Then he would call upon his parents and deprecate his wicked life; then rave again, “murderers, tormentors, consider you have souls to save, consider you have souls to lose as well as I, a poor prisoner; consider you have children that may be brought to trouble as well as I; consider I have parents as well as they. O! if my parents knew my situation, it would kill them. My wife, begone from my sight; why will you torment me! It is for you that I suffer all my sorrow—it is for you my heart bleeds. Not a friend comes to see me—nothing before me but pain and sorrow, chains and darkness, misery and death, O! wretched me, how long am I to suffer in this place of torment! Am I to linger a life of pain and sorrow in chains and misery? No, I will cut the thread of life and be relieved from this place of darkness and trouble,” singing “trouble, trouble, trouble,” a thousand times repeated. In this manner he continued raving till he became very hoarse and exhausted, would take no notice of anything that was said to him, and finally left off speaking entirely. The weather having become very cold, he was allowed his berth again, with a comfortable bed of straw and blankets; but the blankets had to be taken away from him again, on account of his having attempted to _hang_ himself with one of them made into a rope. He next attempted to starve himself, but this he gave over, after having fasted three or four days. He now dropped into a state of quietness, and lay in his bed the most of the time, day as well as night; but on the 16th of December we found on examining his prison, that he had broken the iron collar from his neck, and drawn the staple from the timber; but replaced it again so as to prevent detection. On the 17th, we put a chain about his neck, and stapled it to the floor in such a manner that he could not reach either of the staples. In this situation he remained secure and rather more quiet, yet with occasional shouting and screaming until the 15th of January. The weather having now become very cold, and no fire allowed him, fears were entertained that he might freeze; to prevent which it became necessary to remove his irons, which with the exception of his fetters and handcuffs, were accordingly taken off. For this relief Smith showed no sign of thankfulness, but became more noisy and troublesome, especially in the night, disturbing all within the reach of his voice, with screeching and howling, and all manner of hideous noises, entirely unlike the human voice, and tremendously loud, even beyond conception. In this manner he continued for five months, occasionally committing violence upon himself and breaking his chains, during which period he could never be surprised into the utterance of one single word or articulate sound, and took no notice of any person or thing, or of what was said to him, no more than if he had been a dumb, senseless animal; yet performing many curious and astonishing actions as will be related hereafter.