Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-13
The Murderer RulOf.
A Committee of Professional Gentlemen
Interview Him-KHis Ideas ON Variety
of Subjccts-A Remarkable Interview.

ALBANY, May 12.-Drs. Gray and Wander
pool, who, by appointment OF Gov. Hoffman, on
Wednesday made a thorough examination of
the bodily and mental condition Of Edward H.
Rulof have submitted a report that, in their
Judgment, he is in sound physical health and
entirely sane.
The physicians held q protracted interview
with Ruoff in his cell, and after inquiring fully
into his previous life and history, the following
conversation ensued
Q. How long have you entertained that idea
of this formation and derivation of language
that you call your SYSTEM
A. For over thirty years | have been i'm
pressed with the fact that there was something
in languages that was to discover.
Q. How early do you date this2
A. From the time was fourteen to sixteen
years DID, when was first interested in the
study of language.
Q. AT what time in that study did this idea
arise definitely?
A. When commenced the study Of the Greek
Testament. | now found new beauties in the
Greek language, and perfection and method
which satisfied Inc that it was the result of
order, civilization.
Q. Have You given attention to the study of
other languages than Greek and Latn2
A. Oh yes, French and German; in fact, | can
read all languages except the Sclavonic. In
the study of Portuguese found the most diff
Guilty, but, after all, Greek and Latin, especially
were perfected by men who could command
means and time, and who had skill and industry
to study and perfect the philosophy of their
language.
Here Ruloff brought his manuscript and took
a number of words as illustrating the system
with which the Greek language had been con-
structed and the Latin and English derived
therefrom. He took, among others words,
"carotid, "lungs," "brain," and traced the
manner in which they are derived from the
original significant roots. He maintained that
| all fctions Of Greek and Roman mythology
| covered some great biological truths. He took
| the fable OF Perseus and Medusa, and believed
| that from the word Perseus, which, being di-
vided, contained the roots of words for serpent
and reptile, the text of the story was foreshad-
| owed, and was contained in the name itself;
and so of all fables, the names under which
| they are known are monogramatic, and afford
| the key to the story of which they give the
| name.
@. Was the original alphabet of the Greek
language, in your view, formed from arbitrary
| signs, and the language thus built up, or was it
| derived from some other language, and subse-
| quently perfected? A. Hardly arbitrary, be-
cause that would preclude choice. There was
method In its formation; each letter was indi-
cative.
| O. Do YOU mean that Greek is an original Ian
| guage? If not, from what was it derived?
| A. The phraseology of Homer is worked up
| wonderfully, and is greatly enriched from that
of early Greek writers. The letter "r'' was not
/ found in earlier Greek. In writings up to that
time that letter was not necessary, but when
| Bacchus came out of Media, and Bacchanalian
life, with its orgies, revelry and carnival began
| it then became necessary to use hitherto I'm.
| known letters to properly designate words nee
| essary to describe the new conditions OF life
Certain forms of language admit of perfection
| The phraseOlogy of Homer is as perfect and as
fresh now as when written. Yet | do not believe
that such a person as Homer ever lived. HI
was the centre of a system which was perfected
under that name. | believe, with others, tina
no one man was the author of all that's ascribeC
to Homer.
@. Some say the same of Shakespeare, thai
he was not the originator Of all he wrote.
A. don't think that does Shakespeare jus.
tice. His adaptions were really originations.
Q. Did you early have q professorship Of
| language in view as an ultimate aim?
A. I had a scholarship III view, and some
situation, probably professorship.
Q. What advantage do you propose to the
world from the development and perlecting o.
| your systemp
A. 1t makes the study of language more of d
mental discipline, while, at the same time, il
would sihplify the study. 1t would teach the
scholar to think at every step, and thinking is
| mental discipline. Without child understands
the intrinsic meaning of a word, what good can
| its study do him?
Ruloff here gave number of illustrations Of
1
animals proved that the name itself was derived
| from the habits, construction or sound made by
| the animal. Their language was methodlcal
| He then stated that his earnest wish was thai
the governor might fully appreciate this new
| pathological system, and that his book might be
| placed in proper hands to be developed and
published. He said he did not care what be
came of himself.
Q. Did you study medicine with the intention
OF being physician?
| A. did, and, after two or three years, got
| into trouble and abandoned it.
Q. Have you ever studied the Geographic
| signs or language?
A. have not, either practically or theoreti-
cally.
O. To what church did your father go?
A. The Episcopalian. | took no special inter-
| est in the church. went there as q habit and
an intellectual pleasure. l never claimed TO be
pious, never tried to make myself an example.
| One of my first ideas in study was to furnish the
etymology of every word in the Greek Tesla
ment. / studied it only for its language.
O. Did you believe the Testament to be true
| and q reYelation2
A. Sometimes did, and sometimes not.
| Q. Are words derived from the necessities of
mans condition. If so, how do you account
| for the introduction Of the word Immortality
A. That word has not escaped my attention.
Its etymology shows that it means both life and
| death.
Q. What do you understand by the word
| "God"
A. Ever living; not subject to death.
| Q. Have you believed in the evidence of such
| a being as one ever living.
| A. AT times | have, at other times not
| early drew certain lines; on one side was the
| movable, on the other the unknowable."
| Here follows long and rather uninteresting
account of questions of a theological nature
addressed to the prisoner, This portion of the
| questions might easily be mistaken for an ex-
tract from the proceedings of an examination of
a graduating student at divinity school; the
main interest attached to the answers is that
they come from convicted murderer.
The conversation was further continued as
| follows;
| @. In Greek and Roman myths, we not only
have vice and virtue represented but also rewards
| and punishments offered. How do you account,
in your pathological system, for the equivalent
Of these words in the language?
A. There is no reward or punishment, Those
words signify, Something instead of" Each
act has its necessary result, and neither act nor
| result is eXtraneouS,
@. How do you account for the human mid,
! in reasoning, going beyong the necessities mel
dental to this life, in its expression and sonten'
| plation, to seek creating power2
A. Mind expresses absurdities as well as
| truths.
Q. How can mind act abssrdly, if its exist
ence be simply, as you clam, the result of
physical organization, that organization being
necessarily governed by definite laws?
A. If there were 10 possibility of error, there
would be no need Of mind to guide.
Q. What is the need of guide when error
has no responsibility, if with the death of the
body all existence ends2
A. This brings up reserve question. | have
mystery of existence before me, In my judg-
ment, that is the end of speculation.
Q. Is speculation beyond that legitimateP
A. 1t is as to possibility but not as to proba-
bility, of fact. Social duties remain, even if
you believe that death is the end.
Q. Would the fact of another existence, and
that existence one of rewards and punishments
for your conduct in this life, make any differ,
ence in regard to your acts2
A, No. should do as intended without re-