Evening star., 1953-02-03
Court Rules Out
'B Psychi,atric
Reporton White
Defense to Summon
Its Author in Final
Move on Insanity PIeu

Roland White today made q
final effort to prove the youth
insane by introducing 10-year-
old psychiatric record.
Judge Alexander Holtzoff, pre-
siding over the f1rst-degree mur-
der trial of the 18-year-old
youth, refused to let the jury
hear any part of the old file. The
Judge called the report hear
say" and inadmissable.
Judge Holtzoff did agree,
however, to let the defense sum-
mon Immediately another wit
ness who, the defense said, had
prepared the report.
Insanity Is Key Plea.
White is accused of fatally
stabbing and robbing Ralph T.
Blake, 46, a Marine Corps civil
ian clerk, last August 8. Defense
counsel hope to save White from
the electric chair by proving he
was insane at the time of the
crime.
The defense attempt to get q
1943 psychiatric report into the
record came after the prosecu-
ton closed its rebuttal testimony
by quoting from a statement
given police by Mrs. Geneva
Breeden, one of Whites sisters.
In this statement, Mrs. Bree-
den said another sister had told
her that White was given a psy-
chiatric examination when he
was 8 or 9 years old and, al
though the psychiatrist found
nothing wrong with him, he
commented that the boy "had q
grownup mans mind in a child's
body"
The file which Judge Holtzoh
barred came from the Washing
ton Institute of Mental Hygiene.
Mrs. Thelma Duvinage, PSYCHE
atric social worker at the insti-
tute, told reporters the file she
had brought to court was a re-
port on White.
Involved Another Boy.
Another excerpt from Mrs.
Breeden'S statement, as read to
the jury by Assistant United
States Attorney Frederick G..
Smithson, quoted the youth as
telling her on August 8 that he
had taken 80 cents from the dead
man and his watch and ring. In
Mrs. Breeden's statement she
said White also told her he had
beaten and stabbed the man but
another boy did as much as
White did. Police have said that
White did implicate another
youth but withdrew the accusa-
ton when he was confronted by
the otner boy.
The prosecution called James
Robert Porter, Is, of Salisbury,
N. c., in an effort to show that
White was shamming insanity.
Young Porter repeated the
story he told at an earlier lun-
acy hearing for White, at which
White was found mentally fit
to stand trial.
Porter said he saw White twice
at the District Jail when both
were confined there last Novem-
ber and in early December. Por-
ter testified that White told him
he was going to be crazy" and
later told Porter, Don't talk to
me. I'm supposed to be crazy"
Earlier, the jury heard the
second prosecution psychiatrist
describe White as sane on the
night of the crime. The witness
was DR.. Francis Riesenman
of St. Elizabeths Hospital, who
called White a "psychopathic
personality"
At this point two defense psy-
chiatristS have called White of
unsound mind and two Govern
ment psychiatrists have called
him sane.
Mr.. Smithson asked DR.. Ries-
enman If suicidal tendencies
could go along with a psyche
pathic personality. The defense
has called numerous witnesses to
testify to White suicidal at
tempts DR.. Riesenman said sui.
cidal attempts were compatible
with a personality disorder like
Whites.
DR.. William G. Cushard, st.
Elizabeths Hospital psychiatrist.
testified as a Government re-
buttal witness late yesterday.
He expressed the opinion that
White was of sound mind on
August 8, 1852, the date of the
fatal stabbing and robbing Of
Mr.. Blake.
PSychlaCrlStS DINER.
DR.. Joseph l.. Gilbert, Gallinger
Hospital pSychiatrist testifying
for the defense, said White was
of unsound mind at the time Of
the crime. suffering from de-
mentia praecox. A similar opin-
ion from DR.. Amino Perretti Of
Gallinger was read into the rec
ord.
DR. Cushard said he found no
evidence of dementia praecox.
DR.. Gilbert was asked If White
could distinguish between right
and wrong as regards the crime.
He said he could not answer that
in regard to the crime. He added
that. if a situation were favorable
to White, he could distinguish
between right and wrong and If
it were unfavorable. he would
not be able to distinguish.
DR.. Cushard said fatty that
White was able to understand
the nature Of his acts. could dis
tinguish between right and
wrong and could adhere to the
right and resist the wrong.
That's the test" remarked
Judge Holtzoff. referring to the
test of legal sanity.
Envov's Leo Broken