Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1885-09-23
WHO ARE INSANE?

insanity aS IcldecA W P0Aon"A
responsibility.
One of these is the investigation into
the sanity of Miss Hoyt, growing out of
the contest over her fathers will in
the New York Surrogate's Court. She
declares that she was shut up in an
insane asylum, although she was not
insane. Her insanity is not so clear;
but great deal of testimony showed
that she acted like an irrational woman.
It was testified that she swore, struck
her mother, made attacks upon the
furniture and .indulgcd in other dis
agreeable freaks.
The idea that this was proof of in
sanity grew out of her surroundings
rather than the nature of the acts
themselves. A girl who had no advan-
tages of education, Of quiet home, OF
wealth and luxury might indulge in
all these acts, bu. she would not be-
on that account, shut up in an insane
asylum. 1t is the same with klepto-
mania. The well-educated, well-bred
person who steals when surrounded by
few temptations is called insane. The
person who is tempted by hunger or
want, or lacks moral training, is onlya
common thief. =
A few days since young man in
Connecticut killed his mother and .
sister and then shot himself He was
rich, recent valedictorian in Yale
college, in reasonably good health and
without known provocation for his
murder and suicide. He was an ath-
lete in college, and yet won it's highest
scholastic honors easily. Since his
graduation he hal been devoting HIM
self to his office duties and working
hard at night. All who knew him at
college expressed surprise at his deed
and at the idea that he was insane
Neither, so far as known, was there
insanity in the family.
He was sane and intelligent enough
to recognize the wrongfulness and the
consequences of his act In the letter
which he left, he said he was con-
scious of the enormity o. his offense,
but at the same time he had a. sllspi-
cion that he was insane. His object
was to "save' his "mdther and sister
from an unhappier fate.' IF there is
a Just and generous God,' he said,
"these two will 90 to the happiness
which they deserve. If there is no
God, then they will simply find their
rest
There was in these words perfect in
telligencc. His logic was correct; his
recognition of his ot1ense quite clear.
| un bic e.; dc fcr pnf ,onnr-
nizing his state of mind and helping
him, but he Immediately admitted that
it would be fairer question to ask
why he did not help himself? Such q
view of the situation betrayed a sane
and reasonable mind. Andyet the act
which he committed is regarded as
evidence of insanity. Was it not
rather evidence of murdcrous i'm
pulse which he recognized perfectly,
but which he would not, or could not.
control?
IT was IN a certain sense, to be sure,
an unreasonable impulse. He did not
murder for money or revenge. But
did he not crafty some other impulse
in Just the same way as a greedy man
or revengcful man would have done?
Is it a proof of insanity to give way to
an impulse which he who yields to it
recognizes as wicked, even though the
impulse is not as common as other im-
pulses which lead to murder?
Some persons have committed MUIR
der, knowing it was wicked, merely to
crafty passion to see human being
die. Suppose the few instances of this
sort should increase? Suppose that in
time this morbid desire becomes COM
mon and that not unfrequently man
kills another purely for the sake of
killing him? Would he be any more
insane than another who kills for the
sake of robbery or to CRAFTY an ugly
temper?
DR.. Nicholson, an eminent clergy
man of Philadelphia, against whose
character there has never been a
breath of defamation, has recently
been the object of the most malignant
attacks by letters and postal cards ad-
dressed to himself and mem
bers of his congregation. There
was not the slightest clue to
their source, but the postof1ice officials
by careful scrutiny of the letters
traced them to two street boxes. These
were watched day and night and every
letter taken out Immediately after
mailing A week of this work fastened
suspicion upon a lady of high social
standing A female detective, sent
into the house under the guisc of do
mestic, confirmed the suspicious. The
young lady's mother was informed, but
the obnoxious letters continued, A
family council was called and the
proofs of her guilt laid before them,
with the threat of arrest unless she left
the city in twenty-four hours. She
did so, and the letters ceased. She
was the belle of some of the most ia
nous winter resorts afterwards. and
was soon married, enjoying the luxury
of large and fashionable wedding.
No possible motive was assigned or
J discovered for this remarkable vulgar
and wicked attack upon venerable
: and an estimable man. But no woman
from the slums could have been yilcr
in her assaults. Had she been such u
} person, she would have been consid-
cred merely depraved. But under the
circumstances, she is regarded as a
monomaniac, and not responsible.
As soon, however, as she was detect
ed and threatened with disgraceful ex-
J posure. she was as sane as anybody;
acted like rational being, and ceased
to do evil.
When Mrs. Seguin, the wife of an ex-
pert in insanity, killed herself and her
children she was generally regarded as
insane. Her husband pronounced her
, So But since that time. tits said, be-
/ has had occasion to change his opinion,
and on being requested to testify in the
Hoyt will case, refused to do 50 as an
"expert.' ''No money" he said,
, "could induce him to appear as an ex-
? pert in insanity" When so distin-
t guished an "alienist" confesses himself
disqualified to Judge, then the whole
3 sub ject of insanity may be regarded az
being yet in very chaotic and unsatis-
factory condition. In fact the up-and-