A "SUPPOSED" LUNATIC IN DERBY.
t the Borough Police Court this morning, a man, who said his name was "Jim," but from whom no further information could be obtained, was charged with being a wandering lunatic. Sergeant Parker said that, at a quarter-past one o'clock on Monday afternoon, his attention was called to the prisoner, who was on the Midland Railway platform. He noticed that the prisoner was wandering about in a strange manner. After making enquiries, he had telegrams sent to Bath, the replies to which were to the effect that the prisoner had been found wandering about the line there greatly excited, that they did not consider he was right in his mind, and that they had given him written directions to enable him to obtain a ticket for Derby, which he succeeded in doing. He spoke to the man, and thought he wanted to go to London; but when the London train came in he could not prevail upon him to take a ticket. He had £1 8s. in his possession, and also some tea, a razor, basket, and other articles; but no letters or anything from which they could find out his address. He took him to the police station, where the police surgeon examined him on Monday night, and pronounced him to be of unsound mind. The doctor promised to call again this morning, but had not yet done so. The Bench remanded the man until the following morning, so that the police surgeon might attend and give evidence.—Derby Daily Telegraph.
The alleged lunatic,—the deaf and dumb man, whose only name was Jim, and who had been charged with being a wandering lunatic, was again brought up. Mr. W. R. Roe, head master of the Deaf and Dumb Institution, said that he had been sent for, and that he had been communicating with the prisoner by means of signs, and found that he was deaf and dumb, and totally uneducated, but certainly of sound mind. The police surgeon again appeared, and said he had examined the man, and had come to the conclusion that there was no indication of insanity about him. The prisoner was discharged and handed over to Mr. Roe, who promised to take care of him till something was heard from his friends.—Derby Daily Telegraph.
The man was kept at the Deaf and Dumb Institution for a few days, when it was found that his friends were residing on the other side of Bath. It transpired that the man had been on a visit to some friends at Bath and could not make the authorities understand where he wanted to go, hence the error in sending him to Derby.—W. R. R.
A CLEVER GYMNAST.
