Sane or Insane?

South Canterbury Times, Issue 5027, 7 June 1889, Page 3

Sane or Insane?

Some time ago a man named Stephen Spalding was tried at the Supreme Court at Auckland on a charge of setting fire to some dairy factory buildings at Eemuera, but aa there was every reason to believe that ho was insane, ho was acquitted and sent to the Avondale Asylum. He appears to have recovered his reason soon after, and last session a petition was presented to the House for an inquiry into his case. He escaped from tho Asylum in Seplember last, and has recently been caught and replaced in the Asylum. The other day Spalding wrote to an Auckland paper s-“I escaped from the Avondalo Asylum on the 16th of last September, and have been staying ever since with a gentleman in Hawke’s Bay. The reason I escaped was this—l petitioned the Government for an inquiry, and was recommended by the Public Petitions Committee to be medically examined by two doctors, independent of the Superintendent of the Avondale Asylum ; but the examination never took place, and I could not get justice done me, so I determined to escape and procure the necessary certificates myself, of which the following are copies.” The certificates referred to are from two medical gentlemen, one of them being no other than Dr Hacon, ei-medioal superintendent of the Sunnyside Asylum, Christchurch. Dr Hacon writes, under date April 3, to the Colonial Secretary, “In my opinion Stephen Spalding is not dangerous, and does not require further restorative or curative treatment, and may be discharged without danger to himself or others. I am satisfied of his sanity, and recommend that he he be granted a proper official discharge.” The other medical gentleman, Hr Anderson, formerly Assistant Besidcnt Medical Superintent, Leicester and Rutland Counties Asylum, writing under date April 4th says : “I have this day seen and carefully examined Stephen Spalding, of To Papapa, Onehunga, and am quite satisfied as to his sanity. It is my opinion that there is no necessity for further medical treatment or restraint, and be may be discharged with safety to tho community and himself. I would recommend that he be granted the usual certificate of discharge.” As the authorities after recapturing him do not appear to have taken any notice of tho certificates, we may infer that they think Spalding is likely to bo a forger as an incendiary.