Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1888. HOMICIDAL MANIA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 8221, 26 November 1888, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1888. HOMICIDAL MANIA.

The gruesome subject of which the above heading gives indication is dealt with in the Fortnightly for October by Dr. G. H. Savage, apropon to the Whitechapel murders. Amongst the causes leading t» homicides through disorder of tho mind Dr. Savage mentions epilepsy as exceedingly prominent. "In .au asylum," he says, " there are always patients who are dreaded <5n account of their objectless and murderous fury. A fit of fury may precede a fit of epilepsy, or what is much more common, may follow it, or according to some, may take the place of the fit. In these ca«es apparently purposeless acts are done. The victim may be cunningly decoyed and later may be dismembered and mutilated, and yet the epileptic taken red-handed may deny all knowledge of his acts. The crimes of tho epileptic are as a rule single, often causeless, and though at ■ times there aro attempts at concealment, yet at others, and more frequently, there are no attempts at escape from tho crime. It_ is_ almost certain that tbe epileptic criminal is ignorant of his act, which may have been started by some impression or thought at the moment of the onset of the fit ; he is started like an automaton by this impression. Thus, in a case atßradmoor, a mother while taking a knife to cut a slice of bread for her child

passed into an epileptic state aud proceeded to mutilate the infant, and on recovering was horrified at her own handiwork." Dr. Savage_ relates several other instances, the foil swing being amongst the mo3t remarkable :— " Ayotinj; French lady of good family was after the fashion of our neighbors taken from her convent school to be married to a gentleman of whom eho knew little. The marriage services were completed, and tho bride and bridegroom were to spend the honeymoon in their country home, where in quiet and alone they could begin their new life. The bridegroom on joining iiis bride had a slight loss of consciousness ; he appeared rapidly to recover, but had the idea that, he had to protect his wife from evil and defend himself and his honor. In bin wife he saw an enemy, and at once attacked her, aud then iv the quiet part of a lonely chateau for hours a terrible struggle went on. Tho bride was saved, though seriously injured, bearing to her grave the signs of that awful night." Dr. Savage mentions some curious actions performed by persons suffering from masked epilepsy— that is, cpilep9y in which the convulsive symptoms aro very Blight, or possibly absent, while the mental disorder is manifest. A French lady, for instance, is said always to have turned palo and then poured out a volley of oaths and blasphemy, always in the same order and to the same extent, before sho became herself once more. " Murders," he continues, " aro perpetrated by epileptics in fury, and they may be carried out with skill in the automatic state. Such crimes, too, might resemble ono another in a very remarkable way. Doctors have long known that certain epileptic fits are as regular in the inception and development as possible, so that tho same muscles are affected in tho aamo order in every fit, ■ Therefore, though tho perpctrtition of a series of murders such a.i those at Whitechapel might be done hy an epileptic, L should uot have.expectod such skilful concealment or such rapid recurrence of these acts by such a person." Aniongst other causes producing weakminded murderers Dr. Savage includes chronic drunkenness. " Alcohol," ho says, "produces many different eftects, and these depend much oa the form in

which it is taken, and much on tbe person ivho takes it. Murders are .often committed as the result of the loss of control produced by drink, and frequently also they are the result of delirium tremens. In this disorder the senses are often perverted, and friends' faces appear to bo like those of foes, and the painful sensory impressions may drive the patient into a state of frantic panic in which murder of a wholesale ana general character may occur. In more chronic atcholic poisoning the senses may be more deeply affected, so that the patient believes that he h electrified, or else he may think that his food, which does not taste right, ia poisoned, and thus from these uneasy feelings he may believe that he is being conspired against, As soon as a man becomes deluded as the re9nlt of chronic alcoholism he is tt very dangerous man. His crimes are as a rule single or related ; that is, he avenges himself upon his enemy, j or it may be enemies, and he more often justifies than excuses the deed. Many chronic drinkers become absolutely weakminded, and fall into that class of murderers. The one peculiarity of nearly all insanity oi drink is the general moral weakness produced, so that lying, dishonesty, immorality, and malignant lncratitude are the results ; patients -who (lave been discharged improved if not •cured' from asylums threatening to injure tbe doctors who have certified as well as those who have treftWu tuem. In concluding his, article Dr. Savage makes especiat reference, to the White, chapel murders. *' First." h& cayi )' they may not have all been committed Qy one man. There is a fashion in murder, or rather there are epidemics of similar crimes ; or again, the initiative action may have come into play. Ido not think that any epileptic or drunken maniac would have so cunningly selected his victims and avoided detection, and the failure to identify anyone is in favor of there being only one agent.. A mere lust for blood would not have been Satisfied by the selection of victims. The sWU with which the murders were perpetrated, and the skill of the mutilation, point to some- ~ TO .' r r" - i~ — : ~s'-fctiowleilge. This might be possessed oy s~»a™i« someone with some anatomical knowledge ; but there are so many now-a; days with mechanical knowledge nf the bodypin the form of post mortem room and anatomy room porters, that to suppose the murders to lie the work ot a medical man is to my thinking going too far. The cunning of the ovasion, tho ferocity of the. crimes, the special selection of the victims, see'rii to nic t<* depend either on a fiendishly criminal revenge, or else upon some fully organised delusion of persecution or world regeneration."

