LOVE AND LUNACY

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 5163, 2 January 1904, Page 9

LOVE AND LUNACY

(From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 20. .'Prior to the news of the Lautier-.'.helot duel becoming public property Pan.-uin., wore provided with a sensation in toe nltapo of tho love tragedy oi a. young Hungarian named Kurins. who blew out his brains after running amok m In.; lodgings and seriously wounding two Kthcr inmate.-;. Kornis, it appe.ne, tub inorf- or less ;t lunatic, and ehn fly of.cupied his mind by studying hooks on the Ulack Art, tlm Kahbala. occultism, and Ibo like, and on occasion he would take his walks abroad garbed as an Alchemist u tjio middle ages, Sonui time ago Kbrnls foil violently in love, but athe object of ids grand passion was a Hungarian Countess already poi.s.t’-ssnig % husband very mucli to her liking, tin | Undent felt that it was useless to woo licr in tho ordinary fashion. So he by his Ulack Arts captured her ‘vpintnal presence!.and made love to that, much to tho amusement of his neighbours, [’he ‘-spiritual presence” was. however. v, poor substitute for lhe> material l/'otuituso. and finding that Ids adored £ino remained proof against all his miduiglit incantations ana invocations fit bought a portrait of her. had some war. vtatuottes made iu her imago and tried what he could do to inako her suffer in peraon by sticlung pins into tlio statuettes and making' a revolver target rf tho portrait. Then, strange to .say, Iho Countess died quite suddenly, and Kornis, wiio possibly believed that, his foolish shooting and pin-pricking had icully caused her death, bream .- ir.elautholy mad. Ho was frequently heard tunversing with the shadtS of ids- dear departed and boserclnng her to return lo him. Then one mgnt lie imlingeu hi a bout of pistol practice which might13y scared his neighbours and brought forth a strong remonstrance and wanting from the concierge, 'f ids quietened Kornis for awhile, but last Saturday ho broke out agaru and after a frenzied mjthurst iu bis rooms left his flat armed with a c-oaipie of revolvers. These ho discharged promiscuously at everyone lie Saw and them bleu out bis own brains. In his rooms were discovered tho riddled portrait of tho Countess and tho wax uUigics bristling with pins and needles, IMCI inscribed with the name of the lady lln whom tho lunatic had practised his hagio with such unsatisfactory results.