1810 to now

David Hambling has interesting information for us and I think all can do with a bit of humor sometimes. I found it at Defense Tech and it is about James Tilly Mathews. According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Tilly_Matthews ) “James Tilly Matthews (1770 - 1815) was a London tea broker, originally from Wales, who was committed to the Bethlem (Bedlam) psychiatric hospital in 1797, and is considered to be the first fully documented case of paranoid schizophrenia.” Hambling was commenting on mind control and electro magnetic attacks in the article. He says it goes a long way back. Let me quote from Hamblings article to preserve his style:
“One case from London was James Matthews, who said he was being influenced by an implant in his head by a gang using a weird electromagnetic device. This group, one of many, he called the Air Loom Gang, and among the tortures they inlicted on him were implanting thoughts ('kiteing'), stopping him from speaking ('fluid locking’), cutting his circulation ('sudden death squeezing’) and ‘brain lengthening’ which would 'cause good sense to appear as insanity, and convert truth to libel'.”
As he says this could be the case -representation of any of the modern day victims. The wikipedia has the following to say on Mathews’ case:
“Matthews believed that a gang of criminals and spies skilled in "pneumatic chemistry" had taken up residence at London Wall in Moorfields (close to Bethlem) and were tormenting him by means of rays emitted by a machine called the "Air Loom". The torments induced by the rays included "Lobster-cracking", during which the circulation of the blood was prevented by a magnetic field; "Stomach-skinning"; and "Apoplexy-working with the nutmeg grater" which involved the introduction of fluids into the skull. His persecutors bore such names as "the Middleman" (who operated the Air Loom), "the Glove Woman" and "Sir Archy" (who acted as "repeaters" or "active worriers" to enhance Matthews' torment or record the machine's activities) and their leader, a man called "Bill, or the King".
Matthews' delusions had a definite political slant: he claimed that the purpose of this gang was espionage, and that there were many other such gangs armed with Air Looms all over London, using "pneumatic practitioners" to "premagnetize" potential victims with "volatile magnetic fluid". According to Matthews, their chief targets (apart from himself) were leading government figures. By means of their "rays" they could influence ministers' thoughts and read their minds. Matthews declared that William Pitt was "not half" susceptible to these attacks and held that these gangs were responsible for the British military disasters at Buenos Aires in 1807 and Walcheren in 1809 and also for the Nore Mutiny of 1797.
In 1814 Matthews was moved to "Fox's London House", a private asylum in Hackney, where he became a popular and trusted patient, the asylum's owner, Dr. Fox, regarding him as sane. Matthews assisted with book-keeping and gardening until his death in 1815”
The lunatic asylum Mathews was housed (Bethlehem Hospital ) later gave English language a word to describe utter chaos-“Bedlam”.
In the article Hambling seems to be mildly amused by the stories about mind control weapons. But in a later article
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military_law/4202262.html
he reported the existence of ADS and that Raytheon, the defense contractor of the US military is selling them to police and security personnel for their use. ADS is a direct energy weapon and causes pain and a sensation of burning when targeted to humans. They are supposed to be used to control violent mobs.
Well the scenario looks threatening. From police to crooks is not a great distance. In some case they are the same, some say. What if these are used on innocent people by these elements. Who is to stop them?