The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-14
Concerning Crazy Folks.

We have read DR.. Grissom's report
of the Del arnette trial, and laid it aside
with regret that a copy cannot be placed
in the hands Of every family the land.
This, mainly because of the large num-
Der of citations from eminent scientific
writer's of the world. showing the ten
denotes. a prc-dispositions, OF persons Of
hereditary mental weakness, etc. There
Is need for more general l~nfornatlun On
the subject for the reason that Lunacy
i. daily iucreas ~ In this country, and
the public mini must be educated to
deal with it. \ more general diffusion
Of knowledge III respect TO hereditary
tendencies would doubtless lessen the
.p-cal of the evil, BY warning narents
not to permit their sons and daughters
To in.ermarry with the afflicted families.
". have long held that erileptics, ha-
bitual sots. aud persons OF known weak
mind should not be permitted. BY Jaw
to marry. They have no right to bring
Into the world children tainted with
their own affections, or evil habits. But
A. such a Law can hardly be looked for, the
next thing Is to educate the public mind.
There Is not a particle OF doubt that
m nv Il man is hanged every year. in
one part of the land or another, who
i the victim of mental weakness rath
er than moral viclousneSs. We have
hid occasion to examine the subject
with some personal interest. Durlng
seven months of the year 1873 we were
locked, night and day, in a room with :
number of lunatics, never less than
three, and at TINES six and seven. We
had these men to watch, to feed, and t
control. Oar orders were to make
them keep clean. gag them If noisy
hanGcuff them if violent" 1t i need
less TO say this was Penitentiary treat
ment: and nobody cared whether The
: crazy convicts we're Killed, or Cured
50 that they were kept quiet
One ofthe Lunatlcs was Louis Myers
} an educated German, who had been
' as we have season to believe, robbed
t and then '~'railroaded' to State prisor
/ bv the robbers. He fell into d tit al til,
prison gate, and for more than a yea
t was fed with a spoon. by main force
We found him greatly improved, ant
J in course of time his mind frightened
t SO that he was polite, clearly, and cheer
r full. No man could have suspected him
But II chance a~llusion to Germany
: or the Rhine" or his wife and chill
5 dren," threw him instantly off his bal,
ance-and for weeks
Another of the Lunatics was a Ten
nessee mail robber. At times he Wa
undoubtedly sane; and would patien
y sit hours, hearing lessons OF a fellow
convict. Suddenly there would be a or.
! OF alarm, aud he was seen with a knife
< or perhaps emptying a bucket Of waite
on some sick patient. Another one
0 a powerful darkey, seemed cured, ate
, several months In the hospital, and wa
SO pronounced by the surgeon. A feN
. nights later We were aroused by tn
{ screams of the sick. 1t required but
wink of the eye to see the black mania
standing astradle of us, with a large lrol
dumb bell" or bolt in his hand
Luckily his straddled feet were very in
. -ecarely perched on the narrow cot rail
: so it required onlyla quick push to top
. pie him off. But the full strength 0
e i've men was necessary to dlsarm an
chain him to a post in a middle OF tn
hocr. His bowling made the nigh
!, hideous.
j Next day he seemed cool enough, an
begged old Squire Samuel q. Brown
! who had been a Justice of the Peace i
u York county S. c. aud was Il venerable
good natured MANI to intercede for tn
: removal of his irons making very hum
! bic apology for ANYTHING he might hay,
u These incidents are recalled to shov
: the danger of being misled by the pre-
: viouS, and the subsequent. ratioDalness
: IF a man who does some violent deed i
: i u aroxysm of sudden insanity.
: The sooner this is generally realized
the sooner we shall have the laws amen
Jed to suit such cases. As the la,
! stands, the deranged murderer mus
l either be hanged, or turned scot Free
which is wrong IN either case.