On the fourth paso will be found an article entitled " If You Like." It is Mr Barker, lato of Porangahau, and not Mr Bailey, who is the purchaser of Mr Tanner's Woodville property. The three persons who were injured by the accident at the Shamrock railway crossing are progressing favorably. The boy recovered consciousness on Saturday, aud the two men are able to get about.

We were misinformed as to the donor of the trophy mentioned in our Saturday's issue presented te the Napier Cricket Club. It ia given by Mr F. \\\ Collins, tho well-known jeweller of this town.

Tiie Queensland Boomerang gives a full-page portrait of Sir William Jervois, under the heading of "The Man we Want for Governor." ' The Boomerang is not complimentary to Sir H. A. Blake. " The Warrigal,'' a contributor to the Christchurch Press, is_ ahout to "do" the Waipa and Waikato rivers in a catamaran. He is to go without any companion, and expects to visit many places where no European has yet penetrated. The second and final heats of the Napier Rowing Club's trial-fours were not rowed on Saturday owing to the sea boing too rough. Should the weather be fine on Tuesday afternoon the events will come off then. ■ Snow is again on the ranges. Heavy haU fell in town on Saturday, and a hailstorm of almost phenomenal severity was experienced at Pukitiritiri on Friday. By way of contrast the sun shone with summer power yesterday. AlVehave received a copy of the first series of " Rarablinga by a Tramp." The little hook, which is a reprint of articles that have appeared in the New Zealand Herald, is very creditably got up, and the ramblings are in many instances very amusing to read, tho " Tramp " posses-s---ing a free-and-easy literary style peculi^ any his own. j^-'- r " The ExaminerA&ys~i\xat "on Thursday Mr Loaderjstsuftht from the Mabarahara «L-Sn%Viften of the ore being got in the shaft at the copper lode. It in a rich specimen of the variety known as "aztirito' and similar to that found in the famous Bnrra Burra mines of South Australia, and contains 70 per cent. This is the best class of ore for commercial .purposes, and nothing better, excepting the pure metal, could be wished tor. Mr Danielson has secured some fine specimens, which he is sending to the Waipawa Exhibition. The Sabbath question is causing considerable discussion just now. Yesterday morning Mr M'Nicoll preached on the subject in the Trinity Wesleyan Church, and in the evening Mr Daniells addressed a crowded meeting in the tent on what the prophecies say ahout the restoration of the Sabbath. At the close of his sermon he announced that he would to-night review the sermon of Mr M'Nicoll, and would show by quotations from thirteen theological writers that the Epistle of Barnabas, which was referred to by Mr M'Nicoll yesterday, was spurious. The Post has decidedly "scored one"

against us, with reference to the " remarkablo admission " with which we credited it, in connection with the appointmpnt of Sir H. A. Blake to the Governorship of Queensland and the Irish opposition thereto. Wo have obtained a file of our contemporary, and have failed to find the article from which we quoted, lt was evidently clipped from another paper, and wrongly credited to the Post. This ex-

planation is made in fairness to our contemporary, whose indignation under the circumstances is not so surpising as we thought it.

The question as to whether there are in Now Zealand aboriginal dogs, that is to say dogs which are descendants of canines which were here anterior to the advent of the European, has often been discussed (says the Rangitkei Advocate), and the verdict has generally been in the negative. Mr Bruce, M.H.R., Mr William Cameron, and other Paraekaretu settlers, however, say that they have often seen dogs which are in tho strict sense of the term " native dogs." These animals are of a perfectly distinct type. They are hit; and strong, and in appearance they exhibit a combination of the wolf and the fox. Their color is fawn. A couple of theso dogs have rocently been visiting the Paraekaretu flocks of sheep, Mr Bruce's amongst others. One of thtir characteristics is their fondness for lambs. They always go for the lambs first. The annual tourney of the Napier Chess Club was virtually concluded on Saturday evening, when Mr E. D. Hobon, the winner of la9t year's tourney, defeated Mr Lessoug and obtained un absolute lead. Mr Hohen therefore again takes first prize with a score of 12 wins, I draw, 4 losses, and a game unplayed which cannot afi'eot the result. Messrs J. Hindmarsh, sen., and John Dinwiddie tied for second place, with a score of 12 wins, 6 losses each, and on playing off the former proved victorious. The final result therefore is as follows :— Mr Hoben, 1 ; Mr Hindmarsh, sen., 2 ; Mr John Dinwiddie, 3. The contest, it will be seer, was a close one, and to borrow a phrase from our sporting friends the difference between the " placed " competitors was small, the first winning by a short neck " with a bit in hand." The winners, we may mention, worn all in the first class, and gave oddd to the other classes.

