Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-11
The London ParanOiac.


There is, OF course, no question as regards the
insanity OF the Whitechapel murderer. In the
time OF the bitter vendettaS OF the Middle Ages in
savage border wars between the whites and
Indians, and among the cannibalistic Polynesians
similar murders have been committed with
equally cruel mutilation by men whose sanity
could not be questioned.
But In this age and In the very center OF modern
civilization there could be no incentive to such
horrible crimes in the breasts OF sane men, how
ever unruly their passions or revengeful their
natures. In the series OF murders committed by
Maximilian In DE Quincey's remarkable story OF
Die as were the wrongs to his family and race
were scarcely adequate to such wholesale BUTCH
cry; The story Is improbable, and were it true,
It's nero would necessarily be considered luhatic
The methods OF hOmicidal maniacS are very
diverse, and often difficult OF analysis. Sometimes
IL Is melancholy mother VINO DESTROYS her
children under the delusion that she saves them
from some threatening disaster, because a voice
commands her TO sacrifice them. Sometimes 1t Is
nocent people to death. OFTEN 1t is the victim
or alcohol who "runs amuck," stabbing right and
LETT through crowded thoroushfare. Frenzed
OutOursts VI violence In acute manlacS and general
paretlcS are by no means infrequent.
But there is a class or lunatics, formerly known
as monomaniacs, but TO whom now the term
paranoiac is applied, which constitutes the most
dangerous OF all the insane classes. The word
monomania has been discarded because mIslean
Ing from It's derivation. Although the Insane man
may have but one dominating delusion, yet there
are often minor decisions, defective reason anu
conception, so that he can scarcely be said To be
insane on one solitary subject, as the word mono
mania would imply: Paranoia is form OF insan-
Ivy which develops In person who from birth has
defective mental Organization. In paranOla the
Intellect may be unlmpaired; there may
indeed be unusual intellectual capacity john
Brown, BenvenutO Cellini, Guiteau, King Ludwig
or .varia, and many Others, both notorious and
famous, We're undoubtedly paranoiacs Society is
and ignorant, and they vary In their Characters
from the mildly eccentric Individuals to the most
troublesome 'cranks" The popular term for a
paranoiac is a crank" person peculiar from
birth In his speech and conduct. The great trouble
Is that most or them are so bright intellectually
or so useful and njure society general 80 little
oy their presence that they Cannot he incarcer-
ated. although they may be lifelong affiicIion
TO their Immediate friends and companions. Hap
ply their honicldal tendencies are upon the
whole developed rarely.
The motives OF hOmicidal paranolacs are also
various For instance Dub0rgne who, some years
ago, stabbed a number OF women In 14th street
had FAR other reasons for doing than this White
chapel murderer. The former mad delusions of
persecution and Authorizations OF hearing He
Iancied he heard people reviing him as he passed
through the street. He heard them saw ..There
goes the wretch who Is taking all the money out
OF the country"
The Whtechapel murderer is actuated by one OF
Two motives. lie Kills TO satisfy rei .ious f,nat
lclSn Or because Oh perverted sexual Instinct or
there may be combination or the TWO Impulses
The TACT that his victims have been selected from
Tine lowest classes OF immoral women In London
certainly lnclnes one to the opinion that his desire
Is 10 Immediate these creatures upon the altar OF
religion, his decisions being that they are the cuiar
em!osaries OF The devil in The spread Of evil Under
the iendish penal code which he has established
IL seems necessary 10 kill and mutilate these poor
creatures. IL this be really his sole inperatI We
idea, however, it will be the only example OF its
Kind In history The religious paranoiac is not so
apt TO concentrate his reforms upon one vice alone
he usually makes war upon universal evil, but
Oy Insane methods; he harangues audiences, an
nounces himself as q prophet perhaps, is con.
stantiy quoting the Bible TO his associates. and
often lnciteS rebellion and riot. John Thom who
caused the bloody Canterby riots in 1888 Is an ex-
ample In point OF religious paranOiac.
i ne TACT that women OF this class are selected
should not be taken 100 seriously. That he selects
women Is more important point That they
should De OF base type Is quite as likely 10 he uu,
10 The necessities or the case. They are the Oniy
women he can induce To follow him into dark cor
nerS In the dead OIL night.
When, ON the other hand, the motive is excited
Dy perversion OF the sexual instinct with canniba
isilc or similar Insane propeRSites tine crime, are
limited W women and The lunatic Is MIR secre-
1--WE. Anureas Bchel murdered young girls cut
open their warm bodies and ate their 0uiyerinv
nesh. The Westphalia murders, q few years ago
Win moS0 shocking mutilation OF the bodies, OF
winch more THAN twenty young women were the
VICTIMS, are or similar origin. Only recently In
leAs.s lheIe was II series OF DutcherieS or young
author. ~ ~
The remarkable cunning OF the London parano
MS secretlveness, his ability 10 elude the vigi-
L1ht oncers VI Justice In one OF the most crowded
quarters VI the globe his careful selection OF vie
Tins OF one sex, The singular muliiatiOn TO which
ne SUBJECTS them, all indicate that he Is actua;ed
Uy motives partly religion PERHAPS. but more
thah llkely Tor the devilish qualification OF per
Ser aen sexual Instincts, ana at the same time
atrocous homicidal lunatics OF which msdical
Jurisprudence has any record.