( 19 )
Ram Otar, a sepoy in a Bombay regiment, was discharged as medically unfit
and sent to his house. On arrival at Munmar Railway Station, he was robbed of
everything, and had to walk to Saugor; had great difficulty in obtaining food, and
at Saugor he thought the best thing to do was to go to the Regimental Surgeon
and state his case. The servants refused to allow him to see the saheb, so he
thought the only way to get into his presence was to pretend to steal something.
He picked up some clothes which the dhobi had laid out to dry, but instead of
being taken to the house, the police were sent for. He became very violent and
was accused of insanity.
On arrival at the Asylum, two months after he was perfectly sane. He has
been sent back to Saugor to stand his trial, and I daresay has been released.
Mahadeo, 26, Kori, inhabitant of Rewah State, a thin, miserable little man,
admitted into the Central Jail, very emaciated and suffering from incipient
phthisis.
In the jail hospital he suddenly developed acute mania : destroyed his cloth-
ing ; broke all the windows of his cell; very dirty. When spoken to would look at
you in the vacant sort of way. Would sit in the window's chowkut and grin at
the other patients, and occasionally break out into fits of violence. The fit lasted
ten days. On admission into the Asylum he was apparently sane, and says his
insanity was the will of God; had never been like that before. He is not to be
trusted, and has to be carefully watched.
Mussammat Sursuti, 26, a miserable, emaciated woman, accused of stealing
a dhoti which she saw hanging to a tree in the roadside ; there were several
people close by, and she did not attempt to runaway. She thinks a long time
before answering, and her answers are not always to the point.
Is gradually improving physically and mentally.
Dhanai, an emaciated boy of 17 or 18, caught stealing some cooked food from
a house; was severely beaten and ran away from his village. Wandered about the
country and was found concealed in a house.
" He takes a long time in answering questions and seems intellectually defi-
cient."
On arrival at the Asylum he was apparently sane.
Manuk, a hopeless case of dementia, very old and feeble.
Mohun Lall, a case of acute mania. Cause at present unknown.
Of the five discharged and transferred, two were returned to their district to
stand their trial, being declared sane. Two transferred to non-criminal list after the
expiry of sentence being pronounced unfit for discharge; one escaped. This is a very
common case. He has escaped twice and attempted to do so many times, and I
have great doubts if he has ever been insane.
He was sentenced by the Deputy Commissioner, Chhindwara, for attacking a
constable, and whilst in jail killed a warder, and being declared insane was sent to
the Asylum. It is stated that he is a confirmed ganja-smoker and is very morose in
his disposition. He was kept in a cell. His past escape was scarcely that of a
lunatic. He stated that he was ill at 7 P.M., and was given medicine; he then col-
lected the dry earth of his cell and arranged it so, that when a blanket was placed
over it, it looked like a man sleeping. At 10 P.M., the warders came their rounds
and called to Omrao to give him his medicine, and. receiving no answer and seeing
no movement under the blanket, they unlocked the door and went in. Omrao
was standing in the corner and he suddenly dashed the lamp out of the warder's
hand and ran out. He made straight to his home in Chhindwara and was re-
captured.
A short time after he was found with his head through the roof, having
taken off the tiles. He had made rope of his clothing and blanket.
Another time he nearly escaped by rubbing one of the chain links against
the wall. When discovered the link was just cut through.