The Express.
London, England, 1858-05-22 00:00:00

THE EXPRISS, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 22, 1858.

07 LUNACY UPON TEE RIM
Md. IMAM

laic Ituttligaut.

ADOOND DAT.

The proceedings a this were resumed
6=s-Tarairsi.l"6" Mr.
Cowswisionee Berle , d the

COURT FOR DIVORCE AND MATRIMONIAL
0.i1J8118.-111Ay 21.
(Baton de lodge Oedisery.)
cvaTts f._OFIINTIL—JODICIAL

Xr. Bovill, Q.C., end Mr. Coleridge, again attended in
support of the esemakeha. Mr. M. Chambers. Q.C., and
Mr. Garth apparel ea behalf of the alleged lunatic.
Dr. Wood; hentally the medical officer of Bedlam, deputed
that he bad .shad iNertriewe with Mr. Lomb, with a view
to esinelela He staled *mita La the Wine of the tenur-
ial= width leek platy Wye= *ma, Mr. Leach said that
el
override( be Ira mem the falemee the Hol Spirit,
end OM Ade eAMadrit eimbeard nary action of his litey The
mid, were punimmed by him for self-defence, and
rekellip% be
two el them urea the ehlmaerpieoe in the dallia-
nces se a scat of tile= In the Doane of toe
ocavemetlea„ he said be dual he Pruned in shooting
any mart who nemaimesil ups hie Mil Air warning, and
he also said that he payed Hed say air who might tour
into his beau i the Wale of Wt ti4might be brought
to the sou& ed hill Oat as drat him dud.
Wilms adread art ft right MOW aura war in the
home or He did imeardy, awl he ail that did not signify,
dr ha mil 10 um mese ma mold be Mad who wee inno-
cent, and that If they award gutty d say Whate at the
Hey hd ummlited an dew at Mae craw atrial, for
whisk tiny delereed to die. lb orb the our a6ervation
with mod be *mu who wore sweated. Heactoasted for
wearies his bred by stating that God was aligleasul with
him kr Ms eihmimery to rotting off Ida bard, mad add that
the pielpurill momeasided that ama trail au SWUM
W pell el the ether can. Mr. Leah she aid that the
Nara he had the mutate to lake Oak mesh with
him woe to humiliate hie watlisse, who had insulted him
the day before. During the amvereation wittier salted
him if, supposing his aremnat artritatelal arrangement
was pat ea sad le, mai ha ware la iris b introduce a nice
yoog lady to Me, whether he weld =rent to the
iakadauiea without sonsalting the Holy Spirit, and he
= re. he certainly should, and, if the answer were
he should at came 001211011, to see the young lady,
bat Nit was negative, be shoskl say " No, I thank you, I
woad rather wait u little time." He she add that it we. at
the Mitigation of the Holy Spirt that he took his nervants
upon his knee and kind them. Dr. Wood concluded by
gads/ that the, wee every oharecteriatio of inesnity about
Mr. Lam* cad the ho premion upon his Naiad was that be
was
r• ray dangaame hard&
J:P=lWitmer did not M at taste the last inquiry
I.r. Ludt a emernone haute. lie was
avert of Galatea that be woo of wound mind, but what
had mom* cues to his knowledge gamily confirmed his
original ales, and also Wood bim to hem the conclusion
that he woe a dangerous lane*. He saw him on the l7th
and 15th ciao pseamt month. The first interview °
three hews, the sectond more than two hours. lie list
saw Mr. Leech is hammy, 1857. He did not tell him what
his Alan wee. Lusatia purred so much cunning, that
Hite had beta made aware of hie object in visiting him, Mr.
Leach would in all probability have mauled the hallooing-
Ikea under which be woe labouring. He introduced himself
by Union that he had understood that Mr. Leach purposed
some peculiar opinions on religious subjects, and he wished
to converse with him upon the subject of the millennium, and
he warned to have his mind so full of that subject that he
reay entered into conversation respecting it. During the
coavereatica they had together Mr. Leach repeatedly ex-
pired himself very angry with hie mother for treating him
as ea in pato% sad he said that she had been very cruel
and =jar towards to., and that she wee actuated by ,
latirmad motives Gad wee improperly influenced by other
pence,. Heals° meld that the young woman to whom he
woe engaged to be married wee a va y respectable young
end he Gemildored the he was morally bound to
Marry Mr, ad that it would be diehosourable in him to
busk the promin be had mode to her. He would not
swear that Mr. Leach did not say that he knew that a man
Gould not tarot another for committing • Despair, sod that a
man had bees hanged for shooting another who had Ins-
pired qua hie field.
Reoeurninal—The ground upon which he formed the
opinion that Mr. Leach was a dangerous lunatic was that he
paltered himself of pistols, and that no man could be de-
stroyed who was innocent, for if he was innocent of the pati-
ents, offence for which he wan deetroyed, he had no doubt
committed some other offence for which he deserved death.

