The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-06-22
JEWELL HYDE BOY
SENT TO THE ASYLUM
Honest Younster Made a Thief
Through an Injury to His
Brain.

SOMERV1LLE, n. j., June ga
Jekyll-and-Hyde at seventeen years.
through no fault of his own. Willie
Miller has been taken from the cssln-
~ jail here to the State Insane Asylum
at Trenton, and sorrow was great
among the Raritan jewellers. who re-
membered him as a happy, honest boy
before blow transformed him into
a thief. He has dual personality.
ii seems clear.
Recently he was caught twice
stealing. and that was the first knowl-
edge his neighbors received OF the
amazing change in his nature due TO
an injury at baseball in a 7. NJ. G. a.
camp In Mexico. A commission Of
three physicians decided that he was
insane and that the asylum was the
beet place for him.
William Miller LIS the son OF Mrs.
Joseph Miller. of Rarttan, widow.
Her oldest son manages a candy fac
tory in Los Angeles. Cal.
No insanity in Family.
In her home Mrs. Miller told. with
brave attempt to keep back the
tears. the story of her sons injury and
the remarkable quality of nature that
Il caused.
II needn't tell you that all our peo-
pie have been honest and law abiding"
she began. Every one knows that.
There has never been any insanity.
among us so far back as I am able to
trace. Willie was like his father, full
OF kind thoughts. In school he was
good In everything but arithmetic. He
liked books and pictures and music.
MY older son had gone to Los An
geles and was successful out there.
Willie wanted to go and two years ago
he went. He was as bright as a dollar
when he went away, laughing and tell
Ing me what great things he was go
ing 10 do.
They brought him nome to me
few months ago a mental wreck. The
most i could get him to tell me was
that something had happened to him
when he was camping out Afterward
learned that he had gone into camp
with party of Y. M, c. A. young men
In Mexico amor~ the mountains. There
was some haxing. but I don't
any one wouIu injure him at that
I've heard he was playing ball one day
and that ball hit him on the side
OF the head. He fell to the ground and
was unconscious for long time.
Nothing was thought of 1t at the
Was Like q Little Child.
He seemed to be in q brown study
y.
but all that was gone. He did not
even seem TO realize he was home.
coul dnot understand 1t. The physi-
clan out in alifornia had told US Will
lie should be well nourished, but all
We could get him to eat was tapioca.
bread and milk and the things little
children like. He seemed to have
gone back to his babyhood.
He would lie for days on the
a n {vaxz d.
We tried to arouse his mind by read
ing the papers to him. Sometimes he
would brighten a little, but not for
long. He was just like a baby, a great
big boy, taller than l, with the de-
stres and mind of baby. doctor
who examined him asked me, Has
this boy ever been injured in the
head? Has he been hurt In any way
recently
camping out and / could not tell. The
doctor said It seemed to him that an
injury to the brain had turned Willie
back for about fifteen years.
Sudden Change for Better.
"One day. after weeks OF dullness,
my boy suddenly announced that he
was going to get up. dress and 60 out
He dressed carefully and went out
He walked up by the river through,
the country ana came IN with color
In his face and seemingly all right
again. After that he grew better
rapidly. 50 far as anyone could judge
from looking at him. But to me. his
mother. there was something peculiar
about him, though l could not say
just what.
Sometimes when heard his voice
felt n strange fear. could not
understand It. He was kind and good
to every one most OF the time, bnt
sometimes his face would cloud and
he would become moody, even cross
"A new idea got into his mind. He
wanted to be a soldier. Then he
wanted to 60 into the navy. have
brother-in-law In New York. and
we thought to change Willie's mind
by letting him 60 up to the city.
He went. A few days afterward he
started home. At Elizabeth he misc
ed the last train and started to walk
AT . o'clock the next morning he
walked into the ticket once OF the
Roselle railway station when the
agent was out fora minute. While
was picking up tickets by the hand
full when the agent returned. Ny
boy made no attempt "a. got away.
The newt day In jail hs woulf not
believo II when told he had tried -
rob thu stattoas Whan ~ dnally
cpnSinee1 ~ NJ ntoe1 11oo -