The Woodville Examiner, in an appreciative articlo on the late Sir Donald M'Lean, expresses surprise that no permanent memorial to him has yet been erected l>y a grateful colony, and calls upon "dm people throughout New Zealand to join together iv common cause, and establish a fitting memorial in remeinlirance of him of whom the colonists wero justly proud." After quoting a number of testimonies to the value of Sir Donald, fiom the London Times to ourselves, aud from Sir Harry Atkinson to Mr Ballance, onr contemporary concludes : — " Probably the best preliminary course will lie to present a request to tlie Mayor of Napier to call a public meeting to sot tho project a-foot. Thefjontlmiiou named could then be communicated with and committees formed iv tho various centres. Let the undertaking be carried out iv a national manner. What greater induceniout can be ottered to our fnture statesmen and citizens to strive to do tho best for tbe nation than to know that their un&elfish lives and noble deeds shall bo appreciated, and their names engraven on tho lasting memory of those in whose service they have spent their lives after they have departed trom our midst ? Let, ua do honor to the deeds and lives of those who have proved deserving of national esteem, and of these. Sir Donald M'Lean was the chief!"

The Dunedin Mayoralty has brought into the field two candidates, one a member of the Council, Mr Gourley, an undertaker, and the other a somewhat eccentric solicitor, Mr C. R. Chapman, who is, we believe, n native of the city. He is evidently inclined (remarks the Post) to bid high for the honor of being Mayor, for at tho nomination ho announced that lie wns prepared to accept the office absolutely without salary, and he would also give his legal services to tlio city free of charge. Mr Chapman also stated, in reply to a question, that he had made an riflVr in black and white of £500 to the exhibitioa

if he were elected Mayor. . Mr Gourley, on the other hand, was asked whether he would bury for nothing any of the citizens who might die during his Mayoralty, and he replied, " Oh, certainly." He farther expressed an opinion that the citizens did not want a man to perform the duties of ■ Mayor without fair remuneration, and said he had alwaysheard that the dearest law was that which was obtained for

nothing. It will be interesting to notice whether the ratepayers of Dunedin will elect the man who offers them the luxury

o! free law, or the one who is willing to bury bis constituents free of charge.

