Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-29
LOCKED UP AS INSANE
BITTER EXPERIENCE OF A FORMER
RUSSIAN MAJOR.

When He Told the Truth, Major SucrOw
Was Declared to he Insane, but by Re-
sorting to a Clever Lie He Was Set at
Liberty-His Ruse Was Successful.
F. E. o. Sucrow, the son of gallant
Russian colonel, and who himself was
once q major in the same army, has
recently been released from the Wards
island insane asylum by a clever ruse.
Its success, he thinks, is proof enough
! if he had no other that he is mentally
sound.
! Major SucrOw was at one time wealthy.
Until within few years he did not find
: 1t necessary to work for living. He is
! of noble family and was great yachts
man. He can recite offhand the COM
! plete record of all the international
/ yacht races and says that he has twice
been around the world in a yacht of his
! own. He is about 90 years old and
/ speaks and writes well in English. He
! lives at As 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
wax C141Cu W IL hlS(oN6IN lOl
hair grow on bald heads, which had been
successfully tried in two or three cases.
He bought controlling interest in the
! restorative and commenced 10 boom it.
He had read Il great deal about DR..
Chauncey NJ. Depew and Thought it WAS
pity that so great Il man should be con-
PEELED to go through life baldheaded.
Furthermore, lie considered that his for
tune would be made if he could be the
means of giving pr Dcpew genuine
pompadour
With this object i'll view Major SucroW
fixed up package of his restorative and
called on Dr.. Depew. The package, which
was neatly tied up, was about L inches
long, 8 niche; wide and 3! inches thick
His visit was just after the attempt TO
blow up Russell Sage by dynamite.
When DR.. Depew saw the package and
heard the majors foreign accent, he
thought it was a crank and remarked
hurriedly:
MY 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 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
ds to the effectiveness of his tonic. Su-
cfow was then taken before DR.. Wash
bbrn of II 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 story
he had first told.
My statements were all true" said
Major Sucrow yesterday, land SO l 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-
MED by apple. for his release. For
the first five months of his incarceration
he made these applications at least every
week, and sometimes as often as twice or
three times a week. At the end of five
months, just as he was beginning to de-
spair of ever regaining his liberty. he hit
upon new idea.
Il began to change my SYSTEM" he
said. For the next month did not say
a word about insanity, nor did l make
any further request for my discharge.
At the end Of the month l went to Mr..
Peppard. the head attendant, and asked
for permission to write to DR.. Wash
burn. 1t was readily granted, but l
knew that the missive would be opened
and read before it was sent, if. indeed, it
was sent at all.
1.-The substance of my letter to Dr.
Washburn was that l now realized
was not in my right mind when | was
committed, that the statements l had
made about belonging to a noble Rus
sian family and having once been rich
were dellsions that had now been dis
PEELED, and that had made a great mis-
take in having anything to do with the
hair tonic business. l told the doctor
that was humble mechanic and could
earn about $18 per week at-my trade. l
also said that this was a good time of
the year to secure employment, and
wanted to be released. A 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 a single detail in any of them.
"a few days afterward DR.. Petit sent
for me and made an examination, during
which he asked me to tell my story
again. Then at short intervals Drs.
Adamson and Campbell examined me
and asked questions regarding my latest
story. told it to them all exactly as
had written it in the four letters, and as
a result was in a short time discharged
as cured.
But" added Major Sucrow, here is
just where the point comes in. The
story which proved TO the doctors at
Wards island that Twas no longer in
sane, and secured my release, was the
only lie had told in connection with my
whole experience as 'lunatic.' Now
that have been set free | repudiate It,
That shows how far circumstantial evil
dence will go, and how little some of
these doctors, upon whom rest the gravest
responsibilities, know about the matters
upon which they are supposed to be spe-
cialists."
Major Sucrow says he has had enough
Of America. He is going to remain here
just long enough to raise funds to return
to Europe.-New York World.