CURIOUS HISTORY OF A LUNATIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 894, 8 October 1881, Page 2

CURIOUS HISTORY OF A LUNATIC.

James D. Rhyinus was patient in a private mad-house. Mrs Bigelow, wife of a physician in charge, took a deep interest in his case. She believed that insanity could be cured by moral suasion and generally mild treatment, and she chose Ehymus as a subject on which to test her system. He steadily improved, until sanity was at last re-established. In the meantime Mrs Bigelow had beconio a widow. She soon afterwards married Ehymus, and he became a physician. That was twenty years ago. Dr Ehymus made insanity a speciality in his practice, 'and had charge successively of many asylums. He adhered to the theory of mild treatment which had proved eHica- » cious in lmowncaßo, and for the pur- ,«1 pose of putting it into thorough practice iS he based, a few weeks ago, the View Hotel, near Denver, Color!' turniug it into an asylum. In order s train his keepers by degrees, ho at first < only admitted three patients, and these were supposed to be only slightly deranged, But he was mistaken in one of them, and one morning found himself attacked by a furious madman, who choked him insensible, and would have killed him if his wife had not foughtheroically to free him. During the commotion- caused by the struggle, the other two patients, escaped, .■ and one of them drowned herself, This 1 bad beginning of the enterprise drove Dr \ Rhymus insane again, and while out of '/ his mind he slew his wife. \.