Life and trial of Dr. Abner Baker, Jr : (a monomaniac), who was executed October 3, 1845, for the alleged murder of his brother-in-law, Daniel Bates : including letters and petitions in favor of a pardon, and narrative of the circumstances attending his execution, etc. etc. / by C.W. Crozier ; trial and evidence by A.R. M'Kee.
- Crozier, C. W.
- Date:
- 1846
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Life and trial of Dr. Abner Baker, Jr : (a monomaniac), who was executed October 3, 1845, for the alleged murder of his brother-in-law, Daniel Bates : including letters and petitions in favor of a pardon, and narrative of the circumstances attending his execution, etc. etc. / by C.W. Crozier ; trial and evidence by A.R. M'Kee. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
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![Cross Examined, states—That it is difficult to define insanity. If you undertake to define it like Gall, you might have the world de- ranged. [The witness here gave a definition which was not correctly un- derstood by the reporter.] The Counsel then asked witness—If he did not come to Clay coun- ty, before he heard the testimony, to swear that Baker was deranged? Witness answered, that he was told before he left home, that Dr. Baker had killed his brother-in-law, Mr. Bates, last fall—that the plea of insanity was to be relied on in his defence, upon the ground of his treatment to his wife, &x. That he heard in Lexington, from a medical gentleman (who attended the trial, and was a witness be- fore the examining Court,) a detailed account of the transaction; and he then entertained the belief, that if the facts were as represented to him, that Baker was of unsound mind; and he came to Cl-ay to hear the testimony, and apply the facts to his knowledge of insane persons—and if he then believed that Baker was deranged, to swear it, if called upon. That he found, upon hearing the testimony, that all had not been told him, and he is clearly of opinion, since hear- ing the testimony, that Baker is a monomaniac. Question by Commonwealth's counsel. Doctor, is or not derange- ment becoming much more common in this country? Answer. It is. Question. Can you tell us why it is so, Doctor? Answer. There are many, very many, causes. The very genius of our government tends to produce insanity. Question. Doctor, do you believe that a free and liberal govern. ment like ours tends to produce derangement? Answer. I certainly do. • — The above is written out from notes taken by me of Dr. Richard- son's testimony, (which is correct as far as it goes.) and was not in the copy laid before the Governor, but is in substance that which was laid before the medical gentlemen, who gave opinions in this case. The reason this was not before the Governor is, that I under- stood Dr. Richardson's testimony would be written out by himself, and accompany the testimony to be handed him. The following is a copy of Dr. Richardson's testimony, laid be- fore Governor Owsley: Dr. William H. Richardson, in answer to interrogatories, testi- fied that he had been a practising physician for 39 years. Had been ever since 1817, a professor in the Medical School of Transylvania, and had often visited and examined the Lunatic Asylum at Lexing- ton, and had acquired an extensive knowledge, theoretical and prac- tical, of the phenomena of insanity m its various forms and degrees. He had within the last two or three days, visited, examined, and con- versed with the accused (Dr. A. Baker) in the jail. He found his physical condition and appearance evidently those of a deranged](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21112058_0065.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
