The defense rested in the case of Mrs. Sabrah Getsinger vs. Dr. E.F. Corbell, L.M. Rountrees and N.A. Getsinger shortly after court convened Monday afternoon and the plaintiff began rebuttal testimony with prospect that evidence would be concluded before court adjourned for the day, thus leaving all Tuesday for the judge’s charge and the argument.
The case began Thursday afternoon of last week and, running over into this week, was delayed the Camden term of Superior Court scheduled to begin Monday to Wednesday. It has taken the defense two days to put on its evidence, the three defendants themselves being the last witnesses examined.
The defense rests its case first on the character of the defendants, which, it is contended, is such as to make the charge of conspiracy made by the plaintiff preposterous. Dr. Southgate Leigh, for instance, Norfolk surgeon, was here only to testify to the high character of Dr. Corbell, personally and professionally.
In the next place, it is the contention of the defense that the plaintiff is of a very suspicious nature as well as that she was mentally unbalanced at the time of the alleged inquisition, and that the idea of conspiracy is the fanciful creation of the plaintiff’s brain. In corroboration of their contention that she was mentally unbalanced, they put on the stand dr. F.W. Drury, alienist, of Petersburg, who observed the plaintiff when she went to a hospital following her flight from her husband’s home, and who testified that at that time, in his opinion, she was mentally unbalanced.
Following the evidence of the three defendants, all of whom testified that they sought to have Mrs. Getsinger committed to the State Hospital at Raleigh in good faith, believing her to be a fit subject of that institution, documentary evidence in support of their contention was produced.
From the front page of The Daily Advance, Elizabeth City, N.C., Monday, Sept. 24, 1923
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