Singular Case Of Lunacy.
The Times, 1824-12-06T00:00:00

DJuripg the last week a comrnmission de Iunatico inquirendo was held at the Royal Alortar public.house, in Woolwich, the proceed- ings of which excited the utmost cuviositv. The subject of the in- quiry was one of the oldest farmers in tent, who is possessed of property te the value of between 30,0001. and 40.001. Dr. PHtLLI3SOoE, Alr. EVANCE, and Mr. WrtvTMonE pre. sided as Commispioners, and a highlyrespectable jury weresworni to decide upon the merits of the case. Mr. NOKES conducted the proceedings in behalf of the petitioner during the first day's inquiry, but Alr. BEAMES attended in the latter stage, and performned. that dumy in belWf of the heir of the supposed lunatic. It appears,as wcU from what wasstated in the course of toe proceedings, as from wtiat is a r.atter of notorietv in the neigh. bourhood, that thesupposed lunatic, Tbos. AMillson, dn., is a wealthy farmer and grazier, who for the Last 40 ycars hias carried on business with greatsuccess at Plumstead, in Kent, wherehe rents several farms, and; is the owner of considerable propertv. fle was considered to have been as shrewd and cleyer a maa in hisa way of life as any in the county. Ile is in his eighty-sixth year. He has one son, Thomas Millon, the petitioner, and one daughter, the wife of Richard Clements, tue res(pondent In the case. The daughter is about six years older than the petitioner in the case. She has the misfortune to be totally destituteof personal attractions, andl had but few suitors of whom sAc approved. There appeared, however, about the y2ar 1805 a person whom she th'ought calculated to make her happy, althoughi his condition in life was rather hum- ble. Her father happened to Ihire one Richard Clements a labourer, at Croydon fair, to work upon his farm, and brouglit him into the house. This man was extremely industrious, ant' althoughi not blessed with an education above the sphere in which he moved, he thoughlt proper to fall in love with his master'- daughter, dispensing with " the throne on her back," which had completely removed all fear of competitors. The youn lady listened, andrat length yielded tob is prayers to become her husband. They rin away and were married. Thomas Alillson, her brother, used his ood offices with the old man to obtain forgiveness for tlih tender,66or of'the girl, aPd succeeded. The fond couple were edmitted to i.r. Alillson's house and afFection, and an allowance was liberally made. Clement's situation was now greatly improved; ho neither worked so hard nbr fared so roughly as he had been accustomed, but he exerted himself wonderfully to gain the good-will of his father-in-law, antl was fragal and aitentive to the inter- ests of the farm. He has now several: clildren by his wife. The farmer's son, Thomas, took a farra, called White Hart Farm, from his father, whese roof he. qtitted, leaving hin nunder the care of Cle- ments itnd his wife. Clements, after this departure, persevered in his assiduities, his care, and jndustry, and rose in the opinion of the old man; whilst the son. who was at a distance, was observed td de. rlne in bis fatlwr's favour. About live years ago the old farmer had a fit of apo,plexy and an attack of paralysis, wivich affected his speech, aiid, -as it was alleged, hxis reason. From the time of~ this chiange 'in the condition of the old man's health, Clements began to assadme the active inanagement ef the farm, Superintended. the labourers, atnd was always by-tha side of his father-ia-latw, ad. visinig and obeying kiim. A bout the yea 1822, the son, wvho hadi 5fustained some losses, and felit -the pressare of the agricultural dis- tress which then prevailed, found hiB farm very unprofitable, anti applied for assistance; buit bia fither behaved witlh harshness tca him, and took away the farm, allowing him, however, II. per week for the mainttnundeoif his family. Clements, assumed openly, more and more the active eontirol of'all the property. He or is wife regularly received the rentsi and paid the mnen. Tihe son), on' the contrary, suAi inito deeper distress, anid abotit seveni itonths- ago lie was comnpelled Lo aiplN to Mir. C1'evesi ore of tue parish-officerl, for pa.rochial relief. 