Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1871-02-11

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long period of twsntysa line Fears. Be-
ing a thorough sentleAan and an ex-
cellent COMPANION, Ne was much
esteemea By every one who knew
him. With all his felloY-paticnts Ar
was af Immense fayagite, for he poA
sessed great humor aud an i~neXhausts,
ible stock of apecdotes, was a capital
player at bowls, billiards and whist,
and yet no lunatio, perhaps, ever la
bored under more singular dclusions.
lie asserted that he was upward of
10000 years Of age, and used TO de-
scribe The prehistoric period of the
earth, during which he had witnessed
"three floods greater than Noahps..
Noah he knew very we'll. lie described
him as a aicG lad when he first knew
him, but rs lattcrly having fallen into
dissipated habits, He had command
cd numerous large armies at various
periods, and for the last three or four
thousand years had been Augustus j.
Cesar, commander-in.chie Of the Ro-
man armies which was Ills usual sig
nature.
The cunning If lunatics is proven
bal, and they display at times not q
little shrewdness of speech and pur-
pose. There may be said to be sensi-
bic madmen just as there is said to- be
wise fools. At any rate, VIC often find
considerable method in the madness
of some "clouded intellects."
A game keeper and an inmate of an
asylum at Meath, England, happened
to meet on the lawn in front Of the
building.
Inmate; "Good morning to you.
That's q fine horse you have; pray
what is he worth 2"
Game-keeper: "This horse cost my
master sixty pounds"
Inmate: "And what may that gun
have cost which you havo?"
Game-koeper: "This is one of Wes-
ley R'chards's, and consequently is
expensive it cost twenty pounds"
Inmate: "And what are these dogs
worth p" b4@8 Y.
Game-keeper: These dogs are
worth about twenty pounds"
Inmate; "And what have you in
that basket?'
Game keeper: "a snipe."
Inmate: "And what's that worth ~
Game-keeper: "About sixpence."
Inmate "Well Ishould recommend
you to ride off as fast as you can, for
if onr governor were to know that any
man expended a hundred pounds to
procure a six.penny bird, llc would
Immediately seize him and put him in
this asylum" rH8 7
We have heard ola remarkable in.
stance Of shrewdness on the part OF
two lunatic lovers. Some years ago
there were in Colncy Hatch a Young
mar and q young woman who made
each others acquaintance at one OF
the monthly balls given for tho
amusement Of the inmates. Dcranged
though this couple were, they carried
on Oh innocent courtship, and despite
the vigilance Of the officials, managed
n written correspondence. Both re.
covered, and after their discharge
having renewed the courtship, mar.
ricd happily. So far as is known al
the asylum, neither has had q relapse
of insanity. Though the lamp of rca.
son burned dim, the affections and
sympathies still continued undimin.
iSheI ii warmth and power. Many
interesting things might be told Of
the mechanical ingenuity and artistic
taste of some of these clouded intel.
lects.
Tho worst examples OF ~frenzicd
guilt howl and fret away their DAYS
and nights behind thick iron gratings.
Their faces arc hideous, their voices
inhuman degradation is exhibited IL
thei lcvery actiCl aud gesture. But
Their care 9th Ot whose condition is
lie sfterr and far moro hopeful
men of le Ecrimina and more cult.
waited natu os,whose rigl: hand has
not lost its cunning though in Othel
respects they r childish, helpless
and irrational. These melancholy
captivcs write poetry, play on musical
instruments, make sketches, and exc.
cute works of sculpture construct
models of steam engines, ships, etc.
and thus bcguile the tedium Of the
long, weary hours" and render thcil
condition less unbearabie to them.
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