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t woman's daughter。 I never said anything to my mother。 I was always ashamed of myself to say anything about it。 After I got to working with factory girls I heard a lot about it。'' The mother told us later that she thought it probable from what she now knew that this Mrs。 R。 may have been largely responsible for Hazel's tendency to delinquency。 Hazel kept this association of several years' standing quite to herself。 The mother remembers now how Hazel once stayed for hours after school and told a story in explanation that they felt sure was untrue。 The teachers used to tell the mother that Hazel seemed as if she couldn't pay attention to her school work。 One teacher reported to us that she remembers Hazel as a girl who seemed peculiar and hysterical。 The other girls called her queer and used to steer clear of her。
The mother reports Hazel as being for several years impulsive； erratic； talkative； untidy； and rather dishonest in other small ways besides lyingall this in spite of vigorous home discipline。 The girl at one time under the influence of revival meetings left the religious faith of her parents。 However； they thought if any form of religion would make her better it would be all right。
At our last interview with Hazel before she was sent away； an interview which she prefaced by saying； ‘‘I want to apologize for everything I did；'' the girl showed herself unable to avoid prevarications。 Coming back； for instance； to the subject of her schooling she tells us how she won a graduating medal。 This her mother said was untrue。
About her own lying tendencies she confessed that sometimes she hardly knew whether things were really so or not。 Asked about her knowledge of other cities； ‘‘I read a whole lot and learn things in that way。 I used to have to write compositions and imagine we were going places。 I was pretty good at that。'' One felt very uncertain about Hazel's mental condition when in almost the same breath she denied having said anything about the seals on the rocks at San Francisco； or about obstetrical cases； but； of course； the denial may have been itself another falsification。 Her knowledge of army affairs was gained through her acquaintance with young soldiers。 An unusual amount of what she heard or read was photographed with the greatest clearness in her mind and was recalled most vividly。
A peculiarity of Hazel's case which was quite obvious was her lack of apperception concerning her own interests。 Her lies all along； after her identity was discovered； were so easy to trace； and they so quickly rebounded upon her； that there seemed every reason for her to desist。 Nothing so clearly proved the absence of self…realization as her feeling under detention that other girls with whom she was in forced association were much beneath her in quality； although many of them were not nearly so untidy and had not been nearly so immoral。 During all this period of several months； beginning with her running away and her writing the housewifely letters about her imaginary married life； and ending with her appeal for aid at the social center； Hazel was indulging in veritable orgies of lying。 When away from home she several times picked up men on the street and stayed at hotels with them。
At the time of our first studies of this case we hardly dared to offer either a mental or moral prognosis。
In the institution for delinquent young women to which she was sent Hazel's traits were long maintained。 She proved very troublesome on account of lies to her family； to the officers； and to the other girls。 The latter soon discovered； however； the peculiar lack of foundation for her stories。 In the institution was also noted the tendency to untidiness of which her mother spoke。 The authorities steadily persevered with Hazel。 They secured another operation on her eye； which successfully straightened it； and she became fully ‘‘cured'' of her pelvic disease。 She received instruction in a form of handicraft in which she quickly showed special dexterity and skill。 Her tendencies to falsify gradually became less。 About two years later the mother again assumed control with great success。
This is the remarkable interest of Hazel's case； to wit； that with proper discipline and the development of new interests her fabricating tendencies have been reduced to a minimum。 She has made a wonderful improvement and has long been a self…supporting and self…respecting young woman with her own relation to the world realized in a way that before seemed entirely lacking。
… Mental conflict： About early secret Case 1。 experiences。 Girl； age 16 yrs。 Mental conditions： Either mild psychosis or extreme adolescent instability。 Bad companions： Early。 Delinquencies： Mentality： Extreme lying。 Normal ability。 Running away。 Psychosis （？）。 Sex。 …
CASE 2
Summary： A girl of 19； under partial observation for three years； was during all this time a great mystery。 Brought at first to us by her family as being insane because she was such a great liar and unreliable in other ways； we never could find the slightest evidence of aberration。 No satisfactory explanation was forthcoming until the remarkable denouement when we learned that the mother； whom we had come to know herself as an extreme falsifier； was not the mother at all。 It seems clear that the girl's behavior was largely the result of mental conflict about certain suspected facts； and psychic contagion arising from the world of lies in which she had lived。
Beula D。 has been known in several cities and in more than one court as the ‘‘mystery girl。'' She has appeared on the scene in various places； giving a fictitious name and telling elaborate stories of herself which always proved to be without foundation。 She ran away from home on several occasions； but except in one instance which we know about； has never been seriously delinquent。 We saw her on many occasions and tried to get at the truth of her stories of ill treatment and the like。 Investigators found there was unquestionably some truth in her statements； but never from first to last in the many interviews which we had with her was there ever any possibility of separating truth from falsehood。 The girl simply did not seem to know the difference between the two。 What was more； we found that the mother presented the same characteristics。 She also； by her most curious and complicated fabrications； led even her most rational sympathizers into a bewildering maze。 A woman of magnificent presence； tremendous will； and good intelligence； she nevertheless was soon found to be absolutely unreliable in her statements。 This woman's numerous inventions； so far as we have been able to ascertain； have been quite beside the mark of any possible advantage to be gained by her or her family。 Naturally we here thought heredity played an important role； until our final discovery that the two were not related。 The details which we know about this case would cover scores of pages。 In sum