SUFFERING FROM DELUSIONS. AUCKLAND, July.26.

Otago Witness, Issue 2370, 3 August 1899, Page 44

SUFFERING FROM DELUSIONS. AUCKLAND, July. 26.

At the Police Court to-day a respecfcablelooking young woman, named Emily Alice Murphy, was charged with, breaking and entering and stealing certain articles from the dwelling house of William Airey, "at Shelly Beach road, valued at £18. Ao» cused appeared to be in a very weak state, and was accommodated with a chair* After 'hearing evidence for the prosecution, Mr Hannah asked his Worship to exercise his powers under section 6 of "The Lunatics Act, 1882," and have the girl examined by a medical man, as accused .was suffering from several delusions. Mr Hannah then pointed out that on the 23rd June a marriage notice appeared in the Star that she had been- married to a man named James Taylor at Bishopscourt. This notice was inserted by accused herself, and shortly afterwards a letter appeared, signed •by the Bishop's secretary, denying that such a marriage had ever' taken place." Then a letter appeared in the Star, signed " James Taylor, civil and electrical engineer," in answer to the Bishop's secretary's letter. Mr Hannah submitted that the girl must have been suffering from a, delusion, for the money got for the. goods was expended in purchasing a wedding coke. He (Mr Hannah) had been unable to find any such person as James Taylor in existence. What money she got together was .to buy her trousseau. Amelia Wil* liams, the wife of James W. Williams, Remuera, deposed that accused was her daughter. Witness had been married twice. Her daughter suffered from delusions since she was 15, and at that ago she imagined her grandmother had died and left her a lot of money. She had no grandmother living at that time. Accused, being questioned by Mr Hutchison, said Taylor was a man, and had gone away, and she had not seen him for a long tame ; but she was " funning." Witness admitted putting .the marriage notice in the Star, also the "letter signed " James Taylor," and neither of them was true. She said she imagined^ all sorts of things, and ideas came into her head. Accused was remanded for a week for medical examination.