Washington sentinel., 1899-03-04
Inherited Instincts.
CasseHs Satayaay LonrnaL.

trio testators, but the strangest
legacies in The world are those On
which no duty is paid, and with
which the lawyers have nothing to
do. These are the quaint personal
habits and peculiarlties which a
person inherits from his ancestors.
A little over two years ago an
Austrian nobleman committed sui
eide in Budapesth while under ar
rest on the charge oipilfering from
jewelers. counter. A strange
story was unfolded to the lawyers
who wound up the Counts affairs
after the inquest, which went to
show that the culprit was merely
the victim of mania which he had
inherited. His great-grandfather
was a confirmed kleptomaniac,
and as the founder OF the family he
had bequeathed a considerable
fortune, but with it he had also be-
queathed the terrible malady with
which he himself was afflicted. His
son was tor years eXiled from soci
ETY. for pilterIng in the royal pal
ace, one Of his grlndsons fell into
similar disgrace, and Count -
came to the end mentioned above.
Another remarkable instance OF
hereditary taInt the writer can
record in the case OF an office boy,
who had quite a genius for imItat-
ing signatures. One day the
cashier sent him to the bank TO
cash a cheque tor IS. A day or
two afterwards the lad cashed an
other cheque, and thIs time it was
one he had written himself. When
the deficiency in the accounts was
discovered, the forged cheque
came up tor examination, but so
perfect was the i'm tation that both
cashier and principal declared at
first that the signatures were gen
uine. 1t was afterwards learned
that the lad was the grandson OF
one Of the most noted torgers OF
modern times, but this terrible fact
had never been made known to
him. He had taken to forgery
owing simply to his own inherited
instinct.
such a thing as an unquencha-
BILE thirst has been known to de-
scend in families from generation
to generation with the utmost reg
ularity. Less than month ago a
near relation OF the present writer
was released from a home for in
ebriates declared to be incurable.
One Of bis ancestors left a consid-
cradle fortune to his children, but
he had also bequeathed a craving
for strong drink, For three gen
srationS now some member OF the
family has been notorious as a
topper in the town in which they
have lived, and, although the pres
ent heir to this singular legacy is
man of position and education,
no means yet devised can keep him
from the temptation.
The strangest instance Of hered-
itary instinct, however, which the
writer has been able to gather is
vouched for by the South Ameri.
can Consul oil a Yorkshire town,
Many years ago, while staying in
San Salvador, in Brazil, with an
English merchant who resided
there, he noticed a very strange
peculiarly of his host. 1t was the
latter's habit to rise puuctually at
six o'clock; but at four o'clock
every morning he got out oil bed,
made a cup OF strong tea with
materials he had ready, then went
to bed again to sleep until six. For
years he indulged in this habit, and
he declared that il he missed he
could neither get his full nights
rest nor perform his quantum oil
work for the day. Last year the
Consul was again in San Salvador
and stayed some days with the son
Of his old friend the English mer-
chant. To his unbounded sur
prises he lound the son possessed
the same peculiar habit bis father
INDUCED in years before, the only
difference being that he was an
hour later. Every m rnlng he
brewed his cup Of tea at five O. clock
and. after going to sleep again tor
a while, rose punctuallY at seven.
On being informed Of his fathers
habit, the young merchant was
astounded, and he positively de-
clared he had never heard Of It
before, and that the habit was
prompted purely by his own in
stinct, A circumstance which
strongly bears out this statement
is tn fact that his father died when
the son was very young, and it is
very unlikely that his mother
would have taught him the habit.