The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1902-03-04
VOLUNTARY LuNArlcs.
Persons who Have Elected to BE Coz
fined In AsylumH.

fined IN Asylums.
at will probably be shock to YOU
and to many others" said the super
intendent OF a well-known lunatic asy-
lum. Ito learn that there are scores.
and even hundreds. of people who
spend their lives within the walls of
madhouses who are every bit as sane
rs YOU or /. and the remarkable thing
is that many of them could be free to-
| morrow if they would.
I'm a certain asylum l know there
is to-day a gentlewoman who for more
than twenty years has voluntarily inn
INJURED herself as a lunatic and for all
| the sake OF love. When she was a
young and beautiful girl-one of the
most charming girls l ever saw In my
! life-she was engaged TO he married to
young doctor. who. unhappily devel-
| oped homicidal mania and had to be
confined in the asylum.
CAS- his mania was incurable and
there was no prospect Of marrying
him, the devoted girl. who was an or
| phan and an heiress. determined to
share his Imprisonment. and sought adj
mission to the asylum. where she leads
precisely the same life as the lunatics,
| so that she might see and meet him oc-
casionally and brighten his captivity a
little
I'm the same asylum there is an
other lady who might be at liberty
any day, for she is perfectly sane
Her reason for entering the asylum
was that she felt an unaccountable
| impulse to poison her husband. and
was so Mortified at the possibility that
she insisted on placing herself under
control. Her husband died many years
ago, but she has got so used to her
life in an asylum and shrinkS so much
from returning to the world and a pos
sible repetition of her fancied homici-
dal impulse that she elects to spend
the rest of her days in a madhouse.
Another inmate of the same asylum
is n clergyman, who few years ago
was Widely known for his eloquence
and zeal. Although he was and is a
very devout man, he declared that
whenever he was preaching he always
heard the devil prompting him to bias
pheme. No doubt it was a case of I'M
strung nerves but the fear of disgrace
ing himself before his congregation
so preyed on his mind that he deter
mined to give up his ministry and re-
tire from the world and temptation
within the walls of an asylum.
All this happened many years ago.
but, although the morbid fancy has
long left him, he prefers to remain
where he is, rather than return to
world where, as he says. he is forgot
ten, and where he might have to face
| the old trouble again.
Another asylum patient Of l may
cali him sol is a lawyer who was once
of some eminence in his profession.
He had an only son whom he almost
idolized, and when the boy developed
| symptoms OF insanity and it was neces-
sary to confine him, the father elected
to accompany him. and for years he
| has watched over him with n tender
ness that is very touching.
"Of course, in all these cases the
| patients are people of means. who can
afford to pay for being asylum inmates.
I'm another case a female patient.
when she had recovered her sanity. re-
| fused to leave the asylum. She had. II
appeared, fallen violently in love with
n handsome male patient, who is as
mad as a halter and. fear. always
will be, and as he could not accom-
pany her into freedom she preferred
to stay under the same roof with him.
There are also many sane patients
who, in spite Of the stringent laws
that regulate admission are sent there
| by relatives who wish to get them out
of the way. As you know. before
patient can be admitted to an asylum
he must he certified insane by two
medical men unconnectcd with asy-
lums.
THE medical profession. unfortunate
~. has it's share of black sheep. and
thus it happens that it is quite posi-
bic to procure two doctors who will
certify that man is insane even when
he is perhaps more sane than they are
l have known cases where quite n
dozen doctors have been tried before
the necessary certificate has been pro-
cured and where the potential patient
has been trapped in moments OF ex-
element deliberately brought on BY
those who seek to confne him. or
course this is not done on anything
like the same scale as formerly bur
that it con still be done, and often is
done l give YOU my word
Then, again. some of the men who
successfully plead insanity when
charged with murder arc really as sane
as the counsel who defend them. al
though the crime may doubtless have
been committed when I'm state of OK
element amounting TO temporary in
sanity.
IF there is any plausible ground for
concluding that q man was insane
when Inc committed the act both Judge
and jury are not slow to give the pris
oner the benefit OF any doubt there
may be and ne is committed to- an
asylum instead OF to the gallows. Many
Of these men spend the rest of their
lives under quite comfortable condi.
tons I'm Broadmoor. without showing
any recurrence Of the insanity that
sent them thcrc."-rit Bits.
The British Forged Picture Industry.
At Carlisle County Court. during
the hearing Of the case arising out OF