The weekly clarion., 1869-07-08
NINETEENTH DAY.

THURSDAY, July 1st. 1869.
TESTIMONY or FRANK A RAMSEY, PHYSICIAN.
am As years of age; reside at Memphis.
Tennessee, and am by profession = physi-
elan; have had occasion to pay somewhat
more attention tO.diseases of the mind and
to obscure insanity in its various exhibi-
tions than is the case with practitioners in
general, both in asylunIs and in private
practice, somewhat extensively in asyluns; /;
/ have resided IN Knoxville, Tenn; was
born there-was acquainted with Judge
Scott also with the lady he married, Miss
Haines; knew Richard Haines and his chill
dren: he usually went by the name OF
Ranged Haines, than he did by the name Of
Dick. common expression. and 20 Indicate
that he was deranged man. lie had two
sons. Stephen and Edward, they were re-
garded as insane-Stephen, especially
There was certainly no doubt as regards the
insanity of Richard HaineS; never knew
him under circumstances except as an in
sane man, he was at times in confinement
and at times he was permitted TO go about.
but always giving exhibitions OF an insane
character Edward Haines was occasional
ly guilty of acts which would render him
amenable to the law. bus | believe were
regarded as crazy freaks. l knew Mrs.
Judge Scott, the mother of Mrs. Geo. Yer
ger /; the common understanding in the COM
munitY in which she lived, was, that she
was a crazy woman. was acquainted with
joseph Scott Charles Scott, Edward Scott
Ham Scott Parker Scott, and their sister
Mrs. Swami. / have a very distinct recol-
lection as a boy, of looking at Joe Scott and
thinking and regarding his acts as being
those of a man regarded as craZy-hls lntl-
mate friends regarded him as eccentric, and
in connection with the family trait it was
Indicative of a crazy person. 1t was the
same with all the members of the family,
but especially with the son who went by the
name of Ham. with whose life was famll-
/ lar. he was a man who was regarded as be-
| ino very excitable, attaching Importance TO
| circumstances that other men would attach
no imnortance to, and from whom any and
| everybody in the community would permit
/ langua0e that they would not submit to
| from others. He enjoyed an immunity from
| personal attack in the community where
| fights were common in all classes of society
/ men placinp it upon the grounds that his
acts were those of crazy man, yet ne pros
/ ecuted his own business. and had the char
| acter of being an honest man III ms Dusl-
! moss transactions. Insanity may be trans
/ mitted by Inheritance; it is the received and
generally entertained opinion amongst med
| icaI men: when there has been one clear
distinct manifestation OF insanity, IL Is much
more liable to recurrence than to remain
ALWAYS in allowance; where there exists a
| hereditary taint, and member OF the ram
| ily exhibits what is commonly caileo pecu-
| liarities or eccentricities, would refer them
to the influence of the hereditary malady; II
a man should causelessly take up antipa-
tbies and aversions to his family and his
relatives. and is disposed to exaggerate any,
thing personal to himself. causeiessly and
unnecessarily to involve his friends in quar-
| relS with himself and persists in those quar-
rels tn An undue extreme. and if in addition
to this line of conduct there had been one,
two or more distinct manifestations Of in
sanity, | should not hesitate to certify him
to be an insane man.
The witness gave a lengthy dlsqulsIttol
| on the various forms and causes of insanity
| which is necessarily omitted.