ROTTMAN STANDS HIS TRIAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 211, 13 February 1915, Page 4

ROTTMAN STANDS HIS TRIAL.

THE IfcCANN MURDER. ACCUSED PLEADS INSANITY. By 'JVlegrapii.—Per Press Association Wanganui, February 12. The murder trial was resumed to day.

Dr. Tiinibull, recalled, in- reply to the Crown Prosecutor, said he eanio to the conclusion that death had occurred 4S hours previous to his second eSamina-: tion on Wednesday morning. Detective-Sergeant Eawle detailed the. arrest of accused, who was found crouching down by the side of a tree behind Te Kamara homestead.' Witness covered him with a revolver, telling him to put up his hands, which he did, at the same time saying: "I am fniilty. I know what I have done." On leading accused out of the bush, witness charged him with the inurdor, and he v replied: "I am guilty. Clod punish the man wiio brought liquor into this country." .' ', Acting-De'tective Dempsey, who as-' sisted in the capture of accused, said the latter was very quiet when arrested,' and said, "I had been drinking heavily,' 1 Later on lie said, "When I got home the doors were locked. 1 had a bottle of whisky, I don't know where I go* it." ■ ;

"Constable Crow, who escorted', accus:.". to Wellington after his committal ai Maiig&wcka, stated that the latter sail, in the train: "On the morning of Dp-, cember 28 I got home about 3 o'clock;' and went out with McCann to the 'cowbail. McC'aim was putting in a new board I asked him to let me do it, as I was a carpenter He said: "You are too full." I said, "I.' can swing an axo,". and swung it round my head, accident-

ally hitting McCann. I then slept for two hours, and when I,got,up and .saw -McCann lying there I "ot another bottle of whisky and drunk it, wanting to kill myself. I'their went to Mrs. McCann's bedroom to tell her what.l had done,

and I don't remember anything more until I came to tho cow-bail and saw M'C'ann. I got sober all at once and' then put four kerosene tin's of. water into the milk and went to the factory." Witness understood that accused received a telegram from Meford.: .-"Write nothing; say nothing; do nothing." . Mr. Mackay, in opening the ease for the defence, said he was bound to ad-' mit the facts of the prosecution. The defence was that accused was not responsible for his action; in other word;; that, he was insane. Diseases of tin brain often resulted in Insanity, an' one form of insanity was delusions, an: other fits or frenzy. A man was excused by law from crimes committed while under this frenzy, and the most dceadly and most frequent cause of insanity was alcohol, which produced the homicidal tendencies, popularly known as "mad drunk." He asked the jury to' bring in a verdict of "not guilty" on the grounds of insanity, as accused was not, in the state to know what he was doing. The jury's verdict in th&t case would not mean that accused would go free, but he would be detained in a prison or mental hospital during the pleasure of the Governor. Wanganui, Last Night;

A letter from Mr James, Missioner of the Sailors' Friendly Missio n at Wellington was read, stating that Bottman bore an excellent character. - Captain Bollons, of , the Government steamer Hinemoa, wrote that when Eottman was on the Hinemoa lie was of a most kindly disposition, not at all quarrelsome, a steady, hard worker, and apparently on good terms with the crew. The accused man went into the witness box at this stace and in halting English, made the following statement: ''l will he 21 years of age on -April 4th. next. I was born on the Upper Rhine, in Germany. My father was an assistant railway manager. I was educated for two years at Dusseldorf, and for nine years at another school which, had a university connected with it. I was prepared for a career on the land, hut at tile ago of I" years went to sea on a training ship, transferring at Liverpool to an English ship. On arriving in New Zealand waters, I joined the Hinemoa. and stayed there for eight months until the war broke out. Captain Bollons wanted to keep me. The police did not object, Imt the Marine Department made me leave. When I went ashore T wanted the authorities to send me to Somes Island, but they induced me to go to the Lahor Bureau and that was how I came to get a billet at Euahine.

."My father used sQi{o[ik?* js ! lMs? linued, "and "my mother-has twice beiß&t in an asylum. One of .my brothers dial'. of brain fever, arfd my sister suffered from hysteria, My-parents told me that when I was- a little boy I fell dow n same stairs. -I wf|s alsor injured when coming out to KTew island when furling the top-gallant saijs'with threw other A.B 's Two of them went overboard, and T was slung against the rigging and hurt. Later 1 was shipwreokod oh the Australian coast." Proceeding, witness, said that he arrived at Kual.ine on August 15th. He got on well with the McCann family, and did not have anv quarrels. On Boxinz Way he went with Neil ( a ness) to Rangiwahia, had a7rink before dinner, and then had more. At 330 Im

