Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-17
HOMIuDAL
How Il ManifestS Itself Under
Different Mental Conditions.

There is no lack Of cases in which
persons, either apparently in good
health, or whose conduct had never
been previously regarded as peculiar
or unusual, have suddenly, under the
control Of an overwhelming impulse,
destroyed the lives Of even those to
Rh0m they were bound by the ten
derest ties. In some instances the
atrOcity sud unnaturalneSs Of the aci
have stood in glazing contrast to the
affection previously shown to the
victim. 1t has been as 1.-THE life of
all the blood" had been touched cor
ruptibly. Writers on nervous dis
eases have divided such cases into
those in which no marked disorder OF
the intellect existed, and those 10
which such q disordered condition has
been more or less apparent OF tina,
class In which there is an apparent
soundness CT the intellect, the great
PruSsian medieo-jurist Casper, says
that those cases therefore in
which there existed, with otherwise
mental integrity, an inexplicable
something. so instructive desire to kill,
are extremely rare, or rather there
are extremely few Of these cases re
ported; for | am convinced that such
pure cases actually occur more FIRE
Quenily than their library history
Eould seem to show" For instance,
William Brown accidentally meeting a
child With whom be had no acquaint
anee, strangled it and then asked to
De taken into custody. On his trial
ae stated that be had never seen III.
child before and bore no malice;
neither could he assign any motive ior
The dreadful act. He was considered
a nan OF exemplary character snd had
never been supposed to Be insane
Another case Is that OF a nan who
attempted TO stab a surgeon at a the
ater. The assassin had never seen the
surgeon before. but was seized with
= sudden aud irresistible aversion to
him.
OF those III whom the intellect has
been previously ~disordered. there Is
the instance Of the woman who
drowned her daughter Of Eve and a
hslf years, giving as a reason that she
wished to deliver the child from all
the evils Of this life and secure for
her all the happiness OF Paradise
A writer on homieidal mania sun
marizes its chief characteristics as
follows. 1T maniiests itself under
Tery different mental conditions. II
may or may not be associated with
decided LESSONS Of the intellect. 1t
may OF may not be impulsive in char
seter. il may or may not be pre-
ceded by spprecisble premonitory
symptoms. 1t may or may not be
manifested from early life. However,
careful investigation will reveal in the
majority Of cases a disturbance Of the
intellectual as we'll as OF the moral
faculties, leaving still a number Of
cases 10 which there is a sudden,
blind, m%otiveless, %unreasODing i'm
pull e to kill"
We all have known persons who
seemed merely e0ceDtTie or deeply de
pressed without cause and who were
regarded as perfectly harmless. Per
haps none Of these ever transcribed
the bounds Of propriety or law, and
yet in the light Of experience we Won
der what temptations or struggles may
not have been going on in their minds.
but which we're restrained and re-
dressed by an o~verbalance of reason
In fact. we may pass daily many such
and eo1ld we reach their hearts, we
shout wonder that We we're not morf
suspicious Of all our neighbors. On
the other hand the horror which
siezes upon the community when such
an event occurs, shows that the public
is not accustomed to such events, and
they must therefore be comparatively
rare.
These occurrences affect the nervous
members Of the community very
deeply, and many fear less their own
weak mental balance may be disturb
ed Such persons are often unneces
sarily fearful. 1t is not we'll for them
20 allow their minds to dwell upon
these subjects, bit, on the contrary.
TO cast them from their thoughts
After the assassination Of Mr. Lincoln
many persons on Weak, nervous organ
izstion we're seriously affected, and
one whom the writer knew became
seized With the idea that be himself
vas the assassin, and hid himsel! 10