San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-07-19
THE FEELINGs OF INSANITY.
Twelve Year. 4. Ms.i.e-rhs Rsdish King.

was once insane, says Colonel
Weekly in Arkansaw Traveller, and
often muse over my experience.
There are, of course, many kinds OF
insanity. Some mental disorders take
place SO gradually that even the closest
companions of the victim are at loss
to know when the trouble began. II
must have been this way in my case.
One ewing after an oppressively warm
day, q day when experienced more
fatigue from the heat than ever before
or since, I sat on the porch tanning
myself. "This arm that is now in
notion" I unused, "must one of these
days be dust. wonder how long the
time will be- Then I unused upon
the evidence I had of Immortality.
! could do things that other people
could not accomplish. I had gone
through battle after battle, and
though bullets sang and struck around
me as thick as hail, yet remained
uninjured. Ihad passed through ep-
idemics of yellow fever. My idea
gained strength as l unused, and
I was convinced that l should
live forever. No, this can not be for
death follows all men alike. Yes l
am to die like other men, and l be-
Geve it is my duty to make the most
of life. I wanted to be rich and 1
began to study over an imaginary
list of enterprises. At last Init up
on radishes. People must have rad
ishes. They should be in every store.
They should be dried and sold in
winter. 1 would plant fifty acres
with radish seed, and people all over
the country would refer to me as the
"radish king" I would form rad
ish syndicate and buy up all the
radishes and travel around and be
admired. I FASTENED to the house to
tell my wife that she would soon be a
radish queen. At the breakfast table
I said:
"Julia, how would you like to be
a radish queen?"
"a whatI' she exclaimed.
I explained my plan of acquiring
wealth, and during the recital she
acted so curiously that I was alarmed.
I feared she was losing her mind.
Finally she seemed to understand but
told me to say nothing more about it.
After breakfast I saw her talking
earnestly with her father, and knew
that she was explaining to the old
gentleman how she intended to pay
his debts when I became known as
the radish king, The old man ap-
preached me, with much concern and
told me that I needed rest, and that I
must not think of business. He was
old, land sadly worried, land promised
him that [ would not think of bust
ness. Pretty soon I went out to in
spect my radish kingdom. Looking
around, 1 saw the old man following
me. from the field I went to the vii
lage. approached prominent cit
izen, who had always been my friend,
and told him how intended to be-
come rich. He seemed grieved, and
1 saw at once he was contemplating
the same enterprise. 1t seemed mean
that he should take advantage of me,
and I told him so. He tried to ex-
plain, but he made me so mad that I
would have struck him if nv father
in-law had not come up and separated
us. L tried to calm myself, but could |
not. Those who had been my friends
proved to be my enemies, and 1 was
to be avenged, but before
1 could execute my will I was seized
by several men. My father-in law
did not attempt to rescue me aud l
hated him. My wife came to see me,
but she did not try to have me re-
leased. 1 demanded a trial but no
lawyer would defend me. Then re-
allied that the entire community was
against me. l became so mad that
my anger seemed to hang over me
like dark cloud. Men came after
long time and took me away, 1
to the penitentiary. One
day cat came into my cell, and 1
tried to bite it. She made the hair
fly, but killed her. 1 don't know
now long remained there, but one
the sun rose and shone in at
me through the window. 1t seemed
10 me the first time 1 had seen the
great luminary for months. A mist
cleared from before my eyes. Ny
brain began to work, and 1 suddenly
realized that had been insane. 1
,alIed tho keener. and when he sav