The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-13


bread meant friendship, cabbage meant purify, ana
butter refinement; then she SAID that there was :
sssen o. esponage anh sns All ihroush Tho
building, and that whatever was said In her room was
repeated all over the house witness hoesnt J. nasu.
raj for a sensitive person under her crcumstapceS
to imagine she overheard but he CONSIDERED ner
idea that there was system Of listening and repeat.
ing 10 be an evidence OF weak mind he considered
her insane Being asked IN regard to the possibility
OF sane persons having deusicns, he said, suppose
we all have decisions, but the definition between
sane aud an insane person Is that whiio sane man
may delusiop ne can generally DO reasoned Gus
OF 1t and an insane person cannot be.
Dr. John c. Peters, who examined the supposed
lunatc the same day with Dr. Packard. eavo biz
opinion tina, she was o. an imperisos ana unsounc
hardly worth regarding. He thought II she was lib
Grated she would have to return to the asylum In
MISS DIcKIE's TREATMENT.
DR.. W. II. Mcdonald. assistant to DR.. Nichols, the
suporntendsnt Of .ne s~ resSrd sha trs.i
men. received by MISS Dicke as an inmate,
sns pa prvssa Sebonsa mad Doubt the
insanity OF Miss Dicke and thought that no one who
should 90 In position 10 judge o. ne matter could
that all persons who werein any way connected with
her were engaged in conspiracy 70 rob hsr OF ner
property anu wore constantly stealing small Things
from her.
Edward Dickie, the disnheritcd sou, testified that
he mas visited his sister two or three hundred times
during her imprisonment and she mad generally
for more OF tho family when ne came
She always referred to her iathcr as the old hog"
PATIENTS STORY
This comprised the principal points OF the testimony
offered by the 1--WE brothers and sisters, and MISS
Dickie was then placed on the stand. She told Wild
great ceafness OF the details OF her lie ~ child,
where her iatner lived, IN Greene street. and whe1
u number OF French words that she mad learned
when child. Sho said she liked her mother, who
died 1854 very much, but tuat Mrs Van Nleck ana
Mrs. Turrel were tsrants; after her mothers death
her ather gave her an allowance OF something over
5000 year; sometimes Nc would give nsr ons ,S
Pacific Bank, indorse tue check and got
the money, wn.ch she would spend Tor
father moved up town be bought land aud
built house; James Owen was the builder and jar
dine was the architect; at school she made ow
innate friends Miss Monatt is one, Miss Dykeman is
anoiher she had Two Rugs one OF which her younger
brother gave her and one Of which her mother gave
her; the latter she had always worn; she was very
fond of poetry; Shakespeare and Lougiollow were
her favori,e poets; had kept scrapbook
Imprisonment in the asylum alter her mother
died she aud her sisters, Mrs Durell and Mrs. Adams.
each keeping house for few days at time whom
ut homo she mad great many books and was fond Of
Thoughts" aud .Abic TO save" took some lessons on
the piano but could not strike an octave with her right
keeping Mrs. Van Week asked her TO visit AZ her
house TOR while, telling her she could have company
there, as much as she wanted; overheard MRS. van
Week talking with her iatner about putting witness
III asylum told them they would kill her II they
did Dr. Post came to see her the day alter this con-
versaton ana DR.. White the morning she was taken,
that morning her father ana Mrs Van Week took her
In she understood they were TO Dfing nor
back 70 her iatners house as she asked them TO- ous
father but once afterwards that was ~ the asylum:
Her brother Edward had visited her number OF
times but occasion no said something to her,
while DR.. Brown was outside the door which was
not 1T to say TO woman she ielt
insulted and told him she never wanted 10 see him
again. (Wilness' testament, hlled with marks and
written sentences, was then identified, and Mr. DeaA
field called The attention OF the jury TO an inscription
IN her handwriting which read ga
what comfort divine;
What hat. 81. 6ssS: l TO know
Witness then described her at the asylum and
the she took OF IT.
MISS Mary L. Moastt then testified that she
schoolmale OF Miss Dckies; she advised her against
leaving her iathers mouse 70 go 10 Mrs. Van vcck's,
but said she would 70; alter that got note from
her telling that she was IN tho asylum and inviting Us
go visit her there she did so ten or twelve times
since and always found Miss Dckie the same usual.
Mrs. Maria Monatt, the mother of the last witness,
testified that she had known Mics Dlckie twenty or
twenty-five years; MISS Dlckie had visited her
house on intimate TERMS almost the same
as Of the family; she was very
benevolent to the poor oil the church, carrying food
TO their houses; never saw anything unnatural or In
sane her. she behaved the same as other girls,
she grew up the same 81 other young ladies;
sometimes talked very witty; witness thought nor
was never more incensed than when she heard OF IL
SHE DECLARED TO BE SANE.
Dr. William A. Hammond, called as an expert on in
sanity testified that saw Miss Dicke ut his house
for hour the Both OF January last; at nrst
he questioned her closely on many subjects, asked
her particularly about her wanting to get married,
ana she saia she did not know the man she would
marry. In answer to mis- question whether shs
thought her mind WAS as strong as that oil woman
should be she said that there might be some
s.But what would any one's mind be VINO
had been confined in lunatic asylum Tor six years
and half, and constantly forced TO associate with
luna,ics;'' sand l told her," sadded the Doctor,
"tnat did not think it would probably Do
much stronger than hers under those circum-
et .tS h0
when witness asked her 10 read from pamphlet,
which happened 10 DO treatise on the criminal aim
tiles and the ape, she read the first few
limos and then got angry and said she would read
more aud would not be examined IN that
way; be was not prepared TO say that
her mind we'll developed, but could detect no
fully Of such character as would enable her TO
attend TO her own afara She was especially Elm.
phatio In regard to her not getting married He aid
the OF any form of INSANITY 10 this
patient He thought The asylum was by NO means Z
proper abode for her.
DR.. Ham mond was exam ned at great length
and gave the particulars OF his examination vory
fully, but would not express any different opinion.
Dr. James W. Ranaey, another expert, testified thai
consider that she mad fully developed intellect; hl
thought sue was hardly up to medocrity. considering
her privileges, but did not consider her insane.
Tho testimony OF Mrs. and Mss Mofatt was cors
roboaed by that OF two other friends, AMI Dr. Mcre-
dith Cymer corrooorated the evidence OF the other
two physicians. DR.. Ciymer also said in
relation TO the superintcndcnts OF insane asys
Iums that, they interpret their dutos nowadays,
sane patient might remain under their
charge ious years without oov uG,ng n'soHv
ASSISTANTS while the superintendent attends
to the building and 10 the cabbage garden and
to the fattcning oil pigs; one supe, ntendcnt had
told him that he was going to pay attention 10 the
insano when he got leisure. He thought IN every
asylum they were shorthanded III medical attendance.
THE HALL LUNACY CASE.