The Press. — 1858-08-28 (London, England)

MONTAGU CHAMBERS, Q.C., proceeded to open the case. Their duty, lie said, was to inquire into the state of mind of a gentleman, named Lawrence Huck, possessed of considerable property, who conducted himself with the greatest decorum and affection towards all his family till last year, when it was found necessary to place him under the care of Dr. Stillwell, the proprietor of an asylum at fling(len, near Uxbridge, on the sili of November. As this was a case of the utmost importance to his wife, children, and himself, lie (the learned counsel) begged the attention of the jury while he entered into some details. Mr. Buck was possessed of property in Kent and elsewhere to the extent of about 1,5001. a year, and seventeen years ago he was rimmed. iu the daughter of Mr. Matthews, of Pantllndw, 10 Montgomeryshire, where he went to live. He took the lease of a house lint? grounds there, which being in a dilapidated condition needed repairs, but never had those repairs effected. lie lived with his greatest possible happiness, wife and children in thehe until at last there appeared to be certain delusions in his mind, which bad the effect of entirely changing  834  his conduct. It was noticed by various members of the family, and by the domestics and the neighbours, that he was peculiar and eccentric in his manners in 1855 and 1851 i, when ho gave way to habits of internpet &nee. He ( Mr. Chambers) should show evidence that in 1855 Mr. Ruck exhibited unmistakeable indications of a disordered mind. lie was excessively restless ; would get up at all hours of the night, and wander about ; would call up his servants and order the horses to be put to the carriage, and be driven over the most desolate parts of that country (Wales) in the dead of the night without any apparent object. On one occasion he made the coachman drive him through the river, and on several nights he made his wife get up and go out with him. One erroneous impression under which he laboured was, that his estates abounded with copper and tin mines. Things retrained in this state ttll October, 1857, when the unfortunate gentleman had, on returning from the Manctester Exhibition, so behaved that it was found necessary to call in ft burgeon. He laboured under the delusion the'. everybody wanted to poison him. On one occasion he went to a neighbouring inn, and, with a loaded gun and pistol, intimidated every one who came in his way. He ordered dinner and a bottle of wine, and instead of eating in the usual way, he picked the meat with his ringers and poured the wine into the chamber utensil. A most extraordinary circumtoance occurred about this time. A girl named Mary Jones, a niece of Mts. Ruck, was always supposed to be a virtuous girl until the change in the mind of Mr. Ituck, when it was found she had had two illegitimate children by him. Without any foundation whatever he swore that she had murdered these children. Another, and pt.rhaps the most im• portant, of the delusions was that his wife was untrue to him. In various places he charged her with being a common street-walker and everything else that was bad. He even went so tar as to bay that the very navigators on the railway knew his wile .better than he did. Mr. Chambers proceeded to describe various acts of the alleged lunatic, and said he should bring evidence to prove to the jury that the unfortunate gentleman was cot capable of conducting his own affairs.  The evidence adduced was of the kind common in such cases, the witnesses consisting partly of gentlemen of Mr. Ruck's acquaintance, and partly of his sarvants. At the adjournment of the court,  Mr. JAMES applied. for Mr. Rack to be spared the excitement of being taken backward and turwaid to Uxbridge every day during the inquiry, and said that it would be advisable that he should be allowed to remain at some hotel or other place in L-indon, where he would have an opportunity of conferring with his legal advisers. Mr. CHAMBERS said he was not instructed to offer any opposition to the application, if the court thought fit to accede to it.  The