The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-07-22
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF cRANl<s
By Frederic j. Haskin.

C j. Haskin. B
s,,sz:soe1eoers1e1e1e1eure1a
sailant followed him from one piace
to another, carefully meciat1ng ass
attack. GarfeId's murderer went
down to the foot of Seventh street
| the morning before the murder,
placed stick in the muu by the river
and practiced shooting at it in order
to be sure of his aim. Both men be-
lieved that they were carrying out the
will of God. and riskiEg tne:r ow-
lives for their country. Booth, the
slayer of Lincoln. was also Of the mat
told type. The conditions growing out
| of the war had excited MN to the
poift of-fixing the blame upon one
person, whose death, to his de1uded
mind, would revenge the slaughter OF
the battlefelds and the losses or inc
South.
Think They are justified.
| The assassin of Mayor Carter Far
rison. of Chicago, before the close OIL
the worlds fair. claimed that he was
justified in his action, as did a.so
the man who attempted TO take the
life of Mayor Gaynor,o of New YORK. =
man who had suffered loss through
investments in railroad stocks under
the control OF Jay Gould, believed
himself justified in concealing his
identity and entering the employ of
the Gould household as put1er m
their Hudson river home In order
that he might kill the railroad mag
nate. For three months he was q
quiet. efficient servant, showing Us
usual facility in the performance of
duties absolutely new to him But,
when the time came for hts a.sefnp,-
ed assassination, as the millionaire
lay resting in a private room. he
slipped upon the floor ana feif pros
trate across the form or HIS intended
victim, the sharpened fruit knife with
which he had intended to KILL falling
from his hand. Goutd:s quick nerve
enabled him to promptly grapple with
the man. He was quietly disposed of
IN a private sanitarium, I'm order that
no publicity might be given to the
affair. -
Mattoids are usually of a quiet de-
meanor. frequently students, and are.
therefore, unsuspected until after
lnelf crime is accomplished Their
mentality is normal. save upon one
point. In this respect they difer nor
ably from lunatics, who are restless
and unable to follow an continued
course of action aside from those In
dfcated by their manias. The contin-
uous attendance of secret service men
was most distasteful to Prestden,
roosevelt during his .erm m the
White house. Yet their vigilance
doubtless prevented attacks upon his
person by seemingly karm.ess 1ndf-
vlduals who presented ya:r:y papa
bic excuses for personal interviews
with him. Every mil1ioaaire recoz-
nlzes the fact that the crank or mat
tod, 1s his greatest menace. Even
the well-organized body guard, such
as maintained around John ID. Rocke-
teller around his country home. some
times fail to detect the menace of a
visitor who at first appearance seems
harmless enough.
Wall Street in Panic.
The attempt upon the life of Rus
sci sage In his own of1ce threw Wall
street into a panic of terror for a few
days. Since then. the entrance to the
Office of great dnancier has been
closed to many persons VINO wouIu
have been admitted. but for the fear
that an unknown visitor may turn out
a crank" of murderous intent.
Dr.eMacDonald claims that the first
step toward overcoming this danger
is better understanding of the sub
iect-that is.lof the mattofd himseil~
The Russian government has al
ready acted upon a suggestion or Er.
MacDona1d's, and has expended near
~ million roubles on RAreau m
connection with its large prisons, In
which young men having :lad medical,
psychological and antnropoiog:cs.
training are permitted to study tho
inmates. This study includes tas
conditions and causes which lead to,
the commission OF an offense. 1t IS
believed that this study will be es-
pecially helpful in Russia, which has
been the scene of SO many political
crimes. most of which have oeeh due
to Dissatisfaction with prevailing con-
ditions. sss-i
The mattoid. or crank. is not al.
ways a criminal. He may even be a
genius of certain type. Edgar Al.
len Poe and Walt Wn:sman both exc
hibited many mattoid tendencies, ana
q considerable amount of literature
more or less eccentric IN character has
been produced by mattoids of various
types. Philomneste. the Belgian
Scientist, claims that all men of reai
genius believe themselves invested
with divine mission.
A Mild ForrS.
Ego mania is a mild form Of mat