Daniel Keyes

The Mysterious Story of Billy Milligan

Dedicated to everyone who suffered from childhood ill-treatment, especially to those who are forced to hide after this...

THE MINDS OF BILLY MILLIGAN

Copyright © 1981 by Daniel Keyes

© Fedorova Yu., translation into Russian, 2014

© Edition in Russian, design. Eksmo Publishing House LLC, 2014

© Electronic version of the book prepared by liters, 2014

Acknowledgments

In addition to hundreds of meetings and conversations with William Stanley Milligan himself, this book draws on conversations with sixty-two people with whom he crossed paths. life path. And although many appear in the story under proper names, I would like to specifically thank them for their assistance.

I also say “thank you” to everyone listed below - these people helped me a lot in conducting the investigation, thanks to them the idea was born, this book was written and published.

They are Dr. David Kohl, director of the Athens Mental Health Center, Dr. George Harding Jr., director of Harding Hospital, Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, public defenders Gary Schweikart and Judy Stevenson, attorneys L. Alan Goldsberry and Steve Thompson, Dorothy Moore and Del Moore, mother and Milligan's current stepfather, Katie Morrison, Milligan's sister, and close friend Milligan Mary.

In addition, I thank the following agencies: Athens Mental Health Center, Harding Hospital (especially Ellie Jones from Public Affairs), Ohio State University Police Department, Ohio State Attorney's Office, Columbus Police Department, Lancaster Police Department.

I also want to express my gratitude and respect to two Ohio State University rape victims (who appear in the book under the pseudonyms Carrie Draher and Donna West) for agreeing to provide detailed accounts of their experiences of the events.

I would like to say “thank you” to my agent and lawyer Donald Engel for his confidence and support in getting this project off the ground, and to my editor Peter Geathers, whose undying enthusiasm and critical view helped me organize the collected material.

Many people agreed to help me, but there were also those who chose not to talk to me, so I would like to explain where I got some information from.

Comments, quotes, reflections and ideas from Dr. Harold T. Brown of Fairfield Mental Hospital, who treated Milligan when he was fifteen years old, are gleaned from his medical notes. Milligan himself clearly remembered meetings with Dorothy Turner and Dr. Stella Carolin of the Southwest Mental Health Center, who first discovered and diagnosed him with multiple personality disorder. The descriptions are supplemented by sworn testimony from them, as well as testimony from other psychiatrists and lawyers with whom they communicated at the time.

Chalmer Milligan, William's adoptive father (referred to as "stepfather" during the trial and in the media), refused to discuss the allegations against him, or my offer to tell his own version of events. He wrote to newspapers and magazines and gave interviews where he denied William’s statements that he allegedly “threatened, tortured, raped” his stepson. Therefore, the alleged behavior of Chalmer Milligan is reconstructed from court records, supported by written testimony from relatives and neighbors, as well as from conversations I conducted on the record with his daughter Chella, his adopted daughter Katie, him adopted son Jim, him ex-wife Dorothy and, naturally, with William Milligan himself.

My daughters Hilary and Leslie deserve special recognition and gratitude for their help and understanding during those difficult days when I was collecting this material, as well as my wife Aurea, who, in addition to the usual editing, listened to and systematized several hundred hours of taped interviews , which allowed me to quickly navigate through them and double-check the information if necessary. Without her help and enthusiasm, the book would have taken many more years to complete.

Preface

The book is a factual account of the life of William Stanley Milligan according to present moment. For the first time in US history, this man was found not guilty of committing serious crimes due to the presence of mental illness, namely multiple personality disorder.

Unlike other cases, when in psychiatric and fiction described patients with dissociative identity disorder, whose anonymity was ensured from the outset by fictitious names, Milligan, since his arrest and indictment, acquired the status of a publicly known controversial figure. His portraits were printed on the covers of newspapers and magazines. The results of his psychiatric examination were reported on the evening news on television and in newspapers around the world. In addition, Milligan became the first person with such a diagnosis who was closely monitored around the clock in a hospital setting, and the results indicating multiple personality were confirmed under oath by four psychiatrists and a psychologist.

I first met twenty-three-year-old Milligan at the Mental Health Center in Athens, Ohio, shortly after he was sent there by court order. When he asked me to talk about his life, I replied that my decision would depend on whether he had anything to add to the numerous media reports. Billy assured me that the most important secrets of the personalities inhabiting him were still unknown to anyone, not even to the lawyers and psychiatrists who worked with him. Milligan wanted to explain to the world the essence of his disease. I was skeptical about it, but at the same time interested.

