The Alaska daily empire., 1921-11-03
EXPERTS DIFFER ON QUESTION OF WILSON'S SANITY
Defense s Medical Experts Say Is Insane - Govern
 ment's Do Not Agree.
At the concIusIon of pr. Johnston's evidence shortly before p. m. both sides rested
 Arguments will be begun betore Judge Reed tomorrow morning.

All of the time of the early par of today's sessions in the Nelson murder trial was consumed in the examination of witnesses on the question of the sanity of George C. Nelson, both now and at the time of the shooting of Nels Peterson Three witnesses, Drs. H. c. CarrOthers, Of Petersburg, and L P. Dawes anld IL. c. DeVighne of this city were called bv the defense and two for the gov ernment, Drs. l.. o. Sloane and J. w. Johnston, the latter of Sitka.
 Says It Not Sane
 Drs. Carrothers and DeVighne, an swering hypothetical questions GOV erlng the actions of Nelson at the time of the shooting, declared that in their opinion Nelson was not men tally capable of controlling his volun- tary actions Dr. DeVighne said that Nelson might be called a paranoiac while Dr. Carrothers said his mental afflction might be termed ''psychoge- nous psychosis." .r
 Claims Nelson Sane
 LIT. olDhHt, tu0 SOfCi LII pt witness on rebuttal to the insanity issue, said that he had examined Nel- son at the request of U. s. Marshal Beaumont and was convinced as a result of the examination that at the time it was made Nelson was sane. Nelson, he testified. spoke rationaI.y and although claiming to be insane, showed no indications of mental de- rangement. In answer to the same hypothetical question propOunded to Dr DeVighne by attorneys for the de- fense, and read to the witness by the stenographer, Dr. Sloane declared from that statement of the evidence he would not consider Nelson to be insane Dr. Sloane was not cross examined.
 Dr. Johnston, the governments second expert witness, was being ex- amined late this afternoon.
 sDr. H. c. Carrothers, of Petersburg, was the first witness called this morning by the defense in its efforts 10 prove that Nelson was not at the time he killed Peterson, and is not now. of sound memory and discre- tion After many questions, he said in effect that he is now of the opin- ion that Nelson is mentally unsound and that while the latter may have known what he was doing when he shot Peterson, he was not at that time in such condition mentally as to be able to control his actions. Dr Carrothers characterized Nelson as being afflicted with "psychogenous psychosis," the symptoms of which, he said, were hallucinations and de- lusions.
 Changed His Belief
 The witness admitted that he had changed his belief regarding Nelson g mental status within the last few days He said that he believed Mel. son to be sane at the time he com mitted the crime and that he came to Juneau with that belief in his mind He testified that he changed his mind after observations made of Nelson during his confinement in the local federal jail and from what he had heard from others regarding Nei son and also from the latter's physi cal condition Nelson, the witness said, was in his office about A.: 3C D.! m. on September IT, or just prior to the shooting of Peterson, and tha; at that time he considered him sane Nelson. he said, was excited. Or cross examination Dr. Carrother: testified that Nelson's state of mirt at that time was natural and Iii present mental condition could yer. probably have been brought abou by his present situation, He main tained, however, that to his best De lief, Nelson was at the time of th killing and is now not mentall. sound
 Dawes Called
 Dr. l.. P. Dawes was also caiia by the defense to testify as to th defendants sanity. He stated in hi opinion Nelson is not now san person. He said that when he fr7 examined Nelson in the local federd jail he did not believe Nelson wa ibouhSt bui that III NOlhpohs Ntt other physicians, had examined Ne son and conferred on the case, an later he came to the conclusion was not sane. On his second exan ination of Nelson, he said, he sa' symptoms which led him to bei,ev him not sane.
 Mrs. Peterson on Stand
 Mrs. Hilda Peterson. wife of th slain man for whose death Nelso is now on trial. was the second wi ness called by the defense Sh touched lightly on her married Tiff telling of her separation from Pete son in Montana several years az and a final separation last spria She was not living with him at Il time of the killing. She testif:e that she was accompanied to danC in Petersburg on September 10 and { fight between Peterson and Nc son, declaring the former to ha, been the aggressor. She identified slingshot which she said Nelson VIZ struck twice, once on the back of u head and once on the temple. II