Commonwealth ex rel. Barber v. Cavell

Opinion by

Ervin, J.,

This is an appeal from the order of the court below refusing a writ of habeas corpus to a prisoner. The appellant was charged with arson in four indictments containing nineteen counts. On June 18, 1953 a commission reported to the court: “That they find that the said Wm. Barber is in fact insane and is in such condition as to make it necessary that he be cared for in a hospital for mental diseases. That the facts upon which their conclusion is based are as follows: Patient has strong driven or impulsions of psychogenic origin to do things unusual. In this case, it was an…