New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-11
TIE DICKiE CASE.

u" az cl MISS susan 'lth', N'@l ''' l''''
decided is. in some respects, so remarkable as to
demand sprclal attention. This lady was committed
70 The Bloomingdale Asylum in 1o71, upon the GER
ufcatc of Dr. William II. Ward, who
was the medical adviser Of her sister.
The rent proceedings were instituted by
fine brothers and sisters of Miss Dickic, and
were lad before three commissioners and sheriff ;
ilrv the purpose being to obtain formal deciara-
tiou of her lncompetcncy 70 make a Will. If such
* her condition. about 5000 900 will revert 10 her
brothers and sisters ~ her legal heirs should her in
competency continue until her death. Dr.. White
up,n whose certificate Miss Dicke has for
seven wears been restrained Of Der lib
crty. testified that he examined her for n
lew minutes, and dotcrminod that she was
luoatic. wlrreupon sine was forcibiy taken 10 the
Asylum Three physicians DIS. Hammond, Ciymer
and R4nuer testified distinctly that she WAS sane
AVID quitc able To- take care of her own person and
property. Two physicians, Drs Peters ana PACKARD.
testified that she was person of weak IN md.
AMI Liable TO dclusions; but upon cross
examination they admitted that they knew
nothing of insanity from scen: ic observation. The
lr,tcr, written by the lady, some 81 them while she
was IL confinement exhib;tcd 40 signs Of
an unbalanced mind On the otter hand.
all the family II Miss Dlckie testified that sic
was usaue and dt only for a madhou-e: bat
the Circumstance. respecting her fortune, above
referred TO- SON, what discrcdit the di-ncre,cduess
of thi, opinion The jury was emphatic in its YER
diet IL found Miss clSic perfectly sane, ard
further declared that she was OF sound mind during
the whole time of her confinement III the Blooming
data Asylum II recommended that. consider
ing her long secusion, some person should
be appointed by the Court 10 assist. her
in The management of her affairs, but significantly
~ secstrd that no member of her immediate family
ahuuld bc intrusted with that service. Mr.. DckIc.
the father died last November, leaving an estate of
ncarl, a million Of dollars He was very old. and
had e,n mbecc for several years before his d,ath.
II i. a remarkable circumstance THAI woman
lould De kept for seven y'"rS IN a lunaic asyl m.
ard upon judicia investigation should be declared
by a Jury to have been all that time sane. If the
verdict is good for ANYTHING, the fact shows an
alarming and dscredit able state Of things. OF
cour,e. the question is. How mach - tho verdict
GOOD fori Il Will DE seen that 1t was based
nartlv upon the evidence Of the medical man
who furnished the certificate, and partly upon
fiat Of three physicians If character and merit II
WAS given III spite o. the contrary evidence of two
do,tors of medicine and of the whole Dickc
household. except Miss Susan herself. The
Jury hal ample materials for coming TO n
conclusion. We permit jurcs 10 decide, IN
all criminal cases, upon the sanity OF
the alleged criminal. and we oven hang men or do
not larg lhem just as the jury may determine their
responsibility. If sanity is to be made matter of
evidence IN one case We do not see why 1t should
no, be- ia another II is strange hat while i'll crlmi-
nal trials, as well as in those involving the validity
of Wills, We have 40 scruplos about send
lug questions of sanity TO jury, we leave
innocent and living persons to be locked up as luna
ties upon the certificate of ply stefan. who may or
nlny not be competent, learned and upright 1t Is
possible and even probable that the abuses under
our present system of committing the insane TO con
Gperncnt are ovcr-cstimatcd by the popular mind;
but doubts and suspicious will hardly be allayed by
such treatment as that to which Miss Dlche has
been subjected.