Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 103, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 April 1912 — Belief in Witch Doctors Not Insanity [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Belief in Witch Doctors Not Insanity

DETROIT. —That a man may be the victim of a monomania for year* and yet be perfectly rational on every other matter and be able to do moat delicate work, in which a mistake or even a little carelessness might have the most serious results, was testified to in the probate court the other day while Judge HSbert was investigating the sanity of August Hals, a German Pole. It was alleged as a proof of the mgn’s insanity that be believed in “witch-doctors,” and that be paid . them as much as $5 at a time for their advice, but one of the Polish lawyers explained to the court that that belief ■was very prevalent in the Polish quarter of the city, and that hundreds of them who were in ail other respects rational and intelligent, consulted witch-doc tors. Mala is a hard-working man who ome to this country twenty years ago. He *worked seven years in one factory and eight 1b another. For the

past two years be has been working for tbe Michigan, Wire company, making insulated wire, a job that requires to be done with tbe utmost nicety, for any defect in the insulation might cause seriotis accidents. Tbe superintendent of the factory testified that Mali was one of the. best men he had ever had, and that he wished be oould get fifty more like him. It was explained to the court that a belief ip witch-doctors was not considered a sign of insanity in the Polish quarter. and the petition to have Mala committed to a lunatic asylum was denied.