Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-10-23
He STOOD THE TEST.
A Prisoner Who Feigned Insanity Until nj
Deaths Door

DEATHS DOOr-
Speaking OF the murderer Smiths
ease led Warden Berlin OF the Ale
gheny County Jail TO indulge IN a few
"reminiscences, relative TO feigned in
sanity. The warden Is evidently Of the
opinion that Smith Is sane, and does not
! think the prisoner Is even feigninE IL
sanity Said the warden: We had a case
Of feirned insanity N the jail about
three years ago, the most extraordinary
that has ever come within my expe-
rience. Tie prisoners name was Brant
He had been convicted OF trying to sell
goods under false pretenses- He was
first sent TO the work-house, where he
lived twenty-five days without eating.
. They brought him from the hospi tai de-
partInent Of the work house 10 the Jail
on a stretcher. When he was first
locked up he was d man weigh
ing two hundred pounds, but
ne starved himself until he be
came like d shadow. We stood him up
on the stone floor, and ne would fall his
full length as i he had been corpse,
bruising his forehead. and yet gave no
Indication that he was II pain For
thirty-six days not morsel OF food
LaSStA MS - Us " = LJ4dEtA 4Ai&Ah III LIS
cell. but il remained untouched. He
would insist on keeping his knees bent,
and we thought TO make him straiE ten
his legs by s1rinCing him up ii the air
and letting him hang there, but the po-
sition Of the legs never changed
I'VE tried every possible way to make
him give some evidence that he was
sane. but II was no use Finally we got
a stomach pump and pumped milk into
him every day. In this way ne was
kept alive while the doctors continued
their experiments with him He was
an old soldier and the Grand Army
folks became Interested in the
case. They visited him and they
were positive he was insane. They
asked me for letter that he was de-
nented, but refused TO give it because
! was sure the fellow was shamming.
We had Information that he had been
convicted Of crime somewhere IL Mis-
souri,, was sent 70 the insane asylum.
and afterward discharged The Grand
Army people became indignant al me
because ! would not say that Brant
WIS crazy. In the meantime We con-
tinued pun ping milk into his stomach.
He was like a putty man. Anywhere
Won placed him, there ne would stick.
Finally other prisoners attempted TO
catch Brant mapping, but without sue
cess. The Grand Army men secured
com mission n lunacy for Brant's case,
and the commission declared him IN
sane. He was then removed 10 the IN
sane department Of the city poor farm
He had TO he carried TO the train on
stretcher. ! don't believe he weighed
eighty pounds
The second day after ne had ar
rived al the farm ne commenced 10 eat
and the pumping process WIS discarded.
Before q week be had a splendid appe-
lite, and IN very short time his form
rounded out into something like Is old
time proportions. one day Mr.. Brant
got hold Of file, tried II on the bars on
his window. found il worked 10 q charm,
flied the bars IL two, made knoJted
rope from his bed clothes, let himself
down 10 the ground, and has never been
heard Of from that day 10 this 1t was
the most remarkable case Of which !
have heard. Imagine the amount Of pain
and suffering that man had 10 endure.
He never fincbed for an instant that
person could detect We knew he was
shamminC. but the proof seemed TO be
the other way. There have been other
prisoners in here who feigned insanity,
but z few sharp, severe tests would
generally bring them 10 L realization OF
their senses. - Pittsburgh Post.