Pen?tsylvania 



satisfaction seemed to dart from his eye, not easy to 

 be expressed or conceived. I took him by the hand; 

 and, seating myself opposite the bed to which he was 

 chained, immediately took the lead in conversation, 

 talking of indifferent matters, such as I thought 

 could not possibly tend to interest or disturb his 

 mind. 1 had not proceeded far when he suddenly 

 interrupted me; and proposed a question, which at 

 once convinced me that he was in a very unfit state 

 to see company. I immediately therefore rose up; 

 and making an excuse that my engagements that 

 day would not admit of my entering into so curious 

 a subject, desired him to reserve it for some future 

 conversation. He seemed greatly disconcerted; but 

 being near the door, which stood open, I took my 

 leave and retired. The next morning I left Phila- 

 delphia; nor did I think any more of this occurrence 

 till I arrived at Rhode Island, where I was informed 

 that the chief, if not sole, instances of insanity 

 shew^n by this unhappy young man, were some at- 

 tempts which he had made to kill a clergyman of 

 the Church of England. That he had been edu- 

 cated to be a teacher amongst the Congregationalists, 

 but had taken it into his head that he could never 

 gain heaven, or be happy, but by committing so 

 heroic and meritorious an action. The very even- 

 ing of his confinement he was prevented from ful- 

 filling his purpose, in the instant when he was raising 

 up his hand to plunge a knife into the back of a 



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