Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-06-15
How Mr.. William Skies Went Mad.
From the N. York Tribun,


There is not not in any law-book, but
which Messrs. Spencer and Graham I'M
| doubtedly have heard Of which is so point
| edly illustrative of the great legal doctrine
| OF mOmentary madness, or irresponsible
frenzy, or by whatever name the great legal
| doctrine Ut has many an alias) may be call
| ed, that We are surprised that Messrs
| Spencer and Graham did not cite it during
| the late oyer of murder We refer to the
| case OF Mr.. Bill Skies, as set forth in the
| veracious chronicle of "Olliver Twist -
! Mr.. Skies, it will be re rendered, was
! p celebrated sporting gentleman
IN London, who lived by the appropriation
of other peoples property, and who had a
mistress named Nancy. This poor GIN
| sodden woman, in a moment of pity for
| OLIVER, betrayed Mr.. VIM. Skies, which
! fact was communicated to him by q great
crony and companion of his, an Israelite
gentleman named Fagin. The moment he
received this unpleasant information from
the friendly FagIn, Mr.. Skies (whose ten
| derest sensibilities had received a sudden
shock) ''lost all control Of himself" and
| the following colloquy ensued:
LET me out, said Skies. F'Don't speak
to me; it's not safe. Let me out, I say"
'fHear me speak a word" reioined the
Jew, laying his hand upon the lock. s'You
won't be"
"Well," replied the other.
lyon won't be-too-violent, Bill?" whin-
ed the Jew.
But when a man has elost all control Of
himself, it is Of no use to try to stop him.
Mr.. Fagin, however, explained that he
merely wished to caution Mr.. Skies against
being ''too violent for safety" With
maniac stride, Mr.. Skies rushed to the
residence of the devoted Nancy. That he
must have been insane is evident from
the following graphic description of his de-
meanOr in the street.
Without one pause, or moments con-
sideration; without once tuning his head
to the right or left, or raising his eyes to
the sky, or lowering them to the ground,
bu5 looking straight before him with say
/ age resolution; his teeth SO tightly com
pressed that the strained jaw seemed start
ing through his skin; the robber held Oh
his headlOng course, nor muttered a word
nor relaxed muscle until he reached his
own door"
1t is reasonably TO be deduced from this
account that Mr.. Skies must have been as
mad as his counsel could have desired. if
haply Mr.. Skies had ever come to trial for
the deed he was about to do. He was
mounted so high upon his injuries; he had
been so il-treated by the too voluble Nancy
that his brain must have been suffused,
tha5 clearly something must have been the
matter with his heart or his bowels it was
OF no consequence which. But evidently
he was in a most convenient state OF tenn
porary hallUcination. This is further
proved by his conduct on coming into the
presence of the false Nancy. What he did
TO Nancy then and there will be indicated
by Just one more quotation:
'-She staggered and fell, nearly blinded
with the blood that raiped down from
deep cash in her forehead; but raising her
self with difficulty on her knees, drew from
her bosom a white handkerchief-Ro
Maylie's own and holding it up in her
folded hands as high towards heaven as her
feeble strength would allow, breathed one
prayer ter II HTcy to her maker.
1t was a CHASTITY figure to look upon.
The murderer, staggering backward TO the
wall, and shutting out the sight with his
hands seized heavy club and struck her
down"
Instances of instantaneous alteration
have become so common ia this country,
and the aberrationists are so often finding
themselves IN judicial jeopardy that we
have cited this well known case for their
special benefit, should they get themselves
into trouble with the law, which hereafter
isn't very probable. Mr. Skies hung him
self-by accident-in trying to escape from
the police, and thus it happened, that his
case was never adiudicated in court.