Patient was born in England in 1868. Was a healthy child as far as he
knows; no history of spasms or convulsions. Talked and walked at the
usual age. Of the diseases of childhood he had whooping cough, measles
and scarlet fever, from which he apparently made good recoveries.
Entered school at the age of seven; attended irregularly until he was
twelve years old. After leaving school he made an attempt at learning
a trade and worked as apprentice for some time. At fifteen he
endeavored to enlist in the British Navy, but was rejected on account
of palpitation of the heart. In 1884, at the age of sixteen, he joined
the Royal Marines; soon found this to be disagreeable to his tastes,
and wanting to secure his discharge, he stole a suit of clothes off a
dummy with the avowed purpose of being discharged for the offense.
Was arrested, plead guilty, and served a sentence of one month. In
1886, at the age of eighteen, he enlisted in the Royal Fusileers and
deserted therefrom about a month later. He then reënlisted in the
eighteenth Royal Irish Fusileers, shortly after deserted, and then
gave himself up; was court-martialed, dishonorably discharged, and
given a sentence of six months which he served in Brixton's Military
Prison, London. In 1887, at the age of nineteen, under the name of
Henry Sayers, he joined the Welsh Division of the Royal Artillery,
whence he deserted two months later and sold a kit and coat belonging
to another recruit; was apprehended, tried and given a sentence of six
months. In all, he was dishonorably discharged from the service seven
times. In 1892, at the age of twenty-four, he immigrated to this
country. On arriving here he worked about a month at railroading and
then enlisted in the Army, deserted after serving three months, and
crossed the Canadian Border. He subsequently returned and gave himself
up to a sheriff, was court-martialed, dishonorably discharged, and
given a sentence of one year and a half. After being released he
resumed his nomadic existence but in a more pronounced manner. Since
1895, he has had no definite occupation, subsisting on begging,
stealing, and peddling minor articles, chiefly on the two former. He
has spent most of his life since then in penitentiaries and
workhouses, and when at liberty, in cheap boarding-houses and
missions. As far as he can recall he has been arrested twenty-two
times for vagrancy since 1895, served four years at Moundsville and
Atlanta for robbery, and six months for theft. He commenced to indulge
in alcoholics at a very early age and has been an excessive drinker
all his life. Has been intoxicated on numerous occasions and has had
delirium tremens twice. In 1897 he indulged in opium smoking for
thirteen days and in 1904 sniffed cocaine for a similar period. On
three or four occasions in his life he has had sexual experiences
with men and there is a definite history of inversion. He has been
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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