The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-05
ARE CRIMINALS SANE?

DR.. Forbes Winslow, Of London, the dis
tlnsuished specialist in mental disorders,
arrived an New York Saturday on the st.
Louis. and was promptly interviewed by
the sun. Said he: I'm my opinion very
small proportion of men accused of crime
are sane. An instance Of this, and the
way the law treats It, occurred in q
murder known. In England as the
Old Kent road murder. wretched
old man killed hts wife and almost
succeeded in cutting his throat II
the point Of the knife had reached an
inch further 1t would have cut his jugular
vein and the verdict of q cOroner's Jury
would have been that he had killed his
wife and committed suicide when tempo
rarily Insane. But IL happened that the
Kill him. So as soon a. he was well
enough to come out of the hospital he was
dragged to the Old Bailey and tried for
murder. He was wretchedly wounded
with great hole in the side of his throat.
but the jury decided that he was not in
sane. and he was hanged. talked to HIM
In his cell at recess on the day of his trial
and was convinced that he was lunat,c.
1t turned out to be true, for after his
death lot of letters written by him were
found. and they were perfectly irrespons!-
BILE, indicating undoubtedly that their
writer was insane.
-:Il.-
mot only are most murderers homicidal
lunatcs, but, homic!dal lunacy in London
Is increasing very rapidly, particularly
among young men between 10 and 25 years
old. I think the increase comes chiefly
from the force Of Imitation. These boys
read about mon who have committed mur-
ders; their minds become filed with the
can to make the situation worse by
preaching about these men, and this COM
bination has Its effect on their youthful
minds. They want to do something Of the
same kind themselves to attract the same
attention to them. and am certain II Is
this motive which Is the strongest now IN
the increase Of the number of young
men In London who are tried for murder
But they are homicdal lunatics Just the
same. even II II be only this force of imi-
not responsible; their brains are affected.
Homicidal lunacy unlike suicidal lunacy,
IS durable. A hOm.cidal lunatic may re-
cover entirely from ths attack which led
him to commit certain crime, but at the
same time he will never be safe at large.
OF all the men that are saved from the
gallOws in England by establishing their
lnnacy not one has ever been set free.
They are all sent to Broadmoor prison.
the prison for the criminal insane. From
suicidal lunacy a patient rarely recovers,
even for brief period. 1t takes the form
OF melancholy, and for that reason It is
rarely ever shaken Off. When go into
room and find q man raving, with three
men nOulng MN uOWn, ! reel very much
more encouraged than II he walks into
my presence quietly and soberly, with a
look of melancholy.
--,-:i:---
'My theory of the Jack the Ripper mur-
ders was that they were the work Of re-
ligious maniac who fancled that he had
some grudge to pay against these women
When proposed the theory first In Lon
don j got letters from every quarter.
After the third murder got ono signed
Jack the Ripper saying: This week you
shall hear from me- The police at Scot
land Yard got the same letter In the same
handwriting, which proved also to be the
same writing that was found on the arches
In Whitechapel after the murders were
committed One of the people who wrote
to me at that time was a lodg.nE-house
keeper. He said that young medical stu
dent lived with him. and he described this
mans actions on the nights when the first
three murders occurred. At each time.
ne had gone from the house differently
dressed. and had come back with his shoes
and clothes covered with blood. He was
n religious monomaniac and went to st,
Paul's cathedral every morning. He
came home after the murders, changed his
clothes, and got out Of the house In time
to 10 to early service The men that kept
the lodging house told me those facts, r
Investigated them and found them 20 be
true. I got a pair Of the mans shoes that
were covered with human blood. After
the third murder the medical student dia-
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