Publication information |
Source: Chicago Daily Tribune Source type: newspaper Document type: article Document title: “Alienists Find Czolgosz Sane” Author(s): anonymous City of publication: Chicago, Illinois Date of publication: 10 September 1901 Volume number: 60 Issue number: 253 Part/Section: 1 Pagination: 1-2 |
Citation |
“Alienists Find Czolgosz Sane.” Chicago Daily Tribune 10 Sept. 1901 v60n253: part 1, pp. 1-2. |
Transcription |
full text |
Keywords |
Leon Czolgosz (mental health); Leon Czolgosz (psychiatric examination); Thomas Penney (public statements); McKinley assassination (investigation: secrecy); Leon Czolgosz (prosecution); McKinley assassination (government response); Thomas Penney (staff: public statements); Leon Czolgosz (prosecution: legal precedents); McKinley assassination (connection with Haymarket bombing); McKinley assassination (investigation of conspiracy). |
Named persons |
William S. Bull; Henry A. Childs; Floyd S. Crego; Leon Czolgosz; Joseph Fowler; Philander C. Knox; William McKinley; Benjamin B. Odell, Jr.; Thomas Penney [misspelled below 4 of 5 times]; Elihu Root. |
Notes |
The article continues onto page 2, thereupon bearing the title “Experts
Find Man Sane” and these subheads, which vary somewhat from those found
at the beginning of the article on page 1:
ALIENISTS EXAMINE CZOLGOSZ’S MENTAL CONDITION.
Declare No Trace of Disease Is Revealed—Governor Odell May Convene Special Grand Jury—Holds Conference with Secretary Root and They Decide to Have Case Rushed as Much as Possible—Assassin Shows No Signs of Breaking Down. |
Document |
Alienists Find Czolgosz Sane
Experts Examine the Assassin at Buffalo and Discover No Trace
of Mental Disease.
DECIDE TO HURRY TRIAL.
Governor Odell Confers with Secretary Root and Special Grand Jury May Be Called
Soon.
PROOF OF PLOT NOT FOUND
District Attorney Says Information Is Pouring in from All Parts of the World,
But Is Not Convincing.
MAN NOT YET BREAKING DOWN.
Buffalo, N. Y., Sept. 9.—[Special.]—Leon F. Czolgosz
was pronounced sane by the physicians who examined him late this afternoon at
the request of the District Attorney and in his presence.
It is a peculiarity of this crime and criminal
that the suggestion of insanity never has been taken seriously by those familiar
with the man and the deed. For the protection of the prosecuting evidence the
District Attorney deemed it well to have an examination by experts made today.
The policy of secrecy was preserved. Superintendent
of Police Bull went to the District Attorney’s office late this afternoon and
met by appointment Police Surgeon Joseph Fowler and Dr. Floyd S. Crego, an alienist
who has testified in almost every case tried in this country in recent years
where the question of sanity was raised. An arrangement was made for a meeting
at police headquarters, and thence the doctors, and Superintendent, and District
Attorney Penny went singly.
The prisoner’s examination took place in the office
of the Superintendent of Police, which may be reached direct from the cell-room
where Czolgosz is held. It lasted an hour, and the examining committee then
dispersed singly. Mr. Penny went out the front door of police headquarters.
Dr. Crego was allowed to depart from a rear door which is rarely opened. Dr.
Fowler emerged from another unused exit. All were under agreement to say nothing
of the examination.
No Insanity in Family.
In the hour Czolgosz was before the physicians
he was questioned concerning his antecedents, and declared there never had been
a case of insanity in his family, nor had there been cases of disease likely
to affect the reason.
Dr. Crego took measurements of Czolgosz’s head,
examined his eyes, and made a general physical survey of the would-be assassin.
He and Dr. Fowler said without hesitancy that the man was entirely sane, and
in their judgment was sane when he attempted to kill the President.
Is Not Breaking Down.
Dr. Fowler was asked if Czolgosz
showed any signs of breaking down, and if he found any evidence of collapse
which has been reported.
“No,” said he, “he has not broken down. He is
in good health and as well as when I examined him on Saturday. He is not going
to collapse.”
Fail to Prove Plot as Yet.
District Attorney Penny said: “I
cannot make any statement regarding the examination. We are doing our best to
fix the crime. We are receiving information from all parts of the world, and
we are investigating.”
“With what result?” he was asked.
“No result,” he answered.
Mr. Penny’s attitude seems to be that there is,
as yet, no evidence of a conspiracy to remove the President.
Governor Odell was here on Saturday and returned
to Newburgh on Sunday. While here he held a consultation with Secretary Root
and District Attorney Penney of Buffalo, at which it was decided to push the
case against Czolgosz and his fellow-conspirators, if any there be, with all
speed.
Mr. Root is familiar with State, interstate, national,
and international law, and for that reason it was not necessary to await the
arrival of Attorney General Knox before deciding the steps to bring Czolgosz
to justice.
Governor Odell will return to Buffalo on Saturday,
and, it was announced tonight, is to call an extraordinary session of the grand
jury for Erie County to indict Czolgosz, and Henry A. Childs, Supreme Court
Justice for the Eighth District, is to be designated by Governor Odell to preside
at the trial.
The full penalty on conviction is ten years in
State prison.
Decide Not to Summon President.
It has been practically decided,
it was further declared not to summon President McKinley as a witness for the
prosecution, for the reason that they [sic] are sufficient witnesses
to tell of Czolgosz’s guilt. The assassin has no lawyer to defend him, and it
may be that the court will be compelled to assign a lawyer to put in the best
plea possible for him.
Governor Odell, in his talks with Secretary Root,
discussed the advisability of sending to the Legislature at the approaching
session, a recommendation that a law be enacted making it treason to the national
government to attempt the life of the Chief Magistrate, the penalty to be the
same as the conviction for treason—death.
No decision was reached as to this phase of the
situation, but it is to be strongly urged on the Governor’s return to Buffalo.
A member of the District Attorney’s staff said
today:
“The Illinois statutes under which the Chicago
Anarchists were tried are substantially the same as the New York statutes. The
identity of the person who threw the Haymarket bomb was not known, but eight
members of the revolutionary society which had openly advocated the overthrow
of law by violence were indicted for murder and convicted upon the trial. Great
latitude was allowed in the introduction of proof to show the combination on
the part of the defendants and ther [sic] members of society to which
they [1][2] belonged forcibly to resist the officers
of the law and to kill them if necessary. The case was taken to the United States
Supreme Court upon allegation of error that the formation of the jury was improper,
that the dwellings of the defendants were unlawfully searched, and generally
that the rights of the defendants were violated. The judgment of conviction
was unanimously confirmed.
“There is no doubt that the Chicago case is a
precedent which will be followed in this State, as it involves almost every
question that could be raised upon an indictment of the members of the society
to which Czolgosz belongs for complicity in his crime.
“If it can be shown that there was a conspiracy
to commit some felony, even though not the one actually committed, all the subsequent
acts and declarations of those connected with the conspiracy to further the
common object may be received in evidence upon a proceeding against and [sic]
one or more of the conspirators. This proposition is fully established.”