Pathology of Lying [114]
was too little to do anything. I seen it. I remember that all right. I can see that yet Brother and sister died about 3 years ago. Brother took sick from sleeping out. We slept around in barns for 2 years. Father was in an insane hospital in Kansas. I think my uncle was hanged at N. Junction. We did not stay there. I remember yet when they went to put my mother in the grave. I jumped in with her. We put right out and after awhile folks wrote that father was dead.''
So much attention would not have been paid to this gruesome tale had it not been repeated to various people during the course of several months. The boy wrote letters reiterating these incidents. His stories always went on to include the most surprising amount of abuse. It seemed that everywhere he had been illtreated. Farmers had whipped him, or clothed him badly, or defrauded him of his wages.
Physically, we found John to be in good general condition. A strong active country boy. No serious defect of any kind was discovered.
On mental tests he did better than we expected. To be sure he was very backward in arithmetic, but then his story was that he had hardly ever been to school at all. He certainly did well in many of our tests with concrete material, but the results as a whole were curiously irregular, even if we allowed for his deficient schooling. At that time we were disinclined to pass ultimate judgment on his mentality without knowing more about his antecedents.
On the ``Aussage'' Test he gave only 11 bare items on free recital. On questioning 19 more details were added. Of the entire number only 3 were incorrect, and these were not serious mistakes. Of 6 suggestions offered he accepted 3.
The history of this boy and his family has never been forthcoming. The authorities in his alleged home State have not been able to trace his family, which they could have done had his stories been true. Their report made it clear that the boy's reiterated family history was a fabrication--the raison d'etre of which is still in doubt. In spite of his lying the boy was found a desirable home in the country at the work for which he was suited. After staying for a few weeks he returned to the city and got lodgings for himself. We next heard of him because he was induced by a ``hold-up'' man to secrete a revolver on his person while the police were in the neighborhood. Upon looking up his landlady, it was found that while with her he had suffered from epileptic attacks. These had not been observed during the several months we had previously known him, and he had strongly denied them to us. In our court work we constantly inquire for evidences of epilepsy; in this case we received nothing but negation. After he served his sentence this young man was lost sight of. Even in the institution to which he had been sent he continued his fanciful and often hideous stories, still largely centered about the idea that he had suffered unjustly wherever he had been.
No complete summary of causative factors is possible in this case. The major cause for his lying as well as other delinquencies, particularly his vagrancy, is, of course, the mental traits peculiar to epilepsy.
CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSIONS
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDIVIDUAL. DIAGNOSIS
PHYSICAL FINDINGS
Our 19 mentally normal cases (18 females, 1 male) showed:
Good general condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Fair general condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Poor general condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Poor development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Poor development, undersized for age. . . . . . .2 Defective vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Headaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Mild nervous symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Tonsils and adenoids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Fainting attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Gynecological ailments. . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Abdominal tumor, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hutchinsonian teeth . . .
So much attention would not have been paid to this gruesome tale had it not been repeated to various people during the course of several months. The boy wrote letters reiterating these incidents. His stories always went on to include the most surprising amount of abuse. It seemed that everywhere he had been illtreated. Farmers had whipped him, or clothed him badly, or defrauded him of his wages.
Physically, we found John to be in good general condition. A strong active country boy. No serious defect of any kind was discovered.
On mental tests he did better than we expected. To be sure he was very backward in arithmetic, but then his story was that he had hardly ever been to school at all. He certainly did well in many of our tests with concrete material, but the results as a whole were curiously irregular, even if we allowed for his deficient schooling. At that time we were disinclined to pass ultimate judgment on his mentality without knowing more about his antecedents.
On the ``Aussage'' Test he gave only 11 bare items on free recital. On questioning 19 more details were added. Of the entire number only 3 were incorrect, and these were not serious mistakes. Of 6 suggestions offered he accepted 3.
The history of this boy and his family has never been forthcoming. The authorities in his alleged home State have not been able to trace his family, which they could have done had his stories been true. Their report made it clear that the boy's reiterated family history was a fabrication--the raison d'etre of which is still in doubt. In spite of his lying the boy was found a desirable home in the country at the work for which he was suited. After staying for a few weeks he returned to the city and got lodgings for himself. We next heard of him because he was induced by a ``hold-up'' man to secrete a revolver on his person while the police were in the neighborhood. Upon looking up his landlady, it was found that while with her he had suffered from epileptic attacks. These had not been observed during the several months we had previously known him, and he had strongly denied them to us. In our court work we constantly inquire for evidences of epilepsy; in this case we received nothing but negation. After he served his sentence this young man was lost sight of. Even in the institution to which he had been sent he continued his fanciful and often hideous stories, still largely centered about the idea that he had suffered unjustly wherever he had been.
No complete summary of causative factors is possible in this case. The major cause for his lying as well as other delinquencies, particularly his vagrancy, is, of course, the mental traits peculiar to epilepsy.
CHAPTER VI
CONCLUSIONS
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INDIVIDUAL. DIAGNOSIS
PHYSICAL FINDINGS
Our 19 mentally normal cases (18 females, 1 male) showed:
Good general condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Fair general condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Poor general condition. . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Poor development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Poor development, undersized for age. . . . . . .2 Defective vision. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Headaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Mild nervous symptoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Tonsils and adenoids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Fainting attacks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Gynecological ailments. . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Abdominal tumor, etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Hutchinsonian teeth . . .