The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-03-04
CRUCIFIED HIMSELF.
.s Quinn of Philadelphia Does
81 pensucs for Imaginary Sins.

pensncs for Imaginary Sins.
from the Mem York World
,nrLPHIA, Feb. 2S.-With the
rs Of the cruel nails on both hands aud
tll- lanes Quinn, an old man, lay on
les', he Philadelphia hospital yesterday.
GU - from wounds self-infiicted while
SUI m cruelty himself as his Savior
seeAiLr-S7,cifed by his prosecutors. Though
~a.ain of the wounds must have been III
tne tbe old man seemed not TO notice it,
t I-, n suffer great mental agony over
bu. i,srv sins. He clasped his hands in
Instant Instant prayer in penance Tor past mis-
deeds. ..-,,. Of saIf-crrcif3xion which
w. the second instance OF its kind
on3 came as the elimination of long re-
kho".' broodiug and other troubles which
hgiouS binged his mind. He lives at No.
hL5 nav TJeIIyany street, little thoroughfare
III Eleventh and Carpenter streets,
hva' = "a wears old. Formerly he worked
o. sawyer, but had to give this up be-
e5nse of injuries to his bands, ana TOT some
eo ba has been able to do very little. For
ll.l.os he has been q religious enthusiast. but
i SoTiIv had never seen any reason to
US use that his monomania on this subject
slpt Lead him to do any injury to himself
VIZ - tbo mast week he has been unusually
Ia IN his religious ideas and on Thursday
1T the climax came. Rising while the
rost of the family were yet asleep, he began
lie nrenarations for his astonishing per-
t s,T Roughly marking out the form
- a cross upon the floor, and procuring an
old hammer ana some hailS' no Was IeauJ
Tor the self-sacritice.
Placing a nail upon his right foot, sharp
Nv from the hammer drove it clean
tbrough Great as the agony must have
80 Re probably made no sound, knowing
.Lot il would arouse his mother, son or
daughter Another nail was placed upon
the other foot but the blow from the hams
mer failed to drive it through. 1t struck
a hone. in which it became embedded.
LAYING his left hand nat upon the
Aoor with the palm upward, he
drove a third nail deep into the flesh.
While seeking to drive fourth nail into
his right hand, which must necessarily have
been a very difficult operation. considering
the laceration of his other hand, the family
were awakened and Quinn was prevented
from completing his job.
The skin of his right hand was only
slightly abraded. The nails were drawn
from the left hand ard right foot. but that
in the left foot was stuck 80 fast IN the bone
that it could not be removed.
Word was sent in the morning to DIR. ID.
! Laughlin of No. 1907 Ellsworth street,
asking him to visit Quinn, and he did SO
soon afterward. He found him trying to
get the nail out of his foot, using some
rough instrument. The doctor made the
same attempt with an old piece of pincer,
which broke the nail off in the bone. This
, made it necessary to take Quinn to the
Pennsylvania Hospital, where DR.. Frank A.
Gummey was obliged to cut deep into the
bone to reach the broken nail
ha dcofcy- xro nrad IN thic
painful work, during which Quinn took no
anae ,thetics, the latter prayed constantly
and fervently, begging forgiveness for his
many imaginary sins. Finally he became
so violent in bis actions that police patrol
wagon was sent for, and he was taken out
to the Philadelphia hospital. At first he
was placed in the mems surgical ward, but
it was soon seen that his chief trouble was
mental rather than physical. and he was re-
moved to the ward for the insane. A care
full examination Of the wounds made by the
nails showed that they we're not serious.
His feet and the injured hand were bandaged
and the best Of care taken of him.
In his prayers and supplications Quinn
was heard to say that for forty years he had
planned this act of penance for his sins and
at last he had done it. He appeared salts
fed with the deed. As his mental trouble
appears to be deep seated, he will probably
be taken to the NorristoWn insane hospital
for treatment
Quinn's attempt at self-crucifixion has
only one parallel case, that of an English
man who, blythe exercise of great ingenuity,
succeeded not only in mailing his hands aud
feet to a cross, but in actually thro wing
himself and the cross from a window. The
result was more serious than that in Quinn's
case is likely to be, as there is no doubt of
the latter's recovery from his wounds. if
not from his peculiar Authorizations.