Attack victim’s death held due to brain injury: manslaughter charge recommended by coroner’s jury: After hearing testimony of several witnesses, including Mrs. Signe Thomas, superintendent of the Graham hospital, Miss Rita May Collins, floor supervising nurse, Miss Barbara may Bennett, student nurse, Dr. E. P. Coleman, D. A. Bennett and C. C. Russell, the latter of Easton, Ill., State Police Officer John Shreffler and Earl Perkins, a member of the Canton police department, a coroner’s jury last night declared the death of James Joseph Rogers due to a brain injury sustained when he was attacked while a patient in the hospital by Jesse Hall, of Topeka, and recommended that Hall be charged with manslaughter. State’s Attorney Crissey said at the conclusion of the inquest, that Hall would be taken to the Illinois Security hospital at Chester, Ill., near Menard. He also said that he had been informed that Hall had severely beaten a patient at Bartonville Monday evening. Testimony presented to the jurors at the inquest conducted by Dr. C. Lester Lambert, Fulton county coroner, was to the effect that Hall suddenly went insane several hours after he had been admitted to the Graham hospital for observation and x-ray examination. Physicians said that there was no indication of mental derangement prior to the attack on Rogers and that he later appeared normal at intervals.
Officer Testifies: Shreffler testified to having been notified by state police radio to go to Monterey with his partner, Officer John Painter, Monday afternoon, being told that a patient had escaped from an ambulance enroute to the state hospital. He said he found Hall in the custody of two men whose names were given as Weaver and Johnson, who said they were compelled to use force to subdue the crazed man. (Missing remainder of article.)
Graham Hospital School of Nursing Library
