A RELIGIOUS MONOMANIAC.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1137, 9 February 1884, Page 3

A RELIGIOUS MONOMANIAC.

A very remarkable case of religious monomania occurred in Sheffield on a recent Sunday morning. Shortly after 10 o’clock a man was noticed in St Mary’s Churchyard pacing up and down in a very excited state between the gates and the door of the church. He carried a thick club, which he occasionally brandished, and muttered to himself. One or two of the early worshippers expostulated with him, and one in particular *sed hia best efforts to get the man out of the churchyard. To this gentleman the man said that the parson of the church was a murderer and the devil, and could not preach, and therefore God had sent him to kill him. He then struck the gentleman on the head, and breaking through a number of spectators darted down BramalMane, followed by a crowd of about 50 people. He was overtaken, seized, and carried towards the Highland Police-station. On London road the man was handed over to Sergeant Walsh, who took him to the station. There he gave his name as William Simpson, aged 22, living at 48, Sherrington road. His parents were sent for, and he was given into their custody, Sergeant Walsh following behind. When half-way down the road he escaped from his parents, and rushed into a house to the great alarm of the occupants. Banging his hat on the table he shouted that the devil was after ( him, and that he had just escaped from him. Sergeant Walsh was quickly on the man’s track, and assisted to take him home. Mr Dale James was afterwards called in, and certified that the man was insane. It seems as if the man was all right until Sunday, when he disappeared from home at six o’clock in the morning. Recently he has been reading to excess an extreme class of literature, and there is no doubt but that it is a case of religious monomania, In the churchyard Simpson was observed to stamp the ground with iris feet, and he explained afterwards that be had got the devil underfoot and meant to crush him. It is extremely probable that had he not been seized before the arrival of the clergyman he would have carried out his mad threat, He is slated to have been a total abstainer.