At St. Mary's Church yesterday the Rev. Father Grogan stated that he had received ft letter from Mr James Fitzgerald, of Brisbane, announcing the death, on the 10th inst , of hb father, Mr Thomas Henry Fitzgerald, once a -well -known Hawke's Bay resident. Fathef Grogan, after speaking at some length upon the many admirable qualities of the deceased gentleman, said that the congregation of St. Mary's had particular reason to appreciate his generosity, as he had presented to them the preater part of their church cite. He a&noanCed that a requiem mass wilt be celebrated* in his honor tomorrow morning. Mr James Fitzgerald, in writing of his father's death, particularly requested that the intelligence be conveyed to the Rev. Father Reignier, who, as our readers know, had predeceased him by a fortnight. The late Mr TTHzgerald took a very active part in tfawke'B aZ v politics, and was instruSXjVtßi JUi&n of this^province tfftrf Wellington, and on tn* Jonnation of the netf division became its £ ret superintendent. After leaving New Zealand he becasiS the pioneer of the now great industry of sugar growing in Queensland. He also entered public life in that colony, and became Colonial Treasurer. A few years since Mr Fitzgerald re- visited New Zealand, and the effects of the trying climate in which he had been residing were apparent in his appearance. He looked much aged, while, as he himself said, " everyone in New Zealand seemed to remain young. MrFitzgerald was by profession a civil -engiireßrT-rt^*-—- --a— Native of Kerry. During a portion of his soj(ttrr,vj n Queensland he practised Ins profeasiolrj-cmA-CT-plored a large extent ot country, afterwards starting sugar plantations and sugar mills in localities which he regarded as suitable. Ho waß 64 years of age at the time of his death, and he leaves behind him a wife, eight sons, and three daughters. Mrs Fitzgerald is the owner of the pidtuTesqne property known as " Sturm's Gully," and at one time possessed what is known a3 the Fitzgerald estate, now cut up into building allotments. Mr Fitzgerald was also at one time interested in the old flour mill at the foot of Shakespeare-road. Notwithstanding unfavorable weather the annual entertainment given by the children of the Waipawa district school drew a well-filled house to the Oddfellows' Hall on Friday evening. The first piece on the programme was "Hark, the Christmas Bella are Ringing," sung by the whole school, the bells being heard in the distance. This was rendered in good time and tune and was heartily applauded, the grouping on the stage of the girls in the upper standard being very effective. _An action song and recitation by the '"little ones " in standard I. followed, and very interesting the " wee mites" looked marching in regular order off and on the stage, keeping time to a quick step played by the orchestra. A Parliamentary debate on clause 149 of a bill for " The Better Education of the People " was the next item, and some excellent speeches were made, the youths who distinguished themselveß being M. Hornsby, H. Percy, W. Jones, H. Collett, J. Couper, D. Beaumont, and J. Bibby. After another action song by the upper division of-the infants' department the piece of the evening followed. This was an original operetta, entitled " The Last of the Fairies, 1 ' and it was really admirably perforinei. The principal characters were sustained by Selina Beachen. Ethel Jones, Lily Pellow, Ada Percy, Harry Percy, John Bibby, and Walter Jones. The operetta was wonderfully staged, and, aided by pretty dresses, colored fires, and lime-light, some most fairy-like scenes were produced. When the fairy Alma (Miss Beachen) was suddenly transformed from an old crone into a fairy, and she transformed Bob (J. Bibby) and Johnny (W. Jones) into a cat and dog respectively, old aajß»&-uS yonng applauded vocifera^'^'The music was apprgpriflytft^Vue airs of several pojn\'.W" songs being effectively introduced. Then followed an excellent exhibition of sword-drill, and a tableau, " Britannia," in which Miss Isabella Baker looked quite regal ; a character song (a new version of "Little Mias Muffett"), in which the characters were sustained by the Misses M. Gilmour and A, Britten and Clifford Baker, which was deservedly encored ; calisthenic exercises by the girls, arid a tableau, "The Three Graces," in which Milly Gibson, Annie Britten, and Becky Gilmour made a very pretty ' picture, and had to pose a second time before the audience would be satisfied ; a song and chorus, "Laughing Nell," by Ada Johnson, Kathleen Todd, and Louisa Bibby, which was also re-demanded ; a maypole dance, admirably executed by the infants ; and finally the anthem, " God Bless New Zealand," by a number of the previous performers, who appeared in the dresses appertaining to their characters, and " God Save the Queen," brought to a close an entertainment which was equally creditable to Mr Williamsou and his assistants, and to the children who took part in it. It was, from beginning to end, a musical and artistic success. Alore than a word of praise is due to the orchestra, which consisted of Mr Williamson (piano), Mr Wildinan (violin), and Mr Pritchard (fluto). Next season <he growth of wheat in Ashburton county, Canterbury, will be the largest since the Reason ot 1883-84. A careful estimate places the area at 85,000 to 90,000 acres. " Ouida " has refused to meet Mr Cuninghame-Graham on the ground that he is a dangerous member of society. Judging from her writings there are few fathers who would like their daughters to [ meet the famous novelist, and on precisely the same grounds. French journalists are notorious for the lavish generosity with which they enrich the English language. A writer in one of the best Paris papers says that it is the fashion now-a-days in Paris to call certain youug men '"s'truggleforlifers." These young men, it appears, are the unfortunate youths who have to struggle to make a living. Infinite are the methods of suicide. At Dornbach, ono of the suburbs of Vienna, a short time ago two, young students were quietly walking down the streets, when they suddenly stopped, and drawing revolvers shot each other dead. They were intimate friends, and, being in financial ditliculties, resolved to commit suicide by reciprocal murder. Mr Jay Gould likes to have a doctor all to himself ; it is said that he pays £4000 a year to his physician. Dr. William Munn, and thus commands his entire time. The contract is for twenty years, or until Mr Gould's death. Dr. Muun lias devoted his time since his engagement, which begun a year ago, to a careful study of the human nerves and their diseases. Professor Tyndall, writing to a gentleman at' Ayr apropos of the Jate election, says : — " If good and true men of Ayr knew the goal to which Mr Gladstone is leading them they would not have acted as they have recently done. It is not his wild Home Rule scheme or his politics in any sense that constitutes the saddest phenomenom to my mind, but that he, being what he is, should wield such power over honest men." Jepup, Gil., is being convulsed by a crusade against goats. The following is from the Sentinel of that place : — "We still advertise for 30 or 40 good fighting billy goats. We want them to butt our Town Council. There must be tackling done. As our City Fathers won't tackle the goats, then let the gouts tackle them. One or the other must reign. There is not room in our town for the Council and the goats, too." The appointment of a housekeeper for Windsor Castle, which became vacant on the death of Mrs Henderson, is ono of the best things in the Queen's gift, for there is not only an adequate salary, but an excellent apartmentin the castle, valuable perquisites, and numerous privilege*. When royal personages from ali.oad visit the Queen at Windsor a handsome present to the housekeeper is a matter of course. Emperor Nicholas gave her £1000 and Emperor ' Napoleon a couple of splendid diamond bracelets. Tho mathematical liend has recently been at work upon the human heart. His calculation is a'curious_ one, and gives the work of the heart in miles and beats. It is based upon the presumption that the pulsations of tho cardiac organ are sixty-nine each minute, and the assumption that tho foice of each pulsation is nine feet. Uompntcil thus according to his figures, the mileage of the blood through the body might bo taken as 207 yards per minute, seven miles per hour, 16S miles per day, 61,320 per year, or 4,292,400 in a lifetime of three score years and ten. The number of beats of the heart in the same long life would reach the grand total of 2,538,843,000. Little Josef Hofman, the infant phenomenon, is not satisfied merely with his fame) as a pianist. In New York one night the prodigy faced the orchestra as a leader and a composer. His composition, which be calls " Polonaise* Amencaine," proved a graceful, rythmctical piece of work, without any striking merit. When the admirable child, led by his father, stepped to (he conductor's seat, tho regular leader of tho Opera House presented him a baton of gold set with jewelß. There was a burst of laughter when the boy wared bis

