Semi=weekly graphic., 1896-12-26
A PRECIOUS ROGUE.
HE WAS EXCEEDINGLY CLEVER IN
 fEiaNlNa EPILEPTlc FITS.

ENsAH N8A 8 A<ohL AAht-A lAalig bebfnt~
 ed In simple Manner.
 Dr. Robert Stafford Newton tells an interesting story of m impostor who successfully feigned epilepsy for great number of years, in spite of the fact that he was watched by the most skill ful neurologists.
 How to feign epileptic fits forms necessary part of the education of many criminals ill Europe and America. In England, where 1t has been successfully worked for great many years and ia we'll known to the police, the feigning of epilepsy is oalled throwing of fits and dummy chuelsing It Is invariably worked in threes, after this formula: Two men. evidently friends, are walk ing along the street, when suddenly one of them falls ill an epileptie fit. The friend of the sick man pretends to be greatly worried and gives all of his at- tention to the resuseitation. Naturally enough, crowd gathers around. Tho third man lifts pocketbooks and watoh- es and makes off with them.
 There is one man whose career aa & feigner of epilepsy is most remarkable. This mans name was Craig, and my first knowledge of him was when was connected with tho Whiteehapel Road House hospital, the biggest hospital in England. It had been noticed that whenever Craig fell in fit in the streets of London, renorts were sent in to the 1 police of money and jewelry lost He WAS more than suspected and was sent into the hospital, both to be treated aud to be watched This man was perfect fraud. but he was so well up in his act I ing that though he was most carefully watched he escaped detection. He WAS valuable man, but perhaps his pals feared that the London police had too olose an eye on their movements. At all events Craig was next heard of in America. The old formula was repeated. He fell in flta, and valuables stolen were reported to the police. He was shifted around from hospital to hospital, and careful watch was kept upon him, bo.h when he was in one of these fits and in the time Of their intermission.
 Craig b, an to think that coup dc theatre was necessary to save bis repu- tation He Was at this time confined in hospital and was in ono of the upper wards in the front part of the building. There were doors that opened out on & balcony. Ti4is balcony was 38 feet from the ground, and at it's base there was solid stone pavement Epileptics arc us- ually a dull stupid sort of people, even when~Bvs-iu9 u9RtB Hnd Craig feigned tfIfs ssupidity asweI aH the other symptoms of the disease. He was allowed to wan der about the hospital pretty much as | he pleased, and every onoe in awhile down he would fall in fit. The doctors had not discovered his fraud, but Craig felt more than uneasy at the way he was watched and suspected. One morning ha got up from his chair, and. with dazcd sort of look, at the same time putting his hands up to his head, he staggered | toward the balcony and tumbled oyer bacIxward--down. down, the full 38 feet ito the stone pavement below. When he was picked up, it was found that one of his wrists wGs broken and that he was otherwise hurt, though, wonderful to | L6Ii, HUI HDIlOu5lys VI OOulhc AAAAD 1ptsAOb in the minds of the doctors Che doubt that had previously existed as to whether he was frl ud or not. The thing work ed exactly as Craig had planned that 1t should, and in course of time he was discharged as true but inourable epi- l leptic Once again on the outside, he worked successfully the old game of fits and ,,nolrat fnLtne, in thrnaa
 "Onee more he was taken up and sent to the hospital. Here Q young doctor set for himself the task of watching this clever rogue. He had every symptom. He would froth at the mouth. blood would stream from his tongue that he had bitten in his convulsions, and there seemed nothing wanting in real epilep- sy. But is young doctor kept his vigil, and patience had it's reward.
 "One day, just as Craig was going through the preliminaries before falling --the looking dazed, the slowly attempt ing to fight off the coming spasms, the clinching of the hands-the young doc tor who was watching him observed that, instead of closing the hands with the fingers over the thumbs, as would have been the case necessarily in true epilepsy-for the thumb. having the shorter muscle, must feel the contract ing force first-Craig shut his hands with the fingers on the inside of the thumbs. The doctor gave him gentle kick in the side and said: 'That'll do, Craig. I've caught you. You are fraud. You've done your tricks well and for long time, but your time is up. If you had been true epileptio or just little better read in medicine, you would have closed the fingers over the thumbs. 7 Without single protest Craig straight ened up and said, Well, I knew it was bound to come some time.
 "What became of the mani"
 .Oh, his talents found market He was so we'll known, had been so written up for the i-edical journals of both Flu rope and Ar1oriea, that the doctors hired him to go before medical students and demonstrate to them how epilepsy could be feigned and also to explain how these pretenders were taught in England and elsewhere. To counterfeit the frothing at the mouth they used small piece of soap. If there was any danger of detec- tion, they could swallow both soap and froth. With little sharp knife C stab could be given to the tongue which would simulate the biting of that mem