The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-11

Russell, referred to in the above letter. Is one of the most distinguished men in England. The youngest son of the late Lord Charles Russell. and a grandson of the sixth Duke of Bedford, he is re- | nowned alike as a former statesman and as an author possessing a wealth of Knowledge and grace of style poss- ply not surpassed by any English man of letters privy councillor and an L.I.. D. of St. Andrews, MT. Russell Is now 6S, and unbelievably young for his age. called on him, yesterday. at his house in Wilton street. close to fashionable Bel grave square and found him by n6 md>ns the person least interested In "The <, Strange Case of Dr. Minor."
 1 Your coming is really something of | coincidence,' said he, "as it was only last night that I posted ono of the newspaper resumes of your article to my friend, Reginald Smith, the head of the publishing firm of Smith, Elder | & Co.,. to whom I remarked some years ago. what wonderful short story the case of Dr. Minor would make. heard this story from the lips of Sir James Murray himself some eight or nine years ago, 1 believe I cam verify the date from my diary" (Mr. Russell's diary, which he has now kept for over | 50 years, is famous) "and immediately 1 thought of it as short story. I was particularly struck by the portion of
 
 civil war, but. as have no knowledge or military matters, did not feel equal to attempting to deal with it in the form of fiction"
 I then showed MT. Russell the let ter I had received from the reverend gentleman in Hampstead, whom he re- lmembered well.
 T think he has the wrong pig by sthe ear, however" remarked the ex- under secretary. T don't think that n.. ter's guest. Curiously enough never heard of pr. Minor during my term as under secretary of state for home af- fairs in spite of tho fact that I paid occasional visits to Broadmoor during that time. It was under my jurisdic-. l tion in way, but those really respon- sible for 1t were the local visiting committee, consisting chiefly of the local Justices of tho peace. of whom the late Mir. Walter was one. re- member quite well hearing of the un- l fortunate visit to Bearwood, which was instanced as showing the differ ent times aud circumstances under which homlcidal mania manifests it. self. but I do not think the hero of the episode could have been Dr. Minor. The first mention I over heard made to remark that the oueerest of them Murray told me his story. That was at an old boys dinner at Mill Hill school, of which the late, Lord Winter stoke, former student there. was such a generous patrons, and at which Sir James Murray was once a master. (Mr Russell later identified the date of the dinner as October 26. 190e.l Sir James, Story
 "I was seated beside Sir James Mur- ray, who began to tell mo about some of the queer fishes among his many correspondents and who then went on to remark that the queerts of them iall had tn "a m fa of Broadmoor, whose story he then told me. As he related 1t, however the early part of the tale assumed new significance. Dr. Minor. according to Sir James, Joined the army of the north in company with a bosom friend. It was that friend who. later on. either for cowardice or some other cause, was sentenced to be shot. and 1t was at this | execution of his dearest friend that Dr. Minor was obliged to preside and after wards to examine the body to mako certain that life was extinct Ever | after, Dr. Minor told Sir James, he | was haunted hourly by the reproach- ling apparition of his former friend, and 1t was this. he said. that drove him insane As a result, declared Sir James. the American was always In deadly fear of something behind him. This, as l say, was the story as Sir lJames Murray related 1t to me, and if I had set 1t down in the form of fic- l "A Romance of Friendship
 Sir James Murray explained Russell went on, that Dr. Minors first contrl- buttons to the Dictionary dealk entirely with English words which in America had acquired a different meaning, such, for example, as the word sick which. on your side of the water. of course means to be i'll in Any way, while hero we use it entirely to convey the iaoa e nausea. Sir James added that Dr. Min62 shrank from returning to the United | States. as. later on. he was perfectly at liberty to do There. he declared, he would become national Ahero,' that he would be interviewed and head lined and expected to tell, as he put it. the secrets of the bastile,' and this prospect appalled, | him
 ''The medical man who must have been superintendent of Broadmoor during pr. Minors time.'' added Mir Russell. 'is now dead His name was Dr. Nicholson. and it was of him that a rather amusing story use to be told. In passing may tell you that Broadmoor, as one ap- breaches it, does not at all convey the idea of prison. It much more resem- bles a college. mostly consisting of small cottages in which the inmates live. But now for the story. One day, 1t iD said. ,Dr. Nicholson was conducting a diutln- 1 guished visitor over the place and point ing out to him some of the most interest ing prisoners. In the last of tho cottages which they visited they saw two women of somewhat gaunt and severe appear lance, sitting at a tea table. After they had left the cottage the visitor remarked | thoughtfulfy I think those two lauo women we saw are the most awful look- ing of all. What crimes did they com mit?'"
 "Those?'" responded Dr. Nicholsou, oh, those are my wife and daughterrs