This esse- emealiiathe Wtsedieu; r • court
several days, was sa applitedon an the part of Mrs.
Frames Henrietta Curds spinet her husband, Mr. John
George Cockburn Curtis, a civil meow, for a judicial asps-
rad= on the ground of cruelty.
Mr. Forsyth, Q.C., and Mr. Mundell appeared for the
petidoser, and the respondent conducted his cam in person.
Mrs. Curtis (who is • person of considerable personal
infractions) stated, in the course of her evidence, that she
was the eldest daughter of Mr. Frederick Bully Flood, •
member of the English bar. She was married to the ra-
tin June, 1846. She had had five children—three
wham wore living. Soon after the birth of. her eldest
daughter, which took place in the April following, the re-
spondent's oondoot became harsh and unkind. He refused
to Ist her child be baptised, and it died =christened at the
age of two yens. He had frequently beaten her ; and en
ens semi= he drew blood. He ame spat in er has as
she ley in bed. This was in comsequence of elimpemsent
on WON political pardon. In 1861 the respondmt
wished her to emigrate with him to Australia. She dessurred,
and his *endure in eonsequance was very violist. She at
length consented to 'company him to New York. His
conduct there was as bad as ever. In comequenos of her
letters her father paid her visits for a short time. Subse-
quently by her request, he came out to her spin; and on
Ns ard he rival caused the respondent to be placed in a lunatic
maybe's. He then brought widens and her children home
with Mtn. While in this country she wrote to her husband
at the asylum, and in his reply he acknowledged that he had
behaved in an " unobristianhlte" manner, begged her for-
giveness, and promised amendment. Witness did not see
him again until be came to her at her father's house at
Bromley, in Wexford. He proposed that she should spin
live With him. She declined, and he became very violent.
After this she assumed a fictitious name and went to live with
her mother, first in Scotland and then at Hornasy. He found
bra oat theairad demanded hie children. In ceder to pre-
vent their taken from her she applied to the wart, end
ea interim o was rode for their custody. The wit-
in= was orose-examined at great length, and she ad-
milted having on one or two occasions made nee of
expreadons calculated to irritate him, but she had
done ea under cireuninanose of pest provocation
She denied that their quarrels hadanything es do with money '
matters. The respondent always worked lard at his pro-
Seiko, and he need to Impress upon her the necessity of
economy. He was fond of political discussion'. Hflereold
commence them at all times and sesame. Buena he went to
America be had an attack of brain fever. She had written
to a lily named Smith, and after describing her husband's
fury as hearpending," she attributed it to his sitting up at
night, and starving himself. The measure. of Mr. Flood ba
NewYark were taken on his own resporudbility. Witness at
that time was of opinion that if he was not insane he was at
least dangeroaa. In 1852 ahe had written to her mother a
War, in "'bids. after detailing carious acts of unkindness,
she maid, " I often wish he would strike me, but that he never
attempts."
Mr. Flood was also examined at great length. When he
first went to America he found one of the children very ill,
and offered to defray the chirp of medical advice, but the
e t turned the doctor out of doors, and the child
respondent
his second visit he found his daughter in an ap-
parently dying state, but the respondent refused to let •
medical Tau =And her.

