The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-05
LUNATICS AT LARGE.
NEW YORK SAID TO BE A MECCA
FOR MADMEN.

/ Dangers That Threaten eucceesful
Msn-Eow Eminent Medical Special
ists Would Deal With Crsnks-Our
Jury System Responsible for Crime.
From the SeW YorL Press.
tits being generally stated throughout
tho country at this time that the million
aires Of New York city are standing IN the
shadow Of the valley OF death. the shadow
being provided by men who have in the
world no desire greater than 70 blow up by
any means, tongue or dynamite, any o1s
who has honestly acquired few more
dollars than they themselves have been able
to get
Now. It is not hard to find q millionaire
In New York city. You can run through
it's dirscto ~ and count men who in
turn can count their millions until your
head sWims.
You can find that upward Of s., 000. OO0,-
900 Is conferred in New York and in the
hands Of not half a hundred men. II Is
perhaps but natural that these meh should
be targets for all sorts and conditions OF
crauks.
No one will now dispute the fact that the
nihilists who killed Alexander III. Of Russia
were thoroughly sane, or that they knew
tend that the men who killed the flower Of
the police force at Chicago at the time Of
the Haymarket riots we're ia any sense
lunatics.
PAST MASTERS OF CRANKIsM.
What is troubling man now who have TO
handle money In large amounts, good deal
of which is not their own, is the possibility
of an organized movement to remove all
capitalists from tho face Of this earth,
which, with all its faults, is not such bad
place as il might be, or whether there is
fever Of initiative madness in the air by
which only millionaires are to be influenced
and injured.
The attempt upon the life of Russell Sage
is not the first of these attempts upon the
lives Of prominent men. Nor was the at
tack upon the life Of DR.. John Hall These
affairs have followed along in logical Sc
Quenos, 80 60 speak.
Dougherty, the lunatic who loved Merry
Anderson and incidentally threatened TO kill
her, and who finally did kill physician
who in the asylum had done him nothing
but kindness. is again confined, and gets
more privileges than other inmates, and is
sane enough 20 write eloquent letters TO the
newspapers, In which he insists that the
food that ho Is getting is not at all to his
taste.
Mooney, the alleged lunatic who blew up
Lilb hNhuluhAA AlilO obchutoA NyutoB q lbN years
ago, was tried, sent to an insane asylum,
but after a time was discharged as being
sane-or, rather, cured.
There are conflicting statements now as
30 what became OF Mooney. Some say he
is in this country some say no is In England.
and others say he is dead. And so it STA nds
II seems TO be the general impression
among the insanity experts Of New York
city that there are moro dangerous lunatios
ut Iarna than thfnly
FEW EXPERTS.
There are at least half dozen insanity
experts I'm this city. There is no great trial
In New York city In which the mental ca
pacity Of a man is 10 be demonstrated In
which you may not sec DR.. Allan McLane
Hamilton OF DR.. Matthew D. Field, cousin
OF Cyrus W. Fisld; Graeme NJ. Hammond,
son Of the famous ex-surgeon general, in
whose old house Chauncey Mitchell Depsw
lives; DR.. Edward G. Spitzka, who was an
expert in the case OF 0uiteau, she assassin Of
President Garfield, or Frank II. Ingram,
who was Tor many years an Insanity ex-
pert in the employ OF the city Of New
York
Matthew D. Field 10 often called In by
the district attorney Of New York city to
testify as 0 the sanity or lack of it OF some
person in " hioh the city may be- interested.
He is 9 consulting physician to the Manhat-
tan railroad system, and his office is on the
same floor as that of Russell Sage in the
Arcade building.
Mr.. Field has some very decided opiuions
as 70 some OF the men who are dangerous
lunaucs and who are still at large.
WHAT WILL WE Dor
"If YOU win reform your system OF treat.
lug alleged insane persons" said DR.. Field
tho thing might be made plain. In the
first place experts are called In Ia any
| case where question Of real insanity, not
| proved, is raised. l sm called in, and 30
are other experts, and when we come into
! court we are cross examined and put up one
| ag sInst the other as though one was fighting
for the prosecution and another for bhe
| defense. We are allowed to answer ques-
| tions that only confuse. 10 Is not bscauss
the experts disagree. 1t is for the reason
/ that we cannot meet and compare notes
| AS matter OF fact, the regular experts dc
not Disagree In essentials. But under the
system of arraigRinG one against another
no good result 10 reached.
~ ndOr cross examination it 10 easy q
confuse the testimony of the experts. And
| although all the experts insist among them.
selves that man is insane. q jury will dts
charge hun. What believe in ls com.
mission of experts, who will have 90 Dc
with these men who are supposed to be In
sane, They may. in a wGy, ha we rhsiI
! differences, but, on the whole, would agra,
that men who are liable to become danger
Gus manincs should not BIO allowed to run
| loose"
NO HARMLESS CRANKS
DR.. Greene NJ. Hammond has had a 900
deal OF experience with Insane men an,
women, and he in a way agreed with DR..
Field.
There are certain orders Of emotional in
sanity that no one can 0nalyEe,s he said
yet the thing must be slumberinR in
way thas one cannot entirely explain. /
may sumber that way for ears and n
one suffer, and then again the person suffer
ing may at any time develop murdsr GU
mania"
EXPERTS PowERLRss BEFORE JURIEs.
DR.. Frank H. Ingram corroborated thes
statements.
II am often called into court, he said
ito testify as to the sanity Of some oertai
person, and do it TO the best OF my ability
| But what is the use In trying to demon
strate anything that way! The Jury, as
rule, follows the counsel, whose business i
: is to try to make the experts disagree, an,
] as a rule, the expert testimony, 80 for a
; results go, amounts to nothing
| ''Do | believe there are luuatics OF mur
derous character ct large in New York;
said the expert. "Of course do. / know
1t, and until you change the method c
; examining experts in insanity cases Their
will be. There are cases in court where
plea OF insanity is raised by counsel this
might be easily settled II II were not for th
loose methods that prevail. The expert
themselves do not disagree as a rule
] gaI n 4ur cNNhn 1T