Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1860-04-27

a TOO VIVID IMAGINATION giving reality to lts
conceptions, as Macbeth's heat oppressed
brain saw the actual dagger marshalling him
the way which he was going, "and on its
blade and dudgeon gouts OF blood ?" There
are sufficient examples of hallucination, even
in persons not suspected of any mental dis
turbance, to render such an idea very
probable.
Kirchmeier declared that he had never
known himself liable to any illusions of the
senses. And this may have been the case.
But he was of bilious, excitable tempera-
ment: and had only quite recently recovered
from a severe attack of bilious fever. If now
we imagine such a man greatly excited by
the news of the robbery, and hearing on all
hands descriptions of the cash box, it is very
conceivable that the image of this cash box
would soon become so vivid to his mind, that
to believe he had seen it somewhere would be
an easy, almost irresistible step. But where
That he had noticed it at Maunert's might
have occurred to him, either from dim rec
objection Of the medallion box. or perhaps
from u supposed suspiciousness in the behavior
of the Maunerts. AT any rate, 1t seems quite
clear to US that this idea of Maunerts room
being the locality must have been an after
thought, since on his mentioning to Holzel
that he had seen such a cash box Somewhere,
he did not, on being asked where? give any
direct answer. Now it is in the highest
degree improbable that he should have con
cealed such fact-having no motive for
| concealment-as that he had seen the box on
the very morning of that day, in Maunert' s
room. Not until ten days afterwards did
klrchmeier tell Holzel where he had seen it.
Having once conceived the idea that he hal
seen the cash box at Maunert's, the belief
could only strengthen in his mind. Indeed,
this is the very nature Of an hallucinatiOn
and perhaps the reader may be interested if
we digresS a little here to narrate an authen-
tic case, which will render Kirchmeier S
hallucnation Ineligible We take it from
Professor Diapers Human Phya0l0gg where
it is narrated by the physician to whom it
occurred.
When he was five or six years old. be
dreamed that he was passing by a large pond
Of water in a very solitary place. On the
opposite side of it there stood great tree
that looked as if it had been struck by light
ming and in the pond, at another part. an
old fallen trunk, on one Of the prone limbs
OF which there was a turtle summing himself
son sudden, . he says, "a wind arose,
which forced me into the pond, and in my
dying struggles to eXtricate myself from its
green and Shiny waters, | awoke, trembling
with terror. About eight years after, while
recovering from an attack of scarlet fever.
this dream presented itself to me again, iden-
teal in all respects. Even up to this time
do not think bad even seen living tortoise or
turtle; but indistinctly remembered there was
the picture Of one in the first spelling book
that had been given me" This fact Of never
having seen a turtle is worth noticing. be-
cause hirchmeIr had also never seen Ster-
benk's cash box but he. of course, heard it
described with seine accuracy, and the des-
criptiOn sutfced for his imagination. as the
spelling book picture suihced for the bows
dream. "A dozen years elapsed, - continues
the narrative. Il had become a physician,
and was now actively pursuing my profes-
slonal duties in one Of the Southern States
1t so fell out that one July afternoon hadIto
take Il long and wearisOme ride on horseback
1t was Sunday, and extremely hot the path
was solitary, and not a house for miles. The
forest had that intense silence which is char
acterlstlc OF this part Of the day all the
wild animals and birds seemed to have gone
to their retreats to be rid of the sun Sud
denly at one point Of the road came upon a
great stagnant waterproof, and casting my
eyes across 1t, there stood a pine tree blasted
by lightning, and on a log that was nearly
even with the surface turtle was basking in
the sun. The dream of my infancy was upon
me the bride fell from my hands an un-
utterable fear oyershadowed me as | skunk
away from the accused place,
E,,r ,,oo,.s FL, I..,.,,, E IL.
upon him AMI although business often led
him in that direction, he always went by
another path to avoid that stagnant pool and
blasted pine tree, which he had seen (as he
believed) in broad day light. At last rencc-
tlon-he Icing rejecting man-camc to his
aid. He asked himself whether it was not
more probable that he should. for the third
time, have dreamed this dream, than that
the dream itself should actually have come
true ? ''Llave | really seen the blasted pine
tree and basking turtle?" he said Are a
weary ride Of fifty miles, the noontide heat,
the silence that could almost be felt. no
provOcatiyes to a dream | have ridden
under such circumstances many a mile, and
have awoke and known it, and so | resolved,
if ever circumstances should call me into
those parts again, | would satisfy myself as
to the matter.
Accordingly, some time afterwards he
visited the well remembered spot. There,
sure enough, was the stagnant pool but the
blasted pine tree was not there. He searched
all round, but not a stump or trace Of any
tree having grown there could be found, aud
he rightly concluded that, as he was falling
asleep, the glimpse Of the water had been
incorporated with his dream, and that in
reality he had dreamed, but had not seen the
vision which so deeply moved him. Suppose
this physician to have been an unrehecting
man, and he would at any time have been
ready to swear solemnly to having seen, in
broad daylight, the thing which we know he
could not have seen. Now the difference
between dreams and Authorizations is little
more than that, in the one case, we dream
with our eyes closed. in the other, with our
eyes open. Let the Imagination be wildly
impressed, and it will see its objects as
distinctly as the eye can see realities and
when there is nothing to warn a man Of his
error, he cannot do otherwise than believe in
it.
This IS the only explanation of Krchmeir's
conduct that we can offer and that some
such view was taken Of it by the court seems
certain, for although tried as a perjurer, lie
was acquitted Of having falsely sworn from
any bad motive his oath was regarded as Il
sincere act on his part, although he himself
had been unaccountably deceived. lie was,
therefore, simply condemned to pay the costs,
and received no other punishment from the
court.
1t was otherwise with the verdict of
Nurnberg. The law might acquit him
society was implacable. In vain had he given
hree hundred gulden to the wretched Maui |
lert, as the only compensation in his power |
Tor the injury done him the public wrath !
was very nearly proceeding to Lynch Law
De was secuted in the streets all his friends
urned away from him in contempt neither
he nor any of his family found a word of
or of credit all his customers
deserted him SO that to save himself from
xecration, if not from starvation he had to
Iuit Nurnberg, where he had so long been
Known and respected, as a religious honora-
DE, punctual citizen. With what thoughts
lie must have endured this punishment. if he