Douglas Daily Dispatch

Would Forestall
Insanity Plea By
University Prof.
Alienists
Examine Con-
fessed
Murderer
of
Ohio University Co-Ed.
COLUMBUS, O., June 22. (P)-
Alienists examined Dr. James H.
Snook today as Prosecutor John J.
Chester, Jr., moved to forestall
any attempt of the 49-year old
professor to escape the death pen-
alty by pleading insanity for the
hammer slaying of Theora Hix, 25
year old medical student at Ohio
State University.
Chester engaged Dr. William C.
Pritchard, superintendent of the
Columbus state hospital for the
insane, and Doctors Earl E. Gaver
and Robert C. Tarbell, proprietors
of a private sanatorium, to ex-
amine Dr. Snook, under indict-
ment for first degree murder as
a result of his confession that he
killed his paramour co-ed because
she threatened to slay his wife
and two-year old child.
Chester said he believed Snook
was sane when he hammered Miss
Hix into unconsciousness, then cut
her jugular vein "to end her suf-
fering" on a darkened rifle range
at the outskirts of the city ten
days ago.
One of his attorneys, E. C.
Rickett, said Dr. Snook would
plead not guilty when arraigned
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WOULD FORESTALL
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Monday in common pleas court.
It
was
understood that Dr.
Snook's signed confession was to
be considered lightly by the prose-
cution and that the fight to send
Snook to the electric chair would
be based on admissions made dur-
ing the questioning of the profes-
sor.
William
B.
Bartels,
assistant
United States district attorney who
asked federal narcotic agents to
investigate any possible drug angle
of the crime, said today that the
investigation had revealed that no
check was made at Ohio State
University of the disposal of nar-
cotics purchased by the agricul-
ture department with which Snook
was connected.
The deposed professor told de-
tectives during the investigation
that Miss Hix "had hounded" him
for drugs and later told newspa-
permen that he had not given
her any.