The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1850-03-16
Remarkable Case Of MonOmania,

hClHnIhdUiC luht vi MOHOillhllln,
REFoRrED NJ c, n, SiCHoLs, ~, D., PHYSICIAN
no TIM HLoonlSGpALr AsrLuH EEw roRg,
On tho l0lh Of October, lsfO, Charles
hprHgue was triod on an indictment for higli-
way fobbory, and acquitted on tho ground
oi inshnllyi The trial taking place Lrfore a
Court Of Oyer and 1erminsr OF Kingis Comi.
", N, ", held IN ihe City Hall OF lirooklyn,
Jndge n. Il, Morse presiding
Deemlng This case a clrAr one Of iTasIon-
sihilily on account Of mental alteration, Hnd
one Of nl lenHl NJ much psychological ~ for
ehsle interest, u u not my purpose 10 give
The particulars Of the steps Of Ibis trial, bat
10 make suitable record Of the history Of a
very singular cnsO, of which its criminal 70,
laIlons are only nn Incident.
u may not DO improper for me Ia state HAT
wns present NJ This trial a. an eIpeyi, aud
that have derived all my knowledge oflh
case rom The testimony of the wIiporHcs eT-
hniined on the occasion under oath
The pTlnciplH witness was the defendants
father, clergyman OF the highest fospee'a.
billIy, whose testimony whH conobornied ~
every particular by several other Witnesses
indeed 10y all tho Court thought IL worth
while To have brought forward.
CharlcG sprnguos pniarnul great grand.
''N'N''f NlNNi NlNit fllifl iIlffn
gfcnt hunis, being four out Of family ofsix,
aud cousin, hro or have been insane; a
brother Of his fnlher Is subject TO fits Of very
excessive aud apparently uncomfortable pms.
sion, and n sister OF his ins sudden pHroX-
ysnb Of Intense groundleps fear, aud al such
times h soohed with great difficulty.
Wien Charles was about z years Of GSc
he received upon his head blow from hoe
--hil-4L-A1a-loL NJ -lhe- -tne fnnpogcd that the
rkul was ii1urcdi soon after tins lo ioii ifom
a height, hruising his head to some extent,
aud knocking out several of his teeth; aud
whGn pnsl ~ he again fell from q balcony,
striking IN part upon his head, bot the con
cuzsion wns not ht the Tins deemed alarm
ing, for la the course ofa fnw days AGor The
accident he went out 10 his school aud play,
und appeared aB well ~ usual.
In tho course OF the year succeeding the
last foil, however ho began TO complain ni
times oflinin ~ Ills head, aud when suffering
FROM hendhche his friends Observed, what his
laihcr, ,dcscrihos M MI unnniurhl prominence
and dulness or RlassinesH Of lps eyes, aud
ihnuFh the headache gradually woes away,
this pcculiurily ia his expression continued
10 -recilI for yenrs, III inirnhla- -yhIli from
one week io several months, lill IL IL now
thought that there 10 settled change in his
Dyes 10 rrrnlcr prominence or conVexiiy of
ilio globe, ,Ihnu was the cnsc ia early 10y hood
There hnF hi no limo been any unusual en- |
lnrpencnt of the head or change IN shape
simultaneously or closcy succeedingihc irsi |
appearance of the occasional headache aud |
strHuRcncss iu tho expression of his eyes,
there beRunto be- dc,elopedn propensity of /
mind, or occasional conduct, Of It's kind most |
extraordinary aud unnccouniublc.
The shoes Of the female members ofIho
family were from time TO time missing under
circumstances most surprising and ineypli-
cal'o IL Hi ourn appeared that tlpy could
not AHta been taken Tor lse, iur, ihnugL hnih
of pair ware sometimes lost, IN the mnlori-
~ Of instances only one wRS gone, and IL
wus usually f.Iud about the house, having
been thoroughly snUkod ia water, twisted ul,l
like n rope, aud Then hid Hwny between The
feather and straw bed or IN the depths Of
trunk, or lung up ia clothes closet with
garments hung about II on the came hook ns
II TO conceal II.
Afcr much fiuillcss inquiry respecting the
pcrpeirntor ofthis mischief n SERVANT girl
was accused Of IL, hut she firmly denied IL,
aud there the mHtter rested for a tine. II
was not long However, before shoe was
missing, under such circumstances as To rem
der it quite evident that Charles Ind taken il
and disposed of il in the manner before men
toned. When questioned upon the subject
lie hung his head and was silent, ,Sud he ugan
aud again repeated the net md was ns often
interrugatei1 concerning il, but iHvafiHbty
il-r-ln2aIigllcinIg- -IcsLii-A Alnr
this mysterious habit hdd existed for year
or two, mn attempt wns mnde to break him
Of 1t 10y rcprooi of various kinds. and then he
only broke silence IN efforts 10 evndc the
suhlrci,nut 10 make my Splanntunsrcgntd-
ing IL. And at q later period ho would Who'll.
" deny lho possibility of his having taken
shoe MS alleged, but for tho last half dozen
yeHTs tIU TINS smith, when demonstrated with
on account of hs indulgence IN n habit 30
singular and iurunvcuirni, ahd '|,e eH9u,n-
stances of the loss of particular shoe stated
tim. he must hu,G tekcn il, though hc had no
recollection of the net, and did not know
whnt hc wanted with il. --
This habit of mking the shoes of females
commenced at tho time stated above, and
has continued up ia, the present moment,
without, it is thought, any interulisson Of
more than lhree Of four months duration.--
Atcr the practice hecHmo established, his
noIher md sisters and the female servants
in the lhInily made II point To plarc nll lhcirl
shoes under lock and key; but not
their precautions he occnsion.
ally succeeded in possessing himseiforIhem,
and when shoe was niissed IL was usually,
sooner or later, discovered in some by place
about the house, having been wet aud twist
ed or crumpled
There was nj ono time rurunr ia the
family that this singllary affected ron had
attempted to remove shoe from the foot
of servant girl ilrthe house, and on one
occasion, hearing n loud scream in The mid
die of the night coming trom the floor on
which ho and his sisters slept Ia contiguous
bed rooms, his father jumped from his bed,
ran to his daughters room, and wns irprln.
ed 10y one of them lhut Charles had been m
their room, and without the aid of n light,
tnrrrd the kew Of n drawer, taken ont IysaiE