The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-10-30


chiczgo by Ianstie Of the Guisezn typs
carries with 10 xsrning thai osght 10 Be
hsedsd By pahlie mea. Guiteaa had been
iHnatae for many years. and he was
known - be innate Of vicious. horai-
esdal tendency. and Jet bis relatives
allowed him TO go wandering aDous the
world until finally he murdered President
Garfield sxacsIy - the Chicago assassin
killed Harrison- GaEsesu asked Blaine for
an Office and Blaine of course refused 10
givs him enc. and then GuEtesu shot Gar
field.
The Chicago lunatIe ssked Mayor Har-
rsson 70 appoint him corporation counsel.
The prsposssrons nature Of the request re-
vsaled 70 Harrison that the Office seeker
was . innatic: the corporation counsel
knew the man was crazy; Mayor Harrison
had received thressening letters from the
man. and yet this creature was suffered 10
Be 1t large. Mayor Harrison and the cor
porstion coEnsei knew that no iunatic In
ever harmless: that IL, no man of deranged
mind can be safely considered harmless.
because we never know what an irrational,
irresponsible intellect may be inspired to
do. The story Of Guiseaa vas familiar
TO Harrison. Guiteaa as early as 1s66
was writing crazy letters calling him.
self Gods mani" be was known
10 be deranged and dangerous By his fam
lily. and yet he did not kill Garfield until
fourteen years after be. Guiteau. was
known 10 be lunatic. Mayor Harrison
knew he had to deal with iunatic, who
had already threatened him, and yet he
neglected 10 turn him over 10 the authori-
ties. Mayor Harrison knew that history
il full Of examples Of so-calied harmless"
iunasies who have murdered or tried to
murder persons prominent in public life.
To these creatures Of deranged mind
public men. as identified with political en-
elements. are like red rags to . bull.
Beliingham killed Prime Minister Perceval
In the lobby OF the house of commons in
1872; Beilingham came OF insane stock,
had lost his money by the outbreak OF war
between France and Russia; his mind gave
way and he killed the prime minister OF
England because he held him responsible
for Engiand's part in persuading Russia to
declare war, and therefore responsible for
the loss Of Beliingham's fortune. The
homicidai lnnatic sho tried to kill Presi-
dent Jackson held Jackson responsible for
certain personal financial losses caused, as
the assassin believed, by the action of
Jackson regarding the United States bank.
Norcross. who tried to kill Russell Sage,
believed that Gould and Sage were respon-
sible for bis failure to make fortune.
Booth killed Lincoln because he insanely
believed him 10 be the responsible author
Of the defeat of the South. Qneen victoris
has been assaulted with intent to kill no
less than eight times during her long reign.
There Is nothing surprising in the fac
that leading men in public life are often
shot at by lunstics; the only wonder is
that In q nation of $4,000 of people
there are not more murders Of this kind
committed, for every community contains
persons who are known TO be OF deranged
or unarranged brains. and known to be in
the habit of writing threatening letters to
public men. Tnordinate self-esteem is one
Of the earmarks of lunatic minds. They
believe themselves to be equal to any
ONCE. any degree Of responsibility, and
filled with this preposterous view Of their
own ability and consequence the most
natural thing in the world for them 10 TO
do as 6nitsau did. ask for some Office en-
tirely beyond them. and then when re-
fused they redress their fancied wrongs by
murder as 6uiteau did. and as Harrison's
murderer has done. These dangerous
iunatics are in every community. Some
| times they content themselves with
threatening death to prominent men
whom they fancy they are divinely CON-
missioned TO kill, and sometimes they
| actually do XIII. At all times such Great
ures are very dangerous persons to be al
lowed to remain at liberty.
In our Judgment such deranged Great
ures, who send preposterous threatening
letters to public men. or who make insane
| requests of public men. should be ut once
| arrested and the question of their sanity
/ passed upon by medical men. of course
! the family or relatives of these Iunatic
creatures never take any steps TO place
them IN confinement. and generally DENY
that their eccentric relative is lunatic:
they grant that he is odd" at tim es, but
/ in no sense crazy or dangerous, and so
these poor wreiches go wandering about.
growing worse aud worse every year, until
suddenly the harmless lunatic inear ates
his threats in horrible murder. Mayor
/ Harrison would be alive today il either he
or the corporation counsel had ordered
the arrest Of a palpably insane man, who
had followed up his insane requests by
| letters full Of threats.
/ IL a man writes threatening letters and
is sane be deserves and should receive
punishment, and If he il not sane he il
clearly dangerous luna;ic aud ought 10
be placed under proper restraint There
are no harmless lunatics, for a darkened
mind or bewildered brain is likely any
moment TO become possessed of a murder.
Gus purpose, which be is dangerously
likely 10 execute. The lesson of the Gut
seaQ trial wa. lost on Mavar Harrfsn, 49,.