Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-07-29
A QUEER CLIENT.
A Practical Man Developing Amzs-
tnz Freaks.
rhs Eassttied aeat.i Coaditisa ~ .
.E@tsn tsl41a Hotel ks<g~r-A ks~
aa4rs-4bls Fh4ss ~ Ia
sAaits-


ny Latterl
AmssS the brilliant array u counsel
shien Colonel Rogers. shoss unsettled
mental eoaditioa reeeBtly got hila lntO
trgatle = lsh a S1Alen Islzad hotel keeper,
hai called g. aIs relief. ~As Ira u. ar
rea. The colonel fsneied that great
many people ~ers earnestly engaged Ia
doing aim serious inlary, and had intrust-
ed a variety " litigation u NJ arrsu,
Clark Bsl, Roscoe C0nklng, Lucas l.
s au Allen and others. Ia regard ~ this
reluaFkabls phase VI de1Isntla, Mr. War
Fsu said
The case II Colonel Rogers u nothing
% the extraordinary insanity that bereii
client ~ mine some years ago tie came VI
a ans family aud was ~en knosn about
town lie sas quite as nluch my FREUD as
my client / knew him and all his family
Intimately bis affairs had been ia my
hands nearly t~enty years, and during all
that while knew him as one of the most
practical. common sense men 1 had ever
met lndeed. hs Vas the embodimsnt Of
rigorous znd robast manhood
" one day h5 came into my Office ami
told me be had contracted TO purchase ten
houses. / thought l knew his financial
condition almost - dollar, and was
surprised al the announcement, for did
not see how Ia the world he could carry IL
out tie spoke very decidedly. however,
aud he did not seem disposed T.. .eonfide
/ his plan % me. assumed that he had got
hold OF some money somehow OF other,
and Knew - that he was about. He wanted
me u search the titles OF the property that
be intended 10 buy, and added that the
men would DO ia my office at noon the
next day % sign the agreement OF par-
/ chase. sure enough, at noon they were
on hand, aud according % his instruc-
/ tions l drew Gp the papers for both shs
contracting parties 10 sign. Then, 10 my
infinite asJonishment, be said he was go
Ing 10 pay i've thousand dollars down on
the bargain.
This is absurd 1 said. 1t will take
me week % look up those titles, and
these people are strangers 10 US. What II
the titles are not goOdp
"'Oh, never mind that he answered,
indirerently; they're all right. Besides,
have plenty OF money, lots Of IL, oceans,
more than know what 10 DO with. Pay
40. pay up
II knew that this all nonsense, but
/ supposed that he had his reasons for
wishing o impress the men with his pre-
sumed wealth, SO 1 said no more, but re-
lactantly gave them his check. \ day or
50 afterward be returned, and said, brisk
| ly. Warren, do you want 10 make fort
unes'
.' 'HOws' 1 asked.
.'Il let you into it, he said. Il
I a.. -.
tral Park from Fifth avenue II Eigth ave-
nue. up 70 Ssventieth street, and Pm going
10 erect a building on them thirty stories
/ high
Il looked intently at aim he made
this bewilder4ng proposition His face was
a. straight aud as sericIs If he were
/ considering "A scheme 10 buy simple
building lot in Harlem l was forced to
I believe that be was serious, and conse-
| queutly, that his mind was disturbed. So
| | answered that thought we'll OF his plan,
aud would see what money | could raise
g. carry II out. But just now added,
/ I'm little short and would like 10 bor-
| row few thousand OF you. How mucr
have you on hand.'
"'Half a million" he answered, "a cool
~ as could be. knew Well enough what
be had and asked bin for ten thousand
dollars. This, knew, would not leave him
more than one hundred dollars in cash. He
gave me his check and left the Office and
within five minutes had il certified and
secure. l then wrote bis wife, and her re-
ply was convincing that he was clearly in.
sane, his mania being that he was i'm
mensely rich. day OF two later he camo
into my Ofi Ia company with another
man whom recognized as a picture deal
sr. Then, for the first time, saw symp-
toms OF insanity in his face. His eyes
were vii aud bloodshOt and bis features
contorted. as II in rage. / Immediately
concluded that We were TO have a lively
time over that ten thousand dollars, and
qu ckly rose To my feet to prepare for it,
" RE walked rapidly up 70 me, grasped
my hand. aud. pulling me toward him,
whispered. odd man, lend me five hun
dred dollars tili tomorrow
Il wasn't prepared for that and hardly
Anep what - say. but reaching into my
safe I took out an old check book, long
since disused. aud, pointing 20 "A stub that
showed balance ia bank of less than one
hundred dollars answered. Does that
book a. il I couldy
"' No, hs replied ~ don = ana wheel
iux around be darted out Of the office as
suddenly "a be bad come in.
The pict ure-sslier remained, and
asked him What All this meant. He an
svered shat my client had bought cart
load IT chromos Of him o 10 sent TO his
, friends I told him be bad better keep IA.
cbromos I'm week my client tecsme viO-
: ientIy insane, and We removed him - DR.
Barstow-s asylum an slushing. where he
die.l only few weeks iater. " found that
p b. had been buying le'Veiry. diamonds. pict-
ures. bronxes, houses and any variety of
F taines. all ~ which we returned upor
slight compromises NJ action in obtain
inr shat ten thousand dollar check savec
has family from poverty. But what :
remarkable case Of sudesn and ineEPlica-
be insanity