pathology of lying-第22章

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ons。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Sex　immorality。　…



CASE　5

Summary：　　A　young　woman　of　20；　bright　mentally；　strong　physically；　‘‘confessed''　to　a　professor　of　a　university　where　she　was　studying　that　she　had　shot　and　killed　a　man。　　The　facts　were　known　to　only　three　or　four　people　and　she　was　terribly　worried　about　it　all。　　Upon　her　information　the　affair　was　taken　up　by　a　group　of　professional　men；　one　of　them　a　lawyer　of　large　practical　experience。　　She　aided　in　an　investigation　which　attempted　to　uncover　the　‘‘white　slave''　feature　of　the　case。　　The　data　of　verification　proved　most　elusive。　　Later；　the　young　woman　implicated　herself　in　a　burglary；　and　altogether　an　elaborate　story　of　her　life　was　evolved。　　It　was　found　that　from　early　years　she　had　been　a　great　fabricator。


While　a　first　year　student　at　a　university　Marie　M。　begged　for　an　interview　with　one　of　her　instructors　at　his　home　and　there；　with　him　and　others；　she　told　a　detailed　story　of　how　some　months　previously　she　had　escaped　a　difficult　situation　by　killing　a　man。

The　exceedingly　long　account　which　was　given　at　intervals　to　several　professional　men　and　enlarged　upon　in　response　to　inquiry；　or　as　the　occasion　otherwise　demanded；　we　are　not　justified　in　taking　space　to　retell。　　This　case　figures；　as　a　whole；　in　somewhat　anecdotal　fashion　among　our　others；　we　freely　confess；　it　is　cited　to　show　the　extent　to　which　apparently　purposeless　fabrication　can　go。　　It　has　been　found　impossible　to　gain　a　satisfactory　idea　of　the　genesis　of　this　young　woman's　tendency；　quite　in　contrast　to　the　other　cases　we　have　cited。　　It　forms　the　only　instance　where　we　have　drawn　from　our　experience　with　merely　partially　studied　cases。

Marie's　story　involved　many　items　of　her　life　since　she　was　about　12　years　of　age。　　A　distant　relative　who　had　come　to　know　her　whereabouts　（she　was　an　orphan　living　with　friends）　figured　extensively　in　her　narrative。　　This　relative　had　hounded　her　in　an　effort　to　get　her　to　engage　in　an　evil　life。　　His　attentions　varied　greatly；　sometimes　for　months　she　was　not　bothered　with　him。　　Once　when　she　was　on　her　way　to　Milwaukee　a　gray　haired　man　approached　her　on　the　train；　said　he　knew　her　relatives；　they　were　rather　a　bad　lot　of　people；　and　he　wanted　to　protect　her　from　them。　　Then　came　a　long　account　of　being　driven　in　a　carriage；　changing　her　clothes　in　a　hotel；　having　her　picture　taken　in　an　immodest　costume；　signing　a　paper　at　police　headquarters；　and；　at　last；　safely　returning　home；　all　guided　by　the　mysterious　gray　haired　man。　　Another　trip　led　to　an　encounter　with　a　man　who　took　her　in　an　automobile　under　the　promise　of　meeting　a　friend。　　Entering　a　building　where　men　carried　revolvers　and　girls　were　given　hypodermic　injections；　just　as　she　was　about　to　receive　the　needle　in　her　arm；　she　reached　the　man's　revolver　and　shot　him　in　the　back。　　Events　follow　swiftly　in　her　tale；　but　all　is　thoroughly　coherent；　and　a　number　of　facts　are　included　which　could　be　substantiated。　　The　professional　men　could　not　help　being　impressed　and　spent　much　valuable　time　before　they　felt　convinced　that　it　was　a　fabrication。　　The　exact　locations　could　not　be　discovered；　but　then　Marie　was　a　stranger　in　the　city。

When　we　saw　her　the　whole　story　was　reiterated　with　but　few　changes；　which；　however；　from　the　standpoint　of　testimony　were　most　important。　　We　soon　found　we　could　get　direct　testimony　on　physical　features　which　were　provably　untrue。　　For　instance；　the　description　of　a　certain　hallway　in　a　building　where　she　had　gone　with　one　of　the　men　interested　in　the　events　was　totally　unlike　anything　that　existed　there。　　Then；　too；　certain　embellishments；　which　by　this　time　included　the　payment　of　a　large　check　to　her　as　hush　money；　a　check　which　she　as　easily　gave　away　again；　seemed　altogether　improbable。　　Marie　by　this　time　was　implicating　herself　in　a　burglary　with　this　relative；　and　some　other　curious　incidents　were　given。　　In　all　of　these；　as　we　later　found；　there　was　a　central　event　about　which　her　statements　MIGHT　have　been　true。　　There　was　such　a　burglary；　she　had　said　in　previous　years　that　she　was　hounded　by　a　man；　and　so　on。　　We；　too；　were　struck　by　the　uselessness　and　lack　of　purpose　in　the　lyingfor　we　soon　felt　assured　that　it　was　such。

