The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-05

/ day, in trying 70 90 As We HOul4 4iAs -
dol The whole expert system il out q
Z orders Some honorable physicians como
[ together and examine man In good
I faith aud with a Ioss Of time aud money
I 70 themselves They pronounce the man
I insane. A Jury decides that the man Is
entirely zane and deals with lin as being
/ 50. Again, In another case, We decide that
I a man IS Dangerously insane, al
| though % all outward appearances he Il
not The Jury looks upon the subiect-it
| ignores cur statement that there Is in posses
| SION Of this man a murdsrous mania that
may dsvelOB to-day, year or i've years
! from noW-snd 80 not seeing any evidence
Of this the jury sets this man at liberty.
And 50 he goes until in Some insane ht he
kills some Ons. Then the public asks why.
Il all lies In the fact that our system OF OK
pert testimony in the cases II persons
alleged . be insane Is all wrong
PLACE LEss FAITH IN JURIEs.
Clark Bell Of the Medico- Legal Society IS
also an expert in the insanity line, aud has
devoted much time 70 the care and treat
ment Of she insane he lie Of the opinion
that there are more insane men among rs
than we know Of, and he seems 20 think
that we do not imagine just how many
dangerous lunatics We rub shoulders with
every day.
There are men, said Mr.. Bell, "who
Will % ldh ~dDlltuR CltlLeus lot years. ana
will in a most unexpected way develop a
desire to kill without much caring who it Is
they kill It is something that medical men
have studied and are still studying. As for
the attempts 70 Kill Or. Hall and Mr.. Sage,
those are peculiar affairs that no man can
fathom od-hand.n
Mr. Bell, like all Of the others, agreed
that in order TO keep dangerous lunatics
from roaming at large and incidentally
killing rnflliauni=a
would be well to place Il little less faith in
Juries and a little more in men who have
given their lives to tho study Of this very
subject.
Rum NOT RESPONSIBLE.
DIR. Lewis d. Mason, who for many years
has been the head Of the inebriates' home
at Fort Hamilton, has also some ideas about
the insanity Epidemic so to speak.
He says that such crime as that Of the
unfortunate person who blew up the office
OF Russell Sage was not the act OF q man
under the influence Of alcohol
The man who is insane from over in
diligence in alcoholic liquors may fight with
any one whom he may meet" said the
doctor, while in his cups. Ii is only when
he is Of the very lowest order that he be-
comes murderOus, and then be forgets
everything the next day. Ninety-niue per
cent. Of the men who drink are not men who
Will 90 any crime 1t 10 the absolutely
sober crank for whom you must look out.
The drunken one is harmless, unless he has
certain strong nervous qualities upon which
rum has more influence than it would have
on the ordinary man.
A MECCA FOR MADMEN.
Or. Douglass, for ten years insanity ex-
pert in Bellevue hospital. says that men
with single idea are brought before him
every day for examination. Some have a
love Of money, some a desire in another
direction
New York" said DR.. Douglass, ais a
Mecca for all oranks, as is Paris on the
other side, and, for that matter, London.
They come to me and make all sorts of wild
claims that have no foundation. Juries
have discharged dangerous mon, because,
when they were brought on trial the Pc
culiar mania that possessed did not mani
fest itself on suoh occasions. But they are
none the less dangerous, for they may
break out at any time in some direction.
There are many cases OF men who have
been discharged by juries upon q plea Of in
sanity who should be under surveillance"