“ While under its influence, . . . . Some of the most peculiar and atrocious crimes have been committed by individuals while under the influence of this drug.” [the following being a specific case]

“Case 1.   A white male, age thirty, family history negative.   His parents were of moderate means and patient attended grade school and finished high school.   He made fair grades.   I first saw him in 1931, when he was twenty-three years old.   He worked at intervals in his father's restaurant, but never steady.   He was considered by his parents to be somewhat rowdy, would drink whiskey at times also stay out all night from home, and associate with questionable characters.   He also began smoking marijuana and was later arrested and jailed for disturbing the peace.   He improved or quieted down while in jail and after a week or so was released.   Again in 1932 I was called to see him.   His blood and spinal Wassermann tests were negative, he was restless, hyperactive, pupils dilated, he had delusions of grandeur and expansive ideas.   We could not keep him at home without restraint, and his family again sent him to jail for the protection of himself and others.   I ask for a hearing in lunacy at that time but he again showed some signs of improvement after a few days and no action was taken.   He was again set free but after a short time he appeared at the jail again of his own accord and ask to be locked up and treated for his habit but he was not accepted.   At that time he was smoking the drug rather freely and rolling his own.   He continued his habit and was in and out of trouble, he was married and divorced.   Soon his father died and he and his mother moved to Colorado with friends.   He secured a job as chauffeur from his friend.   In a few months they drove back to Wichita.   One night while driving his friend to the country he demanded that his friend sign a bill of sale for the car, also had him sign other papers.   He then shot him in the chest, placed him in the back of the car and went to a dance.   After the dance he drove to an open well and was going to throw him in but changed his mind and put him back in the car, then drove to the country to a cabin and decided to burn him.   He put him in the cabin, set fire to it and burned a part of the building and decided not to burn him.   He put him back in the car and drove around Wichita the remainder of the night and in the morning took him to one of our local hospitals and left him, where he died the next day.   At that time the patient had in his possession a pistol, whiskey, and marijuana.   He was arrested for murder placed in jail and adjudged insane by a commission.   He was sent to the Lansing penitentiary and placed in the insane ward.   In October, 1938, he was adjudged sane by the prison commission and he was brought back to the Sedgwick County jail awaiting trial for murder. . [Other case histories follow:]

“In Egypt they have placed much blame on hashish for insanity.   Wise reporting thirty-three per cent in the asylum at Cairo.   Many victims, however, put the use of this drug secondary to alcohol in its bad effects.”

From: [name withheld]:
Boy, this was a tough one! We found it!

Robert L. Metzger shot Charles A. Russell, age 50, a Boulder Colorado mining operator, on 13 January 1937.   Russell died on 18 January 1937.   Metzger was his chauffeur.

There are several scanned articles on NewspaperArchive.com regarding this event.   Since you now have the names and date, you can search for them through Google.   If you need for us to make copies from the Wichita Eagle, we can. Copies are . . [more]

If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.
[name withheld]
Local History Librarian

“1933 Wichita, Kansas - Male Killed in fight over marihuana. -- Article by James C. Munch; "United Nations Bulletin on Narcotics"-1966 Issue 2

1933 - J. Perez, - Wichita, Kan. - Killed in fight over marihuana. - Dead - - 6th conference report - INEOA 1965 “

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