The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1879-12-13

! VAIN tt ctNA oAilt3 Viz ii u ID tiOU vi
| me now. | should not have come
if it had been. | can conquer
my madness now the question
is how long | can continue to dc
so. feel my power of resistance
becoming weaker and weaker
the craving for blood getting
stronger and stronger. | haze
brought wretched ours out of the
ltreet. and killed them in my
frenzy: in The hope to exhaust il
on them. 1t is no use, l must
have human life.'
ANY human life? g l inquired,
'or some one iD particular p
why do you ssk this, Doc.
torg.
| Nc matter; go on
'Sometimes,' he resumed, iii
seems that any life would do ;
and observation-disclosures, ioul
days before I saw you l met, up
on New Jersey ferry boat, q
young girl. So pretty. SO refined
and nice. | followed her home
-she went in, and soon came
out into her little garden, and
tended her fowers--poor child.
Doctor, if | had had a pistol with
me | should have shot her. You
may smile, but some day / shall
take "a pistol on purpose, and
shoot her.
Them said I, 'the only thing
yon can do is to enter an asylum.
If | were to 60 to a madhonse
I should sooner Or later murder
my keeper, and go straight for
that Innocent sill.'
'Then leave the country
well, that would save her,
but, il don't kill her, | shall kill
some one else.'
MY dear fellow I replied,
these fanatics are durable. Put
yourself under medical treat
| ment.s
Medical treatment! | have
consulted every practitioner of
note here and in Europe. All
have failed. Doctors are no use
| to me-
Then why have you come
here?'
TO ask your advice, and to ask
you one question as a friend, and
| pray you to give me plain
yes or no.
Go on
Feeling as l feel, shall / be
justified before God in taking my
| own life Will it be deadly sin
for me to do for myself what 1
would do to a mad dog g?'
Il started Up aud told him that
| wouid not then answer him
tina it was not fair to ask me to
take such a responsibility. Give
me till tomorrow to think it out,
[ said.
Tomorrow may be too late,
he replied. The fit may come
upon me to o-night, for all | know
Come home with me | am not
| afraid. You Won't hurt me,' l
said. \ 49,.
L would try very hard not to
| do so-but-I cannot trust N.Y.
self. Don't you trust me-
Il will trust you. You are not
armed, | suppose 20 :.
No, not noW.'
sWe went home together. l
led him to talk of our old soldier
ing days, and gradually got him
| back to his wound. / made him
describe the first sensations Of
| pm in his head, and repeat all
that his different medical advis
ers had said. | carefully eXamin
| ed his head. At last | felt Il
| faint twitc'ling about two inches
above t e left ear. 1t might be
merely nervous, but it might be
caused by the BALI
4 then set to work, and thought
the matter over steadily.
After a long a.,d careful con-
side -tion | came t) the following
conclusions:
| 'He is not laboring under sui
cidal mania.
| His impulse is real, and Will
have fatal results.
confinement 10 an asylum
would have no curative effect.
The next morning | addressed
him thus:
Before | answered yon as to
whether Won would be lc>t,ltti