New-York tribune., 1882-03-02


do TO me. .,,. ,or en-, rooeor,ne o maniac .till
,auenced hy his supreme eCotism and desire Tor hoto
m attempt the part G6 me Tbr there really s no
abuse M energy and Ge S SCS m'nso ars on IN and
sJopt him as genuine Over.hrower Of vicious OF Ge
RAJ there is no sincerity in his con, con
duct that no cares noting . %haeTs ans Statistics are
forged or intentionally misconstrued Tor the uI. P
pose @ deSSS .acs ~ sGP s assumed %2 for the OCCASION
Zen when his hypocrisy and alsehood are exposed ne
sSntnSs his 5 SteTP'i % S law is ad upon @ @ pres
ingrnuie OF those he has been endeavoTnG TO assist
and af be dsntercstcdncss and purity Of nls own mo
tyes Many OF those who bear me VII c3 10 nlnu
lie was enlightened through the agency Of one Of the
daily newspapers.
THE CASE OF WILLIAM sPEIRs
Thus ia the case Of william Speirs who attempted 10
destroy h fire the state Lunatc Asylum at Utica there
was motive though very insufficient one for the act
On the 1ih OF July. 1857, the cupoa Of the insnu-
ton was discovered 20 he on fire The central building
was almost entirely consumed before the flames were
suhiued Four days afterward in the afternoon, the
sore barn and stables were discovered 10 be on ire
and a man at the time was going from them.
This man was William sp,irso Who h9d be- hee9 .,t o
patient In the asLn9 from i ISO ~ ~ i92o. enc tSn n
supreme mad been employed up 10 the time Of
tic nro as a messenger and Otherwise He had been
committed to the asylum the ground OF insanity after
trial for arson so that he had perpetr'ted at least
boh the attempts NJ Utica and committed for tlh
on the charge Of arson Al The trial # wbe shown by
&c the asylum Ills motives The facts that one Of
the as,,eaits, Ur Chaplin would not let 9im help and
the superintendent had taken away his
KEYS. These acts made him angry
,n va ynac osVnm on Bsrkwtli's Island that he hsd
had suustcokc that after that be would 20 out and
sbtenI from home eight days, sleeping in wagons. Dur
ing this periodic went into house and got some things
snd was going to set IL on FIRE when he discovered
He was trcd aud to tie Blnckweils Island asy lum
1pDu QeuIsuAtiOu
was tried aud sent to the asylum at Utica
sister also insane and had been In an asylum Drs
Dsy and Dcrng of Utica, and Dr NJ H. Ronney the su,
perinendeu OF the Backwcls Island asylum testified
care s sPe has been Vas very positive as insanity
al discovered delusiOn. he says; think he has no
unconrolahle impulse believe the act resulted from
perverted condition Of the several moral
lsSqfs % the and MAD oc5s S1is asccSP FSPe"'y to
Perhaps anything that would excite the prisoner
would induce him to burn buildings even might slim.
ulste him to commit all assault with intent to Kill
Judge that be Is pyromaniac because be has committed
Drs Gray Cook and Bell. however, testified to The
sanity Of the pTi79neF me former stated t9 ne & na
lunacy for six years Spetrs was convicted
A FRENCHwOMAN's CAREER OF CRIME.
Helene Jegsdo, a Frenchwoman, between the years
1853 and 1887 killed twenty-eight persons by poison
besides making several unsuccessful attempts In none
of her murders any cause alleged OF discovered,
though undoubtedly the pleasure derived from tho per
peration Of crime the chief factor. Her victims
were her and nstresses her fellOw-seryonts
her friends and several nuns for whom in their last
ments SHE displayed the utmost tenderness and care
The plea of mononania was set up in her Defence
but no evidence Of insanity was brought for-
for her crimes shown however. that she had be-
sy aiteptins to poison her confessor that she had
while perpetrnting her wholesale murders affected the
Vent that size bad committed over thirty thctte; that
sh- had mairOUsy cut and burned various articles Of
eothins placed IN her charSei that when asked why
Things that were OF no u5e 10 her, size had re-
s6tc tt Alternate periods of SrSa mental DEPRESSION
and excessive unreasonable gsety that she az
sle MaS aTT she yomi,td blood; and that While in
prison awaiting trial she was constantly laughing ond
jokng about Indifferent subjects She found guilty.
,HTc of 3 should not he passed mad AM answer 80
tai giyc il here. ono, your Honor, am innocent
a se Tca'G d nnoech S a. taa @ 3e % You @ErS ITd
judged me, but God VII Judge YOU" Her last
as her inS,s ior 2nd accQnpnce W5ose lame was not
found 10 be az old paraytc whose life had been OF
TIE nOst exemplary character
TEemos noted case OF similar character occurring In
this country that Of Jesse PomerOy, the boy orurer
ani mur:efar OF Massachusetts, The plea 0t insanity
o0mnuted II imprisonment for life These cases are
sufficient 10 Illustrate the nature OF the relations Of
ra0UDnS nuuld 70 crime
INTELLECTUAL ALTERATION.
A. to dcrngemcut OF the intellect, am quite suro
that thoGzl and tho VIII primarily aud
ch. a. involved there is less aberIutOn Of
this 10 every instance that las come under
M observation To superficial examination the in
ttlec may appear to be unaffected as 1t very generally
happens that there absence OF marked deusou
But aready susceptbty toDe impressed by slight eIct
ing causes nu unqucstioDg faith in their powers
when in reality these Ear below the aver
age, ana an entire disregard OF their duties
and Oh gaIons aud of The ordinary proWteties
derangcneut Most authors who have described
the affection appear 10 think that invariably exists
oeiyn- that thc intellect participate TO extent n
sl cases Of mental ugcucut refuse TO admit the
istencc rcosonir mama. The question Is quib
beiur whether tie intellect is involved not is 10y
means a matter Of prime Importance ana Is resolved
constitutes intellectual arrangement, entertained by the
eP1sa cred W& W& on the itnestind in he Gui
trial, and Campagne said seventeen years ago
" true moral Inonstrusity"
TIL ASSASSIN OF PRESIDENT GARFIELD.
And apply the foregoing remarks TO the assassin
OF President Garfield 10 10 fully would require
% traverse the whole record Of the trial But scarcely
think necessary do This to get definite opinion Of
the mental condition Of the under Of
death We have only 70 take Hypothetical question
proposed by the Dlstrct-Aroney, and which was |
answered hy every Of the medical Witnesses FOR the
prosecution u positive language that If the statements
therein contained true the prisoner was sane Let
us see what these statements arei
That had had several insane relatives that while
al college lie abandoned his studies and entered tho |
Oneida Community; that he left II and subsequently,
returned TINT ne again left II and went 70 New York 10
establish newspaper devoted 70 the dissemination OF
peculiar religious deas that ne abandoned tU project
taI no s'II "a d 1h a TiS G9 sb go ~ ~ ~ a @ WA. @
cureuont tat lie became interested IN religion and de-
be attempted 10 strike Ills sister with au uxel
that though physician could ind neither IL |
lusion, Aauucinotion Dor delusion he pro |
ton Of e motives ana explosions Of emotional feeling
also excessive egousm and hat 10 was Tho subject Of
pseudoIol gous feeling, and advised Lis confinement IL
q luusuc 4sy luz that no soon afteIwaTd gave up |