VAGARIES OF CRIME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 170, 11 April 1908, Page 10

VAGARIES OF CRIME.

A REMARKABLE ADDRESS. MULTIPLE MINDS. A romarkablo address on tlio cause and euro of crimo was given by Dr. Albert Wilson, tho brain specialist, during a private dobato at the Sesamo Club, London, recently. I Dr. Wilson had promised to bring ono of tlio most notorious cracksmen of tho Victorian era —now a reformed character —to ex-, plain tho impulses which led him to crime.; To tho disappointment of ovcryono present tho ox-burglar apparently did not caro to faco the ordeal, for ho failed to attend. Dr. Wilson announced that in tho course of a special study of tho psychology of crimo ho had oxamincd more than 200 criminals, including murderers, pick-pockets, highway-, men, and burglars. , "Of all tho causes of crime," ho y said, "porhaps tho most romarkablo is that of multiple personality. I had a. striking case in a girl of,thirteon a few years ago. "In one personality sho became a simplo child of two, who could not understand words and did not know her own/name. In another personality she bccamo blind and imhecilo.' "I took her to Sir John Tweedy, tho eve specialist, who pronounced her; totally blind. ' Sir- Thomas • Barlow also declared her a hopeless imbecile, and said that sho should bo put in an asylum as soon as possible. , MANY'PERSONALITIES. "A curious .fact was that in her blind personality sho could- draw pictures which sho could not draw normally.; In a third personality sho Was a criminal. Onco : ivhilo out for a walk sho stole an orange,; and when rebuked replied in tho typical phraseology of a criminal, 'If you can't get an orange, why, nick it.' ' , I • .:' '; occasion-in .lier criminal per-sonality-sho pushed her sisteii. into the nro, and only tho sudden arrival ?of her mother in tho room prevented a,cireauiui iragody." -/Dr. Wilson divided- criminals into two classes — ; ■ ■- -. :V" v ' •- (1) Perverts. ' (2) Inverts. . "We have to thank our, present system .of education," Dr; Wilson sanlj " for the re-, cruiting of the' inverts; - Poor . children with starved brains and bad heredity are forced to learn a lot of stuff at-school quite useless for their, environment. ~j. , ~-, ■ "The result is that* by.-.-thirteen-,or fourteen, wheh' thoy' leavo, school,, they have.no pluck or. stamina, in tKoftf" - \- . '.... : The four . chief ! divisions, of; criminals, Dr. .Wilson! d-eclared ,to be. r ", (1) Insane. * . ' (2) Unstable, . ;. , . •(3) Sports (in botanical sense-—ono vary- ! . ' irig from normal )typo). :i .: ; ' (4) Criminals .from, environment or -surroundings/ . , , Unstable criminals were .. those, .who yielded to. impulse,' he'said,.'and had no power of. arguing .onCwhat tho.after-effects of their actions ,; . ;J ' . . ' )-' • : "SPORTS.'-' 7/, ' Sports, Dr.' .Wilson*', said," were , harmless types of criminals, such as a burglar he knew who would slip.' the; ldteheni window catch, warm himself,. in - front of, tho fire,. and go away before, -doing any .real mischief. ./ ' "Tlio father of this..man," said Dr. Wilson, "was ono/ of tlio •' most - flourishing men in, tho Citv., j'Ho "made.-£3OOO a.,ygar i: but when- ho ciied. That' was' a form of crimo in itself. : - -— —-i •' "Tho burglar's mother also was a yery. neurotic woman.- , Of the six -children of tho marriago the., daughter.'; brothers went to tlio,. /asyHimi'f^. V • f ' -, > .-, "As regards-the Effect of: onntonment ,on crimo, I, invited : rur excellent foxamplo ...to' come hero to-night.'vl am sorrjr; Jjo, has not come. I may; say he, was tho%lpfec , daring , criminal of . tho'.yictdrian era. . "Ho was.'so.cle'vof and/intelligent that ho might well liiiyp been.Prim'o Minister or, a /Cabinet Mihister./. A more expert.cracksman, never lived.' ■ Ho' wonld"'don-.ov6ning.dress to perpetrate hisjerimttij. and, passing himself off as a peer, would,Jmix in. the best society. < -V'So danrtg''ahd; desperate;a criminal' was •ho that' tho Home Office gave, orders that ho was never 'to bo /dealt;/;,with -, single-handed, two ; policemen lieafily' armed,'/ being always comjnissidncd for /.tho purposo; ■ //, , j " ; / REFORMED TYPE. . "His first sciifenco .was for . seven - years, and the second Mr life. <■ Ho was' released; when' tho King camo to', tho ibhrono)'. and', has'since reformed. ' -J/'/ ;. -/'. '' 1 "The ; father - this man ' was a 'farm bailiff, in Staffordshire.:-., His parents died, and/hc camo undor the coiitrol of his,grandfather, who was a; drunken wretch. 1 / ■ / ,: "Tho'treatment ihe/ reoeived was so brutal that , on'o day : ho" attacked ..his/ grandfather' with'-/a?poker,, beat him until .ho was,;nearly . dead, : 'then ; mado. off ~with his ' grandfather's 'watclv and £75' which! he. took from a • safo.,'-. Thus when" ho' .was- thirteen yea'rs old his career :of "crimo-b;?gan. . : " ' "It is-one of. the most striking cases of crime as tho.rosult of environment that I have met.. j / :; • ; "Our system of dealing ,w'itli crime is entirely wrong," Dr. Wilson concluded, "We want to make' a dean'sweep, of our-- whole' legal -machinery and hayo it • put in fresli. Each criminal has somd; peculiarity of his own which'-needs'speciali, consideration. At 1 present, wo sconi to- aim; at vcngeanco, not reform. ' - / "My-burglar friend that. 'the only euro for: crime' is tho indeterminate '• • sentence." : \ -; , '" - -