Physically　we　found　Marie　to　be　a　decidedly　good　specimen。　　She　weighed　about　140　lbs。　　Strong　and　firm　in　carriage。　　Vivacious　in　expression。　　The　physical　examination　at　the　university　had　shown　her　to　be　without　notable　defect　of　any　kind。　　We　can　summarize　Marie's　characteristics　by　stating　that　from　the　earliest　age　of　which　we　can　get　satisfactory　record；　when　she　was　about　10　years　old；　she　has　been　persistently　addicted　to　falsehoods。　　Even　then　she　made　up；　without　any　basis；　stories　which　puzzled　many　people。　　It　is　much　to　the　point　that　she　has　been　a　great　loser　on　account　of　this　tendency；　it　has　injured　her　reputation　on　numerous　occasions　and　destroyed　many　of　her　good　chances。　　When　she　was　about　15　it　was　noticed　that　she　was　a　great　day…dreamer。　　She　thought　she　could　write　stories　and　once　began　a　novel。　　Much　more　peculiar　than　this　was　the　fact　that　she　repeatedly　wrote　letters　to　her　friends　which　were　simply　a　mass　of　fabrications；　describing　such　things　as　imaginary　excursions。

Tests　for　mental　ability　were　not　given　in　this　case；　there　was　no　need　for　it。　　Her　marks　in　the　preparatory　course　were　just　fair。　　It　had　been　noted　by　her　teachers；　as　well　as　by　her　foster　parents；　that　she　was　prone　to　have　periods　when　attention　to　her　work　seemed　difficult。　　Aside　from　her　peculiarities；　which　showed　themselves　entirely　in　her　fabricating　tendency　and　her　assumed　illnesses；　nothing　much　out　of　the　way　in　her　mental　life　had　ever　been　noted。　　On　several　occasions　she　had　taken　to　her　bed；　but　when　a　physician　was　called；　a　diagnosis　was　given　of　simulation；　or　hysteria。　　Nothing　like　major　hysterical　attacks　at　any　time　occurred；

From　most　excellent　sources　of　information　we　have　obtained　an　account　of　the　family　history。　　No　instance　of　insanity　is　known；　but　it　is　said　there　is　much　evidence　of　ignorance　and　superstition。　　Marie's　mother　bore　a　good　character；　but　was　decidedly　ignorant。　　At　about　the　age　of　50　she　made　a　homicidal　attack　upon　a　second　husband　and　then　killed　herself。　　The　father　was　an　industrious　and　sober　laborer；　but　unable　to　support　his　large　family。　　At　his　death　in　Marie's　early　childhood　the　family　was　broken　up　and　the　ten　children　were　distributed　about。　　None　of　the　children　is　said　to　be　abnormal　mentally；　but　there　has　been　a　tendency　to　free　living；　even　on　the　part　of　the　older　sisters。　　It　seems　very　sure　that　no　other　member　of　the　family　was　given　to　telling　false　stories。　　The　brothers　have　been　inclined　to　be　shiftless　and　to　roam；　but　then　the　environmental　conditions　often　have　been　against　them。　　However；　some　of　them　have　done　well。　　In　general；　as　far　as　Marie　is　concerned；　it　may　be　said　early　home　environment　was　not　bad　except　on　account　of　poverty。　　Marie　bears　no　traces　of　having　suffered　from　defective　conditions　before　or　after　birth。　　Her　early　developmental　history　appears　to　be　negative。　　She　has　lived　about　in　several　different　homes；　the　longest　stay　being　about　seven　years。　　In　one　place　she　was　suspected　of　masturbation；　but　we　were　unable　to　get　a　perfectly　definite　statement　that　she　was　addicted　to　the　habit。

Two　years　prior　to　the　time　we　knew　Marie　she　had　worked　up　a　story　of　adventure　in　which　she　was　the　heroine。　　She　used　the　telephone　to　call　for　help；　stating　that　she　stood　with　a　revolver　covering　a　burglar。　　From　this　incident　she　gained　a　good　deal　of　notoriety。　　The　police　found　there　was　nothing　to　the　case　and　later　Marie　herself　made　a　confession。　　By　the　time　we　saw　her　this　story　varied　somewhat　from　her　original　statement；　but　was　still　persisted　in；　although　she　must　have　known　that　we　could　readily　trace　the　actual　occurrence。

After　Marie　had　continued　her　stories　for　a　few　weeks　while　attending　the　university　they　had　grown　so　that　they　included　night　visitations　in　her　boarding…house　from　the　man　who　was　said　to　be　hounding　her；　she　was　found　once　more　impossible　to　deal　with　and；　as　her　work　became　poorer；　she　h