The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-08-13
CAMPAIGN
FOR LUNACY LAW
John Armstrong Chaloncr
Becomes Interested
TO SPEND NJ
In Effort to Straiehten Out Crooked
Ways OF Lunacy Laws of United
States-BclicveS Thaw Now >au.
Man.

Alexandria. Va. Aug. l0.-I,hn
Armstrong Chaloner. master Of M.r-
~ Mills. who has been making his
home in Virginia since he escaped
from Bloomingdale Insane Asylum.
y. Y. is planning to inaugurat. q
ca for q national lunacy Nv.
Will Spend Every Dollar.
Outlining these plans. he issued =
statement here this evening which IS
in part as follows: When | was in
Bloom1ngdale. | made a Hannibal
oath hat l would spend every dollar
Of my income and every year Of my
life when l got out in Strengthening
out the rookie ways OF the lunacy
laws of the United. States. That oath
was made in the summer Of 1897 and
l am now about to make good hv
starting q national campaign in ton-
gres1 next session tor a national lun-
acI law throughout the United States
lust as there is a national b~ankrHut.v
law throughout the United States. 1t
may take me twenty years. IT may
take 200 years. l will eventually get
it. or the equivalent Of it. BY this,
mean good lunacy laws t~hrouuhoNt
the states by state legislation as d
result Of years Of agitation al the
national capital.
Il know how slow the public Is to
catch on to a necessary reform. |
know how hard congressman are t.
move. | state this to show that ! fully
understand what ! am ND AGAINST.
and ] am fully prepared to wear Con
gfeSs and the public out until MAKE
them ashamed of themselves for be
ing parties to such a damnable state
Of awlesSness. tyranny and
~ which is rife today in nearly %
per cent Of the states Of the nation.
Il have developed into a laW witt
er from the h--On-earth Of my sit
uation for the past fifteen Wears. [
found when [ set to work to draw my
brief that the condition of the lunacY
laws in about so per cent Of the Unit
ed states would be a DISGRACE L" the
Congo under the enlightened rule II
the late King Leopold Of Belgium. My
brief was pronounced the ~'encNclupt-
dia Of the-Aw of %lunacy" by one q
the best known lawyers in the United
states. That led me to publish the
brief as q law work. leaving out the
names Of the parties aSaisnt whom [
brought suit. and letting the Law re-
viewers suppose it was a fictitious suit
brought to show III the corruption in
lunacv laws. The plan worked entire
~ satisfactorily five Of the leading
law reviewers commenting most fay
orabN upon my work
Lunacy Law Sort OF HackWater
Alter citing extracts from thts.
opinions. Mr.. Chaloner proceedS:.The
lunacN law is a sort Of b~ackwater in
the entire realm Of law. No branch
Of law is so little Known. because it
IS 50 little used by the general public.
ana therefore by the general lawyers
ana general Judges. | have found that
the lunacy law is in a state Of anar-
chy-that word is not too strong
/ + n yn i, nI &c g
all of Europe.
After have instituted a reform
IN this country. / propose to carly the
~eiuSane INTO Europe. | have hopes,
.housh. that through the Hague on
ference perha ps, the torcf-of reform
may be carried throughout Europe
"lthout my personal effort, after I
nave gained sufficient headuav IN
ms country to bring the thing be-
iore the notice Of Europe. If DO
not succeed. my ghost will. BY this |
mean my ~reSlduary legatees. the Uni
lersltles Of Virginia and North Caro-
una which will be able through the
iuhus l give them to carry on this
educational work. l have seen 70 # IN
my Will that a certain sum Of money
IS set aside annually by said institu-
'lohS after they have obtained pos
session OF my estate for carving on
ms nSht until il is safe for a million
ARE TO take a trip to New York and
get pack with his money which he
can't do now"
. Harry Thaw Now Sane.
Discussing matters in general with
'he he"Spa per men. Mr.. ChaluDer
1ehtuTed the opinion that Harry
NAV was undoubtedly insane when
$ ne shot and killed Stanford. How
! ssei, ne neieves the youn Pitts
burger is in a rational state of mind
now. He believes Thaw was fnlIv inc
tlf1ed In killing White.
Mr. Chaloner has always enyinced
a strong interest in this case because
4 ol the tact that White was one Of the
eohspirators who railroaded hin,
off to Bloomingdale.