094 Sheet – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

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X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

Edward's normal condition was at Portsmouth, Ohio, at Eldon & Barra's store in the beginning of 1850. I don’t know if he had any fits at Cumberland. While there, he dashed out with only one or three dollars in his pocket to walk to California, determined never to stop until he got there. He broke away from us, and we knew nothing until a friend told us the next day. When he got to Pittsburgh, he wrote for money; received it; came back to Cumberland; then went to Portsmouth. One evening, he was brought to my boarding house at Mrs. Davis’ in a state very similar to that he was in near Baltimore. His fellow clerk, Watson, brought him there. From Portsmouth, I moved to Kentucky. This was about the beginning of the next year. I saw Edward’s condition as related by Dr. Curran, at whose house we were living. I recall the consultation I then had with Dr. Curran. We thought him a perfect maniac. There was no cause for the fit that I know of. We believed it a perfect case of epilepsy. Edward would sometimes go out and sleep with some young men. On one occasion, some of them came to me and told me Edward was in a very bad way. He had a return of these spasms. He complained of a dreadful headache. That was always a symptom with him. In the fall of 1852, he enlisted in the army. About the same time, I went to Dover; to my great annoyance, he went to Baltimore and enlisted in the army. I did not see him afterwards until 1855, at Wilkes-Barre, PA. The mosquitoes had driven me out of Dover. In the first part of 1855, I obtained his discharge from the army, through Gen. Pierce of Maryland from Jefferson Davis. When I came to Wilkes-Barre, my son came to us there. He then practiced dentistry in the office of Dr. Eachurt. The ague shook my wife out, and we had to leave there. We went to Louisville, I to find a school, my son to find a place to practice dentistry. Then I went to Dover. I then did not see him afterwards until in Dover. He had gone to Cincinnati and rejoined the army. I saw him in Dover about a week before his arrest. During his then visit, we had no suspicion of anything wrong. He used to attend musical soirees given by amateurs; used to call and bid us good night and to walk and join me in the street. He wore different clothing. One time, I recollect he wore blue trousers. After my son's arrest, I got to St. Louis, my wife and self, in about eight or ten days; against the opinion of physicians, my wife accompanied me. I have not since seen this irritability in him, until September. I have discovered no violent fits in him since his return from Union, from the last term of this court. After that time, he had had chills. He had no fits during the confinement previous to September. He seemed to need fresh air. I applied to Dr. Bassett to get Felps, the governor of the jail, to give Edward fresh air and more enlargement. The doctor did not do so. I treated him; the fits then came on, became very bad and alarming; I called in Dr. Davis. I did so because Dr. Bassett did not call at my request. The indications were at first great irritability. These fits were never violent.

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