The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-05-05
MAGAZINE SECTION.
The
HAUTOVER
CASE

and surgeons. gathered at the home
OF colleague for the purpose of COM
Earring professional notes. sat down to
dinner. Though the conversation, orig
tnally intended to be strictly confined
TO medicine, soon became diverted by
"a chance remark of the host into the
channels of criminology and medicine
combined, one of their number, who for
some years had acted as resident ply
stefan in the state penitentiary, and
whose name was famous in penology,
ate in silence without apparent interest
in the subjects under discussion. He
had uttered scarcely word after en-
tering the dining room. This. taciturn-
fly on his part was not unusual. for he
was known by his colleagues to be of
q thinking rather than garTulous ma
ture, given 70 few words even on fes-
tive occasions. However, the host, Dr.
Roe. In order to draw him into the con-
lversation, finally turned to him and
said:
did you hear that, Furnival1? Ger
IRISH says all criminals are insane?''
DIR. Furnivan raised his head slowly
end looked across the table at DIR. Ger
lrish
When did you find that outF" he
asked.
'What?' came in chorus from all
sides. And Dr. Roe continued: You
don't mean to say you subscribe TO
THAR
Furnivail raised his eyebrows and
waved his hand in mock depreciation.
In appearance he was an ordinary man,
rather good looking, of middle age. He
wore beard, which was streaked with
gray, and the only thing about him
that seemed noticeable was his eyes.
These In repose were ordinary enough,
too. at first glance But a closer ac-
quaintance with them disclosed a sin
gular quality, which one would begin
TO describe as color and end by declar-
ing to be a fascination of depth. Look
ing steadily into them was like stand
ing on a precipice and gazing over till
the impulse comes to plunge down.
Blue. of a very dark limpid tone, one
would say they were on a casual view.
but blue that fiickered and waved
under observation between blue and
dark gray, suddenly flaming to a fixed
and powerful black, which seemed 10
bore into ones very soul, and yet at
the same time resemble a bottomless
well into which ii would be the most
pleasing and natural thing in the world
for one 10 jump and carelessly sink.
Despite the fact that they lacked any
suggestions of wildEess, and that the
whites were no more than normally in
evidence, a truo- psychologist would rec
oenize these singular eyes as most pc
Culiarly adapted to the use of hypno-
tism. They had, however, never been
put 10 these uses. as far as the doctors
friends were aware.
With the lifting of his brows and the
waving of his hand, DR.. FurnivalI said:
Gentlemen, the question is one large
Jy of Technology. What is insanity
And I suppose. Gerrish means that ev-
cry criminal IS insane, for the moment
at least, or he would rever commit the
crime. Probably we would say that
Insanity is a state of mind which i'm
pels a person to do what no sane per-
son would do: but that doesn't seem to
help us much. 1t resolves itself, on
ore side. into a matter of observance
or non- observance of custom. He who
does a little different from the majority
Is called a crank, or eccentric; If he
acts greatly different he is foolish, or
demented, or odd. or orazed, or insane,
and so forth Now the ordinary man
does not, for example default and run
away with the funds Of a bank. even
when he has chance to do so. He who
does so is therefore not ordinary. May
be he is only a fool without sense
enough TO know how small are his
chances for escape Maybe he is IN
sane. But call him what you will, his
IS not the normal mind"
At THIS dllOluef went up.
But circumstances. How are YOU
going to leave them out? Wouldn't
circumstances force. sometimes, even
a normal person.
Furnivall again waved his hand as
If the question were trivial.
"A mans circumstances are the man
himself; are part of him. Circum-
<staEces do not force him: he forces
them. He makes them. An absolutely
h1,
even by the thumb screws of the In
QUESTION, any more than he could, on
the physical side, be made to lift ton
with his hands. Temptation, like mus
cular strength, does not lie without; It
lies within. What a man is, is what
puts him in his circumstances. I win
even venture to assert that a thorough
ly wise person could, If it were possible
for him to know all the circumstances
surrounding any man. work back 10 the
discovery of that mans very mind and
soul. and from that basis work forward
and predict every thought and act of
his future life.''
At this the table burst into a roar of
derisive, good-humored laughter, and
Gerrish said:
You ought to have been a detective.
old man. As nothing but a physician
and penologist with few letters after
@iiS 1OO waste anu MOST reckless
" squander a talent that should be nut
to some real use In the world"
ON" answered Furnivall, in the
midst Of laughter over this brilliant
sarcasm, you forget that 1 am not a
wise man. 1t is only the wise who could
work this miracle. And, further, was
there ever a man whose circumstances
could be all known. however simple
they might seem, by any other man ?
] think not. StiIl, there are undoubted-
~ many cases in which one could learn
a sufficient number OF facts to Indicate
with certainty"
At this instant the door was thrown
violently open and man came whsrl-
ing IN, locked in a fierce mutual en-
brace with the butler
Help, help, sir-he's crazy. He's
choking mer' gasped the servant
Let me In, theni Curse you, I tell
you it's life or death with mel"
With last spasmodic heave he threw |
the butler against the wall and rushed
up 70 DR.. Furnivall.
jack exclaimed the doctor What
the dew"