Delaware inquirer. (Wilmington, Del.) 1859-18??, 1859-09-17

AN EXCITING lNCIDENT.--Years ago when
was youngster, became an assistant of DR..
b., the superintendent of public insane asy-
lum. As in all insane asylums some of the
patients were docie and tractable and had
the freedom of the high-walled garden, while
Others being violent and dangerous in their
madness, were confined to their rooms. Some
times one of the last named gentlemen would
get loose, a fact which he usually announced
by breaking things generally, upon which an
nouncement the Doctor would repair to the
spot at which he was celebrating the ancient
| Henry" and advancing upon him with a stead
| fast gaze would march him OFF to his room.
We had one lunatic by the name of Jones,
| large and strong as an ostrich. lie had broken
out of his room two or three times, but had
always gone back docileywhen any of US made
our appearance.
The asylum had n saloon in the centre with
| a door at each end and one ofthe doors requir-
ing fixing once upon a time, a carpenter was
engaged uponit, whenin taundled Mr. Jones,
and quietly possessed himself of n long sharp
chisel. When the carpenter looked around,
the mailman gave agrin and poke ofthc chisel
| at him. whereupon the terrified man of chips
scuttled out and locked the door-then, while
the enemy was battering away at it, he rushed
around and locked the door at the other end
Having thus Gagged Jones, he gave the alarm;
and /, surprising ii was an ordinary case which
| could control, unlocked the door and entered
boldly, whereupon he made rush for me,
and incontinently bolted. The doctor was
sent for. He came, accommodating through
the key-hole, and ascertaining the enemy was
at the other end of the room, he opened the
door, and saw at once that he could do moth
ing with the loose maniac.
Here was apparently n dilemma. A crazy
individual, as strong as bull, perfectly I'M
comfortable, and armed with Il weapon. To
capture him by force wasa difficulty and dan
gerous undertaking and to starve him out
would be tedious affair. The doctor did not
hesitate long.
'Al(red, said he, Ego down into the sur
gerry, fill the largest syringe with hartshorn,
and bring it up"
| caught the idea, rushed down and brought
back quart syringe filled with hartshom
diluted-for | didn't want to Kill the man
The doctor, the carpenter, and myself, formed
an army of invasion. We threw open the
doorand entered in the following battle array;
|. being the shortest of the three, marched
first, holding chair in front of me by the
back, so that the legs might keep Off rush if
our pop-gun flashed in the pan. Then came
the captain with the syringe resting on NV
shoulder like piece otfilying artillery. Final
ly in the rear, in the safest place like all the
great generals, came DR.. Il.
The lunatic sat at the other end ofthe hall
on chair, cycling us keenly and savagely
Slowly, very slowly, we advanced towards
him. The nearer we got the mora wicked that
chisel looked, and the handle seemed to in
crease, until it was very long. When we got
within a few feet of him, he jumped up and
sprang towards me Whiz SCATTER splash
went the quart of hartshorn bang into his
cOuntenance-down he went like u dog-it
you'd have Knocked down a battalion; and
while he was catching his breath, we caught
him. Recollections of a Physician.
PENALTIES OF CRIME.-lt is n striking attribute
of men once thoroughly tainted by the indulgence of
vicious schemes and stratagenis, that they become
wholly blinded to those plain paths ofambition which
common sense makes manifest to ordinary ability.
If we regard narrowly the lives Ofgreat criminals we
are often very much startled by the extraordinary
acuteness, the profund calculation the patient med
itatye energy, which they have employed upon the
conception and execution Of a crime. We feel in
clined to think that such intellectual power would
have commanded great distinction, worthily used
and guided but we never find that these groai Grim
inals seemed to have been sensible of the opportu-
mites to real emnence which they have thrown away
Often we observe that there has been before them Wis
tas into worldly greatness, which, by no uncommon
prudence and exertiOn, would hive conducted hon
est men, halfas clever tc fame and power; but with
u strange Obquity of vision, they appenr to have
looked from these broad, clear avenues, into some
dark, tangled defile, in which, by the sublest in
genuity and through the most besettng perils they
may attain at last to the success Of fraud or the
enjoyment of a vice. In crime once INDUCED there
is wonderful destinations and the fascination is,
not rarely great in proportion to the intellect of the
criminal. There is always hope of reform for
dull uneducated stolid man. led by accident temp
tatiOn into guilt; but where man of great ability,
and higly educated besots himsefin the intoxicaton
of dark and terrible excitemente takes inpure de-