Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1858-06-24
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Freaks of Madness.

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We condense from the Detroit Free Press
one of the most remarkable instances of real
or Feined madness, which we ever read of.
Two unmarried brothers, 7Frenchmen,
named Doyon, lived with an unmarried
sister about twelve miles from Detroit
These men were eccentric and associated
little with their neighbors-They origin
ally were Ronlanists, and were supersti-
tious, and did foolish things such as cut off
the tails of the cattle to let out the bad
splits, Lately they have renounced their
religion and have had no particular reli-
gious c:eed, only embracing the idea that a
good or bad spirit dweIt in every human
or brute. For few days previous to the
scene related below, the neighbors had no
ticed the conduct of the Doyon's TO be
more than usually strange. On Tuesday
morning, the Sd, Mrs. Vanderbush, liv-
ing opposite these Frenchmen, heard the
report of gun in their house and the
scream CT female. She ran TO n neigh
bors and while going heard two more shots
and looking towards the house saw the
Doyon's brothers breaking the dooss and
windows. The whole neighborhood was
alarlued, but no one dare go near the house.
Finally Mr.. Carlas had the, courage to
90 near and call to the Doyons to come out.
Auguste came to the door with nothing
en- save pair Of pants, and having in his
hand club, and on Carbas approas hing
struck him, knocking him down, but Car
bas managed to escape. A consultation
was had, and in the afternoon, the neigh
bors rallied and attempted to force the
house. The two mad men met the party
and telled the first one, Mr.. Kaufman, TO
the ground, breaking the skull. The sec
ond man met like fate, and the party re-
treated, carrying offthe two wounded men.
The Doyon's, left alone, commenced a
demolition of the furniture, the ceiling, and
partitions, and TO empty the house of its
contents, and were thus occupied until the
the next day, so that nothing was left save
the bare log walls, everything movable
being thrown into the water near by. The
neighbors, are so very supersticioils that
they will not touch these articles. On
Wednesday afternoon the brothers were
seen to bring out the naked dead body of
their sister, they too being entirely nude.
They covered her body with box and en-
deavored TO sink it, but failing in that car
ried it back to the house. Twice they
brought out the body, one having hold of
the head, the other the feet, and dashing it
into the water and washing it returned to
the house. In their after account oftheirdo-
ings they said they stated that they baptis-
ed their sister three times in order to make a
Protestant of her, that they were COM
manded by the Almighty to do so, but at
the last immersion she WAS so long under
water as 10 be drowned. After these
washings they threw the body out of the
back door of the house. About four
o'clock Wednesday they bore the body of
their sister on their shoulders to the barn,
across the road. All these things were
done when the men were in nude state
and in full view of all the neighbors.
Atthe barn they laid the body on the
floor and began toempty the building of
its contents, which done, they took heavy |
whip, known as the ''black snake whip,
and commenced whipping the corpse, call
ing upon it in French to sget up.' They |
then closed the scene by q fight between
themselves. How long they fought is not
known, but the marks on their bodies show
how desperate it was. They afterwards
took the body of their sister and placing it
in a wagon covered it with straw
and left it. Arrning themselves with
pitchforks they started through the woods
toward Gratiot. Through the rain, and
the darkness, stark naked, they made their
way, and at midnight arrived bleeding cold |
and exhausted at MIR. Puleher's, reporting
there that they were pursued by the neigh
bors, who sought to kill them, and that the
Lord had instructed them to flee there for
succor. Pulcher took them in, put them
TO bed, where they fell asleep, and then
summoned the neighbors to his assistance.
They slept until morning, and in the morn
ing were pursuaded to dress, and then re-
lated their story, the brother Augustc do
ing the most of the talking. The brothers
were taken in irons to tie Mt. Clemens
jail. The elder brother refused food, and
they had again stripped themselves. g.
Of course the supposition is the men are
insane. Yet the Free Press most peril
nently says that it seems strange two per-
sons should suddenly at the same time, be-
come deranged, and that too on the same
subject and in precisely the same manner,
and unite to carry out their insane rawlings
in harmony. ~
We notice by the Detroit ddpertser that
the Corouer's Jury have found that the
brothers are insane.- Uepeland Herald
CHICAGO MoRALs.-Some yeas ago an
amusing article went the rounds Of News
headed "Where they 90 to, who