, 1878-06-08
The Dan.er Of Confessions.

. Dr. William \. Hammond, Of New ork,
4 student and authority OH diseases OF the
mind and nervous system, has, III the course
oi his investigation OF curious and irregular
action OF the mind, encountered Instances
of confessions of guilt and of otienses where
there was evidence of innocence. A lew
wears ago female patient Of lis informed
him that she had got up IN the night and
gone To visit gentleman OF her acqGalnt-
ance who lived IN a distant part Of the clty,
and that she had remained Ia his house all
night. On making thorough inquiry 1t was
proven beyond doubt that there was not
one word OF truth in the story She had not
lett the house at all, and the gentleman IN
question was not liz ,he city IT the time lie
believes that dream had leit such n vivid
impression upon her mind as 10 seem to her
a reality. He thinks children are often pun
ishei for lying when innocent OF II, being
unable to discriminate between actual events
and the phantoms of their lnaSlnations and
dreams. During the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries there WAS an epidemic of
histcria and catalepsy that spread over Eu-
rope, and many wrongs were inflicted upon
innocent persons III consequence OF aechs.t-
tons brought AGAINST them One Ganpedi,
a priest Of Marsellles, 4 moral man, was ac-
cusetl OF sorcery by two nuaS who were SUI
fering from historical cOnvulsIons- At first
he denied it, and undertook to prove the na-
ture of the disease but subsequently he
himself was seized with it, and confessed to
even more than he had been charged with.
He declared that he had worshipped the
devil for fourteen years, and that IN return
the devil had gwen LIN power over every
woman that he looked upon. He had sue
ceeded, he said, lii poisoning the nlnds ol
no less than |, 900 Women oI.e oi tie nuns
who Was present AZ his trial became mach
affected by it, and she IN tara WAS accused
of hcinr possessed. she Was kept IN prison
4 wear on the charge OF having unlawful re-
iat;ou5 Wit, demons. She ut first denied
the charge, kut spd.!eniy she admitted 1t,
and accused herself of other crimcs-nun-
berlcss murders, OF StranSln9 children,
rava.ing graves, feeding on human flesh,
revriing il a.rociouS orgies, poisoning. and
unheard Of siGS Another instance recItcd
IS that of C0ustau.c Kent, OF Wiltshire,
Enp!and Hcr little foHr.ycar-rld brother,
nearly twenty yc1Ia rgu, WIS found onc
mornIrg IN an clubhouse with hlS throat cut
and 4 wound IN his chest. The corpse was
wrapped III the blanket of his bed, and
piece Of woman's breast tianael and news
paper with blood marks from the knife, were
found near it. 10 blood stains were found
in the house, and no cry or struggle Was
heard in the night. His sister Constance
had been heard TO express dislike to him,
and her night-drcSs was missin5. She was
arrested, WAS very courageous during the
examination, and was acquitted, III default
of evidence against her. She went to school,
and thea entered upon religious conven-
tua life. In 1860, she confessed her guilt
of her brothers murder, Was indicted, plead
ed guilty. and WAS sentenced tn death with
out the case being sent to the jury. As her
mother died of insanity just precious to the
murder ot her brother, 1t Is believed that
the girl either committed the act while in
sane, or accused herself subsequently, while
laborinc under i delnsion. DIR. Hammond
is 50 impressed with the possibility OF these
mental arrangements, that he would so
amend the laws as I" prevent the convection
of any one solely on the strength OF 4 con-
feSSion.