New-York tribune., 1874-05-29


any cause alleged or discovered Her victims were her
masters and sresses her fellow servants her friends
for whom In their dying moments she displayed tne
utmost tenderness and care The plea OF monomania
brought forward by her counsel save the want OF
motive for her crimes. She was found guilty by the
ecuted Her last words on the scaold devoted TO
accusing woman as her ins,igator and accompnce
who upon inquiry found to he an Old paraiyac
whose whole life had been of the most exemplary char
actor ,.,, 49,, $780,. ~, ,,r,.
of oe
Of habit This peasant OF order OF lnteee
Pretended to hire and then Conducting them 70
freQuened places put them to death sx thus suners
ana nine others barely escaped Srdersd for on
searching his premises H. $50 articles OF appae
one said at the time D9molIard ought have had
cemetery OF Of his own And yet there was no sucn no
He did sell the clothing and other things et niue
value which he obtained from Ills victims a
many Of them and the rest were as have said hidden
of the way places about his dwelling here M hDs
whom he had murdered and he was found not s sc on
the accusations to this effect he y b ocs Of
habit habit which had become portion OF his physi
cal being and which 1t afforded him pleasure 10 indulge
Insanity urged in his Defense but he was found
| guilty and was executed. . -. .... =.
them occurrence and belonging to TINS cou
try but close this part of my memoir with rel
| /. boy murderer - of a few days ago
When confronted the body Of the murdered child
DG your RnO% that e inquired
Yes Sir. out don't want TO look at him any more
| "Did you kill himf
How did you get the blood of the kuifei Did you
mo Sir; stuck it In the mud"
He further said that II he did the deed he was sorry
for it, and hoped mother would not know of It, When
asked by the officer what he thought ought TO ne done
deeply into the hearts of all judges, jurymen and law
"Iut me somewhere so can't do such things"
These cases are sufficient to snow the mature S @h
Ts Srorh forSard With nany Of which you are
doubtless familiar, but preferred to cite rev striking
instances in illustration which are not commonly quoted
few additional points relative TO morbid impulse, and
especially in regard to its psychcs cause, & require
principle is well shown in the following case;
young man member OF nG niSny respeGtao'e ram @
peared that few weeks previously while walking down
broadway. he had been struck with the appear.
an's very " rich % BLACK six % dress Suddenly the
sulparic acid on it. He therefore stopped at an apo
ecarys shop and purchased small wal VI OIL OF vrlo
walking by her side he managed in crowd TO empty
his vial over her dress without being perceived lie
solved 10 repeat 1t at once He therefore procured
other supply vrio, and, singing out lady better
dressed than others around her. ne poured the contents
OF the vial dress and again escaped detection
He then went home, and rejecting upon what he had
done determined to persevere III the practice, Du
nights put him in healthier frame OF MUD aud he
concluded to abandon the idea Indeed he was 50 dis
turbed what he had already done that he wrote out
| an advertisement for the newspapers, IN which ne
requested the ladies' whose dresses ne nid spGed 10
that he might reconpense them or ne losses ne nad
paper ofees he again felt the impulse at the sight of
handsome dress to throw vitrol on IT, anu again ne pur
He now began 10 consider more fully than he had yet
done the nature and consequences OF his Conduct and
frankly his entire convection that his acts were in the
highest degree immoral and degrading but expressed to
| l.ip tnahi m nan
he said. "acts upon very much as suppose piece
of red cloth does an inuIated bull must attack IT,
| The bull his horns, while use yitrioL"
Upon the most careful examination, could discover
| no evidence OF disease anywhere except in the
point Of wakefulness with which he had suffered more
less for several months past therefore prescribed
moving himself from further temptation by taking
voyage q sailing vessel upon which there were
eseence In my views He went to sea fishing
schooner aud in three or four months perfectly
free from his morbid impulse.
The influence Of habit i'll fostering morbid impulse
which has once been fell or yielded TO is exceedingly
powerful and has already been incidentally noticed in
the presen memoir When Myhg GeMg performs ,s an
act under the ~ a oi eel.a 10 thp ~
similar if ike influences broaght e %
poscn p1s to repeat BECOMES 81" Stronger until the
faIit is SO firmly established that the is accom-
pshed without the reception OF impressions similar TO
those which originally gave r'se to IT, bat entirely
through the force OF the newlyacqnired power This
disposition repetition is not limited TO physical acts;
prevails in regard TO almost every function OF the
body and mind. TO trans and modes OF thought. and
forms often important element in the production of
disease Habit m Psfod ih nd aonrS ay be
from the frequent performance OF certain acts to repeat
these acts until more powerful force ntervenes
Some persons more under the Influence of habit
than others; they acquire haolt more quickly, and
lose with less facility 80 strong are the unpleasant feel
ing excited by any interruption III the regular
of their habits that they viii endure the Greatest ncon
yeniences in order to indulge III the.., -
Tbere r,, 20 80 no doubt tcat morbid impnse often
continued from the force of habit long afer the i'm
puIsve exctation has been FORGOTTEN have adduced
cases which SO far as could be aseertaned We're IN
stances OF kind and could readily cite both from
nv own experience aud tnat OF otEeis, many In
The First Napoleon, whose knowledge Of human ma
ture has rarely been exceled, arrested an epdeme OF
suicide III bis army by appealing to the ennobng emo
tions OF the mind. grenadier killed himself This
suicide followed by another and IT was found tEa
in previous Instances. the Impulse would extend
at appreciated the necessity for prompt
action, and accordingly issued the following general
Tae euaaer Gobbn las committed .acide from diaPpOn
happened H.; within month
hat er ougt grief ana melancholy
Of his aAt there is as much true Goasg, ~ saIss nsD
s,sP from " Ike abandoning the 1s ' battle 'e'''' being ''
T6e effect OF this appeal was truly magical and the
disposition to suicide wac at once checked
The morbid impulse TO mlure others IN properly or
individual who experiences the impulse Many instances
of the kind have come under my observaton and they
are frequently by that wholesome fear OF the
law aud the Influence Of judicious discipline which even
the insaneespecally those whose only manifestation
OF mental alteration consists in morbid mpuses-are
generally capable OF approaching.
! once overcame strong impulse to steal whatever
she could lay her hands on. which wealthy lady ex
hbted dvertlng her mind 10 the subject OF botany
and inducing her 10 MAKE collections or plants she
gradually became infatuated with the new pursuit
that she lost all kepomanlcal SYMPTOMS. It Is often
the women morbid impulses are purely hys
terical. They are then TO be managed accordingly.
The legal relations of morbid impulse are of vast i'm
portauce society. NV opinion in regard TO the
manner in which the law should deal with individuals
thus affected Will easily be ascerained from the incl
remarks already made the OF this
but II may be well to state them more eInphaiically
than has yet been
~ person aware OF the existence OF an impulse 10
commit crime, and which he fears he may not be able
resist b0und TO do everything IN ms power to
der accomplishment OF his propensity impossible.
= his duty Immediately place hmself under