Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1877-11-22

A singular case of mental aberra-
tiOn has befallen the son OF re-
spectacle citizen of Nittany valley, |
some six miles from this place.
The boy, whose age Is about liz. one
evening few weeks ago, came rum
ming from the barn to the house,
seemingly i'm great alarm. and an
nounced that there was something
wrong about th @ horses. Upon |
which members of the family went |
ont and found the horses, four head.
harneSsed and tied ut different plac-
es In the barnya:d. The father of
the boy took this a. trick of some
one and no further attention
was given. 4 short time after this
the boy again raised an alarm about
something not being ali right at the
stable, and next morning 1t was
found that one OF the horses had
been harnessed and was hitched In q
one-horse sled and had stood thus all
night. This circumstance naturally
caused an uneasy feeling In the
farmer. Upon another occasion
when fodder was being hauled in,
the hoy was appointed TO watch at
the barn, so no one might appear
! during their absence and modest any
Of t Eerroperty soon thereafter
wheat and cloverseed were found
mixed upon the threshing fioor, and
some grain spilled on a pile outside
the barn. The bny seemed alarmed
| and his explanation was that lie had
noticed some one about the granery
who did the mischief. Upon anoth-
er occasion the boy FASTENED in great
alarm to the threshing floor, where
his father and hireling were at work
and announced that the Varn had
been fred; and going to the fodder
gang discovered flames just kindled,
but yet within their control TO
quench.- Then again quantity OF
butter. cream and other provisions
were missed from the cellar one
morning; also drmagedone different
articles around the premises. These
incidents deeply alarmed the father
OF the boy, and he proceeded TO q
friendly neighbor and related the
strange occurrences. and inquired of
his friend whether he knew of sin
gle enemy he had who could be gull
ty Of the above acts. His friend in
formed him that he had no enemies
there. but that he now found ii his
duty 10 tell him that he had for
time observed something strange
about his son, and the undoubtedly
was the author of the mischief. In-
vestigation afterwards proved this
supposition to be correct.
Last week two Of our physicians,
Drs. Eeff and Jacobs, were called to
see the unfortunate boy, and their
examination OF him showed that his
mind at intervals was not right.
The boy on being questioned by the
physicians as To his reason for his
queer proceedings, i'm o rational
manner gave them as follows: The
horses he harnessed up intending to
take them away; two OF them he In
tended TO leave at Pleasant Gap,
these his father would DO apt to find
there and return home with them
and thus give him (the boy) time Z.
proceed to Centre Hall with the re-
naming two and sell them, as they
had more horses than were needed.
| Relative to the horse that stood
hitched all night i'm the sled, he said
he intended to take grain to Belle
fonte and sell 1T for what money he
could get, and then leave, and that
he did not wish to hitch In u wagon,
as that would have required two hor-
ses, which was too much trouble :;
and about the Gre in the barn, he
said he only wanted to see what they
would think and say about it, if it
was burned.
AS to the provision that dlsap-
peared from the cellar, the boy said
he dill not use any butter nor cream
and chat the things were of no nse
anyway, and hence, he fed them to
the pigs. Tie further said hs knew
these things were not right, but that
hecould not help 10.