168 Page – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

Here is the translated text as follows:

136 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

James Dunn, in his deposition, has volunteered an opinion as to the insanity of the defendant. He met him in Baltimore in February last, in the office of Mr. Raisin, and conversed with him on the subject of Kansas and Nebraska affairs. The defendant, in the language of the witness, inflated himself with a considerable amount of gas and seemed much excited on the subject. If this is evidence of insanity, then the people of the United States have been unquestionably deranged ever since the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska bill.

From the testimony of Mr. Gould, it appears that while in Vincennes, he conversed very sensibly on that subject; so much so that Mr. Gould remarked to a friend standing by, "that he appeared to be a very sensible man, and capable of imparting much information upon the subject of Kansas."

The next and last deposition in the case is that of Samuel Ringold, uncle of the prisoner and brother of Mrs. Worrell. For what purpose the distinguished counsel introduced this deposition, I am wholly at a loss to conjecture; for even if he had established a pretext for this defense of insanity, the testimony of Samuel Ringold would blow it into a thousand fragments. Permit me, gentlemen, to read you one interrogatory propounded to the witness and the answer thereto:

**Question:** If at any time since you have known him (defendant) he has evinced any manifestations of insanity, state the time, place, and circumstances under which the manifestations were made, embracing what he said and what he did, and how he acted, and if this was on more than one occasion; state the times, places, and circumstances.

**Answer:** In the negative, except an occasional wildness and excitability.

My God, what a farce are we engaged in, sitting day after day, seriously and laboriously inquiring whether the prisoner was sane or insane, when his own uncle, who has known him from the time he nestled upon his mother’s breast and who is attached to him by the strong ties of our nature, and who would gladly sacrifice everything but his honor to shield him from the law, tells you, though reluctantly, that he has never discovered in him any manifestations of insanity. Gentlemen, this is a travesty of justice.

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