Show AUSTINS SANITY The Investigation Into It Continued Con-tinued Several Witnesses Express Their Belief In His otal Lack of Will Power A Letter to Jesus Christ Yesterday afternoon before tho probate judge and special commission consisting of Doctors Footer Maclean and Hal the inquiry into the question of sanity of Charles W Austin was resumed the father D AUSTIN being on the stand Several letters from tho physician and managers in charge of the Keeley institute at Olympia written to the father and brothers and also from the attorney in I Seattle who had defended the young man on the charge of attempting to pass a bogus check were read by the commission showIng show-Ing that his sanity was so seriously questioned ques-tioned that the hope of cure was unreasonable unreason-able When ho was placed in jail at Seattle his friends allowed him to remain some weeks thinking it much safer orhim to be under restraint While there ho threatened to end his life and a knife was found in his possession which he intended to use for that purpose This also occurred at Olympia Matters reached such a pass that the brothers and parents induced the wife to consent to a divorce before the question of insanity was determined which she did reluctantly and only on the milder charge of failure to support The question of comparative conditions when he loft his parents six years ago and as he appeared a few weeks ago on his return re-turn to his parents the matter of habits and especially of studious reading and fondness for books which he once possessed in the strongest degree were shown to have been completely abandoned and the attempt to casually interest him in this line proved n failure While in former Sears ho was cheerful and vivacious of aito he became gloomy and despondent Before leaving the parental roof ho had become what is commonly known as a fast young man and to his habit of cigarette smoking and drinking wore added other dissipations As to the immediate act which caused his arrest the only reference made by the defendant de-fendant was lost evening to his father when he asked CDo you think I would have shot tho man 1 I would not have done it for my lfen He made n habit of commencing numerous numer-ous letters and never writing but two or three lines One he addressed as follows 46 SALT LAKE Jesus Christ Make me a nobler man and bring that dreamt I passion of mine to me CHARLES AUSTIN I This was inclosed in a letter he had begun be-gun to his wife After a review of a part of the testimony of the preceding dan da-n L BEAVER was placed on the stand and testified that he was in charge of the Turkish bathhouse bath-house on Third South and that at the request re-quest of the father had taken the young man as an assistant While only there two days his condition was observed to be strange and his father was told of it He seemed to here no memory and would leave one thing partly finished and turn to another which would In turn be treated in the same way He would never engagein any conversation but was very submissive to all As to the act in question the witness wit-ness said I attribute it to his unbalanced mind and do not think he was responsible i c CROOK a real estate dealer was next examined and testifeL to many acts showing despondency des-pondency and a total Indifference or luck of capacity to converse on even recent topics with which he could not have been unacquainted very recently Although walking and talking with him often yet ho could not be enlisted in any subject save for a moment He was tractable in the extreme and his main trouble seemed to be a lack of power to grasp any thought Of what I know of him said the witness wit-ness Cl would have thought him totally incapable of such a deed as the one charged and be was evidently laboring under mental aberation DR c W HARVET medical examiner of the McMurray inili tute was then placed on the stand and testified that he had examined the party for admission to that institute and recommended recom-mended his rejection on account of tho condition of his mental I faculties His apathy was apparent and I all attempts to interest wero fruitless The only sympton of note in the line of change was an inquiry regarding religious matters last Friday when he grew very much excited ex-cited for a time but relapsed into the apathetic ap-athetic state My opinion said the dodtor was that the patient was totally I without will power and hence we could not treat him I believe his condition is due to softening of the brain as the result of a fast life alcohol cigarettes and other excesses From what I have known 01 the party I do not think he comprehended the character of the act but it was the result of mental frenzy and I think he is yet in that condition and subject to such changes yet yetAt At a late hour the hearing was adjourned until 2 pm today COUNTY counT Tho committee to whom was referred the petition of T P Murray regarding right of way reported favorably on same but owing ow-ing to the protest of C A Eggert and sixteen six-teen others the matter was deferred The bond of O O Martin for liquor license cense was referred back for correction Adam Nielson was granted aid to the extent ex-tent of 1 The Saltair railway petitioned for right of way along West Boulevard and Selectmen Select-men Hardy and Butter were appointed to confer with the property owners along the linoCourt Court adjourned until Apiil 28 I I |