The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-06


The dreadful crime, executed by dis
charged or escaped lunatic in New York
city on Friday, who blew up the Office Of
Russell Sage with a bomb, caused the
death OF two innocent persons, and the
wounds of two others are probably mortal.
All this horrible destruction was wrought
by a man, whose record of intermittent
homicidal insanity proves him - have
been a person that in justice to the safety
of society should never have been released
from confinement.
It is not many months since an able
physician of New York asylum for the
insane was shot to death by a man who
had been one of his patients and been dis
charged from custody. The murder of
Garfield was wrought by man who had
morethan once manifested homicidal insan-
ity in the past. and who had been regarded
as dangerous man of unarranged, if not
dersnged, mind for more than twenty
years. His private letters written fifteen
years before his crime are full of the same
rawlings, "I'm Gods man." that he uttered
from the day of his arrest to his execution.
Guiteau, if his friends had been persons of
conscientious regard for the safety of the
public, would have been placed in an asy-
lum when he first manifested his homi-
cidal mania, and other signs of mental abb
erration; but knowing him to be insane
and homicidal, they allowed him to go at
large until Garfield lost his life.
Not only should homicidal lunatics be
promptly placed under restraint, but they
should never be released when there Is the
slightest apprehension of a recurrence of
their delusions. As a matter of fact the
majority Of homicidal lunatics as soon as
they are subjected to the excitements of the
outer world have q recurrence of their
malady and somebody is murdered forth
with. Take the case of Jesse Pomeroy,
the boy who, many years ago, was sent to
prison for life in Massachusetts. Pomeroy
had Q mania for torturing animals wan.
tonly, cruelty beating children, and finally
he murdered in succession two little girls
and buried them In q cellar. There was
no motive save morbid passion for muir
der for its own sake. In other respects
Pomeroy was boy Of more than average
intelligence and capacity at school. He is
perfectly sane in prison, but release him
where he could again see variety of
objects to stimulate his homicidal mania,
and he would again butcher somebody.
Sent to prison he cannot get out, for no
governor or pardon board would release
him, but had he been sent to an asylum he
ha- Ill
convict he can be kept under restraint,
and society is safe; but as an insane
patient the doctors would have been COM
PEELED to release him, for they could not
prove that he was not cured of his homi-
cidal passion. So he would have been set
at liberty TO settle all doubts by cutting
the first childs throat whose presence
reused to activity his dormant thirst for
blood
The case of Pomeroy, joined to the fact
that homicldal lunatics discharged as
cured sooner or later kill somebody. COM
mends to consideration the English nrac-
tice, which is more conservative than our
own. OF the half-dozen persons who.
since 1910, have attempted the life of Queen
Victoria, all Of them were sent to an
asylum to be confined during the queens
pleasure" which means practically i'm
prisonment for life. 1t would be good
practice whenever a probable homicidal
lunatic is brought before the courts not TO
send him to an asylum, but to send him
to prison for lite; it is not worth
while 10 consider in the case of
one who attempts murder whether
the assassin is fully responsible
for his act or of doubtful moral and mental
responsiveness. In either case the homi-
eide had best be sent to prison unless of
course he is = raving maniac who is utterly
ont of place except under the special re-
straints and methods Of hospital for the
insane. Persons Of homicidal tendency
sent TO an asylum not seldom regain
superficial degree OF seeming mental health
and sanity, and then easily secure release.
They are better OF in prison and society
has larger term Of immunity from the
attacks of murderers of intermittent in.
sanity.