'Afr. Cleaves, upon hieAringr the case, went to see the supposed lunatic, but Cleiments absolutely refused to permit ani interview. Hlaving stated thus much fin exiplanation of thie r0ative situatior, Of thec parties, it is onily necessary further to statc, thiat by some mleanis or other the sou succeeded in gettinpg a petition before thie ldrd Chancellor, and a commission issued, on whiichi the present proceecdings wiere founded. The first witness called in sutpiiort of the petition was Mr. J.. Buitler, surgeon, who statedl, that in the mionthi of April, 1820, hie Was called in to see Alr. Alillson, Sen., thle Supposed lutnatic, wbe w.as9 then labouring under ati attack of apopllexy, accompaniied by " tic dolorvux,." Witness saw hiim again in thle mnouth of October in the same year. Alr. Alillson on thatt occasion refused to give ani acecount of his condition, and obstinately rejectedi medicine. WIitness did not at that time consider hiim c-apable off managing hiis own affairs. Saw hbim again in MNarchi, 182-2, when he app'eared iincp- ble of~ understanding any thing. fin October of that yecar, Iiisin capacity did not seemn to be abated. Witness did not thiink prer 10offerhiim any 1ihys;ic, for he consqidered it asofrno tse, fle men- tioned hiis opinion of the liopelLss state of tiie inind of the supposed lunatic to Clements, in the presence of thie old maan, who took no no. lice whatevet of it andi who Was then Yiving tinder the care of Clements and lis ihlughter. In December, 18-22, witencss visited hlim again, and found that he was in, a childlish state, and not capa6le Df conducting his atTairs. In Aug-ust, 1823, there was tie visible im.. provement.WVisness,howvevcr,methimi oneday,in the road,when he told him (wvitness) that if his son o-wed any money to him, lie (AMr. Mlill- son) would not pay it. In February,M84, witness saw him againi, when he comPlainied of being costive,'but did not kcnow hiim (witnrsa.) This year witness called nipon the old man), and found Clements readting the Bible to him--..a circumnstance wvhich the witness coast.. tiered a mere farce. Saw thle supposed lunatic in August of' this Year. The old nian then lay in bed, and was engaged as if int but- tonling hi-, waistcoat, although he onily had, his shirt oni, and he pull- ed up; at ttie sides of his eI aif in the at of pulling on his boots. The old m-an was cosapletely rilildislh. The soni of Air. Butler, whio is also of the inonical profession, xai e evidlence of a simila-r nature. He observed, that if an incapa. city arising from a decay of the functions of the bodv, before the aecay of those of tthe mindn, and total imbecility, or seconrd chuildish. ness, came wvithin the deflnition of lunacy, then was Air. .'tillsoss mnost decidedly a lunatic. Trhis witnless,'as well as the Last, wvas incelined to consider the apophectle attack as haring accelerated the decay of the old man's facul ties. WVhen witness saw hiim, if it had been proposed to attest a deed of Mlr. Aliilleon's, he should have thought it highly im-proper, and have refuisedl to sanction it. Air. John Budgin, a farmer, residing in the neighibourhood, stated that hehatd lenownAMr. Alilison fortlhelest 50years. Hiad seenihimy wvithin the la.st three or tour years, andI his faculties appeared totally lecayed. He-was abasolutely in a state of secondl childhood ; didi sot know a cow fromi a lhorse, or'a hiorse fromy an. ass, and was wh:olly in- callable of'managing even his own person. Air. George Blunidell, a farmler, of Plurnstead, gave similar evi- lence The Rev. Dr. WVatson, rector of Gravesend, and Magistrate of tlhe cavunty, deposed, that in April last lie was applied to by the petitioner inl thlis case, witlh a request to go and see his father, a'nt brinig about a reconciliation. Witness accordingly went dor iliat purpose, but found, him unable to converse, and totally, imnbecile. W,1itness took out hiis -ryrbook, and pray-ed hy him, aeid theni left himn. The 11ev. Samuel Brett Sheriffi, the curate of the parish, stated, that lie wag caltled in-tfor thle purpose of' atminiisterine religious con- solation to Air. MNillson. Whien he first addlressed Mr. Alillson, the old genileinan appeared to be rational, andi answeredI coherently the questions that wvere put to himi. Witness proceeded to ait- mi1nister the sacrament to himn. Having, undlerstood that he wvas at enmity withl hlis son, witness questioned him oni that point, an I lie replied that he was at enmity with no one. Wlhenl witness prayed, tie old man broke. out, by repeating in a childish