The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-03-12
TEACHES THEM TO
FEIGN MADNESS
Professor of Insanity, With
Access to Tombs, Coaches
Murderers.

NEW YORK, March IL William
Hooper Young, who has just been SEN
fenced for the murder of Mrs. Anna
Pulitzer, tried the "insane dodge" but
it would not work. Then he pleaded
guilty and was sent to prison for life.
Was he pupil of the College of In
sanity, the latest invention for the pro-
lection Of murderers from the just
punishment decreed by law?
Somewhere, either in the Tombs or
with access to it. there is a professor
of insanity, with murderers for his
scholars.
He teaches them to simulate the in
sane, to gibber like lunatics. to let
their boards grow, to gaze vacantly, to
twitch and twist their fingers and
moan, and otherwise play upon the
the feelings Of jury to obtain a COM
mutation of sentence or a commit
ment for insanity.
They are given drugs to produce
prison pallor. They appear in shabby
clothes when on trial. They let their
hair grow unkempt. They never wash
their faces. They use every means TO
deceive the insanity experts.
By these means many men in the
history Of criminal law in this city
have been sent to insane asylums
when they should have been hanged or
electrocuted.
The Tombs School Of Insanity had
it's inception in the trial of Ben Ali, or
ha hot In
the murder of Carrie Brown, commonly
called "Old Shakespeare" in 1891.
"Frenchy" was a craven, dissolute
foreigner, part Algerian, part thief
and wholly friendless. There are yet
grave doubts as to "Frenchy's" guilt.
The police were accused of planting"
him. But outside of all this was the
fact that mentally "Frenchy" was on
the borderland of insanity. He salaam-
ed fawningly. He was like a cur lock-
ed in a room and who cringes about
the feet of the first person who enters.
Although the evidence of sane men
went far to prove that "Frenchy' did
not commit the crime of which he was
found guilty, the value of his idiotfc
attitudes was not lost upon the shrewd
lawyers.
secret School Of Insanity" which now
exists. This was made evident in the
trial of Vincenzo Nino, a Neapolitan
barber, who murdered his wife in 1895.
On the day following his arrest he was
visited by a mysterious stranger.
Two or three weeks after the MUIR
der Nino developed symptoms Of in
sanity. He apparently lost all knowl-
Il nf I
ed and maundered and threatened his
keepers.
DR.. Charles L. Dana and DR.. C. H
Chetwood visited the Tombs and re-
hearsed the mock murder of Ninos
wife for the purpose of catching Nino
mapping.
A recording instrument was attach
ed to the prisoners wrist. The two
physicians took razors and run them
wildly across their own threats.
Then dummy was rugged up and
placed on the prisoners bed.
There is your wife," said DR.. Chef
wood; now show US how it was
done"
The prisoner seized a razor, sprang
upon the dummy and cut it to pieces
savagely with wild cries of rage.
registered a perfectly normal pulse.
Who had taught Nino to simulate in
sanity perfectly? The professor of in
sanity in the Tombs said the prosecu-
ton.
Dr. Robert Stafford Newton, one Of
the most prominent physicians in the
city, was employed by the district at
torney as an expert on Nino's insanity.
Nino had been placed in a cell apart
from all districting influences. DR..
Newton said regarding his discovery
Of the school of insanity in Nino's
case:
"At first Vicenzo exhibited none Of
the symptoms of insanity. He was
quiet, cool and not an unusual symp-
tom displayed itself for weeks. Then
this man (the teacher) began to call
and see him. He was supposed to be
distributing tracts from an Italian cross
society. In that way he had entrance
to the Tombs.
Suddenly a change came over vi
cenzo. He began to have fits of noisi-
ness. He would yell and even butt
his head against the bars of his cell.
But his fits of noisiness were almost