Douglas daily dispatch., 1928-02-01

hickman FAMILY back III ARKANSAS
and others, had to say of the prob
able sanity or insanity of the priso-
ner's forbears.
Mrs. Marshal Smith, of Sugar Greek
and Kansas City, Mo, state hospital
nurse said, according to her affidavit,
that observation of Mrs. Eva Hick-
man, the defendants mother, during
her Sojourn in the hospital, led the
nurse to believe the woman was in
sane. However, state cross -eXamina-
ton of the deponent had led the nurse
to doubt whether she could actually
identify her patient as Hickman's
mother.
Cr. L. r. Brown, superintendent OF
the hospital, described Mrs. Hickman
as woman of ordinary intelligence, .
but suffering from simple depression" I"
He believed she was quite capable
of distinguishing between right and
wrong.
Walsh quoted official records to
show that Mrs. Hickman had been
committed to the Arkansas state hos
rital on the pleas of relatives who
charged she had attempted suicide.
! Dr. Routh, who is from Tulsa, Okla,
had examined Mrs Hickman, He de-
posed that she suffered from mild
dementia," that she was extremely
melancholy, had hallucinations OF be-
ing abused and had the appearance
of being in ill health. DR.. Routh re-
tpeated a tale told in yesterdays de-
gpositions of Mrs. Hickmans husband
Thomas running off" with another
mans wife. He said that Mrs. Hick-
mans trouble was of the durable type.
] The scene then shifted from the
state hospital at Little Rock to the
Central high school of Kansas City,
where Hickman had been student.
Don Johnson former schoolmate OF
the prisoner, pictured him working
might and" for an oratorical con-
test, then slumping into lethargy when
he failed to win recognition, and FLAIR
ing into burst of anger at the de-
batting club of which he was an Of
ficer whe masked for his resigna-
ton.
i johnson admitted that Hickman had
made high marks during their years
of school acquaintanceship
/ Baylor Sutton, another Kansas City
schoolmate of Hickman's next was
heard through his deposition. He
labeled the prisoner eccentric during
his senior high school year. He also
thought Hickman "was crazy when
he bought a small automobile in
1926 and sold it few days later.
The idea that Hickman might nave
been insane didn't occur to Joe T1f-
fany, another schoolmate whose depo-
sition then was read, until after the
Marian Parker crime. The last time
he saw Hickman, Tiffany believed,
the boy knew right from wrong. On
the crosse question section of the de-
! position, the deponent said ne hao
discussed the entire subject with At
torney Walsh before giving testimony
in the presence of Costello.
/ The statement of Howard Lee Hibbs
came next. FIibbs remembered that
Hickman chad girl" during his
senior year and that he seemed Ter
ribly upset when she broke OF Win
him. Gle seemed to lose faith IN
all girls after that" Hibbs was quoted.
/ The change which apparently came
! ,vcr Hickman after he left school
was brought out in the deposition OF
John w. Proudfit ''ae was not the
same boy knew in school," Proud
lit said. The witness deposed -Cnat
Hickman had told him IN August
1927. that he could earn lot OF mon
! ey working and that then he was go
ing to school. In fact, ProuoIlCS oe-
position quoted him, "as late as sep
tember, 1927, I helped him enroll 1or
more schooling.
Costello's cross examination broughC
the reply from Proudfit that the laC-
ter had not seen any change toward
insanity in Hickman. st believe ne
was sane Proudfit added, "as long
as I knew him until this crime he
! added that he did not think Hickman
was insane when the killing was done.
| Deuositions along the same genera
line by Hickman's high school prlncl-
nal Otto F. Dubach, and another
/ schoolmate. C. M. Mcfarland, were
read and court was adjourned at .
! o. M, until $50 o'clock tolnorro"
morning.
! The Is minute laIer opeIIIAS 0A1AAe
tomorrow was granted by the courS
that Hickman and his attorney mlgil1
appear in another court at $3.50 1or
| the opening of the prisoners TRIAL Oh
another murder charge. He and WEI
bv Hunt, Kansas City chunl, are scheoc
uled to go on trial for the murder OF
wv Thoms, Rosehill druggist, q year
ago Christmas Eve. Thoms was SLloC
down in holdup which the youths
confessed they staged. The scheouleo
murder trial opening is expected 10
be given a continuance.
tomorrow, according to his attor-
news, will be Hickman's twentleVn
/ birthday. 4,,,,
Among the closing depositions' the
defense. counsel disclosed, will be one
made by James Parker, Kansas Clty
tNcher and former employer there
of Hicynan. The Parker depoSltion
declares that Hickman quit his Joo
after refusing to kill o chicken 1or
customer.
!