New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-15
RLAcKM1LLLNG LNSANI1Y.

have been strange TatNcls IL III tiN 'Ai'""'
stances they had done anything else. Inc dls-
closure was to them Sc sudden; the tumble
from high social position and good repute 10
the station. house cell and disgrace was so
abrupt, that no wonder they rubbed their eyes
in aInazcmcnt, and finding themselves actually
awake fell upon the only explanation that
seemed reasonable namely. that the man was
dcranged. The revelation no doubt shocked
them. For that matter, the culprit himself
seems to have been shocked likCV Use not OF
course, by the discovery of his own yillanv, but
by the discovery that other people had di'cov-
cred il. Under the effect of this shock he
began Immediately to exhibit unmistakahlc
symptoms of insanity. All AZ orce there came
to him tender and exquisite scnStiveness re-
garding his character and position ana the
effect of the discovery upon them Ana ne
wildly talked of killing himself ii the a'iuI
should get into the papers. IL is remembered
too by his friends that he has been acting
strangely for some time, that he has always
been of an cxcitable temperament, that he has
been warned against dealing in stocks. that he
continued spcculating Notwithstanding, and
that while his family considered him just sane
enough 10 be allowed his freedom, his friends
haLpen." And yet this person m ght have gone
Oh for months and years lcyyiHg blackmall IN
secret " lille living an ostenshly reputable and
decent life, without having his sanity doubted
in the least degree. 1t is only when crime is
committed that symptoms of insanity are
recognized and strangely enough if "a crime has
been forgotten, the insanity has been forgotten
also statement comes from Washington
that this is believed there To be the same }. II.
Wclles who was dciaultcr 10 the Government
during the war for between one and two mill
ions of dollars. Since that time he has been
understood to he living in Europe ON the pro-
cccds. but nothing seems to have been heard
of his insanity.
II is very clear that this persons mind is. to
use Judge Folgcr's expression concerning Gui-
team. "unarangcd." so, We take it, are the
minds of most men who commit crime and
particularly those who commit crime without
any sufficient motive. Insanity is not dIuicIlt
10 prove in such cases as the one in hand. II
might bc we're the criminal some poor scamp
whose poverty would furnish an apparent and
reasonable motive, and whose lack oi any
character to lose by discovery would mako It
appear less an anomaly. But the law d,tn-
cuisines between different phases Of insanity.
Ii has been held 10y the Courts that when
mental arrangement results from course of
conduct which thc afflicted person persisted IN,
knowing that it was affecting his reason and
was liable at any time to uuhingc his mind
completely, the lunatic could not plead ire
spnnsibilty for his acts. The habitual
drunkard who commits murder while suffering
from mania a pota cannot plead irrcspon,i-
biIity Several eases of this kind have occurred
in this city within the past dozen years in
which crime has been committed by men in
dclirium who were ~ palpably insane ~ any
maniac in n mad-house, but il has been wisely
held that the criminal was responsible for all
the acts which followed his voluntary and
deliberate abdcaton of his senses. L. there
any difference between uusettling one reason
by drink and doing the same thing 10y persist
ence in speculation or any of the forms of
gambling1 If this person is insane he unqucs-
t0nably brought his insanity upon himself by
persisting in course of speculation which with
him was simply a game of chance. Being a
gambler, and a respectable gambler, his mania
took the form of a demand that the cards in
the game should be stocked in his interest,
and his mind was not so unarrangcd but |
and took uncommonly slIrcwd means to avoid |
discovery.
There have been several attempts to levy |
blackma upon persons supposed to have |
wealth during the past year or two; several |
that have been brought to light-no one knows |
how many more that have either been success |
full or hushcd up. In most of them there have |
been singular features that would seem to in |
dictate mental arrangement on the part of the |
criminal. The persons concerned in these en- |
terprises have either been men of hitherto fair |
character, whose engaging in them was evil |
dence in some sort Of mental dcrangcmcnt or |
there has been something in the methods pur-
sued or plans adopted which suggested ut once
the diabOism of a diseased mind But there is
not one Of these cases. we venture 10 say i'm
which the blackmaileT, if his mind was "unar.
ranged" was not perfectly responsible for the
sunarrangement." And it should be understood
in all these cases that the man is responsible
for his responsibility, whether it be the appe-
tite for drink, or cOvctOusncSs, or any other
passion that he has permitted to run away with
his reason. The insanity that takes the form Of
Matchmaking is too cunning to be irresponsible
and too dangerous t. society 10 bc given i'm
punity. 1t has increased to an alarming extent
within the past year OF two, and Mr.. Could will
do the community an essential service if he
carries out his reported original intention of
prosecuting the present case to conviction and
punishment.
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THE SPEihERSHIP.
If there IL a scheme on foot to organize a
third party in the House out Of handful of