Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1921-06-21
TRACE ACTIONS
Of KRAMER|
WILL CONTEST
Dr.. Cotton, Mental Expert,
Again on Stand in Coun-
ty Court
INFLUENCES ARE CITED
Reason Why Children Were
Not Remembered in Local
Coal Mans Will
HIS SAYINGS ARE QUOTED
Said to Be Controversy of
Racial Customs of the
Jewish Race
HIS SAYINGS ARE QUOTED
By Evening News Stan Correspondent

BY Evening News Stafr Correspondent
NEW BRUNSWICK, June 21:-
Continuing his testimony in the
Kramer case, yesterday, DR.. Henry
A. Cotton, mental expert of the
Trenton State Hospital for' the In
sane, said in the course of his cross
examination by Adrian Lyon that
the delusional disagreements with
the members of his family would not
prompt him to cut them off in his
will; that he had sufficient mentality
to comprehend his property and un-
derstood the act of making his will
and was able to comprehend the
distribution of his property.
In reply to a question DR.. Cotton
said that conflict between members
of a family in family affairs often
made them violently prejudiced and
that such condition was evident in
the present case.
Replying to questions as to the
custom of the Jewish race designat-
ing the father as the head of the
family, DR.. Cotton said that in all
probability his displacement would
lead to breach in the family.
The mental expert also said that
conflicts after marriage, possibly
due to the difference in station ex-
isting between husband and wife.
would tend to produce the same re-
suit.
Questioned as to the reason for
kramer's treatment of his children
in cutting them off, DR.. Cotton said
that this action was the proba BILE
result of the influence of the mother
brought to bear against him.
1t was brought out in the testi-
many that the actions of Kramer
during his life; his sayings and the
drawing of the will. were entirely
contrary to the racial customs of
Jews. ....
The technical term given by DR..
Cotton as the ailment of Kramer
was constitutional paranoid con-
dition."
Charles H. Runyon of Perth Am
boy. who knew Kramer when he
resided there. testified for the de-
fense, and referred 10 Kramer as
a keen business man. The witness
loaned Kramer money several times
for buying and building purposes
and occasionally, the witness said
Kramer was compelled to abandon
his business plans on account of OBJ
jections voiced by his wife.
A brother. Abraham Kramer. tes-
tlned tnat years ago Kramer was
in the habit of protesting that his
wife went away on trips and spent
his money freely.
Further testimony on the case
will be taken today
Commenting upon the fact that
one of the first points to be consid-
cred in the case is whether the will
is natural or not, Judge DAILY said:
THE will on its face, to me, is a
most unnatural will"
In telling of the circumstances
relative to the drawing of the will,
Klein referred to conversation
with Kramer in which he dwelt up
on his being born of poor parents:
his early life devoid of advantages,
and his later emigration to America.
where by hard work and ambition
he accumulated money. Kramer
stated that he did not wish to spoil
his children by leaving them the
money that he had worked so hard
to get, because he feared that they
would become loafers as he. Kra-
mer, thought he would have done
had he inherited the money instead
of earning it through his own labor.
He thought he would do much
more for his children if he left a
fund to provide for them in case of
illness or other emergency, accord
ing to the witness.