For some time, Murray knew that Minor was in some way associated with the Broadmoor asylum, because his letters were addressed, W. C. Minor, Broadmoor. Crowthorne, Berkshire. However, according to Winchesters article, The First Meeting between James Murray and William Chester Minor: Some New Evidence, it was assumed that Minor was a medical officer or possibly the director of the institute. Thus, one could imagine Murrays surprise when in 1889 he learned from visiting Harvard College librarian, Dr. Justin Winsor, that Dr. Minor was actually a patient. Murray also learned the reason why he was detained in the mental institution and was greatly affected by the story. Murray held Minor and his work in great esteem, despite Minors past transgressions, so in 1891 he decided to pay him a visit at the asylum.
That January, Murray boarded a train to Crowthorne where he met the director of the asylum. The men traveled to Broadmoor where Murray met Minor. They became acquainted over a pleasant lunch. Murray spent the better part of the day with Minor, mostly in his cell and found him to be a delightful person.
Murray later described Minor in a letter to a friend as rational, cultured, intellectual, artistic and of high moral character. He was particularly impressed with the degree of remorse he felt for his crime and that he developed a friendship with the widow of his victim, whom he financially supported. Murray thoroughly enjoyed his visit and vowed to return.
Over the years, Murray often visited Minor at Broadmoor. The two men found they had a great deal in common and were intellectual equals. Interestingly, they even looked similar -- both men wore a long white beard and moustache, had a gentle disposition and shimmering kind eyes. The two developed a friendship that would last many years.
Eventually, however, Murray began to notice Minors mental decline. It became increasingly apparent that his friend was losing grip of reality. Minors delusional state intensified over time, as did his paranoia and anxiety. Minor recounted with horror his nightly delusions, where men would come from beneath the floor and from the rafters, taking him sometimes in an airplane to far off destinations and using him sexually before returning him back to his cell.
Murray pitied his friend and tried on occasion to arrange his transfer to America, where he could be cared for by his brother. He believed that being locked away without any family contact was unfair and unjust treatment. In 1902, 68-year-old Minor was Broadmoors longest staying resident, having been confined there for 30 years. Murray doubted he would pose any harm to anyone or himself. Or would he?
A Cruel Fate
Near the turn of the century there were organizational changes made at Broadmoor, which led to the hiring of a new and stricter director. Dr. Bryan was disliked by most of the inmates because of his callous and brusque character. Minor also disliked him because he was less personable than the previous director, whom he liked immensely.
Not long after the new director took control of the facility, Minor slipped into a deep depression. He ate irregularly and showed little interest in having visitors, something he used to enjoy. Minor was so unhappy that he refused even to work on the one thing that brought him the most pleasure -- the dictionary.
In December 1902, Minors depression turned into violent aggression. His hostility was not directed at anyone at the institution, but at himself. In a fit of desperation and anger, he mutilated himself in the most gruesome way. Minor took a penknife and amputated his penis.
No one knew why he resorted to such extreme measures. Some speculated that self-hate or.guilt for having lustful thoughts motivated him to harm himself. However, only Minor knew why and he kept his reasons to himself.
After a month in the infirmary, Minor made a partial recovery and retained some functional use of his organ. Yet, other aspects of his physicality began to worsen. He grew exceedingly weak from various flu-like illnesses that plagued him. He also started to lose his vision. It was during this time that Dr. Bryan considered moving him to another facility closer to his family, where he could live out the rest of his days.
With the help of Murray, Minor was secured passage back to America in 1910. Minors brother Alfred sailed to London to escort him to the United States where he was to be interned at St. Elizabeths Asylum in Washington, D.C. It was the same asylum where he had resided 42 years earlier.
Minor realized when he departed on the boat to America that he would probably never see his closest friend Murray again. Although it saddened the two men greatly, they both knew that Minor was better off in America near his family. After Minors departure, Murray returned back to his editing position at Oxford where he began work on the letter T. It was the last letter he would ever work on.
On July 26, 1915, Murray died of heart failure as a result of pleurisy. Following his death, Murray was recognized as one of the centurys best wordsmiths. A friend and colleague named Burchfield described him as the founder of the art of historical lexicography. He had worked a total of 35 years on the dictionary, often putting in 14-hour days. Unfortunately, he didnt live long enough to see its completion. According to the OED, the work to which he had devoted his life represented an achievement unprecedented in the history of publishing anywhere in the world.
Minor may have been one of the last of Murrays friends to learn of his death. He was thousands of miles from London, both physically and mentally. His delusions worsened, as did his health. In 1918, Minor was diagnosed dementia praecox, which is now called paranoid schizophrenia.
One year after he had been formally diagnosed, Minor was transferred from the hospital to an asylum for the elderly in Hartford, Connecticut. He was no longer considered harmful and the director at the new facility allowed Minor to walk the grounds. One day after a walk on a particularly stormy day, Minor caught a cold that developed into pneumonia. On March 26, 1920, Minor, 85, succumbed to the illness and was buried in relative obscurity in New Havens Evergreen Cemetery -- a sad fate for one of the most productive contributors of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Minor, like Murray never saw the completion of the dictionary. It was another eight years before the first full edition was published. Upon its completion, the dictionary consisted of ten volumes, which contained more than 400,000 words and phrases. It is considered to be one of the most remarkable literary masterpieces of the century and the ultimate authority on the English language.
Bibliography
BBC News (March 2003), Profile: Broadmoor Mental Hospital.
BBC.co.uk (2004), Broadmoors Word Finder.
Murray, K. M. Elizabeth (1995). Caught in the Web of Words: James Murray and the Oxford English Dictionary. Yale University Press.
Dr. William Chester Minor & the O.E.D.
Italie, Hillel (October 1998). Tale of Two Logolepts.
Oxford English Dictionary Official Website. History of the Dictionary.
Smithsonian Magazine, The Strange Case of the Surgeon of Crowthorne. September 1998 Issue.
South London Chronicle (February 1872). Frightful Murder in Lambeth.
Wikipedia Encyclopedia. William Chester Minor.
Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Oxford English Dictionary.
Wikipedia Encyclopedia. Battle of the Wilderness.
Williams, Robyn (January 2002). The Oxford Dictionary Saga. Interview with author Noel Cruz. Transcript
Winchester, Simon (1998). The First Meeting Between James Murray and William Chester Minor: Some New Evidence. Oxford English Dictionary June 1998 Newsletter.
Winchester, Simon (1998). The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity and the Making of the OxfordEnglish Dictionary. HarperCollins Publishers. U.S.A.
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