Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-30
MANIACAL CUNNING
SHOWN BY MEN BENT ON SELF
DESTRUCTION.
Constant Surveillance and the Closest
Attention is Often Thwarted by
These Lunatics.
From the Chicago Trihnne

From the Chicago Tribune
A Iunatic bent on self-destruction is the
most cunning, crafty human being in ex-
istence The mind of the normal man is
no match for the unbalanced person who
has determined to commit suicide. To pre-
vent seif-destruction on the part of luna
tics thus determined has been life study
on the part Of noted alienists, but no sat-
isfactory results ever were obtained.
The difficulty Of watching all the gates
through which it would be possible for an
insane person to take his life was illus
trated not long ago in a Massachusetts,
asylum, where an elderly woman had been
sent with the distinct understanding that
her life could be saved only by the most
vigilant watching.
The patient was kept under constant sur
veillance. The suspect did not object, but
she watched and waited. One afternoon
the nurse left her alone moment in the
custody Of one of the TRUSTEES woman
solutely trustworthy. The nurse had been
gone but a few moments when number
OF piercing cries were heard.
Incites Nurse to Murder.
Rushing back, she found her patient dead
and the "trusty' standing over her with a
Ratchet.
Did you hear the names she called me?"
shouted the "trusty," shaking her weapon
in the air.
The cunning lunatic bad accomplished
her purpose by insulting the "trusty' and
haunting her until her own half-crazed
mind gave way and she turned to punish
her insulter with the first weapon she
could find.
Crazy King Ludwig of Bavaria grinned
triumphantly when his cuStodians consent
ed to let him take a stroll through the
park under escort of an athletic physician.
That park bordered upon deep lake, and
even the patron of Richard Wagner had
brains enough left to know that good
swimmer risks to be drowned by an awk-
ward friend, and that the best swimmer
must perish in the clutch of foe deter
mined to sink.
When the attainment OF their hxed pur.
pose is at stake lunaticS are capable OF
battling suspicion by remarkably clever
combination games.
A patient in the model sanitarium at
Sonnenstein, near Dresden, Saxony, tried
all sorts of tricks to get hold of some iron
implement that could be used as a subst1-
tute for dirk knife, and finally founded
successful scheme on the circumstance
that such symptoms of fever as quick
pulse can be stimulated by any physical
effort.
Resorts to Subtle Subterfuge.
man need not run uphill with heavy
trunk to make his heart beat fast; clinching
the same purpose and the life weary Saxon
thus impressed his doctor with the peneI
that he had a feverish headache.
"Iet,s make the best of this chance and
have a glass of lemonade" he urged his
nurse and during her momentary absence
contrived to wrench off the stout wire that
formed the handle of his pail.
With the aid of a little stone he had pick
ed UP in the garden, and using his blanket
to muff1e the sound, he then ground one end
of the wire to a needle point and proceeded
to pierce his left side in all directions w men
they tried to awake him the next morning
they found his heart had stopped beating.
That Ice pail was ruined and had to be
flung away but it had answered the pur-
pose of curing his fever forever
At their own expense suicide MANAGES VII!
experiment with all sorts Of poiSons, and
the correspondent of medical journal re-
lates his experience with an incurable who
was taken sick about twice month In
manner that left no doubt about the cause
of his ailments.
Experiments With Poisons.
Fever, violent retching fits. a thick co-ted
tongue, indicated the agency of some viru-
lent substance, though the patient persisted
in making light of all those symptoms.
Just stomach trouble he would re-
mark between peeps at his photograph
album. Il had those spells ever since was
a youngster; got used TO them after a fash
ion; they don't bother me more than mt OF
hiccoughs.'
Pitting cunning against cunning, they got
UP a musical entertainment for his special
benefit and during his absence overhauled
his room in all crannies Eight different
bottles with as many different nonoescript
mixtures were thus picked from their hid
ing places. He had tried his luck with more
than one metallic oxide (verdigris, etc.,
with red ink, hartshorn and villanous
melange of curds and old meat scraps cork
ed up and left to ferment in the hope that
they would develop some sort of sausage
poison.
Repentance Often Feigned.
A fayorite trick of would be self-destroy
ers is feigned repentance.
"My surroundings were to blame, the
close guarded patient will inform his doctor.
''Uncongenial company drove me mad, but
in my present retreat 1 have found time for
reflection and come to the conclusion that
life is, after all, worth living. A little more
exercise might complete my cure. What
about your woodpile? And give me chance
TO make myself useful"
"Ye-es and get hold of sharp Az
thinks the medical expert, but, In duty
bound has to venture on tentative indul-
gences that are always apt to lead to mis-
chief.