m-anner, the word "1Now and for ever moye, now an'd for ever more, now anid for ever miore," until he was stOPPed by Cletments, whio was pre. Sent. NVittiess regrettedex-ceedin-gly having adminit)steredtfilesacra- ment to him. Hle did not tdid that he hiad bLeen justified in doing So by the first examination of AMr. Mlillson. Alr. Carttwrighit, of Beding WselIs, stated, thait he livedl about a mile andc a half t'roui Mr. AvlilIson, and had known him for many years, dutring wihich timpe they were mucli in thec habit of talking upon business togethier. %VitneRs went to see himn- in November, 1821% and was startled at the sight ef himi, futting that he wasl SO sadly altered. WVitness here put his hiand upon his chs, atid said that Afr. Mlilisoni's faculties (meaning his meta fclis) was to 411i appearance quite gone. His mind (witness added, still pointinig to his chest) appearedI to hiave lost all power. Jolhn Wells, who hadt been a labourer in Air. Alilson's service for ten years, stated that hie left it five weeks last Michaelmas.. His master frequently ordlered himi to do improper things, in whichl lie did not obey him. He ordered him to shoot the dung into the barn, and tricks of the like kintl. WVhen witness was on the stack, his master would call him down anti say to him, "1 Where is Johni WVells ? I waist John Wells." Robert Rotis, a labouirer, wlho had been in the service of Mlr. Alillsoni for 3b years, stated thiat within tie last three or four years he had became totally unable to manage hiis business. Wiitness mientioned as an instance of Iis- ordinary conduct, that the oldl man was once occupied in getting a gzte off its hiniges instead of opening it at the latch for tie purpose of getting through. Sarah Larkins stated she had been a servant-girl1 in the famnily for the last foutryears. Durinig thelast thrceeyears. her matter hiad been iRcapable of doing any thiing properly. He used to poke oCit the fire, and pull the homing coitts out w'ith his finigers. He would do this fouir or five times a dayt. One day, he had occuipiedi hipaself in this wanner, anid made trse'of his stick for tliepuirpose, wl,e'a. child of his son-in-law, Clements, entereslthCe room. He immnediately ran at the cliild with thie stick, and wouild in all probabilityv have donie it some injuiry hadi not witness- savedi it. Fe then took u'p a poker and struck at hrer, but hie missed liter, ancti she ran sway. Sarahi Grahiam stated, that she hiad been in the serrice of the famniiy between four and five veers, during whiich timie Dir. AililIson was not in astate to betrustd. She spoke to his practice of pulling thie btriring coals out of the fire with his fingers. He I,ad also at strong disposition to oversEe the tea things, and he broke them several times. His daughter, Airs. Clements, calledl hini " a ti-di old fool ;" when be lauglwd. WVitness did not tliink his inind was right since the vear 1820. T'he evidence given upon these faces closed the case for the peti- tion, when the allegeti lunatic himself was broughit forward for ex- amination. Duritig theexanmina,tion, Clemnents8attended, atitlmanii- fested great anxiety; but there havinig beatn sannie intention of exanmii- ing himt as a witness, he was obtiged to withidraw. When, however, th time approaclhed for the examlination of his father-in-law, lie at- tended. The jary consulted, and expressed a desire that the ol(1 mn Lrshould not be trouliled,or,nadetocom-e unnecessarily. Cieinents thiought this tenderness quilte unnecessary, and said, " Oh, its no trouble to himi ; not the least in time wvorld. He will come withi plea. sure." The old nian rode throughi the town oii horseback. When hie ivas ushiered into the presence of the jury, he looked round himn with a vacant stare, but behaved himlself iith perfecto pr(opriety. He is a remarkably stout healthy-lookingr old iman. Hlis lia.nds were evitlently affected with paralysis. Hle sat down, and the fol- lowing examination took place by Dr. Phillimnore :-"1 How are you, Sir?" " Pretty well; pretty well." "1How goes on farming ?" " Pretty welt: pretty well." "1 They are nowv, then,good timies for You F" "Of- Yes." "1 'I'hein you finid themn good ?" "1 Ohi no, they are bad." H -ow old are von P" "1 ThIirty-six." "1 What is your nawe ?" "So and so." 