The National Register.
London, England, 1812-06-28 00:00:00

JUNE 2S.

Dr. Ainslie, a physician of great eminence, stated, that he had
attended Mr. Bowler since his confinement in the New frisson ; that
he had examined hint on rations subjects. and found his mind bout-
ill; under the greatest extravagance and delusion ; that he had no
nocbt that the fit which Mr. Bowler had had, was epileptic, and t ha:
it had been the cause of his insanity ; that the species of insanity whieh
Mr. Bowler was afflicted with, was frequently the consequence of
that kind of fit, arid often shewed itself in acts of violcce and anis-
chief, arising from the great irritaton of the mind, and that persons
afflicted with this species of derangement were seldom or ever cured,
and that it was the nature of this species of the complaint, for the
uarty sullin.ing under it, to conceive and carry into execution the most
erroneous tnpressicns, with the most rash impulse ; that from the
very frequent paroxysms of this disorder, Mr. Bowler was unfit to
be at large, from the time of the fit, and ought then to have bJen put
under restraint ; that he had no doubt of his complete loss of reason,
Leal insanity, and that the great depression of spirits which had im-
mediately succe.:ded the fit, was in itself a low species of derange-
ment.
Mr Warburton. of Hackney, who is particularly eminent in the
treatment of this dreadful disorder, stated, that he had seen *iir Bow_
lerevery day since the 9th of June instant ; that 1-e had !pen narti-
ciAr abeivion to his disorder, and had examined him t articularly
with reference to the delusions whit h had operated on his mind; that
he lra.i no doubt that his insanity had been sonic time st tinting, and
had arisen front tlt!ccit cts of the fit; he then stated a variety of cir-
cumstances which he had collected from conversations with licr.vler,
and winch ce4nvittced him he was perfectly insane, and had been so
tar many months, ;IA that he ought not to have been at /tree. Mr.
Warburton descitheti the character of the disc der in the, same manner
as Dr. Ainslie, and concurred with him in opinion.
Mr. Thomas Webb, the surgeon of the prison, star t.l, that he had
::en Mr. Bowler three times a day since his crime iitment, and he
mentioned various conveisatioxis which be hart edits him, front
which he judged of the state of his mind, and lie concurred generally
with Dr. A.i..slie and Mr. Warburton as to the disorder, and that the
same had been of several months duration, and he I rid no doubt of
Mr. Bowler's inanity.
Mr. Joseph lVithers, a neighbour of Mr. Bowler 's, proved various
acts of insanity, for several months before, and col rinuing up to the
day when Mr.. Lln my...Ps was shot, and particularly proved, that there
was no foundation liar any of the delusions which operated on his mind ;
and he traced the commencement of the disorder tram the time to the
lit, and its gradual increase to the 25th of May, when he siiw Mr.
Bawler labouring under great depression of spirits, and his mind evi-
dently distracted and agitated by peculiar delusions on the subject of
his pronely, and alLiirs and family, and on inanv other particulars
which he mentioned; that lie had seen Mr. Bowler since he had been
in custody, and his delusion and extravagance on all those subjects
contiatted exactly the same; he also stated, that it was in contempla-
tion, by Mr. Bowler's family, nearly two months before the attack on
Mr. Burrowes, to take out a Commission of Lunacy against Mr.
Bowler, and that some of his family had met for the purpose of con-
sidering that object.
Mr. joint Read, also a neighbour of Mr. Bowler's, stated a variety
of circumstances respecting hid conduct, which clearly proved the in-
”lle state of his mind, and that it arose from the effects of the tit. He
also prosted, that he had hi nisei f halo conversation with Mr. I; urrows,
come time before the Ilth of May, in which Mr. Burrows said, he
considered Bowler to b,.i insane, and that it would be proper to have a
commission against him.
Mr. Daniel Eller Mitchell spoke to various incoherent acts of Mr.
Bowler, since the fit, and that he had no doubt of his insanity, and he
mentinned particularly his total loss of memory respecting the pay-
meat of some rates, and other matters of business.
Elizabeth Haydon, the housekeeper of Mr. Bowler, proved the
effect of the fit on his mind and constitution, and spoke to constant
acts of derangement in his daily habits of life, and in his conversations,
and the manner in which he spent his time, and, amongst other things,
that he would dine at nine or ten o'clock in the morning, and insist
upon having his meat quite raw, in which state he frequently ate it.
She also stated that he had several times shewn a very strong inclina-
tbieoenn
ve
tosederstr.oy himself; and that she and her fellow- servants had
at months past so much convinced of his insanity, and
tearful of his doing some radi act, that they had constantly watched
I't's,, and •
had sometimes sat up all night tor that purpose, and removed
things out of his way with which he might have injured or destroyed
himself.
Mr. WIttHERELL was proceeding to call other witnesses, and stated, that the family of Mr. Bowler had a great anxiety not only
to satisfy the Jury on the subject, but Mr. Burrows and the Pub-
he; that their desire was to have the must free and complete investi-
gatin ion,and tor that purpose upwards of twenty other witnesses were
attendante. who could confirm what had been already proved
TheJurYs howev..r, said, that the evidence they had heard was so
essential, that they did not think it necessary to hear more ; hut they !I
f h"ght oper for the public satisfaction in such a case, that they !I
rsonafly see and examine Mr. Bowler hi:le:elf; and accord- 11
hIY they all went to the Prison, and upon coming back. returned a '1
verdict that M. Bowler was a unatic, and that he had been so from i
ilarch last.

--vrrr

r 117:

40!

'1';): Inquisition was then du4 si,-r.ed by the Jury s•
sinners.

Without the least wiAi to intrude on the public attf!tlti,lna
the fontly and friend!; of Mr. 80w1.r...ft trust that the ah,:ve
statment willlye the effect a removihg rt.e.jutitce
which may have been formed re:pecting the :::11)11-,:e•
attack on the rerson of Mr. BUT:IOW'S, and
the important fact, that it is ascribable to insa3ity