Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1915-11-24
An Incident
OF Heredity
By DWIGHT NORWOOD


proposing marriage to a lady in whose
family there are traces Of insanity. Do
you consider me justified in marrying
her under the circumstancesY
Not II the insanity is hereditary.
There is great difference between in
sanity from a temporary cause and
from an organic trouble that may be
transmitted from parent to child. do
not consider that any one suffering
from an ailment which is hereditary
has right to marry. Your question
suggests story involving case which
came within my professional expert
ence.
"One day young man named Sever
ance came to consult me as to case
similar to yours. He had recently been
married and all had gone happily till
one day Oh returning to his home from
business he found his wife lying on the
bed indisposed. She seemed drowsy,
and. suggesting that she try to get a
nap. he took the evening paper to a
window and sat down to read.
Presently he heard her tossing
about on the bed and, looking at her
from his paper. saw that, though
asleep or at least doing. there was an
undulatory motion about her that sug-
gested the movement Of a snake. He
had awakened her and asked her II
she had not been dreaming. but she
said she had not been conscious during
her nap and felt much better for 1t.
Nevertheless the young husband
seemed to me to have been much
shocked at what he had seen. Were
1t not for this would have concluded
that what he had seen was the work
Ing Of his wife's nerves uncontrolled
during slumber. gave him this cause
in order to reassure him, but 1t did not.
However. since l could give him no
other comfort, he left me, much de-
jected.
Not long after his visit, taking up
newspaper. saw notice that he had
left his house few days before and
had not been heard from since. The
police had been notified. and an alarm
had been sent out. Fears were enter
tanned that he had met with foul play.
since the day before his disappearance
he had drawn large sum of money
from his bank.
His visit to me. the story he told and
his depression led me to suspect that
he was suffering from some nervous
or mental trouble, and l inclined to
the belief that what he had told me
about his wife was a creation Of dis
eased brain. did not see how
would be justified In making known
my suspicious without mentioning the
cause. and that did not care to do.
Severance never turned up. and no
probable cause was ever given for his
disappearance When several years
had passed his wife gave him up for
dead. believing that he had been muir
dered for the money he had with him.
-Four years after his disappearance she
married again. and as fate would have
It her second husband was patient Of
mine. did not know that he was to
marry Mrs. Severance and l was sat
I8ucu tudt udu hOt Aho Il H. CSN0ucS
/ should have been troubled az to what
I should do In the matter. for l was
undecided what to attribute her frst
husbands disappearance to.
Within a few months after my pa
Embellishments he came
into my Office one day with a wild
look In his eyes and told me story SIM
liar to the one Severance had told me-
He had had a disagreement with his
wife. during which she had become
very much excited. During the vitu-
perations she had hurled at him her
eyes had glittered like those of an an
cry serpent. Her appearance during
the trouble had made such horrible
impression upon him that he was
afraid he would lose his mind. He
asked me to give him sedative.
Here was worse complication for
me than Severance had brought me.
for was not sure whether Sever
ance's experience had been an halluci
nation occasioned by a disordered brain
or had been caused by some peculiar
condition In his life. But l dared
not tell Hammond this, for 1t would be
sure to make wreck Of him. had
no recourse but to say to him that he
must have been suffering from some
nervous weakness. Instead OF giving
him a drug l advised him to go on
trip. but on no account to take his
wife with him.
He took my advice as to the trip but
never returned from It. News OF his
having fallen over precipice in Swift
zerland was sent to her over the ocean.
but ] have always suspected that he
arranged for its transmission himself.
One thing confirmed this suspicion:
his body was never found.
Two years after having become
hypothetical double widow the lady IN
this case died. I confess ] was re-
lieved. There was now no further
chance Of any more Of my clients mar
rying her. Soon after her death made
some Investigations as to her case
through the physician who attended