Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1919-12-29
COMMISSION WILL
!. DECIDE SANITY OF
MOTHER MURDERER
Lucy Mullinax browns Three
Children in Spring After At
tacking Her Mother in Law
FEARED HYPNOTIC POWER
Claims She Did Only Thing Pos
sible Under Circumstances
to Save Children-Met Hus-
band at Nampa.
FEARED HYPNOTIC POWER

! Occur d'Alene, Dec. 29.-Lucy Null
linax will go before commission of
physicians in the probate court. who
win pass on her sanity or insanity. She
attacked her mother-in-law and
drowned her three children at the Null
linax home on Mica flats on Saturday,
Dec. 20.
In her cell at the county Jail Mrs.
Mullinax passed Christmas quietly. She
refused to partake of the Christmas
dinner prepared for her and wished
not to be reminded that it was Christ
mas day. She requested to see news
papermen, but later thought better Of
making a statement, simply saying that
the people would not understand the
conditions which brought about the
tragedy and 1t would be useless to tell
her side of the case.
BEFORE COLORADO COMMISSION.
Il was temporarily insane when
did it, but the circumstances leading
up to this condition cannot be ex-
planned" said she to the reporter.
Mr.. Mullinax told a reporter that his
wife had admitted to him that she had
been before an insanity commission in
Denver. Colo. several years ago.
AS a climax to the direct examina-
ton Of Lucy Mullinax, the demented
woman described how on Satur-
day afternoon, her child had screamed
and the thought that her mother-in-
law upstairs had caused the child to
suffer by hynotic power, caused her to
go upstairs. II tried to talk to her. She
put me out. hit her don't remem-
her how many times. hit her a num-
Der of times. fell two or three times.
| remember seeing. her feet under the
bed. / remember putting the children
in the spring. went back to take them
out, they were floating with their eyes
still open, but l knew their suffering
was over"
After she had described her trip to
the neighboring ranch and her intent
to commit suicide, in reply to the same
question pariously formed, she reiter-
ated her firm and fixed belief that she
did the only thing that was possible
for her to do. She told the physicians
that after taking treatment from Rev.
Lake, she developed an Original sci
ence" whereby she could counteract the
influence of her mother-in-law II tried
to fight her power with my own con-
centration," she said
MET HER AT NAMPA.
Mr.. Mullinax said the first day he
saw her in Nampa, Idaho. depot, four
years ago, she was crying; they were
married week later and during the
first week of their welded life she told
him their marriage was spoiled by the
mother in-law. She taught school the
first year Of marriage and the first
babe was born in July. 1916.
She told Mulllnax this fall OF her in
tention to drown the children, but he
did not take 1t seriously. He described
his fright. several months ago upon
returning from Spokane where he met
his mother, who had been visiting in
Montana. returning to the ranch he
found his wife and babes gone. Two
days after he found them in a hotel in
Occur d'Alene. She was running away
from him. On former occasion he
had brought her back from Spokane
where she went to consult Rev. Lake A
letter to Mullinax described by the doc
tors as typical of demented person,
was introduced in the hearing. In the
letter she spoke repeatedly Of the al
legged power of her mother-in law and
| of him getting divorce.
why did you not complain Of her
| condition" was asked Mullinax. Be
cause hated to-" he said. Il didn't
think she would do anything and 7
| feared that commission would not
ad1udge her insane. and that would
only have aggravated conditions"
Sheriff T. E. Quarles and DEPUTY
Sheriff Skogstad, to whom she has ex-
pressed her delusion more fully than
to anyone told of them. Sheriff Quarles
stated tnat her only worry through
| 1t all has been her lack of argument TO
prove tnat she is right in her delusion
she Is brilliant woman, outside of
! the one delusion," said Sheriff Quarles
She also confessed to Sheriff
Quarles that she intended to commit
suicide in her cell, and she has been
! watched closely. After three days of
little eating she Is now eating and her
nerves are apparently more settled.