172 Slide – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

140 2. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS,

Worrell that his son bad another attack in the same year
at Winchester, Ky. The doctor was stationed there tempo-
yarily as a teacher—his son slept with some young men of
the town, one of whom called and told the doctor that his
son was in a very bad way. The doctor only saw him as the
Spasm was passing off.

‘The next and last attack referred to by his father prior
to the homicide occurred at the house of a Mrs, Elsay in
Baltimore, where defendant was boarding in 1852. The doc-
tor did not witness the attack, and states nothing in relation
to it of his own knowledge except that he called in Dr. Dum-
bar,

From 1853 to the commission of the murder in 1856, a
period of four years, we have no evidence whatever of a re-
newal of the attack.

Here then, gentlemen, you have, according to the evidence,
but five instances of supposed convulsions prior to the homi-
eide, and ranging from 1845 to 1852, inclusive, averaging
less than one & year, and only one of those pronounced by a
physician to be epilepsy, and, what is very remarkable, in
no instance did any symptom of epilepsy manifest itself. The
conclusion is then irresistible that these attacks were de-
lirium tremens resulting from excessive dissipation, and that
epilepsy was the pretext to conceal his habits from his par-
ents,

Dr. Watson in the work already referred to (page 391)
says:

“In the number of feigned diseases, epilepsy is one of the most
eommon—soldiers and sailors pretend to have epileptic fits in the
hope of obtaining their discharge from the service, Cases of sim-
ulated epilepsy also oecur continually in our streets among mendi-
eants and impostors, who think to excite the compassion and pe-
enniary charity of the eredulous. It is easy enough, they think, to
throw their lega and arms about, and to grin; and many of them
get up a capital show of foaming at the mouth by placing a bit of
soap between the guts and cheek.” . , .

“Pretenders are not very willing to perform when they know that
a medical man is looking on. They choose such situations for their
exhibitions as are most suitable for their purpose.”

“The epileptics are often seriously hurt by their falls; feigned
H
ones generally come off without much bodily damage.”