The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-05-25
JEKYLL-HYDE BOY
OF II IS INSANE
Thoroughly Honest, He Was Turned
Into Thief by Injury To Brain
Inflicted by Baseball.

NEW YORK, May ga Jeykll-
and-Hyde at II years, through no fault
of his own. Willie Miller was taken
from the county jail in Somerville, y.
J.. to the state insane asylum at Iren-
ton, and sorrow was great among ia
ritan dwellers, who remembered him
as a happy. honest boy before oio"
transformed him into thief. he mas
dual personality, II seems clear.
Recently he was caught twice steal
ing. and that was the first knowledge
his neighbors received OF the amazing
change in his nature due to an injury
at baseball in Y. NJ. c. A. camp In
Mexico 4 commission OF three physi-
clans decided that he was insane ana
that the asylum was the best place
for him.
William Miller Is the son Of Mrs. Jo-
seph Miller, of Raritan, widow her
Oldest son manages candy FACTORY IN
Los Angeles, Cal. Another son and
daughter live with the mother. Inc
| father Is eminently respectable.
Little Willie Miller was one or the
best boys this town had" said neigh
Dor. He was healthy and happy and
kindEearted. He'd run errands for
| US ali without any reward. He was
honest from the ground up.
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 duality OF nature
that II caused.
, 81 needn't tell you that all our peo-
ple have been honest and law-aold-
ing" she began. Every one knows
that. There has never been any IN
sanity among us so far back as | am
able to trace. Willie was like his
father. full Of kind thoughts and al
ways doing little acts of kindness. In
school he was good in everything but
arithmetic. He liked books and pic
lures and music.
"Iy 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
dollar when he went away, Laughing
and telling me what great things he
was going to do.
They brought him home to me
few months ago a mental wreck. The
most / 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 a party of Y. NJ. G. A. young
men I'm Mexico among the mountains.
There was some hazing, but don't
think any one would lnjure him at
he nj
one day and that ball hit him on the
side Of the head. He fell to the
ground and was unconscious for a
long time.
Nothing was thought Of It at the
time. but after awhile he grew III and
my elder son sent him back to US.
Was Like a Little held.
He seemed TO be in a brown study
all the time. He used TO be merry, but
all that was gone He did not even
seem to realize he was home. | could
not understand it. The physician out
In California had told us Willie 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
MS DdDy
HE would lie for days on the
couch. taking 10 interest in anything.
We tried 20 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.
great big boy taller than l. with the
desires and mind Of a baby. A doctor
who examined him asked me. Has
this boy ever been injured in the
head? Has he been hurt in any way
recently
Il did not then know about the
camping out and I could not tell The
doctor said II seemed TO him that
an injury to the brain had turned
While back FOR about IS years"
Dr. John p. Heck said there was no
doubt that the boy had been insane a
long time. DR.. Nixon said that n
blow from a ball might easily havs
affected the brain.
II knew his sather before him" said
DR.. Nixon. There never was any
crime or insanity in the family"
Children Cry