The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-18
SHE MURDERED FOR PLEASURE.

One of the strangest cases that ever
came under the notice of New Eng
land alienists and pathologists is that
of Jane Toppan, which will be refer
red to in medical circles and writings
for years to come Miss Toppan was
a trained nurse in hospital at Barn
stable, Mass. This hospital was pa
tronized by the leading physicians and
families of Cambridge, Somerville and
popular nurse in it. She was good
looking, strong, nervy, of even tempera-
ment and charming manners. She was
intellectual and educated above the
average. She knew enough about medi-
cine surgery and chemistry to be con-
sidered a most valuable aid to the
physician. And in the sick room she
was the personification of gentleness,
sympathy and anxiety for the we'll
being of the patient confided to her
care. So excellent a reputation did she
have that she was always in demand
by either doctors or patients.
And yet little more than two years
ago Miss Toppan startled the profess
sion and the community in which she
lived by confessing that she was an
improper person to remain at liberty
She asserted. and gave minute de-
tails to prove, that during her ten
years service in the hospital she had
poisoned thirty-one patients that had
fallen under her care. SO that they
died! Some of these patients were her
personal friends: but she killed them,
nevertheless. She made an exhaustive
before making her confession, and gave
the hospital doctors a diagnosis of It,
which they found to be correct. But
her prognosis turned out to be wrong.
She thought that being put under re-
straint and undergoing treatment for
a year or two would restore her to a
normal condition. Certain alienists
who examined her predicted otherwise.
They said a physical and mental col
lapse would eventuate before a great
while And what they foretold has
come true. Miss Toppan is said to be
now a helpless imbecile, driveling in
the Taunton Insane Aslum, to which
she was committed following her con-
| fession. There is said to be no hope
for her, and only merciful death can
intervene to take her out of an ex-
istence that is worse than death.
In her confession Miss Toppan told
the physician that she killed for the
| IT. n
mnistering poison to her victims and
watching them sink gradually towards
death. She used certain subtle drugs,
which she injected into her patients
| hypodermically, and when the drugs
began to take effect on them she was
seized with paroxysms of supremest
physical ecstacy. When one of these
paroxysms passed off she would feel
sorry for the victim and try to nurse
him or her back to health. Then the
old craving would come over her
again. and she would dose the help
less patient afresh. This would con-
tinue for a greater or less length of
time. until death finally removed the
helpless victim of a misplaced conf
dence and a horribly perverted sensuali-
| ~. Miss Toppan said she felt no re-
morse because of her many murders,
since she had derived only pleasure
from them. which was one reason that
impelled her to make her confession.
She knew that a normal person would
have suffered from remorse As. no
such emotion moved her, she was sat
ished that she was not normal and
therefore ought to be deprived Of her
liberty, and the opportunity to do
further harm. 1t was. therefore. upon
her own motion that she was ex-
amlned and placed in the asylum. It
having been held by commission of
experts that she was morally irrespon-
sible. Otherwise. she might have gone
on nursing and poisoning. since Il
seems she had not been previously
suspected, so cunningiy had she con-
cealed what she had been doing.