New-York tribune., 1896-05-24
THEY WE'RE PARANOIACS.
THE DELUSION THAT LED BILLERS AND
FAUCONNIERE TO MAKE FALSE
IDE\TIFICATTONS.

The recent case Of the suicide Of Mrs. Everett
Of Roston" at the Colonnade Hotel with the sem
s1tlOna feat OF her final Identification. brought
some peculiar and interesting facts TO light. There
were two men who by thcr utterly ridiculous and
unaccountable actions IN connection with the affair
made themselves almost prominent before the
public Mrs. Hill These Bers and
Fauconniere. Blllers the Morgue and
asked to have the body OF the suicide shown to him.
Upon seeing II. ne uttered cry OF Joy, fell upon
II. kissed il many times and said it was the body
OF his wife. He had been drinking at the time. 1t
discovered on investigation that his wife had
died over year ago Then came the Frenchman.
who said that tho body OF the that
Of n sweetheart. from whom he had separated in
the old country. At first his story sounded plausi-
BILE. but It was ultimately shown to be false by
the satisfactory identification OF the body as that
OF Mrs Hill.
There have been many cases Of honestly mis-
taken identification. but actions like those OF Bill
ers and Fauconniere smack OF insanity. Dr. Carlos
f. Macdonald president OF the New-York State
Commission in Lunacy. gives some interesting in
formation regarding the class OF insane to which
these persons belong.
From what has been said in the papers" he
marked the other day, these men appear to have
a form OF insanity known paranoia. Paranoia.
or as tho English call It, chronic deusonal in
sanity is characterized the mental side by sys-
tematized delusons engrafted upon an originally
abnormal and unstable constitution Such persons
frequently known cranks' long before their
insanity Is recogniz d. They often precocious
and exceptionally brisht in certain directions. while
mentally lOp-sided in others. They often exhibit
morbid vanity and concet and their deusions.
which they endeavor to sustain by logical argu-
mcnt are mostly Of the persecutory type Psrano-
with deusions Of persecution. owing 10 their
propensties 10 undertake redress their imaginary
WRONGS always source Of danger to the COM
munity In which they live Moreover, such being
nearly always coherent and plausible. and prone 10
conceal their deluslons when under examination
courts and juries wris OF habras corpus az not
insane despite the testimony OF the highest medical
Morbid craving for notoricty is often a symptom
Of this form OF mental unbalance. recall 10 mind
ODonovan Rossa. She had morbid love for no.
torety. Nothing gave her greater pleasure than 70
came hero from England and took position as a
trained nurse She soon grew tired 81 the monotony
Of such ife AMI TO satisfy her desire for notoriety
decided shoot Rosa. who was then a prominent
Rn6c hSTS by re9so c' ms ms ec,rrd INSANE an
confined FOR "A l.ngts Of time In criminal insti-
tuition in this country. she is now in an English
"H~re is another case I remember" said the doc
tor Il viii not mention names. It Will not be
necessary 20 bring out he lesson nvo.vei Th-re
Old criminal who had been sent up several
times IN the OF his career While serving his
last sentence IN prison hc was detailed 70 work on
the books ~ the institution In me course OF TIM
accounts which II published. would create poliu-
cal scandal lie Was all wrong a. 20 the inference
book bat with the natural morbid concct ani
egotisn of tho paranoac. he began - MAKE threats
abou, exposing the matter When ~ notice was
taken OF Ties" b" IMAGINED plot hli been iorinsi
authorities. making COMPLAINT The ett"t WAS well
written perfectly ecar and l,sca, ana me rracHm
d, conspiracy of ,hc worst kind. with which he con
r,ct,l the Warden ~ the PRISON. members OF IN"
20, course" said Dr. Macdonald. laughing. the
man. 50, aiJ'.S'- t,Mso go yrhere in