St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1891-06-06
M0NOMANIAC CRIMES,
CURIOUS CRIMINAL ACTS OF
DISEASED BRAINS,
fncendiarism, shoplfting and Anony-
NOUS Letters INDUCED In-Trag-
10 End of Girls Self
Made Love Romance,

some one pdftlCular, he continued,
'although their minds may be perfect
ly sound in every other respect. Take
the case OF young Hugh c. Miller, for
instance, who confessed that he DELHI
erately set ON fire Brooklyn tenement
house for no other reason than that he
had an Irresistible desire to see a big
blaze, and could not conveniently have
that desire satisfied without kindling
the fire himself. Here is q young man,
the son of a wealthy farmer we'll
business, and well known and respect
ed in church and social circles, COM
hitting a crime that is not only revolt
ing to all law-abiding citizens, but
punishable by term of Imprisonment
ranging anywhere from ten years to
life, without the slightest possible adj
vantage to himself Is he not de-
mented? Of course he is; but only on
that one subject.
During the past month alone, -
continued the doctor, II have read in
the newspapers of at least dozen re-
spectacle women who were caught in
the act of shop-lifting in some one OF
the large drygoods stores.
''One of the most remarkable in
stances of mOnomania that ever came
to my attention was the case of Mrs
Emma Hudson, who died not long ago
in Sing Sing Prison. She was called IL
kleptomaniac, and during her trial it
was conclusively proven that the wom-
an could no more withstand the temp
tation to steal than can the hungry
withstand the temptation to eat. Mrs.
Hudson was the widow of respectable
physician. and moved in the best So
ciety. She was church member and
a constant attendant. In fact, she was
most exemplary woman in every re-
spect, excepting her uncomfortable
desire to steal.
Not many years ago a man reported
to the police thai he was in receipt OF
threatening anonymous letters. A de-
tective took hold of the case and wasted
week before he discovered that the
man was writing the letters himself
There was no reason why he should
no advantage to be gained b. the ap-
parent persecution. Yet the man
actually threatened his own life. I have
no doubt that. had he no. been detected,
the affair would have ended by his com
hitting suicide in s;lch ii manner as
would have left the impression that he
had been murdered by his unknown
enemy.
The story of tlc New York girl
whose monomania turned in the di
rection of love was on every tongue
twenty years ago, and the affair ended
by the young woman in question be-
ing sent to an insane asylum, where
she subsequently died d raving
maniac. She was beautiful girl.
aud quite a belle among the young
She contided to her friends one day
that she had been sought in marriage
by the younger son of an English
lord, and most ingenius and
romantic story did she tell of the cir
cumstances that led up to the pro-
posal. The young Englishman, &C
cording to her, had spent few years
in America, where he went under an
assumed name. 1t was during this
period that he first met the girl, and
tender feeling sprang Up between
them. The young man returned to
England without revealing his identity,
and after he got home wrote back,
telling the story of his life, and asking
her hand in marriage.
THE girl showed this letter to her
friends and acting on their advice
after the circumstances had been ex-
planned accepted the young foreign
er's hand. In due time an engage
ment ring came, tender messages Of
love passed across the ocean, and the
date was set for the wedding. The
bridesmaids were selected, the wedding
trousseau bought, and paragraphs
were even printed in the newspapers
on the grandeur of the
coming event. But as the day APP
preached, letter came from Europe
stating that the young mans father.
Lord -, had died suddenly, and
the ceremony had to be postponed.
The disappointed bride bore up
we'll and another date was
set for the wedding, and cablegram
came one day announcing that the
young man had sailed. Two days
later another cablegram came, signed
by a strange name, saying that the ex-
pccted groom had fallen overheard
and been drown ed.
"On receipt of this intelligence the
girl went into Mysteries, and after Il
-ong illness was sent to an asylum. She
never recovered her reason. Her
friends. curious to learn something
more about the tragic death of the
young Englishman, made an investiga-
ion, and learned to their dismay that
no such person ever existed. In
questionable evidence was produced
hat the unfortunate girl had manu-
'actured the entire romance, and that
she herself had conducted both ends of
he correspondence. and had written
he cablegrams on a sending blank.
Here" said the doctor, in conclu-
,ion, you have an illustration OF the
Danger of monomania When the I'M
ortunate girl began to write these
etters, her sole object was to pose as
I heroine in the eyes of her acquaint-
lnces, and the success OF her first
effort was so great that it led her to
Keep it up till the strain of excitement
lethroned her reason. When the affair
began she was simply a monomaniac,
md had her friends detected the i'm
position before the pc 'tponement of the
marriage or the death of the imaginary
bridegroom, the girl 'Tould never have
zone insane. But she had grown to
almost believe her story herself, and
=, -. HI. ronai