The Express. — 1849-08-22 (London, England)

COMMISSION OF LUNACY. Yesterday, at the Sheriff 's Curt, Red Lion-mitre, a commission de lunatic° inquirendo was opened, before Mr. Commissioner Barlow, and a special jury, for the pus.pees of ascertaining the state of mind of Mr. Edward Vicars, who has long .been • partner in the firm of Moore, Vican, and Co., carrying on an extensive distillery business at Liverpool. Mr. Rolt, QC. sad Mr. Wines appeared for the petitioner, a sister of ihe alleged lunatic ; and Mr. Malian 111. C., Mr. Edwin James,lend Mr. Joliffe for the lunatic. Mr. Rolt, after a few introductory observation from the learned Commissioner, proceeded to state to the jury the eisenzastanees under which the commission bad sued out. The petitioner was Kiss Anne Vicars, the alleged lunatic's sister, and, though an unmarried lady, she carried on boatswain Liverpool as a licensed victualler. The learned counsel then gave a brief outline of the life of Mr. Vicars, oommenran-with his birth in Cumberland in the l3 sad concluding with his joining the firm above mentioned, is the year 1835. It appears that he was a man given to habits of intemperance, and the excesses to which he gave himself up resulted in delirium tremens, that dreadful malady first developing itself upon him in 1846, in which year he attempted to put a period to his existence by cow milting suicide, but ho was prevented. After that ems, rence the malady grew stronger upon him, and mmori many strange hallucinations by which his mind became per seabed was one that he had no stomach, and that cows(Ineptly he required no sustenance, refusing at that time to es; any food. He protested that his craniums was devoid of brains, and 'seeded that it was in the power of man, by means of electricity, to deprive human beings of their rational senses—and he insisted that it was owing to that agent that he had been deprived of reason. Me was received as a patient at Wtam Lodge Loma cis Asylum in Lancashire, under the care of Dr. Litchfield, and he remained there for about two years. During his stay there, he became impressed with the belief that the magistrates of the county had telegraphic wires laid on to the asylum, by means of which they kept the inmates in a state of madness. Letters written by Mr. Views to several friends were then read, and from their contents it seemed that electricity was the one prevailing and absorbing idea that possessed him; and in one of them be said that " magistrates, doctors, end lawyers, and other thieves and rascale," were in league together continue the inmates of asylums in madness. In klatch, 1847, he escaped from the I arylum, and immediately afterwards • paition for a cora-1 alvion was laid lit fore the Lord Chancellor, and his lord. skip, considering it a fit and proper case for investigation, kid ordered the present commission to issue. 'Wince was then given, first, as to the property of Mr. VINT% and second, as to his insanity. It appeared from the elaillament of his brother that he had about 5,0001. invested tk• distillery concern. Dr. Atkinson, of Broughton, Laseashire, Dr. Litchfield, and Mr. Churton were of opinion that Mr. Victim was insane. It transpired that the allegei lunatic had livid very unhappily with his wife, who also gave way to intemperance. Mr. Valentine Knight, one of the jury, asked Dr. Litchfield whether in his opinion Mr. Vicars was competent to take care of himself and property. The witness said that according to the authorities on the subject if a man was subject to strange rt. extrarrdinory de-1 lesions he was insane. He felt some difficulty in answering the question, hut he certainly should say that Mr. Vicars was not incapable of managing his own affairs, although he laboured under the delusions mentioned. The inquiry, which was commenced at 11 o'clock, was at 6. by the wish of the jury, and by consent of counsel on both sides, adjourned till this day (Wednesday).