The original Norwood Railroad Station built c.1873 about 1905. It was in the same location as today. Note the second floor. The stationmaster and his family were expected to live at the station. Back then all stations were built with second floors etc. for families. The station was replaced in the 1950's.
NOTE: The Dr. John Bullitt Case was on the front page of the Chester Times for months back in 1910. Bullitt who was wealthy had a brother and two sisters. Bullitt was single and in his 40's. When he announced he wanted to marry the 18 year old daughter of his caretaker, his family wanted him declared insane. The case went on for months and Bullitt was declared insane. Bullitt's family argued he was insane because he wanted to marry an 18 year old girl and the court agreed. Bullitt hired a new lawyer who came up with the perfect defense. His new lawyer declared in court that, "Bullitt would be crazy if he DIDN'T want to marry a 18 year old girl". The court agreed and he was found legally sane and they were married.
CHESTER TIMES
June 27, 1910
COMMISSION ON LUNACY TO PASS ON DR. BULLITT
Ultimate Solution of Legal Battle to Prevent His Marriage Will Be Expedited; Mutual Agreement of Parties Concerned
An Interesting Phase of the Case
To expedite
the ultimate solution of the legal battle in which a brother and two sisters of
Dr. John Christian Bullitt, Jr., of Norwood, are trying to prevent his marriage
to Miss Edna Dever, the eighteen-year-old daughter of John A. Dever, his
caretaker, and in which they declare Dr. Bullitt insane, Judge Isaac Johnson on
Saturday afternoon appointed Carols M. Broomall, Esq., a Media attorney, as a
commission in lunacy, and dissolved the injunction preventing the proposed
marriage with an agreement of counsel that the status quo shall be
maintained. This means that the time of
the court and expense will be saved by having the proceedings before the
commission, who will act in a capacity similar to that of a master in
divorce. After taking all of the
evidence the commission will make his report to the Court with findings and a
recommendation. It may be some time
before the proceedings are finally completed, but time will be saved by this
method.
If the
court had continued to hear the case and had then appointed a commission, it
would have been necessary for the latter to also have heard all of the
evidence. Then if an appeal were taken
and granted the court would again have had to review the entire matter and to
have heard the testimony. The possibly
would have meant interminable litigation and expense. The procedure before the commission will no
doubt have time.
INTERESTING
QUESTION RECEIVED – Before making his decision Judge Johnson consulted V.G.
Robinson, Esq., attorney for the petitioners for a commission, and William I.
Schaffer, Esq., representing the Devers and Dr. Bullitt. The lawyers consulted with their clients and
reported to the court their willingness to abide by the result.
An
interesting question is here devolved.
At the present time there is no injunction preventing the marriage and
the commission has not been informed of his powers in the proceedings. If Dr. Bullitt and Miss Dever choose to marry
there is no law which can prevent them.
If they do so and Dr. Bullitt is adjudged to be of unsound mind the
marriage might afterwards be annulled.
The only thing to prevent the marriage is the agreement that the status
quo should be maintained. This means
that no further action shall be taken by either side in this case, but that the
result of the proceedings before the commission should be awaited. This is not a legal preventive of the
proposed marriage, it is said, and the principals could not be punished for
contempt of court if they should marry.
The
hearing in the Bullitt case was late in starting, but when the matter was
finally called it was readily disposed of by the court. At that time Dr. Frank Woodbury, secretary of
the State Lunacy Commission, who examined Dr. Bullitt, was called as a witness.
Two
hours previous to the decision of the court a private conference was held in
the office of Judge Johnson between the court and Attorneys Robinson and
Schaffer. After the conference the
attorneys returned to the court room ready to try the case.
It is
stated that Dr. Woodbury examined Dr. Bullitt at the request of William C.
Bullitt, a brother who is not opposing the marriage, and that he was expected
to be called in behalf of Dr. Bullitt.
It is asserted by the petitioners in the suits that they learned that
the other side was not going to call him so they had him subpoenaed.
A set of
hypothetical question which would have been asked Dr. Woodbury in court were
submitted to him previously and Dr. Woodbury had subscribed his answer to them.
BELIEVES HIM UNSOUND
The questions and answers were:
“From
the examination you have made of Dr. Bullitt and from his speech, and behavior
are you able to form an opinion as to whether he is of sound or of unsound
mind?”
Dr.
Woodbury’s answer was, “He is unsound and constitutionally inferior.”
“If you
consider him of unsound mind, state whether or not in your opinion he is
capable of governing or taking care of his person and estate.”
The
written reply was, “Not fully.”
“If in
addition to what you have observed, it were a fact that he has had violent
outbreaks, during which he suffered, with the hallucination that he was in
great danger of bodily harm, became so violent that it was necessary to put him
in a straight-jacket; that upon occasion when he was not violent he labored
under a morbid dread or fear of bodily harm from persons who were free from all
suspicion of having any intent to do him harm, or was in morbid fear of great
bodily harm from unknown persons and so completely subject to this fear of
bodily harm that he employed persons to follow him and protect him from danger;
that he had exaggerated ideas of his own importance and responsibility to and
in the community in which he lived; that upon one occasion he was induced to
marry a woman who was his nurse, acting solely on her statement to him that his
people intended to put him in an insane asylum and to keep him there
permanently. Assuming the above
statements to be true, how would they affect your opinion as to the soundness
or unsoundness of the mind of John Christian Bullitt, Jr.?”
The
answer was: “They would confirm my
opinion.”
“Assuming
the above statements to be true and that the first violent attack occurred in
1890 and the last of several at the present time, as an expert will you please
state whether, in your judgment, his condition of unsound mind is temporary or
permanent?”
The
answer was: “Permanent with occasional
lapses into mania.”
“Assuming
the above statements to be true, as an expert will you please state what
bearing in your opinion they have upon the ability of John Christian Bullitt,
Jr., to govern or take care of his person and estate.”
The
alienist subscribed: “They support the
view that he is constitutionally incapable of taking care of himself and his
estate.”
Delco Before and after show !!
this Monday
PLEASE COME TO MY TALK THIS MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 AT 6:30 AT THE RIDLEY TOWNSHIP LIBRARY.. I WILL BE SHOWING PICTURES FROM 100 PLUS YEARS AGO AND THEN HOW THE SAME VIEW LOOKS TODAY. YOU WILL BE SHOCKED AT SOME OF THE PICTURES AND CHANGES!!!
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