The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-04-05
LOCKED UP AS INSANE
BITTER EXPERIENCE or A FORMER
RUSSIAN MAJoR.

RUSSIAN MAJOR.
When He Told the Truth, Major SusrOw
Was Declared 20 BE Insane. but by Re
sorting TO n Clever Lie He Was Set at
LIberty-His Ruse Was Successful.
F.E.O. Sucrew, the son Of a gallant
Russian colonel. and who himself was
once a major in the same army, has
recently been released from the Wards
island insane asylum by clever ruse.
Its success, he thinks. Is proof enough,
If he had no other, that he Is mentally
sound.
Major Sucr0w was at one time wealthy.
Until within a few years he aid not fnd
IL necessary 70 work Tor \ living. he Il
Of noble family and was great yachts
man. He can recitc offhand the COM
plete record Of all the international
Yacht races and saws that ne has twice
been around the world in a Yacht Of his
own. He Is about IS years old and
speaks and writes well IN English. He
lives at - Great Jones street. He
has not been on good terms with his
family for years. and his annual income
was stopped two years ago.
When this happened, he sought some
business enterprise. and his attention
was called 10 a discovery for making
hair grow CT bald heads, which had been
successfully tried IN two or three cases.
He bought a controlling interest in the
restorative and commenced to boom it.
He had read great deal about Dr..
Chauncey II. Depew and thought il was
a pity that so great a man should be com
PEELED TO go through life bsldheaded-
Furthermore, he considered that his for
tune would be made if he could be the
means Of giving Dr.. Depew a genuine
pompadour.
With this object IN view Major Sucrow
fixed up a package of his restorative and
called on DR.. Depew. The package, which
was neatly tied up. was about II Inches
long. 9 inches wide and 81 inches thick.
His visit was just after the attempt -
blow up Russell Sage by dynamite.
When DR.. Depew saw the package and
heard the majors foreign accent. he
thought it was crank and remarked
hurriedly:
Ny dear fellow, am very busily en-
gagged today on important business that
cannot be delayed. Leave me your name
and address, and shall send yOu q letter
making an appointment for an interview
for some other day"
SucrOw went away and waited for the
letter, which never came. In its place
appeared an agent of the department OF
charities and correction. who questioned
him concerning his personal history and
as to the effectiveness Of his tonic. Su-
crow was then taken before Dr. Wash
burn Of ~ Irving place and declared
insane. He spent one night at the in
sane pavilion at Bellevue hospital and
was then sent To Wards island. He
was examined several times by different
physicians at Bellevue and at Wards
island and was questioned as to the storv
he had first told.
My statements were all true said
Major SucrOw yesterday, ''and so had
TO conscientiously persist in them"
After his transfer 10 the island he kept
the attention of the physicians there cen
tered upon him by his frequent declara-
tions that he was not insane. accompa-
lIied by applications for his release. For
the first five months Of his incarceration
he made these applications at least every
week, and sometimes as often as twiceor
three times a week. At the end Of FIVE
months. just as he was beginning 70 de-
spair Of ever regaining his liberty. he hit
upon a new idea.
Il began 10 change my system he
said. For the next month did not say
a word about insanity. nor did / make
any further request for my discharge
At the end Of the month went 20 Mr..
Peppard. the head attendant. and asked
for permission 10 write 20 Dr.. Wash
burn. II was readily granted. but
knew that the missive would be opened
and read before it was sent, IL. indeed, it
was sent at all
The substance of my letter to DR..
Washburn was that / now realized ]
was not in my right mind when | was
committed. that the statements / had
made about belonging 10 a noble Rus
sian family and having once been rich
were delnsions that had now been dis
PEELED. and that I had made 4 great mis-
take in having ANYTHING 10 do with the
hair toaic business. ! told the doctor
that / W-as a humble mechanic and could
earn about SiS per week at nv trade. I
also said Tat this was 4 good time of
the wear 70 secure employment, and
wanted 10 be released 4 few days later
wrote letters to Drs. Adamson, Camp
bell and Petit OF exactly the same i'm
port. had the story down fine and did
not vary 4 single detail IN any Of them.
'A few days lfterwarl Dr. Petit sent
fer me and made 81 examination. during
which lie asked he 70 tell NV story
again. Then IL short intervals Drs.
Adaulson and Campbell examined me
and asked questions regarding NV latest
story. told II 10 them Gll exactly as
Esl written it in the foGr letters. and as
q resy.lt was in short time discharged
as cured.
''Bat- added MAJOR Sucrow. here is
Just where the point comes in. The
story which proved to the doctors at
Wards island that was no longer IN
sane. and secured my release. was the
pI,ly lie had told in connection with my
whole experience as 'lunatic' New
that ] have lsen set free repndiate it.
That shows how far circumstantial evi-
slsnoe viii go. and how little some Of
these doctors. upon whom rest the gravest
responsibilities, know about the matters
nIon which they are supposed 10 be spe-
cialists."
Mayor Sccrow says he has had enough
OF America. He Is going 10 remain here
Just long enough 10 Tsisse funds 40 return
10 Eur3pe.-New York World.
Occupations Of LeEisIafOrs-
According 10 poll taken few days
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