'Dr. PhIlliniore repeated the question, and the tame answer was returned. "1 Why, I thought youir nam-e was Aillson ?" "Oh, (recollecting himself ), so it is; Yes, it is," Thte examination was continued, but the above is a fair spiecimnen of' the whiole; and, in the- end, not thec slightest doubt was felt by, any one as to thie p resent state of the ohet man's miindl. Some little incident occurred illustrative of the manner in which tie was taken care of. Althiough great parade was made in bringing him through the towvn on horseback in the day-time, yet, it was accidentally dis- closed, that in the night it was consideredt necessary to hare a mian byAhis side, and to holdI him by the hand on liis return honiie. Air. KgYS in addres.sinj the j ury for the defendant, said that they possibly 'mignht be of opinion that Mr. Rlilison was at present in an unsountl state of Iniind, fin whiich case the next sttep wrould be to exanmiine bow long he hat) been in that condition. Thins point re- quired tlse m-ost minute inivestigation aiDd caution, as it miight refer to futuire preceediiigs. The learned counsel then entered Inito a dis- quisition upon the nature of lunacy, and thegreat difficulty of fixing with certainty the timie at which the absolute alienation of miind took place He alluded to the opposed judgment of. thejtiries upon the celebrated Portsmoutli case, in which one decidled that the lunacy occurred subseqluently to the time fixed upon by the other. The "ticdolrcis,"he osered,wasa nw disease for a farmer, and it migh hae podued urig is oeraiona lrivtion of reason, which whenitsattcksceasd mghthav reurnied. WVhatever the doc- tor miht hin, i wa no tobe upposed that a mnan who had live inrud helthto grat ge,and refusied to take physic, was md beausehe ha refsed.(A laugh.) Neither was itany. pruof of insaniity that one man should refusie to pay another man debts, whatever miight be the opiniion of his son's creditors uipon the s.ubject. Very little relianice was to he placed upon the evidence of a learned Thebani, whio conceived that the seat of the mental facult'ies was the obest. (Loud laughiter.) Witli respect to the servants, thecy might have beern actuated by ill-witlltoweaids the son-isl-law. lt Was no ver credible, for instance, that Mrsm. Clements shiould have called her fther " a di-d old fool,;" still less that she s5hould have repeated the words. In opposition to this testimoniy, he should bring forward a number of witnesses whose character was stich as to place thecir testimlony bevon!l all doubt ; and they woul give such evidenceas would make the jury, ie trusted, coiclude that up to the beginning of last year, Mr. Mtillson was compos menis, and that any thing of a suspicious nature that had taken place latterly was to be considered as the temporary effiect of disease rather than as confirmed lunacy. Josiah Cressinghans, Esq., of Carshalton, deposed, that he was tbe owner ofsome land which was occupied by Air. AlMilson, *vhom he had knowin from the year I811. In 1823 he called upon witness to pay hin half a year's rent. Clements was witbi hih. The old man4 appeared then able to transact business. MNIr. AUillson called, accompanied by Clements, a vear agn, and dined and acted without impropriety; but expressed impatielice to ge away after dinner. Saw sim at the last MWoolwich races, when he appeared compos usentis. His articulation was affected from paralvsis. Clements, who was with him, appllied for reduction of rent. The new arrangement was made by Clements. WVitness had seen him since, and dlid not ob- setie much change in him. Cross-examined.-Admitted that Mtillson was not, inlhis opinion, 'capable of mtanagilig very exteusire afflirs. lie was never very bright whilst witness knew him, but he might be capable of mtanag- ing small affairs nov. Joshua Ryle was the nextwitness examined. He stated that he had some property oin which he now lived. In February, 1823, he saw ir. Meillson at Mfr. Cressingham's, where he dined, and Mr. Alillson answered sensibly all questions put to him by witness. Con- sidered him as a hearty old man, witlout any particular defect; felt his pulse, which was very good. Cross-examined.