Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1897-02-18
4 Life ut Stake.


DO you mean { o say, doctor. that
you lave introduced chess among your
PATIENTS
YES. Why not? Some OF these peer
creatures, although they suffer frohl
varioGs 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 a rational and sustained
ganeE"
'0h, yes! l have myself, though
YOU know me To be Il fairly-good play
er, been beaten by a mad patient. OF
course, at times, the play is whimsical
and erratic; but even then, if | may
say SO. there is often Il good deal or
method in their madness. 1t is rather
curious that, ut the present time. |
have under my charge a poor fellow
whose mental arrangement is almost
enti-% the result If excessive chess
playing. He INDUCED in his ~favorite
ldSllule 10 SUCH I'LL 'AitIlt tihd ~ uiti
mateiy affected his mind"
I'VE do not allow him even the sight
of a chess-board. because anything to
do with the game seems to arouse in
him the worst form of his madness.
Sometimes lie will sit for hours play
ing with an imaginary opponent, and
whenever he has these fits he ends by
eXclaiming: Mate in six moves, He
then deliberately counts the six moves
aloud. and when. in his ~discrdered M
aginatiOn, he has made the NAL move,
he becomes very violent. and is then
dangerous to himself and other people.
He was n remarkably brilliant blind
fold player, but whether he actually
retains the power of mentally working
out Il game am unable to say.
The speakers were myself and DIR.
Ch0rley, the famous mad doctor,
whose private asylum was generally
recognized as 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 Il few days with the doctor,
aud we had been spending the evening
very pleasantly over II game or two OF
chess, We had finished our play. ana
the doctor was telling me n few things
concerning his patients, In the course
of which he narrated an anecdote
about n game of chess played by two
Of tile inmates of his asylum. which
led To the conversation above recorded.
shortly afterward the doctor retired
for the night, leaving me alone TO write
=. IL n H.vaa ~ ~ m IN
get off the first thing the next morn
ing. For several minutes | 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 rot been writing long when |
heard the handle of the door turn and
seine one come i'll.
| looked up. expecting to see DIR.
Chorley. but, TO my surprise, Il COM
plctc stranger stood before me.
"Oh!." | thCught. 'one Of the doctors
assistants whom | have not happened
TO meet before bar 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 good night, had told me |
was the last up.
l naturally waited a moment for my
visitor to speak. expecting he would
apologize for the Intrusion, or, at any
rate. explain mis- presence. To my ut
ter surprise. however he stood perfect
ly ~motionless. fixed his eyes upon me,
and remained silent.
Whoever you are" ! thought. you
are n pretty cool customer and, feel
ing annoyed at what seemed 10 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 ut my strange visitor,
the truth seemed all at once to dawn
upon me--the man was mad.
| am not naturally nervous. hut l
III st confess to feeling something akin
to fear when discovered that | was
face to face with a mar who. for all /
knew. might be a dangerous lunatic.
My worst authorizations Were soon re-
allied. Without taking his eyes off
me he walked to the mantel and delib-
erately took up n large revolver which
the doctor always kept on hand in
case of n surprise, and which | knew TO
be loaded.
My unwelcome 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 mailman; to shout for
help might lie equally the signal for
him TO send a bullet through me; and
yet. / would rot stand still and be
shot like n rat in n hole.
Il must humor him." i thought.
land so gain time, as his absence must
soon be discovered"
My mind, however, was somewhat
relieved when he repeated, in the same
quiet tone of voice:
You play chess?'
1t was something, at any rate. TO
know that | was not TO be instantly
shot.
Yes" ! replied, in my most winning
amer. "Would you like a game!'
Without speaking, he sat down in
front of me, carefully placing the pistol
on the table near his right hand.
When the pieces were arranged he
looked mt me with n most diabolical
pxpresSion on his face. and said.