The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-11-18

does not know how many he has, his
memory on this point bang defective. He
married his last wife, who was
the widow Of a msn who com
mittsd suicide by gong on the
river in boat and boring holes in The bot
tom Of il, about year ago. One day he
told her that be had Eve wives. also that he
had murdered his own brother. She left
him, and be tried 10 have her arrested
charging her With trying TO XIII him, in
which he was unsuccessful Since that time
they have lived apart, and the wife has in
vestigated his story as 10 the other wives,
aud found il 70 be true. A letter from
Gerard is q curiosity. He says: Dear
wife: love you very dearly, but / do not
want you 20 be unreasonable with me. We
men must have some all-consuming pas
siOnS. Some smoke tobacco, some drink
liquor, some take opium, but my passion is
love. and so all-absOrbing is II that no one
woman can satisfy my love for domestic
happiness"
The superintendent of the state lunatic
asylum, DR.. Powell, arrived in Atlanta
Saturday. He brings with him, to be sub
United 70 the governor, statement Of the
affairs Of the asylum for the year ending
October, 1SS9. This is not the official bi-
ennial report required by law, but it is a
comprehensive and accurate statement, and
some interesting figures are quoted. The
average cost, for the past year, Of keeping
one lunatic for one day is 81 74-i0) cents-a
fraction lower than last year. During the
year sis new patients were received The
whole number treated during tie year was
1901, and the average number of patients
was l, 44S-108 more than for the previous
year The whole number treated, COL
was 1855 more than in any previous
year. The health of the patients
has been remarkably good, no
epidemic or contagious disease. About rs
per cent Of the patients are kept employed
at some light labor about the asylum. OF
the patients now under treatment 496 are
white men, and 5S4 white women: 202 are
colored men, and 225 are colored women.
Heredity is the leading cause Of insanity,
and alcoholism next "Why,n DR.. Powell
was asked, "are there more insane women
than menr simply because they are
more delicately constituted. Their nervous
system is not so well calculated 10 stand
shocks, and is more liable TO arrangement
and perversion. Heredity, the leading
cause, is just as strong in men as in
women. The most remarkable thing about
the figures" continued the doctor, 'is
the increase of insanity amongst the
negroes. In 1860 there were only forty
four insane negroes in Georgia It is also
a curious fact that the increase Of consump-
ton amongst them has been in direct pro-
portion with the increase of insanity. The
negro is taking up the characteristics Of the
white race, and along with that he is rem
dering himself liable TO diseases that were
formerly unknown TO them. Before the
war consumption amongst the negroes was
exceedingly rare, and confined il almost
every single case to mulattoes. or negroes
with white blood in them. Now the per-
centage Of deaths from consumption is
remarkably large. and common TO all sorts
of them. Before the war typhoid fever was
unknown amongst them, and now it is COM
paratively common. The figures show a
wonderful similarity in the increase. In
sanity and consumption especially seem to
60 hand in hand"