The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-08-10
TESTING INSANITY
Two Suggestive Stories of
 Sudden Discovery.

These two stories of the unexpected
 determination, of insanity are taken
 from the Lives of the Lord C91ancel-
 lors.- The first is told by Lord Erslzine
 and the second by Lord Mansfield:
 T examined for the greater part of
 day, in this very place, an un-
 fortunate gentleman, who -had indicted a most affectionate brother, together
 with the keeper of a madhouse at Hox-
 ton, for having imprisoned him as a
 lunatic. while, according to his own
 evidence, he was in his perfect senses.
 l was unfortunately. not instructed in
 what his lunacy consisted, although
 my instructions left me no doubt of
 the fact but not having the clue, he completely foiled me in every attempt
 to expose his infirmity. You may be-
 which long experience dictated, but
 without the smallest effect. The day
 was wasted, and the prosecutor, by the
 most affecting history of unmerited
 suffering, appeared to the judge and jury, and to a humane English audi [ence, as the victim of the most wanton
 and barbarous oppression. At last Dr.
 Sims came into court, who had been
 prevented by business from an earlier
 attendance. From him I learned that
 the person who, under my long exami-
 nation, had appeared to be so rational, intelligent and ill-used, believed him self to be the Lord and Saviour of
 mankind. not merely at the time of
 his confinement, which was alone nec-
 essary for my defense, but during the
 whole time he had been triumphing
 over every attempt to surprise him in
 the concea1ment of his disease. I then
 affected to lament the indecency of my
 ignorant examination-when he 5ex-
 pressed his forgiveness, and said, with
 the utmost gravity and emphasis, in
 the face of the whole court, I am the
 Christ-and so the cause ended"
 "A man of the name of Wood had
 indicted Dr. Munro for keeping him as prisoner when he was sane. He underwent most severe cross exa1ni- nation from the defendants counsel, without exposing his infirmity; but Dr. Battye having, come upon the bench by me, and having desired me to ask him what has become of the princess with whom he had corresponded in cherry-juice, he showed in a moment what he was He answered, that there was nothing at all in that, because, having been Gas everybody knew) inn prisoned in a high tower, and being debarred from the use of ink, he had
 no other means of correspondence, but by writing his letters in chefry-juice, and throwing them into the river which surrounded the tower where the princ cess received them in "a boat , There existed, of course no tower, no imprisonment, no writing in cherry
 juice. no river, no boat. no princess
 but the whole was the fnveterate pflan- tom of a morbid Imagination. I inn mediately directed pr. Munro to be
 acquitted. But this madman again in dicted Dr. Munro in the city of Lon don, through a part of which he had
 been carried to his place of confine-
 ment. Knowing that he had lost his cause by speaking of the princess at Westminster (Such is the wonderful subtelty of madmen)-when he was cross-examined on the trial in London, as he had successfully been before, in order to expose his madness, all the ingenuity of the bar and all the au- | thOrity of the court could not make
 him say a single syllable upon that topic which had put an end to the in | dictment before, although he stillf had | the same indelible impression upon his mind, as he signified to those who were near him; but, conscious that the de- | fusion had caused his former defeat, he obstinately persisted in holding it | back. His evidence at Westminster | was then proved against him by the | shorthand writer-aHd I again direct ed
 an acquittal.''