New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-24

I
policeman without warrant, locked up over
night. and committed by magistrate the next
day, without trial by jury, on the certificate
of physicians with whom he was not con-
| fronted at any time. Religious monomania
wa. the alleged offence. During the entire
two years spent in Bloomingdale, rs he states,
he was not examined or prescribed for by the
physicians and on the recent inquiry, which
resulted in his discharge as sane, the physicians
of the Asylum did not pretend that there were
any evidences of insanity except that the con-
dition of tho pupil OF one eye was variable.
During the whole time he had continued to do
business as the partner of his brother. These
facts certainly show culpabIe disregard OF the
laws on the part of the magistrate who COM
mittcd him, the physicians who certified to his
insanity, and of those doctors who had him In
charge in what is generally considered
well-conductod mad-house.
The case of Samuel Obrcight, still later de-
clarcd sane is quite as remarkable Tor other Iea-
sons which are not credtable to the authon-
ties. Obre ght, jew in religion, had married II
Christian young woman, and shortly aiterwaru
was charged with insanity, placed Ill Ludlow
Street Jail and then in an asylum ana his
liquor store was taken possession OF by his
brother, who took out lease and license III his
own name. His case was finally sent to n
referee to report on the fact Of insanity alleged.
Obreight escaped from the sheriff, prcferring
the custody aud society of his wife IN Now
Jersey to that of the sheriff and Ludlow Street
Jail inmates. Supreme Court justice 50 far
agreed with him in this sensible selection OF
custodian that he protected him aud allowed
1 IL. -, -..fo from,
arrest. Thereupon he did so and took pos
session of his store again. However, he called
upon his mother and frightened her with de-
mands for money, whereUpOn the justice issued
an order for his rearrest by the sheriff and COM
mitment to the asylum again. He resisted the
sheriff officers, and was taken before a police
magistrate, who locked the man I'D over night
on n charge of assault and battery. 1t
was to have been expected that the some
what eccentric brain of iIr. Obreisht would
be completely added before the various
Justices, referees, sherifs, policemen, lawyers
and relatives got through their delicate treat
ment of his case of mental alteration in con-
sequence OF marrying Il Christian; but the
referee finally decided him sane
The Earl case, in which an elderly maiden
lady was recently brought before Justice
IIaight, had some quite rs remarkable features.
The lady believed that her brother had designs
upon her liberty that he purposed arresting
her on allegations of insanity if she returned
to her home to dispose of her property and
she cOnfided her fears to New York lawyer
with instructions to spare no cost or trouble to
release her in case she should be seized. She
was so cautious, according to the sworn state
ments in the case that in the final transfer Of
her farm in Greene County she met the pro-
posed purchaser in the adjoining County of
Albany While she was tranSacting this busl-
ness in fancied security from legal interference,
her brother appeared on the scene, accompanied
by the clerks of his lawyer who without war
rant seized her, dragged her into a wagon at
the door of the hotel, and took her twenty
three miles across the country and into another
county, where her counsel had no opportunity
to communicate with her Produced in cOnrt,
she was surrounded by her family, who pre-
vented her lawyer from speaking with her. in
the return to the writ the Kidnapping was adj
mitted but the voluntary appearance OF the
subject of it, as well rs desire to protect her
against the consequences OF her mental weak
ness were set up rs justification. Her coun-
sci suggested that her evident mental cOnd-
ton made it eminently proper for the justice
to order her commitment for a few days il the
care of some disintcrested person, where she
would be free from the influences which were
being palpably employed by her family to awe
and brighten her into compliance with their
wishes. But the justice, disrcgardng The oug
gcstiOu, dismissed her, telling her that She was
at liberty to 90 with whom she wished. Her
T. "a I'll.
quiry being made into the facts of her seizure
and the attachment Of her property on suits
begun 10y those who had her in custody.
In none OF these eases was the protection of
thorough investigation originally thrown around
the accused person as it would have been if
crime had been charged The motives of the ac-
cusers we're not for moment questioned, al
though their actions would have been held de-
cidcd!y suspicious had they charged some Grim
inal offence rather than disease and irrcspon-
sibiIity. The reasons for the actions of The
accusers were trivial compared with the nature
of the end they wished to accomplish. The
holding of peculiar reli giOus views is not solid
ground for charges of insanity, but it Is apt to
bc considered so by relatives, as in the first
case cited if those views are SO radical as to lead
one to spend his own money in disseminating
them Jews have married Christians before
this without being thought fit subjects for in
sane asylums and we cannot understand why,
in Obrcights case, the demand on his mother
for money should havo been thought good
reason for sending the man back to an asy-
um pending an inquiry into his sanity. In
the Earl case the Kidnapping of the woman
and her close confinement in the house of the
very relative who mad attached all her effects
were such extraordinary incidents as would
have warranted, at least to our thinking, the
most searching innnirY into the motives of