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The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke
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On August 28, 1843, Richard Dadd (1817-1886), one of the most promising young artists of his generation, lured his father, Robert Dadd, into a park in Cobham, Kent, England. Believing that he was attacking the devil disguised as "the person he had always regarded as a parent",1(p24) he attempted to cut his father's throat with a razor and, failing that, stabbed him to death. He escaped to France, where he was arrested near Montereau (southeast of Paris) after attempting to cut the throat of a fellow carriage passenger; he had made his decision to attack based on his perceptions of movements of the star Osiris (probably Sirius).2(p60) After being taken into custody, he confessed his crime and was eventually admitted to the Clermont Asylum, near Beauvais. A list of those who must die was recovered from him. In London, England, sketches of his friends with a red line drawn across . . . [Full Text of this Article]
James C. Harris, MD
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