The Savannah morning news., 1904-01-21
THREE ADJUDGED
INSANE IN A DAY
PlTIABLE MENTAL WRECKS.
ONE BELIEVED HE HAD MISSION
TO KILL FIVE PEOPLE.

Another Was Like an AutOmatom,
Never Changing His Position or
Desisting from n Task Until He
WINS TOld-Was Allowed to Work
Around the Hospital Until He
Tried to Clean 1t Out with n
His Own Case, and Warned the
Jury Not to Set Him Free if He
Were Crazy.
Hardly ever does it fall to the lot of
a Judge of the Ordinarys Court to go
through the trying odeal of conduct
ing three trials of insanity cases in
one day, but this was what was done
yesterday by Judge McAlpin at the
Chat Jail when three pitiful OBJ
jects were adjudged in an unfit mHntal
state to be allowed their freedom.
There was no question as to the in
sanity of the men, two of whom were
white and one colored. The most re-
markable case was that of the colored
man, w. wilmington.
Wilmington was a patient at the
Georgia Infirmary for about three
months, when he grew so violent that
he was incarcerated on a warrant of
lunacy sworn out by DR.. j. Weichsel-
baum, physician in charge of the hos
pital. When first confined his symp-
toms were very much like those of a
person in a stupor. When placed in
bed on his side he would lay in that
position all day, and if changed to his
back he would not move. After several
days treatment there seemed to be
no change in his condition and as he
was otherwise apparently well he was
brought out on the porch and placed
in chair. In whatever position he
was placed he would remain the whole
day. The authorities at the hospital
began to notice that he would con-
tinue to do whatever they told him. FL
nally to give him a little exercise he
The authorities were nom
plussed to find that he con-
tinued to cut all day long. They even
tried him on scrubbing, but only to
find the same result. They continued
to treat him until recently when he
developed violent symptoms and just
before removing him to the Jail he at
tempted to clean out the hospital with
a chair.
Strange HaIIucinatiOn of n Creek.
Vasilious Kermidas was also adj
judged insane. Keramidas is a Greek,
who recently caused considerable ex-
element by shooting at two colored
women on West Broad street, for
which he was committed to
Jail. During his incarceration war
L.
Peter Barbour, a friend of Keramidas.
The testimony of witnesses
showed that during the Spanish
American War some one struck Kera-
midas upon the head with brass
knucks, the effect of which made him
forgetful and at times act queer. His
condition seemed to get worse after
the blow received in the head until
finally he began to alarm his friends
by his neglect of business and other
peculiarities. He had hallucinations
that he had to kill two people here as
he had already slain three in New
York and had to count up to five.
When asked why he shot at the two
women on West Broad street he re-
piled:
Just so. Because I wanted to-"
In describing the shooting he said
the bullet was 14-karat, made of gold.
Ed. MasOn's IitifuI Case.
Edward Mason was sent to the SAM
tarium at Milledgeville a little more
than year ago, but was, after some
months treatment, turned out again
He has no family here, but during his
first affection he was taken care of by
friends who were interested in him.
Since his return from the asylum
the first intimation his friends had of
his presence in the city was a tele-
phone message to go out to the Sa-
vannah Hospital, where they would
find him, as he was about to undergo
an operation. No trace of him was
found, and after several days
he was heard from at
Charleston, S. c., from whence he
| wrote, stating that he would have the
operation performed there. Inquiry at
Charleston failed to locate him, and
no more was heard from him until
Monday last, when he was heard of
again. This time some one had seen him
in a yard in the western part of the
city, where his actions were so strange
! and queer that they decided, after first
having long talk with him, to again
have him arrested on a charge of lun-
| acy.
Since his Incarceration, three meals
day was sent to him from nearby
| restaurant, furnished by the friends
who had been looking after him dur
ing all of his trouble.
When the meals were given him, he
would throw them on the floor of his
cell and on his hands and knees lick
them up like a dog.