Page images
PDF
EPUB

was rigged on the main deck opposite Prince's den, a large barred up place, the pillars large, and cased with iron. When the keeper began to strip, Prince rose gloomily from his couch, and gut as near to his friend as possible. On beholding his bare back, he walked hastily round the den; and when he saw the boatswain inflict the first lash, his eyes sparkled with fire, and his sides renunded with the strong and quick beatings of his tail. At last, when the blood began to flow from the unfortunate man's back, and the 'clotted eats jerked their gory knots close to the Tion's dem his furt became tremendous le roared with a voice of thunder, shook the strong bars of his prison as if they had been oses, ami ámding his efforts to break loose unavailing, he rolled ami sitemaad it a manner the most terrific it is possible to conceive. The per farng de angitt break loose, ordered the marines ņām ami mospat at Prince This threat however, only remyrtive due mege, end at læst de orera dested the keeper ic be pese në anë ge at his fand it wirele & describe the joy Tie bekal wet care the angled and bleed

into book a che per kmarta sa MA, CACENÍ. LA with MS DAWS, 'ན ཏི ' གཏི ཙིཏྟབྦོ ་ནས་ de der 25 zone renewing Firaren aurs that Prince

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

caman time chief physician to horga: repostadly of the public lains from the furions. His by nengontaj himsel? before Sabinctions with increased strops treatment. “Citizen," dildo-morrow go to visit the Crest Us, a concealest St the insane.”

The next day he

ss strange a spectacle use of his lower extremiof others, he appeared. tad on another's body; foebic and femidodad, sentences of death; for

Conthon visited the

then himself; but he received

only imprecations amidst the clanking of chains on floors disgustingly filthy from the evacuations of the miserable occupants. Fatigued with the monotony and revolting character of this spectacle, Couthon returned to Pinel. "Citizen," said he, "art thou thyself mad to desire to unchain such animals?" 'Citizen,' replied Pinel, I am convinced that these lunatics are intractable only from being deprived of air and liberty, and I expect much from a different course.' "Well," said Couthon, "do as thou likest; I leave them to thee; but I am afraid thou wilt fall a victim to thy presumption."

Master of his own actions, Pinel immediately commenced his undertaking, fully aware of its real difficulties; for he was going to set at liberty about fifty furious maniacs, without injurious or dangerous consequences, as he hoped, to the other peaceable inmates of the establishment. He determined to unchain no more than twelve at the first trial; and the only precaution he took, was to have an equal number of strait jackets prepared, made of strong linen with long sleeves, which could be tied behind the back of the maniac, should it become necessary to restrict him from committing acts of violence.

The first person to whom Pinel addressed himself, had been a resident for the longest period in this abode of misery. He was an English captain, whose history was unknown, but who had been chained there for forty years. He was looked upon as the most terrible of all the insane. His attendants always approached him with circumspection; for in a paroxysm of fury, he had struck one of the servants on the head with his manacles, and killed him on the spot. He was confined with more rigor than many of the others, which circumstance, combined with almost total neglect on the part of the keepers, had exasperated a disposition naturally furious. Pinel entered his cell alone, and approached him calmly. 'Captain,' said he, if I were to remove your chains, and to give you liberty to walk in the court, would you promise me to be rational, and do harm to no one?" "I promise thee. But thou mockest me; they, as well as thyself, are too much afraid of me." suredly not. I have no fear; for I have six men at hand to make me respected, should it be necessary. But believe my word; be confiding and docile. I will give you liberty, if you will allow me to substitute this strait waistcoat for your ponderous chains.'

· As

The captain yielded with a good grace to every thing required of him, shrugging his shoulders, but without uttering a word. In a few minutes his irons were completely removed, and Pinel withdrew, leaving the door of the cell open. Several times the maniac raised himself from his seat, but fell back again; he had kept the sitting posture so long that he had lost the use of his legs. At length, in about a quarter of an hour, and after repeated attempts, he succeeded in retaining his equilibrium, and from the depth of his dark cell advanced staggering towards the door. His first action was to look at the sky, and exclaim in ecstasy, "How beautiful!" Through the whole day he ran about, ascending and descending the stairs, and constantly repeating the excla

mation, "How beautiful! how good!" In the evening he returned to his cell, slept tranquilly on a better bed, which had been provided for him; and during the two additional years which he passed in the Bicetre, he had no paroxysm of fury. He rendered himself, indeed, useful in the establishment, by exerting a certain degree of authority over the patients, whom he governed after his own fashion, and over whom he elected himself a kind of superintendent.

