Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-06-01
GERRIT SMITHS ACCOUNT OF HIS
INSANITY--EFFECT OF FALSE
REPORTS

/ Mr.. Smith has addressed long letter tC
/ William Goodell editor of q weekly paper
/ called The Principal, which is the first he
/ has written since his release from the Luna
! tic Asylum at Utica. He describes the long
and severe labors, both in the walks Of bust.
ness and benevOleuce, by which his brain
was exhausted but the utter prostration Of
it, which led to his insanity, he charges upon
the address of the Democratic Vigilance
Committee. Mr.. Smith saws -
Forgetting that human powers have lin
it's forgot to think that | could not do all |
wished to do. But in a word, where there
Is Sd much to do that few are found willing
TO do, it is not always easy to resist the temp
tatiOn to overdO.
''For doZ years before the last, had
at times suffered from dyspepsia, though by
no means as severely as had many persons OF
my acquaintance. My suffering was main
ly in quick and strong sympathy of my head
with my dyspeptlc stomach. Vertigo, and
other most uncomfortable sensations-now
as if my head was made of lead, and now as
if it were made of cork-were among the
products OF this sympathy. Never did suf-
fer so much in this wise as when ! went to
Congress. But the dyspepsia,
which began in the Fall of 1858, and con-
tinued year, was attended by none Of these
sensations, and therefore, by none of the ad-
monitions involved in them. Palpitation of
the heart, of which have hitherto expert
tnced nothing, was its incessant companion
and chief signal. My head felt we'll, and my
brain worked easy.
"Dr. Gray, the Superintendent of the Asy-
lum. believes that even in the first half of
the year 1859 | had come into that stage or
character Of insanity called 'exaltation of the
mind. | never read, studied, nor wrote
with more pleasure. | boasted that | could
do more than at the age Of 40. This being
the condition Of my brain, it is not at all
strange that, although as my nurse believes,
| slept but three hOu rs q night during most
of that year (ess than an average of one
hour night during the last three weeks
before | was removed to the Asylum,) it
should not occur to me that 50 serious an in
jury as the loss OF my reason would be the
penalty for continuing the customary use of
my brain. Why the dyspepsia of
1858 and 1859 affected my heart, and pro-
duced no uncomfortable sensations in my
head, | am not capable of explaining.
"A false alarm one morning, while 1t did
hut disquiet the other members of my family,
after, oft the death of my old and dear friend,
John Brown, and his two sons, was great
shock to me. 1t ,ntributed not a little to
hasten my condition to its crisis. Only
three weeks after went down under troop
of hallucinations. My family were reduced
to poverty; they were castoff by their friends
and the world. Those who had put their
property into my hands had lost it. | was
! nj TO 70, mn,
and stand by and suffer with my unfortunate
friend. Indeed, it was only from believing
that was on my way to Virginia that |
went 50 willingly to Utica. The idea, how
ever, say my family, and my own memory
says it also, which most haunted and dis
tre>Sed me, was that my friends and relatives
in the South believed that | had plotted
their murder No one now doubts that |
got it from the terrible charges brought
against me in the manifesto of the New York
Democratic Vigilant Association. For 1t
turns out, though OF course | have no dist
tinct recollection of it, that | continued until
within a vcrv few days Of my going to the
Asylum to look over the newspapers"
Mr. Smith pr -ceeds 10 untOli the nature
Of the attack made upon him by the Vigil
ance Committee, and adds -
FINALLY look at the atr0city OF this mani
fcsto lie The frenzy OF party politics has
often driven men to violate the principles of
sound morality. But when before was it
ever known to involve company of 81 men
OF high standing in the enormous crime Of
falling upon their fellow citizen, and, in the
face of their own clear convictions Of his
inn cence, fastening charges upon him,
which they knew could not fail to serve
nightly to blast his reputation; to expose
him to the harassing and cndangering action
Of the Courts, to outlawihim and invite those
whom these lying charges have filed with
rage, to aSsassinate him?
Perhaps there is one thing that is strdng
er and even guiltier than THE enormus crime.
i is that they who committed it are yet to
show the first sign of repentance for it. But
we must not fail to recollect that repentance
is generally FASTENED by the fear of punish
ment; and that my thIrty-one calumniators
/ probably feel that they are not only too rich
! but too numerous band. TO be in great
canger OF punishment. | trust, however,
that even in their case, also, the Scripture
shall be verified, which declares, though
hand Joined in hand, the wicked shall not be
unpunished.' -