The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1897-01-21
A Life At Stake.

Yes. Why not? Some Of these poor
creatures, although they suffer from
v:lrinGs forms of madness, are able. at
times. to exercise certain faculties of
mind with a brilliancy taat is really
remarkable"
But surely. they are not capable Of
playing i'll Il rational and sustained
gan c?"
oh, yes. | have myself, though
YOU know me to be a fairly-good play
er, been beaten by Il mad patient. OF
course. at times, the play is whimsical
and erratic; but even then, if | may
say SO. there is often a good deal OF
method in their madness. 1t is rather
curious that, at the present time. l
have under my charge a poor FELLOW
whose mental arrangement is almost
entirely the result If excessive chess
playing. He INDUCED in his favorite
Castime to such an extent that II ultl-
mately affected his mind"
",te do not allow him even the sight
of n chess-board. because anything to
do with the game seems to arouse in
him the worst form of his madness.
Sometimes he will sit for hours play
ing with an imaginary opponent, and
whenever he has these fits he ends by
CXclaining: Mate in six V lie
then delibel ately counts the six moves
aloud. and when. in his disordered I'M
aginatiOn, he has made the final move.
h2 becomes very violent, and is then
dangerous to himself and other people.
He was Il remarkably brilliant blind
fold player. but whether he actually
retains the power Of mentally working
out Il game | am unable to say"
The speakers We're myself and DIR.
Chorley, the famous mad doctor"
whose private asylum was generally
recognized as one of the best institu-
tons of the kind. Ny friend, the eX-
pert in insanity. | should here interpO-
late. is not really called Chorley, but
for the purposes of this little story |
have so chosen to style him. | was
staying a few days with the doctor,
and we had been spending the evening
very pleasantly over Il game or two of
chess. We had finished u play, and
the doctor was telling me n few things
NollNtl lIlhS LIE ItdlitlslN. III lllt 'Nhi ~
of which he narrated an anecdote
about a game of chess played by w
of the inmates Of his asylum. which
led to the conversation above recorded.
Shortly afterward the doctor retired
for the night, leaving me alone to write
a few letters, which | was anxious to
get off the first thing the next morn
ing. For several minutes l went on
smoking my cigar, turning over in my
mind the idea Of mad people playing
chess. and then settling down to my
letters.
/ had not been writing long when /
heard the handle of the door turn and
seine n come in.
| looked up, expecting to @ DIR.
Chorley. but, to my surprise, n ON
plete stranger stood before me.
oh" l thought, zone of the doctors
assistants whom l have not happened
to meet BEFORE" but it certainly struck
me as rather strange that he should
have entered my hosts private study
at the time when the rest of the house
hold were in bed, for the doctor, on
bidding me goodnight, had told me |
was the last up.
| naturally waited a moment for my
visitor to speak. expecting he would
apologize for me intrusion. or. at any
rate, explain his presence. To my ut
ter surprise. however lie stood perfect
ly m~otionless. fixed his eyes upon me,
and remained silent.
Whoever you are" | thought. you
are a pretty cool customer" and. feel
ing annoyed at what seemed to be the
fellows insolence, / said, with some
dignity: Il don't understand"
You play chess?" he interrupted.
Without. apparently, noticing that |
had attempted to speak, and all the
time keeping his eyes fixed upon me.
This was certainly extraordinary.
and as | looked at my strange visitor,
the truth seemed all at once to dawn
upon me--the mar was mad,
| am not naturally nervous. hut I
III, st confess to feeling something akin
to fear when | discovered that | was
face to face with a man who. for all I
knew, might be a dangerous lunatic.
My worst anticipatirns were soon re-
allied. Without taking his eyes off
Inc he walked to the mantel and delib-
erately took up a large revolver which
the doctor always kept on hand in
case of a surprise, and which | knew to
be loaded.
My Inwelcome guest had certainly
now the best of the position. What
was | to do? To hurriedly retreat
would be to offer myself a target To
this hOmicidal madman: to shout for
help might be equally the signal for
him to send a bullet through me; and
yet, | would Lot stand still and be
shot like a rat in n hole.
Il must humor him." l thought,
land so gain time. as his absence must
sGOn be discovered"
My mind. however, vas somewhat
relieved when he repeated, in the same
quiet tone of voice:
You play cheSS?"