The door was opened today to another full-scale public hearing on the mental condition of Gov. Earl K Long as four psychiatry and neurology specialists were subpen&ed to testify tomorrow at a civil sendee inquiry in Baton Rouge. At issue in the
in the inquiry is Long's firing of state police Sgt. William R. Abadie, accused by the governor of not responding to requests that he aid Long in obtaining his release from the state mental hospital at Mandeville.
Abadie, one of Long's security guards, was also accused when fired in June of . not preventing state officials and Mrs. Long from removing the governor from the mansion in Baton Rouge to a hospital at Galveston.
The state policeman is appealing his firing at tomorrow's hearing in the Public Welfare building in Baton Rouge.
State civil service director W. W. McDougall confirmed today subpenaes were issued for:
Dr. Robert Heath, chairman of the department of psychiatry and neurology at the Tulane university school of medicine.
Dr. Charles Watkins, chairman of the department of psychiatry and neurology at
the Louisiana State university school of medicine.
Dr. Richard Paddison, professor of neurology at LSU school of medicine.
Dr. Victor Lief, instructor of phychiatry and medicine at Tulane.
The four sharply disagreed with Long's release from the Southeast Louisiana hospital in Mandeville June 26. They said, after Long had maneuvered his release, that they had each examined the governor and "found individually that he was in need of continued hospitalization."
However, they have never previously made a public disclosure of the details of their findings.
Long is expected to be the star witness at the hearing.
A subpeant has also been issued for Mrs. Long, the governor's estranged wife, but this morning state police superintendent E. P. Roy reported to civil service officials that his officers could
Hea ring-
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not find Mrs. Long to serve the subpena,
Mrs. Long was in New Orleans for several days last week. The governor confirmed that he had seen her here at her brother's horns in Metairie. On Long's Orders
Col. Roy,, acting on direct orders of Long, fired Abadie and suspended Sgt. Vernon Poche, another security officer, after the governor's release from the Mandeville institution.
Testimony will be sought by
defense counsel for Abadie that
Long was not in condition to
give orders to either Abadie or
j Poche when he directed them
! to take action against those
i seeking his confinement in men-
| tal institutions.
The subpena list also includes a number of others who were prominent in the drama of Long's mental commitments.
They include:
8ens Russell B. Long, the governor's nephew.
Dr. Chester Williams, East Baton Rouge parish coroner.
Jesse Bankston, director of state hospitals who was fired when he refused to agree to Long's release from Mandeville.
Former state police superintendent John Nick Brown, who was fired by Long and replaced by Roy,
Roy, who is not under subpena, is also expected to take the witness stand.
