Evening star., 1933-02-21
MURDER SUSPECT
|SALLEGED INSANE
Effort Made to Save FeWel
Workman From Chair in
EckIund Case.

The defense Of insanity was injected
into the Ecklund murder trial in Dis
trict Supreme Court this morning to
save Fewel Workman, colored, one o1
the four defendants, from the electric
| chair
Two witnesses, including an alieniSt
testified that Workman, who is alleged
by the Government to have fired the
shot that killed Elmer H. Ecklund dur
ing an attempted pay roll robbery near
the new House Office Building January
| 20, was feeble-minded and had hallu-
| cinations.
Dementia Praecox Trend.
DIR. John v. Dolan, former assistant
District alienist, told the jury Work.
men was definitely feeble minded, with
trends toward dementia praecox" DR..
Dolan said he examined Workman Sat-
| urday afternoon at the District Jail
| and found evidence of both auditory
| and visual hallucination.
The witness told of an attempt by
| the prisoner to kill himself by jumping
out of window just before Christmas
| and was on the point of testifying con-
corning an attempt Workman made to
hang himself at the Jail Sunday after
| noon, when counsel for the other de-
PENDANTS objected on the ground it
would tend to indicate the guilt of their
| clients.
Workman took the stand shortly be-
fore noon and hesitantly, with his head
| bowed, told Of the hold-up. He said
Cash forced him to 60 through with it,
and that Blackwell stood on a corner
| nearby and waved him on when he
hesitated. The defendant testified he
could not remember when he held his
head up and that for this reason he
did not remember what was in his al
legged confession because the detectives
questioning him told him to look at
them.
Others on Trial.
The other defendants, also being
tried for first degree murder, are Claude
Myers, colored; Everett Lee Blackwell
and Albert Ernest Cash. ATTORNEYS
| for Myers, AL Philip Kane and Maurice
McInerney. said their defense would
| be that the shooting was accidental.
The defense for Blackwell and Cash
has not yet been determined.
The Government rested its case late
| yesterday. Trial started last Wednes-
| day.
Attempt Suicide.
The trial late yesterday was inter-
rupted by the news that Workman had
| attempted suicide Sunday at the Dis
| trict Jail during church services. Mr.
Collins requested Justice O'Donoghue
| to instruct the jury again that they
| must not read newspapers.
Before word of the attempt of the
| prisoner to hang himself reached the
| court house, Louis Whitestone, attorney
| for Workman, told other lawyers of
dreaming Sunday night that his client
! had committed suicide. He said he
knew nothing of the suicide attempt
until yesterday afternoon.
II dreamed" Whitestone said, ''that
as the case was resumed this morning
the district attorney arose and informed
the court of the death of one of the
defendants. He told the Judge it had
been reported that Workman committed
| suicide"
Col. William L. Peak, superintendent
OF the District Jail, yesterday told oi
the prisoners attempt to take his owr
life. Col. Peak said Workman left the
services while a soloist of the Central
Union Mission was singing, and went
to his cell. His cellmates found him
1eW minutes later with bed sheet
looped about his neck and the other
end tied to his bed.
Declared Despondent.
According to Col. Peak. the mans
cellmateS quoted him as saying that
he became respondent and filled with
remorse while listening to the SOLOS,
because her song reminded him of his
mother
The man was none the worse for the
occurrence when he appeared in court
yesterday
The entire day yesterday was con.
sumed in the presentation OF state.
ments by the four defendants admitting
completely in the attempted robbery
The defense attempted to prove through
discrimination of Detective Sergt
John C. Dalglish, who took the alleged
confessions, that they were not made
voluntarily. Dalglish was on the wit.
ness stand four hours
Only one witness testified for the
prosecution after presentation of the
statements. He was Lieut.. John Fowler
ballistics expert of the Police Depart.
ment, who told the jury the bullet taker
from Ecklund's body was a .32-calibel
slug. Then the Government rested
Justice O'Donoghue overruled motion.
for directed verdict of not guilty.