The times., 1898-10-02

skull For months he hOvered on the
brink, but eventually recovered his
health. For a year nobody suspected
that his mind had gone wrong, but in
time his actions became marked and it
was hinted that Collier was insane.
This erratic lawyer appeared in court
one day and acted so strangely that a
judge, an old friend, called him aside
and advised him TO take a vacation and
a rest. Collier laughed at the judge, and
inquired: Did you fellows only now find
out that 1 am crazy? Why, I have
known it ever since the night I was
struck on the head
'"Then Collier apparently loosened him
self from all restraint and became known
from one end of Chicago 10 the other as
the erratic lawyer People used the word
"erratic,'' thinking that Collier might be
sensitive on the subject, but the man
himself never hesitated to say he was
crazy"
He was harmless. Nobody ever heard
of him injuring a man, woman, or child.
His actions seemed rather 10 be in the
nature of practical jokes. He took trink-
cts from strangers, always asked chance
acquaintances to buy him cigars or beer,
and to those who did not know him ap-
peared to be poverty stricken. He was
rich, however, and up TO this time no
step had been taken 10 conserve his
property interests for his wife and chill
dren.
Then came another phase of his mala-
dy, which, by the way. had been diagnos-
ed as circular insanity He purchased
farms and stocked them with blooded
horses. Occasionally he would hitch up
ten horses tandem, and, decked in the
most gorgeous garb would startle Chi
cago by trying TO drive his big team
down some avenue.
"At length his friends interfered and
Collier was taken in hand. The probate
court took what was left of his fortune.
and the unfortunate lawyer was placed
in Jefferson Insane Asylum. He enjoyed
his incarceration for a time and made
life very lively for his attendants and
the other inmates of the place. But the
confinement finally grew irksome and
| Collier set afoot plans for his release. At
| last the case came up in court and a re-
markable trial was the result.
Collier conducted his own defense and
| met every contention put forward by the
medical and legal authorities. Men of
! world renown in diseases of the brain
were made to look ridiculous by q man
! who was palpably insane. Lawyers skill
| ed in cross-eXamination were rendered
weaponleSs by the erratic lawyer. They
| were unable TO eaten him. and in the end
/ all were forced TO admit that Collier was
| insane. but that legally he had proved
himself sane. In fact, Collier was the
loudest in proclaiming his insanity, but
| he added that he merely wanted 10 prove
| how worthless expert testimony really is
when it is confronted by actualities in
| stead of hypothetical cases. So he was
! discharged.
"Three or four times since he has been
arrested and examined briefly, but his
shrewdnesS was such that no experts
| cared to measure swords with him after
| the experience they had in the famous
! trial, and so he has been allowed to do
| just about as he pleased. AS he was en-
| tirely harmless he was let alone.
| Collier disappeared two years ago. No
! body could find him or hear of him. One
/ day 1t was announced that he had retired
to one of his farms and was really re-