-Could not at first say why he felt the pulse, but said ahterwartla that he did so to ascertain his age (a langh); judged him at 'irst to. be sixty, and afterwards seventy. Was an amatetr doctor. Kept a few drugs for the use of his ofvn family, atd was fond of the etudy of medidc; felt the palse to be3 that every thing was iieht. Was a calico.printer. Saw Mr. blMQWse since, rnd did not perceive anv grcat alteradon in him since that time. Dr. Edwards stated, that he also dined in company with ir.. Millson, at Air. Cressingbam's, conversed with himr, but saw no- thing wvhich led him to conclude that his intellects were affectee. At the end of the dinner, hlr. Alillson said to Clements, " You have business to transact," and beth retired. In the summterof the same year, saw him aggin, and ai appeared perfectly rational Jamex Deal. a butcher at Ililtoo, in Rent, deposed that, in- 3 823, Mlr. Ilillson caillcd with Clement8 UppoII Iiim forsemerent: thought him rational, and paid hirJ the money. Cross-cxnanined.-Had scen Air. Millson that very day, and thought him sensible. Richard Al iddleton, a woolstapler, swore, that he was in the habit of purchasing wool of Mr. M,1ilison, and calling upon himr rbhrn or ieurtimea a yea r. tn Otober,1823,dcined withand boughtwoolof him. Cross.examined._EHis speech was affic.ted, but he appeared ta he perfectly sane. Wrhat mlade you think himn sanle ?-WDY, hecause he behaved vary politely. MJe asked after Mirs. Mddleton, and drank her health;. Was them no other reason ?-YcS, he knew sue very well. And prav, Sir, does not vourhorse know you very well? (A laugh.) Witness thought himn capable of managing his owvn affairs with assirtance. \Vell, and cannot an automatoa manage affsirs with assistance? (luch laughter.) Alr. Edward Arosi, a farmner, knew Mr. Milsen for years. ITt March, 1822, wlhile valuinra voang Alr. Milson's CoW8, &C., onhis fant, the oltd man requested him to put a fair price, r the highest fair price. The old man hiimself valued a cow within 10 shiillings of the valuation of the v itness, and appeared perfectly sane at tbat timle. William Spooner, a butcher, knew lMr. Mitilleon 15 years. Its 1823, went hi purchasecattlc of him, but found Clements, who waq with-hiim, too hard; but the old rt-man interfered. and witness had :hem Pt his own price. fle alse thought him sensible since that, for the old man had induced his daugbter to take less from him ,or some straw than she was disposed to take. Dir. Alillson was also sensible now ; quite as sensible. Charles Dimmnell, a labourer in l1r. illillson's employmeNt six Fears, swore that in Nov. 1823, he ar.d his master bought some 3heep, but Clementg picked them out. Thonght his naster sensible then, and' now too. Another labourer tbought Mr. Alilison sensible till 12months ago, when he became quite unfit to manage his affairs. Several other witnesses were examined. They were chiefly.igno- rant labourers: they forthe mostpnrt admitted thatMlr. lljisqn was, withiti the laxt nine or twelve months, incapable of mangi;ng his own affairs, but they could mention no material act indicative of sanity before that period. The Counel ftir t ae respondent m.anifested great anxiety to fix the periot. of the commencement of the insani :v very L'`te, and it is un- derstood that ihere is a will In exiNtence which excludes the son, the validitv of which dependetd upon the verdict. Mlr. BEAESS, in reply, spoke ironically of the boasted evideniec. Whatever truth might be in the facts related on the part of the respondent, the iury would not surrender their under- standing to easily. Wi'ould they caanclude the poor old man sane, because he narrotned the ordinary civilities and mechani- cal form of intercourse ? Would they consent to Hee through the eves of the amaiteur doctor, as tlhe calico-printer called hi'nself who made the discovery worthy of Marvey, by which he fixer3 the patient's age within upwards of a score of years by feeling his pulse ? (Loud laughter.) Would they follow the shrewd bitcher in his conclusions, who got his cattle cheap; or believe : tittle from the n:en who swore they now thought the old mar, sane? In one thing the jury would, no doubt, ag-ree tith the wit- nesses, namely, that thie rcspondent was as sensible f1ar years ago as lie weas now. On this point aUl atrced, but there was a slight variance in the conclusion. Dr. PiLi.tLl.%ottE sumlmed up the ck,ienrc, and the Jury re- tulrned a verdict, finding that Thomas Millson, sen., had not been of sound nmind since the 23thi of September, 1820. The managenit-nt of the estates of the lunatic will, in the usual course, now devolve uDon the son. SINrGrULAR CASE (JF LUArACY. IN; RE MTITLSON. A SUPIn.r n TArI1ATTV.