Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-01-01
Namcaster fntelligencRr.
.TInapAy wvKNINo, JAN, !, iee4.
u gxperts- on Insanity.

There is a very unseemly quarrel
among the medical experts appointed to
examine into the sanity Of McGinnis,
the philadelphia murderer who has just
been respited from Thursday next till
the fourth of March. DIR. Thomas G.
Morton is the member Of the commission
who does not seem to know how to con-
duct himself in the matter. lie is the
chairman Of the commission and disa
grees with all his colleagues, who think
McGinnis insane, while Morton is sure lie
is sane. His colleagues lately addressed
the governor in behalf of their position,
and Morton now comes M with DEM
onstration of his. Both parties have
their statements published, and Morton
declares that he has positive knowledge
that the governor is going to sustain
him. 1t seems that an inquiry, entered
into to determine the responsibility OF
McGinnis, has resolved itself into con.
test as to which set Of doctors shall be
sustained. Poor McGinnis is permitted
to live while the doctors are trying to
get on top of each other, but according
to Morton he is bound to be hung at
last. McGinnis seems to appreciate the
situation, declaring when he got news
Of the reprieve that he would rather die
now, while he was prepared for
1t, as he did not know how
he would be in March. That was
an eminently sane and sagacious
remark, and is 80 much support to Nor
toms theory. Morton may be right about
it, for though he demonstrates him
self to be a good deal of brute by his zeal
to get McGinnis hung, to crafty his
professional pride of opinion, yet he
may not be a fool. 1t is, however, safe
to say, that any doctor who undertakes
upon his expert knowledge, to declare
positively for or against the mental
accountability Of a man, undertakes to
say great deal more in many cases than
any expert knowledge that he can have
will justify. Whether sanity or insani
ty exists at the moment Of crime is a
question which can often be told by any
sensible observer as well or better
than by the medical man, who is resort
ed to as an expert on the subject of men
tai diseases. There is undoubtedly a
prevalent insanity that exists spasmod- |
ically and springs from temporary dis |
turbance of the bodily functions, which |
makes the sufferer as dangerous to the |
community as though he were per |
manently insane. This is sort |
of mental uDsoundness which is
very difficult of judgment, and about |
which doctors and observers will readily
disagree. There are many. such oppor
tunities of disagreement in determining
mems irresponsibilIty for their conduct. |
There is an interesting case now attract
ing public attention in the Rathbone
tragedy, and opinions will naturally |
differ as to whether the husband, who |
seems to have been responsible enough |
before and after the act, was tempo
rarily insane when he killed his wife, |
who had barred his way to their children,
or whether he was only in passion ; and
If in passion, was it one due to physi- |
cal causes which made it uncomfortable.
Many man has been hung for an act
prompted by passion that was beyond
his control. 4 bodily condition that
sends the blood TO the head unduly, may
cause passionate outburst that cannot
be controlled. Dyspepsia is q prime
cause Of irritability, and indigestion is
responsible for many if not most crimes
of violence. The jury in criminal c. ses
has very delicate duty to perform, if it
would perform it properly. 1t is roughly
done under our present methods, ard
really righteous judgments are rare
enough. The courts are not much more
intelligent than the juries in reach
ing them. The Pennsylvania law
makes cool deliberation a necessary
element in murder in the first degree
but judges instruct the juries that a min.
ute or SO Of cooling time is enough to
make the crime deliberate, and have
never stopped to ask whether dyspepsia
or indigestion stood in the way of such
speedy frigeration.
The question as to this man McGinnis
is whether he Is sane or insane now. IL
seems that 1t is considered uuseemly to
hang a man who is not In perfect posses
sion of his senses; although the fact is
that most men who are hung are in Just
that condition, under the kindly aid Of
whisky or morphia. The laws idea of
the fitness of things is not the hang
mans; and if McGinnis is insane he IL
entitled to life; the reason being that it
is possible that If he was sane he might
find something to urge why the judg
ment should not be executed upon him
The humanity of this conclusion of the
law, which gives life to him who cannot
enjoy 1t and takes it from him who can,
is somewhat obscure but it is too old a
notion to be gainsaid.
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The scandalous exposure of the Hun
tington letters presents'a story not sec