St. Landry democrat., 1879-08-02
The Plea OF INSANITY.
New Orleans Times |

many a guilty man from the golloWs.
AS a rule, nowadays, the defense of
insanity is set up where there is no other
available defense. Even where there
appears to be no ground whatever for
such a plea the lawyers seem to be able
to make out q case sufficiently strong to
confuse the minds OF average jurors.
Insanity has so many phases and appeelrs
under forms so various that it is orten
difficult to get doctors to agree about
the mental condition of any man.. 1t is
doubtful it there is Il case on rec ord, in
which the insanity dodge was played.
where the doctors did not disagree.
Some of these learned experts will de-
clare a man to be perfectly sane, while
Others who have the reputation of being
equally well posted, will arrive at the
conclusion that he is as Dlad as q March
hare. The lawyers seldom, or never,
find it difficult to discover traces of in
sanity, or what they assume to have
dead members of their clients family.
Somebody is sure to remember that the
accused mans great grandfather or
great aunt acted queerly at times, and
that there were whispers that this or
that particular relative was not exactly
right in the upper story. 1t is u very
curious fact, however, that few, if any,
of these ancestors ever saw the inside
of an insane asylum, or exhibited pecu
liarties so marked as to attract serious
attention. 1t was only when some one
of their degenerate descendants was in
need of a defense to save his neck from
the hangman's moose that their eccen-
tricities were remembered. In support
of this ridiculous plea of insanity, the
records of as sane people as ever
breathed have been dragged before
the public, and every harmless pecu-
liaritv which marked their lives has
been magnltied into convincing eyiden-
ces of madness. 1t is interesting to
watch these murderers who allege in
sanity as an excuse for murder, when
they appear at the bar Of justice to an
swer for their crime. They don't look
trarv. they take deep interest in the
proceedings and manifest a surprising
intelligence and healthy mental con-
dition in assisting their counsel. No
body seems to be afraid OF them or
expects that they will commit any act
of violence, and nobody seems to have
an idea that they ought to be in an
asylum. OF course, there is such a
thing as hereditary insanity, but it
doesn't follow that because q mans
father, or grandfather, or any OF his
relations are insane ne is insane also.
There seems to be little doubt that
Thomas Buford, who so brutally mur-
dered Judge Elliott in Frankfort, KEN
tucky, a month or two ago, will escape
the gallows ON the plea OF insanity. 1t
is trne that there was insanity in his
family, but it will be difficult to prove
that he was insane before the killing or
has been since. All of the facts go to
show that he is an obstinate, self-willed,
nassionate sort of man, and that he
deliberately planned and executed the
horrible crime for which he is now hang
tried. Experience has taught that the
surest way to check the crime OF murder
is to put the murderers to death. 1t
murdererss find 1t easy TO aVola sa. 1ne
Denalty of their crimes on the plea OF
insanity, murders will be frequent. No
man ought to be allowed to escape on
that nlea. unless his insanity is so ap-
narent that there can be no question
,hout it. and when his insanity is clear,
he onght to be sent to an asylum. The
nlea is being worked up to SO fine a
noint that criminals, whose minds are
11nimpaired, advance it as defense,
claiming that they were Temporarily IN
sane at the time they committed the
crimes with which they are charged.
There ought to be law defining what
evidence shall be deemed sufficient to
establish insanity; otherwise 1t Will not
he long before it will be impossible to
secure the conviction of any murderer.
II has usually been claimed that the
Tinted States pay every year III frelghts
upon imports and exports at least
hppndred million dollars. The eNew
Wnrk Public contends that these figures
are far in excess of the facts. 1t takes
the quantity of merchandise weighed
and measured by the surveyor OF New
York each year. This reduced to tons,
amounted last year to 1,5l4,3o4 tons.
The average charge for freight, the
Public says, does not exceed " per ton,
which would give Slo,60o,ooU Tor the
freirbts paid by New York per annunl::
Nav York's exports are 40 per cent Of
the total exports and so per cent OF the
total imnorts, SO that at these rates the
count,y's total foreign freight expenses
would not exceed $25, 100000. Allow
ance. however, must be made for the
greater distances of some ports III tins
Country from the foreign places with
which fhey trade, and for several other
considerations which constitute ele-
ments of increased expense.-LN. y.
Curious Casa curious case came
before provincial law court some days
apo. A lady, the owner OF property III
file neighborhood of MouIlns, IN the pc,
nartment of Allier, whose son mad
hitherto been in the habit OF receiving
her rents. was obliged, dGing to his ab-
sance, to- receive them herself. She
1anneued, however, to be blind and q
deaf mute. A tenant, who was not
aware of this beforehand, refused her
aaoLnoWled gment of receipt and declined
~ nav except in the presence or legal
witness. w lest the lady should turn out to
he incapable in the eyes OF the law. A
nol;ce officer was secured, but he was
ppfraid to act as witness, lest ne should
ha called to account. Application was,
tharefore made to the law, and after
some disputing, on appeal to hfgher
conrt. iieEAallzt aszsikIsd that the lady
is nerfeetlY capable OF ssfns heF
husiness herself. She Wasin her youth
a distinguished pupil OF the Yarlsl neaI !
Deaf and Dumb School, and ls descFlbe,a
as remarkably clever and well educaled,
and as being, notwithstanding her age
physical infrmiesssa u fni. possepsslul pau; !
N Of all her niens gacila aeles'--La 'atis
.etter.
| EsslNe or s--A writer ritter
v sss.a.lay s.das e are ralHs I'll for the main-
ri nhysieal and. gaggal health.
ii Il b: for mos szaHn, iilisding
& u Z mechanics, ,ersas sfgleG- se
Ne than eight hoa Iss1st l1gr
s ( 4 Y .assary. nj order to Ksegs
s ! SlIe forces O the anHhal
seliese tho impEsss55 3;
s 4 3 )4I.$ zhinery sll5s s.