Notes:

May 20, 1940 Gazette
Blair Emerson Frey, 51, of Ransomville, Porter town clerk, was charged with attempted flrst-degree robbery in an indictment handed up to Justice Raymond C. Vaughan of Supreme court today by the May grand jury. Frey, charged with attempting to hold up the Somerset National Bank at Barker on April 11, was also indicted on a charge of possessing a pistol without a permit. District Attorney John S. Marsh revealed today that Prey has been removed from Niagara county Jail to Buffalo state hospital for observation as to his sanity.
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JURY TRIAL - cont'd
Dr. Cudmore agreed with Dr. Fletcher in each of these findings. Earlier, several other witnesses testified that for three or four months before the holdup attempt, Frey had been acting irrational The defense was still being presented Judge Knowles recessed court until Thursday morning at 10 o'clock. Judge Knowles had regular terms of Surrogate's and Children's court today in Niagara Falls.
Strange Actions Related.
Defense Attorney Miller plans to complete his case sometime Thursday.
The case, which opened Monday, will probably go to the jury sometime late Thursday or on Friday. The defendant's wife, Mrs. Rose Frey, testified Tuesday afternoon that her husband acted strangely for several months before the attempted holdup. She said he was quiet and moody, had a poor appetite and complained of pains in his head. On a number of occasions, she said, he failed to return home at night and was found sleeping in his gasoline station or at the town clerk's office, Mrs. Frey recalled one day when it was cold and slippery, her husband came home about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and announced out of clear sky that he was going to Pennsylvania to visit relatives. Despite her attempts to persuade him to stay home, she said he went and was gone several days. Lucille J. Frey, a daughter-in law, testified that one day the defendant came to her home and asked for a butcher knife.
Threatened Suicide.
"I asked turn what he wanted it for and he told me he was so tired of living he wanted to commit suicide," she said. The witness explained that at first she thought her father-in-law was fooling, but that she later followed him to the barn and found him sharpening the knife. "I finally talked htm out of it," she said. Floyd and Emerson Frey, sons of the defendant: Mrs. Mary L, Frey, wife of Emerson, and Miss Frances Frey, a daughter of the dedefendant, all testified to what they termed the unusual behavior of the defendant. Floyd said that he suggested once or twice that they ought to take his father to a doctor but that this was never done. Ernest Hlllman, Ransomville farmer; the Rev. John A. Mann, pastor of the Ransomville Methodist church; Harry E. Oentel, Ransomville hardware merchant and Frank Zahno. Ransomville. all testified as character witnesses. They also said they had noticed a change in Frey who they said was not friendly and happy when they met him on various occasions before the holdup attempt.

Blair married HOLLAND, Rosa L on 19 Mar 1910 in Niagara County, NY. Rosa (daughter of HOLLAND, Herman Wilhelm and LUCK, Mary Dorothea) was born in Jan 1892 in Town of Porter, Niagara County, NY; died on 21 May 1947 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, NY. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. FREY, Floyd
2. FREY, Emerson
3. FREY, Frances

Harry + HILL, Maude. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]