A NOTABLE MURDER TRIAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXV, Issue 4254, 3 July 1895, Page 6

A NOTABLE MURDER TRIAL.

Writing on April 27 the New York correspondent of the Melbourne ' Age ' gives the following additional particulars of a remarkable murder trial that has been engaging attention for some time :—": — " Recently a trial came off in Kansas, one of our Western States, which is unlike anything ever before known in any civilised country. Thomas M'Donald shot and killed Thomas Patton. He lay in wait for him at the side of a road where he was expected to pass and killed him with a shot gun. He was arrested, tried, and acquitted. The defence was that he was hypnotised by Anderson Gray, who was not present at the time of the shooting, but was in a house not far away. The crime was committed near Patton's house, in Winfield, Kansas, sth May, 1894. After the aquittal of Patton, Gray was arrested, tried, and convicted, notwithstandinghedid notfire the fatal shot, and was not at the scene of the murder at the time of its commission. The claim was that he induced M'Donald to commit the murder by means of hypnotic influence, and the jury accepted the claim and found against the accused. As far as I am aware this is the first case ever known in which hypnotism has been invoked to put a man on the road to the gallows. The Supreme Court of the State sustained the decision of the lower court, and the chances are that Gray will be hanged or go to prison for life. Experts in hypnotism say that it cannot be used to induce crime of any kind as long as the subject remains in possession of any of his reasoning faculties. That Gray was an accessory before the fact is very clearly established, and, according to the laws of several of the States, including Kansas, he was really the principal in the murder, although it was another's hand that committed the actual killing. M'Donald was in Gray's employ, and Gray was desirous of getting Patton out of the way on account* of certain bad conduct on the part of Gray, of which Patton was the only witness. M'Donald was a fellow of weak mind, and easily influenced. Gray told him chat Patton was looking for him (M'Donald) with a gun, and intended to kill him on sight. He advised M 'Donald to get a gun (kindly lending him one) and be the first in at the expected shooting. M'Donald acted upon the advice, and the murder took place' as narrated. There was no evidence of any ill-feeling on the part of Patton for M'Donald, although Gray tried hard to make it appear so. Substitute 'influence' for ' hypnotism ' and you have the case about as it is in the light of common sense."

A gentleman in France attended the cremation of his brother, and when returning by rail with the ashes of his relative in an urn, placed in a portmanteau, deposited the same at a cloak room for a short time. When oalliug for the portmanteau the attendant found that it was missing. The bereaved brother is suing the railway company for damages, but there is a difficulty in deciding what is the money value of a deceased brother's ashes.