Several eTher witnesses having been examined in support
of the petition,
The respondent, who is a person of apparently very mild and
gentlemanly demeanour, called Dr. Forbes Winslow, who
said that the effect of the brain fever had been for a time to
produce insanity, but that that state was exceptional, and that
the respondent had mow quite recovered. Having called his
mother and several other witnesses, who deposed to his domes-
ticated and amiable habits, ha wee kissed sworn. He went
into the details of the_ slimed seta of cruelty, to all of which
he gave categorical deniab. He had always been on excel-
lent terms with his wife until he had some elifferenoe with
her an the subject of the children. His opinion simply was
that air and exercise were better for them than physic.
Again, him wife had indulged in insinuations to the effect
that her marriage with him had spoiled her prospects. As
for the charge of spitting at her, he did not think there
was auoh a monster in the world as a man who
would spit on his wits ; certainly he was none such. He
had =fend hum brain fever, brought on by the way in
which he had laboured to put her in that position in society
to which he thought she was entitled. While in the irritalge
state caused by his Mons, and after suffering great provoca-
tion, he might have boxed her ears oa one 00Casion ; but be
emphatically denied that he had ever struck her motet that
once. He also admitted that her conduct to him while he
was ill had been kind and forbearing. He admitted that he
had bad disputes, both with her and her friends, u to his
emigrating to Australia, end he had agreed to go to America,
by way of °Unpromising the matter. He denied that hie
conduct in New York had been anything like what had been
described. Until he had been placed in the lunatic asylum
he had never properly recovered from his fever. After his
release, he went to Spain and Portugal, whence he wrote to
his wife, stating hie plant, and conveying to her his best
wishes. On his return to England be procured employment
from the Admiralty. At his interview with his wife at
Bromley, both were much excited, and she had refused to
give him information on the subject of Ms children. Mr. Cur-
tis then summed up hie case in • speech of great ability, in
which he dwelt upon his exertions to raise the social position
of his wife. He boo cheerful witness to the exoellence of
her conduct in their early married life ; he attributed any
acts he might have committed that appeared indefensible to
the effect of his illness; and he contended that the whole
mischief had been canard by the injudicious interference of
his wife's Mends. If he had ready bem insane, then he wee
clearly not answerable for any acts he might have committed
while in that state. His lordship had himself derided, in
the case of " Hayward v. Hayward," that a husband had no
right to turn a lunette wife oat of doors; much lees, then, •
wife a lunatic husband. If, ea the other hand, he bad been,
while in America, • responsible agent, then how could
defend their conduce in shutting up • sans man In •
asylum? If he were a mane man, why did they not appeal
to the law in America, where the law of dimes was
so much more easy where, in short, a lady who
w tired of her husband had only to get up
• sunk about the teapot, and then might have
a dieseea. (Laughter.) If he had at all enned, he had only
to say that the misery of the first night he spent in the mad-
house, at New York, would have been an ample expiation.
Indeed, if he had himself brought an action against hie wife
for • divorce on the ground of her heartier* desertion of him
in a foreign hurtle asylum, he had no doubt the court would
have granted it him. In conclusion he prayed that the
court would eastern him the custody of his two eldest chil-
dren. The youngest he did not wish to remove from his
wife's care. He hoped the court would dismiss the charge,
and he trusted that a time would come when he should once
more be reconciled to his wife, and spend the rest of his days
with her in bappinees and pesos.
Mr. Forsyth having replied,
The Court reserved its judgment.

Dr. Sutherland gave evidence of a simper character, and
he abe upraised a decided opinion that Mr. Leach was of
unsound mind, rod aUerly incompetent to manage his
affair,.

