The Sun. — 1840-10-05 (London, England)

LUNACY.  On Saturday, at eleven o'clock, a commission Wa3 opened before Commissioners Phillimore, Winslow, and West, to inquire into the state of mind of ‘Villiam Stevens, of Ickenham, Middlesex, gentleman.  J. Austin, of Cowley, the individual at whose house Mr. Stevens, who is 64 years of age, resided from March, 1835, until February, in the present year, detailed various instances of delusion under which that gentleman had laboured. He had given a dinner to the poor of the neighbourhood to celebrate the Queen's marriage. His income was about 4001. a.year. Mr. Stevens, whose niece he himself had married, had subsequently been rei.ioved to Denham House ; and, upon one occasion, when he had gone to see km, he complained of harsh treatment. Mr. Stevens had kept his own accounts, and had collected his rents to Christmas 1839.  Robert Marshall Casey was next sworn—l have attended Mr. Stevens since the 4th of April last ; he has told me that he is an instrument in the hands of the Lord, to work out the redemption of mankind ; he has complained bitterly of the restraint which I have pat upon him, which is necessary for his safety. About a fortnight after I had been with Mr. Stevens, he snatched a knife off the tray, and made a thrust at his side, saying that he would destroy binvelf. One evening I went to Mr. Stevens's bedside, and he s;.id he had the power of changing himself into the form of a woman—of depriving himself of all hair, except that upon his head, and of rubbing off his skin with towels and brushes, as it was not white. He said that he got all his wealth by singing at oratorios. He told me that I was Moses, and a footboy was Aaron, and that he was a prophet, and when he got his liberty, he intended to go to the wilds of Arabia, and give a grand jubilee to the ark of testimony who had examined the bible. He said the ark was a large chest which stood in the hall of Denham House ; and that the Queen, Prince Albert, the Archbishops, Bishops, and Clergy of the seven parishes of the world would be present at the jubilee. Upon one occasion he said he had intended to escape in sandals, and to make a linen ladder of the sheets, but he had had a vision that deterred him. He said that when his case was made known to the world, it would make a great noise, and he had been persecuted worse than our Saviour. Mr. Stevens cross-examined this witness in an incoherent manner as to the means of restraint that had been employed, and with great warmth he exclaimed that eight attempts to murder him bad been made at Denham House.  The last witness was cross-examined at some lenzth about the restraints under which he had placed Mr. Stevens ; and Captain Boyne and Mr. France, two of the Visiting Justices of H•snwell Lunatic Asylum, condemned in severe terms coercive treatment of insane persons. Mr. Henry Bullock, surgeon, of Uxbridge, gave evidence of similar delusions under which Mr. Stevens laboured.  Mr. Sylvester, surgeon—Mr. Stevens showed me a small chimney ornament, which he said was Mr. Retch, the devil. He persisted that another ornament was a female pregnant with two silver stags, and a third was a man with a golden fox in•his side. He said he was in love with a young lady at Denham House, whose face was illumined like our Saviour's. Mr. Stevens afterwards destroyed the ornaments. At half-past four o'clock Mr. Phillimore summed up the evidence ; and the jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict finding that " Mr. William Stevens is of unsound mind, and has been so since Ist February, 1840."  Before the jury separated, several of them signed a representation to the Lord Chancellor upon the treatment of Mr. Stevens, which the Chief Commissioner promised to forward to the proper quarter.