The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-11-08
A PSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY.
Head as Read by an Expert
In the Science.

Philadelphia Press.
While Holmes sat in the dock yesterday,
watching the jury and the witnesses, an
old man with silvery hair and venerable
aspect sat close beside him. The venerable
man was DR.. John L.. Capen, the phrenoio-
gist. He had gone to examine professional
ly the wonderful head OF the wonderful
Holmes. Here is the Doctors statement
from his own pen:
II. H. Holmes, as he appeared to me as
/ sat at his right side and a little to his
back, has a nervous, bilious temperament
OF very good quality. Such a temperament
gives him a very positive mind and very
intense desires in the direction of his
stronger faculties. He cannot be said TO
be capable of fine appreciation Of refine
mert.
His intellect is scholarly and initiative.
He has very ready perceptions, and, being
well directed. he could make attachments,
but he has not so great a degree of original
iy nor so profound an appreciation of eth
les nor of philosophy. Technically, his re-
Elective brain is not very great and mis- style
of reasoning will be inducive. and he is liza
BILE to errors whenever he ventures into a
new sphere of activity.
Hes has great power for criticism and
good ability for classification. His intellect
Is such that he could excel at clerical work,
were he TO find it for his interest TO apply
himself. That portion of the head common
ly called moral does not appear to be de-
ficient. and a tyro might think 1T impossible
that he could be guilty of such deeds as he
is charged with. But before such an opinion
is reliable the bias OF the head and the
quality of the brain must be noted. He has
the head for a very jealous nature. 1t is
wide at the back and upper part, cautious
ness being quite prominent. while the ex-
IRENE upper part, at the location of self
esteem, though not really deficient, is fiat
tened somewhat. This always indicates
correction of benevolence,' which is only
partially done in his case. The head is
high in 'frmness.' while everything indi-
4 ox>n4 aaa md N my GfrnnO
will, with no great degree Of faith in any
thing or trust in anybody:
"A broad, general quality that often re-
deems very bad men, love of animated
nature is deficient, and although the other
part of the domestic brain is rather large,
which may give him considerable affection
and even very strong attachment in par
ticular cases, he seems capable of strong
revulsion and of becoming easily and deeply
offended. That combination of conditions
that gives a love for business when it is
regular and sometimes only moderately pro-
ductive is deficient. This is how largely
by his nervous temperament and by his
fiattened side head in the region that gives
him plodding patience. He is likely to feel
that he must make money fast IL engaged
In business. and this is one of the most de-
lusive and dangerous characters for a bust
ness or professional man.
Love of life Is not a very prominent
feature of his nature, but that does not
his great distrust and Jealous watchfulness
tend in the other direction for the time
being or when he is brought to bay.
HE has not the indications of great
planning ability in a broad and wise sense,
but for schemes and trihing evasions, for
lodges and maneuvers, his active mind and
large perceptive developments give him
great power. He has a very busy mind. He
can think of a vast number of little things
and yet fail to comprehend the extent of
subjects. 1t seems to me to be impossible
for such a man to enter deliberately upon
any such a course as he is accused of hav-
ing taken and that the only way to make
it possible is that he betrayed himself into
some crime which did not appear to him
TO be brutal, and that self-preservation
made further and more awful deeds neces-
sary.
1.-THE intensity of his mind and his great
firmness are such as to exclude every other
consideration after he has involved himself
I'm a network of crimes known to others
who may talk. II this man had not been
possessed of the possibilities of friendship
and of sympathy he could not have exerted
so much influence as he is represented to
have done, but the conditions of generosity.
of manly pride. of anything like self-sacri-
flee for the good of friends and even of the
ability to treat a friend as an equal or as
having equal rights do not seem to exist.
He does not appear to have that other class
of faculties that give a pseudo pride, vanity
and self-conceit and make criticism unbear-
able and equality impossible"