| Show LAX LUNACY lias aias OF ENGLAND ose OXE of the most detestable public abuses existing in great britain Is perpetrated pet rated ted under the facility with which peo people can be deprived of liber ilber liberty tyby by being placed in lunatic asylums by relatives relative ii for ulterior purposes the most revolting cruelties cruel ties have in this way wiy been committed upon perfectly sape sane persons the motives which have prompted perpetrators the of such an inhuman method have been various but mostly to gain possession of property pertain in possession of persons to whom insanity has been attributed in some instances people have adopted this plan to rid themselves of relatives whose eccentricities have caused them to feel scandalized the latter iatter appears to have been the cause of an attempt on the part of a mr weldon of london to place his wife in a lunatic asylum mrs weldon had a phenomenal voice which she insisted on wasting in common concert halls to the utter disgust of her friends hessed she sued the conspirators against her liberty and was recently awarded damages to the amount of against dr semple one of the who testified to her insanity J adge who clea over the trial on giving judgment said Mr was entitled to the thanks of the public for the very thorough manner in which she had exposed one of the very worst public abuses of the time she had shown the world that the english lunacy laws afforded every opening for some of the most serious offenses against personal liberty that had ever been devised the ease with which under the english lunacy laws per perfectly f estly sane and useful members ol of soc society I 1 ety could be removed from their pat path h by designing persons and be put act actually na lly liy out of the world audr judge hawkins said actually terrified him lim jim and should be made the subject of immediate legislative correction the defense was represented by able counsel but mrs W weldon weidon eldon eidon conducted her own case the abuses that have occurred under the lax lunacy laws of england cover so long a period and are so notorious that literary men have woven indi incidents dents of that nature into their novels and even the thrilling and pathetic story of this kind that is intro ducted into the thread of valentine vox 11 has haa probably been equalled equal led if not surp surpassed asea ased in real life it is to be hoped for the sake of humanity and the creat credit of our aeh neighbors gh bors over the atlantic that the suggestion of judge hawkins hawkens will be adopted |