But the case of Chevinge, a soldier of the French guards, is looked upon as one of the most memorable feats of that interesting and eventful day. While in the army, he had but one fault— drunkenness; and when in this state he became turbulent, violent, and the more dangerous from his strength being prodigious. Owing to his repeated excesses, he was dismissed from his regiment, and soon dissipated his limited resources. Shame and misery subsequently plunged him into such a state of depression, that his intellect became disordered. In his delirium he thought he had been made a general, and beat those who did not admit his rank and quality; and, in consequence of a violent disturbance thus originating, he was taken to the Bicetre, laboring under the most furious excitement. He had been confined in chains for ten years, and with more severity than most of his fellow sufferers, as he had frequently broken asunder his irons by the sole strength of his hands. On one occasion, when he obtained momentary liberty in this manner, he set at defiance the united efforts of all his keepers to make him re-enter his cell. His strength had, indeed, become proverbial at the Bicetre.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Pinel, on several visits, had discovered in Chevinge an excellent disposition, masked under the excitement incessantly occasioned by cruel treatment. He promised the lunatic to ameliorate his condition, and this promise itself rendered him more tranquil. Pinel at length told him he should be no longer chained; and to prove the confidence I have in thee,' said he, and that I regard thee as a man adapted for doing good, thou shalt aid me in freeing those unfortunates who have not their reason like thee; and if thou conductest thyself as I have reason to hope, I will take thee into my service, and thou shalt never quit me. Never,' adds Pinel, was there a more sudden and complete revolution. The keepers themselves were impressed with respect and astonishment at the spectacle which Chevinge afforded.' Scarcely was he liberated when he was seen anticipating and following with his eye, every motion of Pinel, executing his orders with skill and promptitude, and addressing words of reason and kindness to the insane, on the level with whom he had been but a short time before. This man whom chains had kept degraded during the best years of his life, and who would doubtless have spent the remainder of his existence in the same wretched condition, became afterwards a model of good conduct and gratitude. Often, in the difficult times of the revolution, he saved the life of Pinel, and on one occasion rescued him from a band of miscreants who were conducting him to the "Lanterne," owing to his having been an elector in

1789. During the time of famine, he left the Bicetre every morning, and returned with supplies of provisions which gold could not at that time procure. His whole life was one of perpetual devotion to his liberator.

In the course of a few days, the shackles were removed from fifty-five lunatics. An unexpected improvement followed from a course previously regarded impracticable and even fatal. The furious mad-men, who monthly destroyed hundreds of utensils, renounced their habits of violence; others, who tore their clothes, and rioted in filth and nudity, became clean and decent; tranquillity and harmony succeeded to tumult and disorder; and over the whole establishment order and good feeling reigned.

You may

Mark, also, the power of this principle over criminals. Mr. Pillsbury, warden of the state prison in Connecticut, once received into the prison a man of gigantic stature, whose crimes had for seventeen years made him the terror of the country. He told the criminal when he came, he hoped he would not repeat the attempts to escape which he had made elsewhere. "It will be best," said he, "that you and I should treat each other as well as we can. I will make you as comfortable as I possibly can, and I shall be anxious to be your friend; and I hope you will not get me into difficulty on your account. There is a cell intended for solitary confinement; but we have never used it, and I should be sorry ever to have to turn the key upon any body in it. range the place as freely as I do; if you trust me, I shall trust you." The man was sulky, and for weeks showed only gradual symptoms of softening under the operation of Mr. Pillsbury's cheerful confidence. At length information was brought of the man's intention to break prison. The warden called him, and taxed him with it; the man preserved a gloomy silence. He was told it was now necessary for him to be locked in the solitary cell, and desired to follow the warden, who went first, carrying a lamp in one hand, and a key in the other. In the narrowest part of the passage, Mr. Pillsbury, a small, light man, turned round, and looked in the face of the stout criminal. " Now," said he, "I ask whether you have treated me as I deserve? I have done every thing I could to make you happy; I have trusted you; but you have never given me the least confidence in return, and have even planned to get me into difficulty. Is this kind? And yet I cannot bear to lock you up. If I had the least sign that you cared for me"-The man burst into tears. 'Sir,' said he, 'I have been a very devil these seventeen years; but you treat me like a man.' "Come, let us go back," said the warden. The convict had free range of the prison as before; and from this hour he began to open his heart to the warden, and cheerfully fulfilled his whole term of imprisonment.

The labors of Elizabeth Fry in Newgate, and their signal success, are well known; but let us quote the case of Haynes, executed in 1799 at Bristol, Eng. He, was heavily ironed, yet so extremely turbulent and outrageous, that the other prisoners stood P. T. NO. XL. 2

[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

n fares any n he ame yhe name of Came, vas zaninet in un a fon & Temcons and ta hat 30 me tus acomach um. in vain an every site peans been 1821 ommanize um: ad vnen al expedients ad alled the governor irged Caude o indertake he work. Es mumility at Trst regines ne mu: ut ne entreates of he governor. prevailed i am at engho attempt ne ficut ma perious ser He received ne

Tee, and he was sint in vim hemman rite.

sunt with the greatest queness, má zxhaused us femcity in te wings i nows mi stil more savage biens of us disposition. Toms Teatment, continued il ne na-nan was completely exhausstert. he man of God opposed my sience, patience and meek

His prayers achieved he rest. The monster, after ansowey wearying umseif it with abuse and violence, looked at lengen nto me face of Claude, and seeing he love and patient benignty of is expression. siddemy brew himself at his fest in a food of ears. On recovering his voice enough to speak, he expressed the atmost abhorrence of himself, as well as

« PreviousContinue »