The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-02-10
In u French NIad-IIouse,

Ing mau patlcntS at Blcctre present q
curious study. Those who have read tho
thrilling romances which have been written,
and pondcred over the stories told, about
the celebrated we'll which goes down deep
INTO ths bowels Of the earth, may, perhaps,
be tempted to imagine that truth is stran-
ger than fiction. DIR. Lcgrand du SouIle,
who has charge of the lunatcs, might write
memoirs which, as far as sensational details
are concerned, would place the works of
Paul Fcval, Emilc Gaborlau and Ponson du
Terrail III the shade. The general aspect
of tho wards does not differ very materially
from that of other asylums. There is the
same strident laughter, the same heart
breaking sobs, the weird singing and shrlcks.
The sublime touches The ridiculous, and
Bicctrc has its celebrities. There is one
patlcnt:an attcnuatcd Italian-who be-
llcves he is destined to become great
man, and that wealth and honor will accrue
to him from the clarionct he sucks at for
hours without producing u sound. lie was
found wandering about the streets in state
OF nudity. lie only speaks his mother ton
que, ana the wardcrs say he is almost Il ma
chine, and that his brain is completely par
alyZcd. Tho old man, with hardly hair
on Ills head, and madness in his eyes, who
sidles up TO tho doctor, ls asked TO sing.
The superintendent keeps close to him. for
he IL known to be very dangerous, and has
to remain Tor days and days in a straight
waistcoat. lie sings with splendid tenor
voice. reminding one Of Garcia in his best
days. The register of The inmates contains
his name, that Of Il singer who in his time
was great favoritc with the public. Ilc
hnd his share Of success at the opera house
in the Rue lc Pclcticr, but few OF thosc who
applaudcd him there would be able to re-
cognizc him now. Another patient has had
his reason unseated by spiritualism. lie
sets faces in the air, and points up to them,
while others of his companions perpetually
hear the voice OF some one calling them,
and sit Or stand with their heads bent for
ward, as l. anxious to catch the sound.
The prevailing idea has remained. Every
other feeling and sentiment has been blunt
ed. Nothing Gun move nicst of them from
their stolid indifference to everything which
is going on around them until tic one chord
is struck, and then their whole being ap-
pears to become animated.
Some imagine that they have become mu-
chimes, others that they are dead, while one
man Is confirmed monomaniuc. His mad
ness consists in un unconQucrabe desire to
be buried alive and before he was sent to
the asylum he nearly managed to cheat the
doctors by tcignlng death. Now and then
he lies motionlcss III his bed, with his eyes
closed, refusing to take nourishmcnt Of any
kind. lie has had to be fed by the stom-
ach-pump, and his joy is intense when the
attendants imagine that he is really dead.
lie springs up from his couch and asks for
food, which ne devours in a most ravcnous
manner, but he only rcnOunccs for the time
1,ni, hi f,x nit "a
trc contained the record Of Il man who frc.
qucntly simulated death for the purpose of
getting little fresh air, as he said. In
those days the mad were treated like wild
beasts. There was only one bed for every
eight patients, and four slept while four
watched. Every now and then some Door
creature. fascinated by the calm, mirror
like appearance OF the well, threw himself
in and ended long life of suffering. The
man in question, more cunning than his
up in u shroud- collins were not then given
to paurcrs-and taken to tho cemetery.
When he reached the grave he gave unmis.
taxable signs of life and was released. Hc
managed to cheat the doctors and the su-
pcrintcndents 50 clevcry that when he
died he was rot buried until some days af-
tcrward, as it was though he had maze up
his mind to have another excursion. Dan.
gcrous lunatics are shut by themselves in
cells approached by n few steps surround
cd by stout iron bars, with space between
them sufficient TO give passage to the war
dcrs. These cells remind one of the wild
beast cages in the Jardin dcs Plantcs. Now
and then, when the lucid moments come
round, they are let out and permitted to
take exercise in the courtyard. Among
the criminal lunatics is an unfortunate ar
tist, who some time since made a nlmc for
himself in the annals of crime. lie entered
Il restaurant, ordered his dinner, and In the
midst OF his meal plunged his knife into
the bosom of the unfortunate woman, his
victim. She dropped down dead, and he
suffered himself to be quietly arrested, ad-
mtting that he had never seen her before,
but had given way to an unconqucrablc de-
sire to sec her blood. lie sits skctching
all day long. Ills face is drawn, his hair
unkcmpt, and his eyes arc dull and lustrc-
less, while Il sud smile fits about his mouth
as his pencil travels along over the paper.
Tho doctor touched him on the shoulder
and told him to bring one or two of his
drawings. lie hunted for minute or two
under the blanket Of lis bed, and then pro-
duccu three excellent designs of the heads
of some lovely woman. 1t was impossible
to pass over the talent displayed without
some complimentary remark being made.
A tlattcring tribute Of praise was paid to
the al tist, who said that he could DO even
more If he had the good fortune to be free.
What would you do?' asked the doctor.
Il would bleed somc more womcn,' re-
piled tho maniac, his head bending forward
and his eyes illuminated with hidden fire. [
The case Of this unhappy creature is not On
isolated ono, for among the patients who
arc sent by the government none ever forget
the pcnchant which, once given way 70,
caused their social ruin.
Artificial indigo.