Jasper Republican, Volume 1, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 May 1875 — A French Lunatic. [ARTICLE]

A French Lunatic.

Rousseau once wrote: “If it were only necessary for yon to hold out your thumb in order to cause the death of an lmmensely-wealthy mandarin in China, whose heir you would be, are you sure that you would not extend your thumb?” This passage one day attracted the attention of Henri de Lacreis, a young Frenchman of excellent family, but /whose brain was a little affected by the loss of his fortune. He thought, “If I could stretch out my thumb and that would be enough to kill my unde and cousin, I should become very rich.” In a sort of hallucination he extended his arm toward die photographs of his relatives and said, “ Let them die, so that I may inherit.” Fifteen days later his uncle and cousin were carried off by typhoid fever. Within the last six months remorse preyed upon Lacrois’ enfeebled intellect and he imagined that his spell caused die death of his relatives. He heard voices from all sides of his room calling, “thou bast killed us! Thou hast killed us!” He, delivered himself up to the police and asked to be executed. He died a few days ago in an insane asylum. ■ •=- The height of ahticipation —A dentist sitting in his own chair all day and grin* ning at the candy-shop over fee way. It takes only seconds to arrange a duel.