Evening star., 1897-02-06

hundred and thirty-five G3O Of said Re-
vised Statutes.
2. That there now is. and for some time
past has been, within the said District one
Richard Roe. who is alleged and represent
ed to the petitioners. and by them believed.
to be lunatic Of homicidal and otherwise
dangerous tendencies; that, as 1t Is alleged,
the said Richard Roe has been such lunatic
for a long period of time. to wit: Since the
year A. d. 1895; that the cause of lunacy of
said Richard Poe, IL, in fact, 1t exist. Is un-
known to the petitioners; but that II repre-
sentations made to the petitioners be true
! the said Richard Roe is unfit to be at large,
and If he be permitted to remain at liberty
within the said District the rights of per-
sons and of property therein will be greatly
teopar6ed, the preservation Of the public
peace imperiled and the commission of
crime rendered probable.
The petitioners therefore pray that the
writ de lunatico inquirendo may issue to
inquire into and determine the question Of
lunacy of the said Richard Roe.
A Writ Issued.
The judge presiding in the Equity Court
being satisfied from a consideration of the
petition. that the inquiry should be made.
he directs the writ de lunatico inquirendo
10 ISSUE directing the marshal to empanel
a jury, summon the necessary witnesses,
and also formally serve the alleged lunatic
The Inquiry is then conducted as in other
lunacy proceedings. AS in most of the
cases filed by the District Commissioners
the afflicted persons and their families are
without means-indeed, they are 80 in
about every case filed by them-the unfor-
tunates, If found to be insane. are COM
mitted to st. Elizabeths Insane Asylum,
the institution conducted here by the gen.
eral government.
The form of the verdict in such cases Is
about as follows supposng the lunatic to
have a wife and children and no estate:
In the matter of the alleged lunacy of
Richard Roe.
THE undersigned Jurors summoned to
inquire in that behalf and Of which the
aforementioned Richard Roe had due no
tice. as appears by the return of the mar
shall of the United States for the District
of Columbia. hereto attached, do find that
the said Richard Roe Is a lunatic Of
sound mind, so that he has no capacity
sufficient for the government of himself
and his property: that he has been such a
lunatic since. to wit: the LIST day of jan
uary, A. d. 1896: that the character of his
lunacy is dementia: that in his said condi-
ton of lunacy he has alienated no lands or
tenements. that no lands or tenements re-
main TO him, and that he has wife and
children. as follows. namely: Mary Roe,
wife: John Roe. aged ten years, Jane Roe,
aged eight years, children.
Very Few Contests.
This form Of verdict is not materially
different from that rendered in other cases,
various cases differ, and. like that in what
are known private cases. must be con-
frmed by the court. Seldom Is there a con-
test in lunacy cases, especially in those
filed by the District Commissioners, the
finding of the jury generally being fore
gone conclusion. Hence, they are referred
to by some about the city hall, where the
inquiries are made, railroad cases,
and because they occupy, as a general
thing. but "A very few minutes time. But
the men composing the juries are selected
by the marshal for the most part from
business men of prominence, now and then
a newspaper reporter being selected as
juryman, and seldom is it that the jury
does lot hear the alleged lunatc. Indeed,
he is always given a chance to make
statement whenever il is possible for him
to be present. Not every person alleged to
be insane is so declared by the jury, for
not infrequently the jury disregard the al
legations of insanity made against the un
fortunate person. In such instances they
sometimes declare the person to be of
sound mind. and in other instances simply
declare that the party to be incapacitated
because of sickness, not reaching the de-
gree of insanity, term naturally repug-
nant and harsh, and one always avoided
by jury wherever possible. No less than
lis lunacy cases were filed here last year,
while in 1895 the number was 121.