Hi Bartlett, the medical offload Dr. Window's uylum,
proved that he took thine of Mr. Leach in January, 1837,
sad he remained under hi. can until December of the Name
year. During that period the Commalogers of Lunacy had
roar or Ave interviews with him, sod be had ample op-
portunities of communicating with them. Hewsseveatudiy
removed to a private lodging under the authority of the oom-
manners, in the charge of an attendant, and under Dr.
Winslow's superintendeace. When be west to remove Mr.
Leach in the first instance he said that if he had known the
object of his visit be would have shot one or two of them.
Mr. Leech afterwards denied having made this statemeet.
This witness oleo spoke to the religious deluaions entertained
by the alleged lunatic, and said that Mr. Lerch told him he
believed be had offended the Almighty upon one occasion by
coning off his bend, and that be would rather go to the
stake than do so a second time. This witness was also of
opinion that Mr. Leach was of unsound mind.
Cressroxamtned--The manner in which It. obtained sews
to Hr. Leech was by repremiting that he and those who
accompried him were • deputation connected with some
schools to the parish. He made this false representation
en socount of his being informed that he was in possession
of firs-arms. While witness was talking to Mtn his
two attendants pinioned him, and be then said them
was no occasion for any violists, sod that if they
were armed with legal authority be would accompany' them
quietly, and they released him, aid be made no restetanoe.
He had no pistols on his person, but he found two pistols up.
stairs, both of which were unloaded. He had a powder-
flak upon his person, and he gave it to them. Before he
went away a ring was taken out of the wardrobe and given
to me of the maid-servante, and Mr. Leah told her to keep
It sod be said he would write to her, bat he never did so.
'rho servant wrote one letter is him, mad this Inter was
given to Mr. Leech's mother. In the coarse of the manur-
ial's, be hod with Mr. Leach he amid that ha bed told his
alder that be hatendut to many his servant, and that he
Was that up immediately afterwards, and that tide was the
only eon of kb being ant up.
Mg. Doweemp, another surgeon, gave evidence of the
same chesnota uto the condition of mind of the elleged
Wade, ail this domed the case on the pert of the petitioner.
The reamod gentleman then submitted himself to ex-
salaiiiica, sad he answered the questions put to him very
ap-
peared end made • long etatement, no portion of whip .:h op-
ts esidldt the slightest incoherence. He mid he
coal& not Away that upon two occasions, namely, in 1841 and
WWI, he bad been very properly put under restraint, and he
wee much obliged to his friends fo• the coma they adopted
renpeetlet;bins. As to the year 1863, when it was alleged he
hat ~natier ague, be denied that he was ill at thm time,
end said that it was quite unjuetillahle to place him under
sad the feat time that he was placed in an otsy Ituu,
1867, ben emmidered • most cruel and unj ustiflable proceed-
ing; welts mmil Ye considered it a monotroes proceeding, that
man the emillhate of any two medical men, an Englishmen
maid be Need sad paced in a hawk aaylaro, which
be thought wan quit* es bad am the Inquisition. He was
slag up it newly • yew in • box, end not allowed to com-
municate with anbod and it was only at lest through the
latottlemsee of the- of Lunacy, who, he knew.
woe satisfied that hews porkuly emu that he was allowed
to hue the &glut, ant go to • privet* lodging in the
ere eta keeper. He &heed that the prooseding of mek-
1W eat Oat be wee his.. tumid suer have been attempted
II he had net es rears his &hangout= to marry hie 1/01,
TICS UM* sad hie badly evidently thought it was a laser
evil that be shoold be iscarearated for life in • lunatic asy-
lum than that he should lose out, by marrying
• prom so Inuit boweath hie own condition.
He than proceeded to declare that • great many
of the mho= hs entertained, end the expressions
be bad mob lead, bed been very much misrepreseuted. end
be denied backs ever expressed an opinion that the Mine-
ola= bad mho& but, en the contrary, be was satisfied that
it bed not, about* be ear** did believe that it wee ap-
pealing. He then prooseded to same, very iegenimely,
that tare wee no harm in having his servants to take meals
with him, and he said he was first induced to do so in order
to his mother, who had insulted hint, sad he
merely to show that he wee determined to be
master is his own beam He admitted that he really
believed that he was tenveried by the appearance of our
ffavioar tepee the CMS to hire 27 years ego, and that since
that paled be bad bean wader the Fuchs: Influence of the
Holy Spirit, Mad that wry set ot his life wee performed
amber im dinetica. Es considered this was merely the re-
sult of We mast mars to the Almighty, end be believed
that say other man might *Mein the mime gift who prayed
' with equal muneetosse end sincerity; sad he said be hoped
that in the Madan& century this would not be considered
• pr_oef of beseity.
_Coleridge then gummed up the out for the petitioner,
mid when be had ecaoluded, the proceedings were again
edjampasi.