,
and confessed that he intended to blow
his own brains out after he killed his
wife, Chaplin has been visited daily
by the Christian Science chaplain at the
Tombs.
Report of AIienists
The report, signed by former Attor-
ney General George w. Wickersham,
former Corporation Counsel Hardy and
Dr.. Smith Ely Jelliffe, says:
There is no evidence that the de-
fendant supposed he was acting pur-
other than that, finding himself in
position in life in which he could see
no other way to avoid disgrace and
ruin which would involve his wife and
himself, he determined that the best
way to end it was to kill her and then
himself, and that he did kill his wife
and failed to kill himself"
Experts Opinion Refused
The report states that the suggestion
OF insanity raised by Dr. J. Ross Havi-
land, alienist, was based on proof that
the defendant little more than five
years ago contracted an incurable
blood disease which had produced in
him paretic condition making him
irrational. The commission did not ac-
cept the opinion of the expert because.
as the report states:
I'm his examination the defendants
memory for dates and details was ex-
traordinary. He told his story in a
marked picturesque manner and with
sense OF its dramatic quality His
story was consistent and consecutive.
1t was terse, brilliant and convincing.
With one exception there was no trace
OF Authorizations.
The exception rererred to was mar
rated by Mr.. Chaplin before the COM
mission and involved an apparition
in Washington, where he had gone with
Mrs. Chapin in 1918 after he had met
his first financial blow. He intended
to shoot his wife and himself and
bought burial plot.
AS he removed the revolver from his
pillow in the dimly lighted hotel room,
Chaplin said, he saw his mother, who
died about two years previously. He
said she smiled at him. shook her head
as If to say "No" and then faded away
1T developed during the examination
of Chaplin by the commission that Ben
!amin Duke lent the defendant $1,000
IN bonds, which enabled him to repay
that amount of money which he had
taken from his ward in order to meet
his creditors. Mr.. Chaplin said he
finally told his financial troubles to
Mrs. Chapin and she turned over her
jewels to Mr.. Duke. This, Chaplin said
was soon after he contracted the dis,
ease; Chaplin said he had represented
to Mr.. Duke that he was beneficiary
OF t,n7 the will of Joseph Pulitzer founder
of "The Evening World"