Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1873 — Cunning of a Crazy Man—The Wrong Man Caged. [ARTICLE]

Cunning of a Crazy Man—The Wrong Man Caged.

Tins morning I noticed two of your citizens got off the cars at this place—Abraham J. Miller and Samuel Berry. Glad to see anybody from home, I hastened, to give them a cordial greeting, after which Mr. Miller took me aside and said he was taking Berry to the asylum. Imagine my astonishment when Berry also took me aside and informed me in a very confidential manner that he Miller to the asylum. Perceiving no marked traces of insanity in either, I was perplexed which to believe, or whether to believe either. After turning the subject over in my mind once or twice, I resolved to stay with them and see the thing out. We first went to the hotel, procured some refreshments, and while there Berry called for pen and ink, saying that he wanted to write home to his wife. Having prepared a letter, he called a porter,and dispatched him to the Post-office I then supposed, but as subsequently appeared, he was sent to the asylum with a letter of which the following is a verbatim copy: Thubsdat, June 5,1873. Superintendent of Ineane Aeylum: Ills AU Sib : In about one or two hours from this time I shall bring to your institution for treatment a young man from Putnam County. His insanity has peculiar modes of manifestation, and during lucid intervals is not perceptible at’all. While on the cars last evening he abstracted from my coat pocket the papers given me by the authorities upon which to enter him into the asylum, and now asserts that he is going to lodge me in the asylum, thought I would write you fa advance. In order that you may be able to properly estimate his talk when we arrive. Tours truly. Samvzlßbbbt. After dinner I accompanied the boys to the Asylum, where we were met by the polite physician in charge, and conducted to the reception room. Almost as soon. as we were seated Miller rpse to his feet, with quite as much dignity as any Envoy Extraordinary ever presented credentials to the court of a reigning potentate. Drawing from his pocket Judge Wright’s order and accompanying papers, he handed them to the Superintendent upon whose face gathered a pleasant but rather incredulous smile. After placing them on the desk he glanced at Berry, who returhed it with a significant wink of the left eye. That silent but expressive language soon “settled the hash” of poor “ Aby,” who was soon conducted to the apartment for new patients. In vain did he attempt to expostulate and explain. The doctor’s only answer was that he understood his case, and advised him to remain quiet—that excitement was injurious, and would only delay his recovery.

Having attended to our business, Beriy and I started for the depot. On the way down he explained to ine the facts of the case, and said he would have a big thing on the Brewster boys when he returned. Deploring the uncomfortable position of poor “Aby,” and desiring to right matters as far as. I could, I induced Berry to return to the institution with me under pretence of sayingfsomething to “Aby” before leaving. When we again reached the asylum, I explained the true state of affairs to the superintendent, who seemed to disbelieve all of us. To extricate himself from the dilemma he telegraphed to Brewsters, and upon the receipt of the reply, immediately exchanged the positions of the parties. As “Aby” emerged from his gloomy abode he looked very much like some individual returning from the funeral of his last earthly friend. He said the next time they want to send lunatics to the asylum they must get Ffed Knox to take them. He also informed me that he would not have undertaken the job only for the expectation that he was going to. have - pleasure trip without costing him anything.—Uft’ca Cor. Putnam Co. (if. •*•) Courier. - —Prof. Plantamour, who prophesied that the world was to be burned up a few months ago, is rfbw in Paris. He desires to read a paper before the Academy to prove that we shall all be frozen to death about 2011.