The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-07-07

Expert Views ON Characters OF shak-
speare-Queer Scenes I'm a jail.

New York Evening Post
When the trial of vincenzio Nino. the ltai-
charged with the murder of his wife in
the presence of their children, on fep. H.
was resumed before Recorder Con IN Gen
eral Sessions this morning, two medlcal eN-
pert witness told of a very singular series
Of experiments they had undertaken upon
the person Of the accused man;
and DR.. Charles l.. Dana, of the bellevue
Hospital, the expert witnesses. testined tnat
they entered Nino's cell in the Tombs pris-
on and there rehearsed a mock murder
scene with the prisoner, drawing the blunt
edge of a razor across their own tnroats
and requesting him to show them upon q
dumb figure that had been placed In MS
cell how he had committed the murder on
his wife. During all these theatrical trans
actions a recording ins, T1sSt Showed wed that
the action of the accused mans pulse was
in no manner accelerated. From ths the
medical experts concluded that the muir
derer must have been insane Wnen ne
committed the murder.
During the testimony Recorder Golf asked
DR.. Dana whether 1t would be poss Tae
physician replied: NO. Not for any length
of time"
clan whether he knew that several persons
acting in behalf of a newspaper In Engianu
and America within recent years had sue
ceeded in obtaining admission TO insane asy-
lums. where they were taken for maniacs
by the competent authorities. In the case
of a woman who recently got herseiI au-
mitted to the Ward island asylum, the phy-
stefan replied, her feat was not so remark
able a thing. as she had merely simulated
melancholia and had been admitted To-
gether vjth some fifteen other patients
whose motives for entering. the asylum
were never called into question. The Re-
corder hereupon asked the physician wnetn,
er he did not think that the unrestralned
exercise of the Imagination might not Lead
to ultimate insanity as instanced by Dr.
Johnson. and asked him whether he had
- TL4 oil 0xnoEf
who seemed somewhat astonished by these
questions, replied that he had read the
work.
suffered a great deal from depression, but
he was not insane in any way de had
some eccentricities. l believe. SO that some
eccentric alienists tried to make him out In
well" exclaimed the Recorder, "Dr.
Hasbrouck. one of the greatest authorities
that DR.. Johnson was insane in a case be-
fore Lord Justice Campbell and there stat
ed that there was no perfectly sane man,
world was that of God"
az have heard of that" dryly remarked
NOW. referring to Rasselas," continued
the Recorder, do you remember where he
says that the unrestricted play of fancy
ton concerning matters that are never TO
be realized may lead the human mind be-
yond the border line of reason?'
Inc physician recaile1 tne pdssdse-
do you think that Othello was suffering
from delirium, or that he was responsible
for his murder of Desdemona" persisted
Recorder Golf.
II do not think that he was delirious, but
that he was a man of violent temper who
had merely been misled by. the circum-
stances of the case and by the malignant
insinuations of others. He appears a sane
man, however. in the play, and should as
suredly have been made accountable had he
committed the act in real life," answered
DR.. Dana.
as this also your opinion of Leontes, the
jealous hero of Shakspeare's Winters
Taller" inquired the Recorder.
Both Leontes and Othello," replied the
expert, Judging from the manner in which
their characters are depicted in the plays,
were. to all appearances, insane, and should
therefore not have been held accountab BILE
for their acts. had they committed them
In real life"