stick in the air, but it quickly subsided into something like awed silence, as the vast audience noted his. perfect mastery of the highest form of the musician's art.

A ghastly discovery was made by a couple of boys in a deserted brickyard at; Chicago. They found an old soap box, opened it, and discovered thedead bodies of live babies laid side by side within. The bodies were found lo be badly decom-

posed. Two were males and the other three females. One of the males aad one

of the females appeared to have lived about two weeks, while the others had

died shortly after birth. A cursory examination revealed n seeming fracture of the skull in two cases, but these were the only marks of violence discovered.

The babies had probably been dead for about ten days. The police are of the opinion that the babies came from a " baby farm "or lying-in hospital, None of those are known to exist in the vicinity, and it is believed that the soap box was carried to the brickyard from a distance with a pile of refuse, a considerable amount of which has been deposited there.

The system of horse tramways appears to' he on its trial in London, as tested financially against electricity. Recently the London Streets Tramway Company

declared a dividend of four per cent, against eight per cent for the previous year. The Electrical Review urges the company to substitute electricity for horse power. It says :—" Forage has been dearer, and mortality among the horses has been in excess of the average, and there are other reasons for the trasatis*<v«tory state of the finances. The only '"; -\nen to recover lost ground ia to go waivNn > r electricity. Electro motors •£ «& i ?w;>v.tlie ghost readily. Coals will not vary in pivt- „• f«* ' lßat iew costly, and Sprngne's Amenca^^ e ™°?~ clearly shows that there is a reainSJ;,, T over horse-fleah by the entploymenix. , electricity. With the mileage madeoiJv. the Richmond line £25 per day is saved in motive-power expenses alone." A romantic incident is reported from Chiswick, from which it appears that -ai"»u£_ivyo years ago the wife of a hotelkeeperTesiOimt in that, jart of the metropolis and .mother -"of Tout—youngchildren suddenly disappeared from her home, and about the same time a gentleman of well-to-do circumstances, and believed to have become acquainted with the landlady over the hotel bar, was missing also, it bein<* surmised, which afterwards proved to be true, that they had eloped together. The husband finding that his fair partner did not return sought a divorce from his faithless spouse, and succeeded in obtaining the usual decree nisi. After the lapse of two years, during which interval the gentleman died, leaving the rrinnway wife hia fortune, by will, it is said, of £14,000, she revisits her husband, with her old love returned, and the money to recommend her, and asks hia forgiveness for her past rtfiscondnet, which lie grants, and receives her 1 back into her former home, the barrier to their residing together, owing to legal proceedings taken after her hasty departure, being only surmounted by marriage.