New Britain herald., 1929-11-22
he recovered and was taken 10 prison tor murder.
 Relieved Act Justified

he recovered and was taken to prison tor murder.
 Believed Act Justified
 Corbett never relented in his at- tempt to justify his crime.
 ''The torment my mother endured was utterly unnecessary he wrote from his cell. The doctors had con demned her, and her malady was in- Curable. 1t is the duty of an enlight- ened state to put doomed sufferers out of their misery. and as the state refuses I was forced to take this responsibility"
 Corbett himself raised the quos- ton of the right to kill. When his counsel, Maitrc Brun, able and clo- quent lawyer of Toulon, urged that his conception was too new and strange to appeal to the solid bour- gcoisic of the district and urged an appeal to the pity of the jury, Cor bctt dcficd him and declared that if the facts of the case were not clearly stated he would interrupt.
 Calls it Public Problem
 'I raise before you the corpse of my mother-killcd by my hand and hold it aS an immense interro- gation mark to all Francc,' the son declared. May public opinion thus be brought to consider my problem. v COrbctt's attitude before the court | indicated that his conscience Was clear. Tall, neatly dressed and rather good looking, there was nothing Of the criminal type about him. He was greatly moved during the dramatic proceedings, which lasted only day, | but he never rclented in his posi- ! ton. lie was given a legal loophole 1 by the president of the court when 1t . was suggested that he was mentally unhingad when he shot his mother, ! but he refused 10 accept it.
 "I have nothing to say beyond 1 this" he continued, turning to the jury. science tried all it could do to deliver my mother from her pain and failed. Therefore delivered her.
 Branded a Criminal
 The public prosecutor asked foi conviction on the ground that the theory that a man could take inc life of q loved one to save her from pair was impossible to any civilized state "Corbctt, he said dramatically "is q criminal and must face the fat, of q criminal and you of the jury will take no account of this unnat. ural, illegal appeal to your sym pathy."
 "He killed for mercy and in turn should receive mercy" said the de fcnse attorney. "Who among us cal blame him because he brought tha sudden death only a little nearer You cannot. l cannot. l ask you t' show by your verdict that he did thu only thing loving son could do,'
 Called Devoted Son
 Witnesses testified that Corbet had been a most devoted son. I'm family gardcnr" th" maid, tn laundry woman, his godfather anO his aunt, all sWore that he had lov cl his mother dearly.
 The jury drliberatcd for less thal an hour, and the verdict of not guilt caused a joyful demonstration, Ice by many women.
 The right 10 kin in cases of in curable disease has previously beoI successfully pleaded in France. ! February, 1925, Stanislawa Uminskc ; a young Polish actress, shot he sweetheart, who was dying of can , ccr, and she was acquitted. Later l the same year Mile. Anna Lavassor, Paris drcssmakcr. shot her cor sumptiv" sister to save her tror , pain, and was freed. Mmc. Damiche $ who killed her husband by suifc cation when h" was growing inSan' also Was dissolved.