The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1891-01-14
MANY YEARS A MANIAC.
A MAN WHO HAS BEEN INSANE
TELLS now THE FEELING SEEMS


He Exp!ad ns His Peculiar Hallucination.
Began 9;using Over Immortaiity-His
Fad Was to Get Rich by Raising Rad
ishes-AII Men Seen, to BE His Enemies.
I was once insane. and l often muse
over my experience. There are of course
many kinds of insanity. Some mental
disorders take place so gradually that
even the closest companions of the VIC
tim are at loss to remember when the
trouble began. Il must have been this
way in my case. One evening, after an
warm day, a day when l
more fatigue from the heat
than ever before or since, l sat on my
porch tanning myself This arm that
is now in motion" mused, must one
of these days be dust. | wonder how
long will the time be.
Then | mused upon the evidence l had
of Immortality. could do things that
other people could not accomplish. l
had gone through battle after battle,
and though bullets sang and struck
around ME as thick as hail, yet remained
uniniured | had passed through cpl
denies of yellow fever. My idea gained
strength as Unused, and Twas convinced
that should live forever. No, this can
not be, for death follows all men alike.
Yes, am to die like other men, and |
believe that it is my duty to make the
most of life: to make money and enjoy
myself, and to educate my children. l
L. L, &rNc 6xy
over an imaginary list of enterprises.
THE RADIsH SCHEME.
At last | hit upon radishes. People
must have radishes They should be in
every shop. They could be dried and
sold in winter. | would plant fifty
acres with radish seed, and people al
over the country would refer to me a:
the ':radish king" l would form {
radish syndicate, and buy up all tht
radishes and travel and be admired.
hastened to the house to tell my wifi
that she was soon to be Il radish queen
at the breakfast table said, Julia
how would you like to be a radish queen?
ga whatr' she exclaimed.
explained my plan of acquiring grea
wealth, and during the recital she be
haved so curiously that | was alarmed
I feared that she was losing her mind
Finally she seemed to understand. Sh
agreed with me, but told me not to sa
ANYTHING more about it. After breaE
fast 1 saw her talking earnestly with he
| father, and | know that she was e.
planning to the old gentleman how sh
| intended to pay his debts when | b
came known as the radish king. III
old man approached me with much col
Germ, and told me that | needed rest an
that I must not think of business.
He was old and sadly worried, and
promised him that l would not think
business. Pretty soon l went out to 1
spect my radish kingdom. Looki1
1 round I saw the old man following m
] From the field l went to the village.
approached friend and l told him no
I intended to become rich. He seem'
grieved, and 1 saw at once that he W
contemplating the same enterprise.
seemed mean that he should take adva
tage of me and l told him so. He til
| to explain, but he made me so ang
that l would have struck him IT
father-in-law had not come up and ser
rated us.
CURED AT LAST.
tried to calm myself, but could M
Those who had been my friends prov
to be my enemies, and was determin
to be avenged; but before | could e.
| cute nv will / was seized by seve,
men. My father-in-law did not atten
to rescue me, and I hated hina. l v
taken to prison. My wife came to
= me, but she did not try to have me
leased. 1 demanded trial, but no la
yer would defend me.
Then l realized that the entire &C
munity was against me. l became
wroth that my anger seemed to hs
over me like dark cloud. It pres
me to the floor, and held me there. N
came after long time and took
away, thought, to another prison.
day a cat came into my cell, and tt
q to bite her. She made the hair fly,
killed her.
don't know how long l renal
here, but one morning the sun rose
shone in at me through the window.
seemed to be the first time that
seen the great lu1ninary for months.
mist cleared from before my eyes
brain began TO work, and suddenly
allied that had been insane, | ca
tha leeuar, and when he saw me he
claimed, Thank heavenF' and gras
my hand.
Twas not long in putting on anot
q suit of clothes and turning my face
ward home. A physician said that l
cured, and everybody seemed bright
happy at my recovery. l went nc
NV wife tainted when she saw me
learned that had recovered my m
=. I asked for nay little children, and
= big boys and a young lady came forv
= and greeted me. had been in the
lum twelve years.-Pearson's Week.