The Washington times., 1920-06-08
BOY SLAYER IS
"ENlCMA"
Ahenists Say McHenry Is
Bathing Puzzle Has
Split Personality"
MOODS CONTROL BOY
ny ARCHIBALD JAMESON.

He yawns frequently. His eyes
are rarely lifted. His shock OF
raven-black hair is combed as
Immediately as II he were ready
To go calling on his sweetheart.
He has the strong nerves of
youth.
John McHenry. whose trial for
murder opened In Justice Gould's
court yesterday. probably will re-
main an enigma for alienists,
crlminoLogists, and psycho-ansl
ysts to puzzle over until nature
herself yields the secret. IL ever.
Is his. mind ungeared, his NOR
al nature vacuum? IL so, some
hint OF the strange void should be
reflected in his face. his general
being. But such signals are elu-
siva
Mack Falls OecasionaIIy.
The boy seems superficiaIIy to
be Just natural" But the mask
drops every now and then In the
court room. when a curious pinch
ed wistfulness fits across his
face. and a half-scared, "jumpy"
child mind Is caught off guard.
An alienist gave a snapshot
OF McHenry yesterday IN the
court room.
He seems to be all negation."
he said. His mind Is ingrow-
ing. turned from the normal out
ward thrust. His face has a
touch OF the, liveliness OF youth:
1t bears no scars from the raw
ages OF fear. or terror. or even
ccmpunction for his crime. He
has nothing to fear from his
nerves or his conscience, and IL
would be difficult to make him
grasp either the enormity Of his
crime or the certainty OF his
\ punishment. When the mind
grows callous as prematurely as
his has. II is a pretty forlorn case
for even the hope OF reform"
Young McHenry has deep-set
brown eyes. heavily lashed; a
rather heavy set. immobile
mouth: high cheek bones, and a
regular old = fashioned "snub
nose" The contour of his head
is hidden beneath a luxuriant
growth Of tet-black hair.
The chin Is not of the receding
type, but rather nat and square.
According to one authority. this
indicates vanity and selfishness,
extreme cold d-heartedness. His
lips are thick. showing sensuality.
His nose Is of the pronounced
''snub" type, generally taken to
mean the possession of strong
imagination force and backing
and energy. In McHenry's case
IT seems clear to alienists that
his imagination and his sense OF
the dramatic have nothing behind
them save a stunted, precocious
love of the limelight. ana that the
vivacity of the mind hoo been
perverted.
Forehead Ii Square.
The boy slayer's forehead is not
receding, but square, and under
normal conditions this would in
dicate something more than ex-
treme tenacity Of will and stub
borness. In the presence Of an
undeveloped mentality whatever
will power is portrayed in a strong
forehead would probably be d.
verted to sinister practices.
"All of the symptoms Of posi-
BILE arrangement or degeneracy
are partially counteracted by the
boy nature that must constantly
break out" said the alienist. Not
all the troubles in the world can
conquer the boy nature in this
strange youth. He smiles just
like any other kid If you should
turn him loose playing baseball
or any other game he would be
just like any other boy. There Is
nothing hard about his face, no
CLINT Of cruelty.
Internationally McHenry's is q
case of split personality. His
will power, strong in certain
aspects. has no central function
ing, but becomes the mere en-
gine Of a mood or q passion. He
learned at an early age all the
arts of assembling and hypoc-
risy. This might be due to an
unfavorable environment or to
certain inherited tendencies; in
either event, they are the control
ing elements in his makeup.
What scientists term the 'inhibi-
tive powers seems entirely alb
desires, whatever his mind turns
to, he must have; he can be
scared out of Immediate realiza-
tion of his desire only by fear
or by actual physical repression.
Undoubtedly, also, the masking
and concealing of HIS real mind
and his real thoughts have de-
veloped to the point of degen-
eracy with him. He takes morbid,
glittering delight in 'fooling peo-
ple.' He is not merely self
conscious; he mirrors himself as
he tries to appear to other people
In anything he does.
Scarcely "knows Hinself.,
Therefore. IL Is hard to say
that he shows criminal degeper-
acy in the positive sense. His
personality is so entirely OF the
split type that II would be diff
cult for the boy to know himself
from day 40 day"
This Is the strange little human
derelict that is lighting the world
In the trial before Justice Gould.
John McHenry will go down in
the criminal annals OF the District
as its most bsffling case, regard
less OF the outcome OF the
tragedy.
COURT UPH0LDS RAILROAD