Little Falls transcript., 1880-01-30

rageous ones are those where the patient
maintains an even sullen demeanor. The
girls case did not seem to me to be one
Of them. On the contrary, her sudden
change of mood when angered her
seemed toindicate It to be case OF tenn
porary alienation of mind, and conse-
quently a durable one.
I looked at my watch. In quarter
of an hour we should be at Basingstoke.
was in the very act of returning my
watch to my pocket, when my cempan-
ion, with a afmocklng iaugh--the peculiar
ly metallic ring Of which it is quite i'm
possible to describe literally hurled
herself upon me with overwhelming force,
broke the watch from its chain, and sent
it spinning through the window. In
another second she was endeavoring to
force herself also through the window.
Then commenced terrible struggle,
of which I even yet shudder to think.
My muscles we're strained to their ut
most limit of tension. the perspiration
poured down my face, and my arms felt
as if about to be wrer ched from their
sockets. And all this to restrain one of
the sex commonly called the "wcaker,"
from sell. destruction.
am quite convinced that if the strug-
gle had lasted three minutes longer I
must have given way. All this time the
poor girl uttered no sound that could give
warning to the guard or our fellow-pas-
sengers of the terrible struggle for lite or
death that was going on within few
yards of them. As for my own voice, the
extraordinary physical effort was max
ing to restrain the would-be suicide en-
tirely prevented my making the slightest
use of it. But just as my powers were
failing me, and felt that I could no
longer prolong the struggle, the train be-
gan perceptibly to slacken speed.
THANK Heaven, Basingstoke at last!'
What followed is easy to relate. Of
course assistance was at hand, and the
unfortunate young lady was removed to
a place of safety. From letters which
we found on her, and some articles of
jewelry, which we advertised, we speed
lily discovered her friends. Naturally I,
as medical man, would not lose sight
of her until l discovered them, The
patient proved to be member of Ger
man family natural1zed in England, and
always subject to periodical attacks Of
mental alienation. She had never act
ually been in an asylum.
During these attacks, which invariably
came on without any warning, so that it
was difficult to watch her, she was seized
with restless desire to wander
over the country, and, it appeared, had
merely selected the southwestern line
because it happened to be nearest to her
own home.
She had been so long without an at
tack that her mother and sisters had, on
the previous night, ventured to go to an
evening party, leaving Lotta fast asleep
IN bed at hone. During their absence
she eluded the vigilance of the servants,
got up and dressed herself, walked about
for some time, and took ticket for the
early Portsmouth mail--at least, that was
what she imagined, she told us on her
recovery. Her memory. however, was
very imperfect, but the poor child must
certainly have walked about the streets
for some time prior to the departure of
the express.
It was natural that, under the circum-
cumstances-I have already stated that I
had had considerable experience in such
cases-hcr friends should ask me to en-
deavor to effect cure.
undertook it, and entirely succeeded.
And also I undertook and succeeded in
something else.
1t is my wife who is looking over my
shoulder as write and who says:
"My dear, the maddest act cf all my
life was when -
But here I stop.