New Britain herald., 1928-01-31
FAMILY SKELETON
 RAT1lED TO AID
 YOUNG HICKMAN
Mother Pictured as Temporarily Insane and Father as Par.
 tial to Other Women
HEREDITARY INSANITY
 IS POINT BEING ARGUED


 Asylum and Other Members of Her Family Also Are Pictured as Queer-Pre- Natal Influence Being
 Woven Into Defense Of Slayer.
 Court Room, Los Angeles, Jan. 31 CP)-The trail of the Hickmans of the Ozarks was traced from back woods farming country into the cities today in the trial of William Edward Hickman.
 The rugged language of hill land farmers. country doctors and gener- al storekeepers gave way to the more polished discourse of city merchants, physicians and educators as their depositions were read in an effort to save the slayer of Marion Parker from the gallows.
 Through depositions of persons who knew Hickman as a boy in Arkansas and later as a high school student in Kansas City. the defense attempted to prove him insane. Family Skeletons Rattle The recital pictured Mrs. Hick- man as victim of temporary in- sanity and the elder Hickman as a man of many affairs with women.
 Resuming his place on the wit ness stand, Jerome Walsh, chief de- fense attorney. read on through the 600 pages of dispositions obtained in Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas.
 It was doubtful at the outset of today's session whether he would finish the reading of the Hickman family history before the end of the day.
 Eventually. the trail wilt lead to the insane asylum at Little Rock, Arkansas, where Mrs. Eva Hickman the young slayer's mother. was con- fined for time.
 Hereditary Inaanity The defense assigns her menta' ailment to hereditary insanity traceable to her mother. Mrs. Becky Buck.
 The state will contend that other causes brought on the nervous dis. order.
 Walsh resumed reading the depo- sitions of Mry. Mary Forester at the point where he was interrupted by adjournment of court late yesterday. Her testimony had to do with the suicide attempt by Mrs. Hickman.
 The deposition of Spence Lane. 8 retired contractor. of Hartford. Ark. was next offered. It said that Otto Buck, Hickman's cousin, was kind of nutty' and at times was subject to fits.
 Buck was insane and did not have the intelligence of a normal child according to the depositions of Lane
 Paints Depressing Picture His deposition said that Buck married ''an old widow woman'i daughter" and gave a depressing picture of the love affair of these two.
 The testimony of Mrs. Marshall Smith of Sugar Creek, Mo-, q nurse formerly employed at the insane asylum at Little Rock, Ark. wal next read into the records.
 Mrs. Smith testified that Hick. mans mother was at one time un. der her care in the asylum and thai in her opinion, Mrs. Hickman was insane.
 1 Dr. l.. E. Brown, superintendent of the state asylum, at Little Rock testified by deposition that Mrs Hickman was committed to that in. stitution July 27. 1918. Was Sent to Asylum
 The defense established through exhibits that Mrs. Hickman had been committed to the asylum by g court order.
 Family Geneology The geneology of Hickman's fam lily was read into the report yester- day in an attempt to show that the youth was insane.
 Becky Buck, mother of Mrs. Eva Hickman. and grandmother Of Ed. ward was woman who "didn'1 have 8 friend in the world" accord. ing to the deposition of Irwin Harris farmer acquainted with the Hick. man family for many years. AS to the mother of The Fox, | family physicians agreed that she was a very nervous woman and sub normal mentally. while relatives ant acquaintances pictured morose ! melancholy woman. who had a times showed complete reversal oI mood. becoming historically happy Mrs. Hickman was revealed as ( woman who might be found dig ging" about the house making ths beds or with distorted emotion! standing over her husbands sleep ing form. a butcher knife poised ir her uplifted hand, according to ths deposition of her sister-in n-law, Mrs Artie Smith, of Hardfort. l're-Natal Influence Pre- natal influence was alst brought forth as a factor in thu hereditary insa nity plea. Mrs. Hick man. according to depositions. fel into fits of morbidity shortly befor' | William Edwards birth and at on time attempted suicide. The fight to save the 1e-year -olt youth ultimately may be settled il the supreme court of the United States. it was indicated.
 s. S. Hahn, noted criminal lawyer said that the newly revised pena code of California was unconstitu tional. This may lead to . ina appel, although no one would com