Mr Maekay. mat sort of a state were you. m thenT-Not too good. You had too much drink ?~Yes ust thew 011 Would not So home just then. Witness sad it was i>„t £ur, as he had treated' Mm To we H two more glasses of £ " Ml offered to give wltnVa «*$ i mhlnirrht e f n w, , tn ?, 88 got horae after J midnight, he found. the doors and hi. ' I window locked. He staved «,,+ -a ■'! until McCann came Sr.bSs \n *S ' Cannsaid, "You are baek very £s*l 1 did you un til seven o'clock I ' was wiTd last night, I waited tm 5 » " P.m. before I got the .cows in." McCann ■', then gave witness a whisky, andl said witness could go and sleep. Witrfcss dM - 1 not do so, and they did the 35 J{ > fe. tli Af cl \ breakfast witnes w£t aid tb t'h ab ° Ut S '! eop ' «»1 MooS • W.r at , ho WM Kom * t0 "fleece" at bwcets' place on the Monday. Witness and McCann did the milkii," that ■ ■ afternoon, and ■* homely evenL 21 . decided upon. They were tatthuV Tdk singing and drinkine until one ottoek J next morning. Then M^sMcCantocher I husband to bed. Witness went to his f , room, and had some mor e beer Jugfc I before daylight McCann came o wit tfl ness bedroom, and miA t , lat ,, 1 ,™ ■*; anolseK A the family could hardly get anv i

THE FATAL AXE. t } hoTeiurned ArV° r V* CRW8 ' an <' **"» -M^oaJr^^ W on"t " 0r ° "" l! *' foun(l '"'-self wmr on the ground outside He mill-fl ' '""self together, went to the hon«> a „1 J| had some nolo nh„k T He nUt «,' *l mmbeied nndlM , mms - )f ™ t re- i { h-wn Mrs McCann's bedjoom a,d tha ' bSVthrb\>r s i a thr B at,, t of^ sobe, ? "J?*' Rnd Beerae(l to-irt j

AFTER THE TRAGEDr. «,^ ltn T , then closoa both d0( -> 3 . and un into his owm room. He tr/cd to , think when- Mr McCaim had got to, an.l consequently staged for thl cow'shed. tl „, "i fl t y '" wit " e9 B pepped on sonwhing hard, and found ,t was the ax« < witli blood on it. He stood,still for a n moment and Iretened ~ After he had "ecu what had been done at the hoa* h<" felt oui-e that thi> same thing had X i-appened dow„ Mow (meaning m the w . d, K W i lt , ncss fclt *■»< 'WW? bu, himself, could hayo committed the '? ™\ ., H « *«* the mi* to the fac- i tor.*ni rctmnul and attended to some j of the annuals, and tlien made pre- 4 p.u lions to leave tin place When ha f -ached Mangaweka hj f had about ft lus money he had sued, apart from £1 ' which Mi McOann had given him. ! .'

. , ''LIKE A DREAM." *f" * $ Mr Uaekay (to accused): Did Y ol l Jaw any grudge ngaillßt fho Mc Canu' ' family?— None at all. "««u v To the Crown Prosecutor: He did noi^ remember saymg to Neil that h 0 (Rott-S mind ' Sn ' e Ml ' Ca " n a bit ° f '^'V' Ills Honor: Yon did not tell the Con- ''. stab e that you struck MoCann ?—No „ Mr Mackay: Do you believe that when .. sw/iigmg the aw round your head it'* might have struck McCantt by accident? —l'think so. Mr Marshall: Yon say that, in the <"- J act' of the doctor's evidence of six ' •blows ?-■- (No answer.) You cannot explain/;— No. The only tinng I remember is the axo going' ,« against the post. 7 'f Wliy should that stupefy you?—l h know it was like a dream. . ' %

Under seAcre cross-examination, accused for the first time commenced ,tci show traces of excitement. - He maintained that a lot of the polico evidence was untrue.

Dr dray na*scll, medical superinten- *t dent of the Porirua Mental Hospital, "Vi , s.ud he hml had a wide experience of ! mental cases. He had examined Rott- < - man and questioned him on his family' v history. That history was .'not good *'-' Jrom a mental point of view. To Mr Mackay,: The deaths' would suggest acute homicidal frenzy. Are the fits short or 'bug?— Acute homicidal impulses are short. Would homicidal, impulse be irritated by the sight of an axe?— Yes Dr Hassell said that mania came on suddenly, and a man whose head had ' Hrk " IJ,lml W ° UM be liable to an «*- ' Counsel for Rottman: JNow, taking all'' the facts of this case into consideration, do you think that the acts are consistent with the work of an insane 'ma*! Dr Hkwll: T think the acts are consistent with insanity To Mr Marshall: He did-not have ~ any opportunity of verifying the state- > ments made to him by Rottman. JVft Marshall: They might be untrue?

[orHy?-Yes onSid ' r ** B ° atti ° a " auth - To the ' Jury: A. man could have two attacks oi mania apotu in- three hours. Two local, doctors. Earlc and Wilson expressed the opinion that the mur- ' * ■dorer 3 acts were consistent with mania apoty (mad drunk). This closed ■the case for the defence and the Court adjourned till nevt morning. ,