The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-10-10 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

CORK, OCTOBER 4.
Considerable curiosity and interest have been excited in
this city by the relation of some circumstances of a very
extraordinary character, made by a person named 2urtayne,
who is a native of an adjoining county, and resided for
some time in London, having been engaged as a clerk in
the service of Messrs. Peek and Brothers, of Coleman-
street, and subsequently of Messrs. Cubitt, of Gray's Inn-
lane. _

Curtayne states that in October last, finding his health
becoming extremely delicate, he was induced to try the
effects of his native air, and, with the consent of his em-
ployers in London, proceeded to this city. On the day sub-
sequent to his arrival, he met one of his nearest relatives,
who resides here, and with whom he had not been on very
intimate terms. This individual accosted him in the most
affectionate manner, and the interview concluded by
a pressing invitation to partake of a family dinner on
the same day. Curtavne was punctual. Ile was in-
troduced to the lady of the house, and the dinner passed
off unattended by any circumstance calculated to excite sus-
picion. Shortly after the cloth was removed, however, a
person entered and announced "that the coach was ready;"
upon which Curtayne was informed by his friendly re-
lative that the coach was to take him to a madhouse, where
a room was provided for him. It was in vain he protested
that be was not insane, and that the proceeding about to
be adopted was lazily to render him so. He was assured
by his hospitable entertainer that he had been mad for
years, and before he could make any effbrt to rescue him-
self, two stout fellows were introduced, who bound his
hands and conveyed him by main force to a carriage, in
which he was taken to the public lunatic asylum, and re-
gularly committed to the charge of the superintendent of
the establishment. Pay after day he persisted in his
attempts to convince the officers of the institution that he
was not insane; but all his endeavours were unsuc-
cessful. Ile was informed that the relative befote alluded
to had produced the most unquestionable proofs of
his mental derangement ; and when he found. means
to communicate with any stranger, who chanced to visit the
establishment, the doubts which the plausibility of his
manner might otherwise have excited were naturally set
at rest by the keepers informing the visitor that the unfor-
tunate was at that tnotnent enjoying a lucid interval. In
this way nine months passed away, during which this un-
happy man describes himself as having endured indignity
and privations which, if proved, will subject more than one
individual to public reprobation. At length the attention
of a person, who was engaged to superintend some repairs
which were going forward in the asylum, was attracted by
the rationality of Curtayne's manner, arid the consistency
with which he repeated his complaints. This person openly
expressed his decided conviction of the sanity of Curtayne,
founded on that constant personal observation which his
situation startled him an opportunity of making. The
result was, that a proposal was made to the wretched
man, to the effect that he should be liberuted, if he
solemnly promised to leave Cork, and never return to ft
again. To this proposition he readily assented, and in
consequence lie was removed on board the Severn
steamer, and conveyed to Bristol, where he was set at
liberty, " the world all before him," and only a few shil-
lings in his pocket. He immediately proceeded to the re-
spectable Chief Magistrate of that city, and, having de-
scribed his destitute situation, and interested some Irish
gentlemen in his behalf, a subscription was entered into,
and he returned to this city, having taken the precaution
of securing the assistance of a respectable professional gen-
tleman, in the event of a second attempt being made to
deprive him of his liberty. Under the advice of this gen-
tleman, it is understood that legal proceedings have been
commenced against several parties who were concerned in
his committal to the lunatic asylum, and his detention
therein. The case will probably come on for trial at the
next Spring Assizes, when the facts of this extraordinary
case will he more fully disclosed. The above relation must
of course be received in some measure as an rxpurte state-
ment ; and it is only proper to add, that several of the in-
dividuals, whose characters it involves, are persons of great
respectability and unimpeached humanity. It is also fair
to state that the complainant is a man of singular manners,
and somewhat eccentric habits, though his present l
de-
meanour indicates nothing like the appearance of mental
J aberration.