My curiosity was heightened even more a few days after we met thanks to the last paragraph of a Newsweek article called “The Ten Faces of Billy”:

“However, some questions remain unanswered: where did Tommy (one of his personalities) learn an escape skill that rivals Houdini himself? Why did he call himself a “guerrilla” and a “gangster” in conversations with rape victims? According to doctors, Milligan may have other personalities that we do not yet have any idea about, and perhaps some of them committed crimes that have not yet been solved.”

Communicating with him alone during office hours psychiatric clinic, I saw that Billy, as everyone called him at that time, was very different from the level-headed young man, with whom I spoke on our first meeting. During the conversation, Billy stammered and nervously twitched his knees. His memories were scanty, interrupted by long gaps of amnesia. He only managed to say a few common words about those episodes from the past about which he remembered at least something - vaguely, without details, and while talking about painful situations his voice trembled. After trying in vain to get something out of him, I was ready to give up.

“I learned about him and other things from my life at the Harding Clinic, when I was already partially synthesized. Arthur explained to the younger ones how to get out real world.

-What does this spot look like? What are you really seeing?

– It’s a big white spot of light on the floor. Everyone is standing around or lying on their beds in the dark: some are watching, some are sleeping or minding their own business. But the one who stands on this spot takes control of consciousness.

– Do all of your personalities respond to the name Billy when addressed?

- When I was sleeping and one of the strangers called Billy, my People responded to this name. Dr. Wilbur explained to me that others try to hide the fact that there are many of them. The truth about me was revealed only by mistake, when David got scared and told Dorothy Turner everything.

– Do you know when your people first appeared?

Billy nodded and sat back to think.

“Christine appeared when I was very little. I don't remember when. Most of the others appeared when I was between eight and nine years old. When Chalmer... when Papa Chal...

His speech became somewhat jerky.

– If it’s difficult for you to talk about it, don’t talk about it.

“It's okay,” Billy said. “The doctors say it’s important for me to get rid of it.” – He closed his eyes. – I remember it happened a week after April 1st, April Fool's Day. I was in fourth grade. He took me to the farm to help him prepare his vegetable garden for planting. He led me into the barn and tied me to a hand plow. Then... then...

- Maybe it’s not necessary? – the writer asked carefully.

“He hit me,” Billy said, rubbing his wrists. “He started the engine, and I was afraid that I would be pulled in and torn to pieces by the blades. He said that if I complained to my mother, he would bury me in the barn and tell her that I ran away because I hated her.

Tears streamed down Billy's cheeks as he continued to speak:

“The next time it happened, I just closed my eyes and walked away.” I know now - Dr. George Harding helped me remember a lot - that it was Denny who was tied to the engine, and then David came along and took the pain himself.

The writer felt himself trembling from the anger that gripped him.

“It’s amazing that you survived at all.”

“Now I understand,” Billy whispered, “that when the police came for me at Channingway, they didn’t arrest me, but saved me.” I'm sorry that people were hurt before this happened, but I feel like God has finally smiled on me for the first time in twenty-two years.

Chapter Six

1

The day after Christmas the writer did long way to the Center for a second conversation with Billy Milligan. He had a feeling Billy would be depressed after spending the holiday at the clinic.

The writer learned that a week before the Identity, Billy begged Dr. Caul to allow him to spend the holiday with his family at his sister's house in Logan, Ohio. Kol replied that it was too early - only two weeks had passed since his arrival at the clinic. But Billy insisted. Other patients were allowed to go home for short holidays. If the doctor told the truth that he would be treated the same as other patients, then he should try to get permission to do the same.

Knowing that the patient was testing him, and understanding how important it was to gain Billy's trust, Kol agreed to make the request. He was sure that the request would be turned back.

The request caused a furor in the Parole Board, the Office of Mental Health Services and the Columbus District Attorney's Office. When Javich called Gary Schweickart and asked what the hell was going on in Athens, Gary said he would try to find out.

“If I were you, I’d call his doctor in Athens,” Javich said, “and tell them to cool down a little.” If anything could cause a loud protest against the new law on the control of the criminally insane, it would be the sight of Milligan walking the streets.

As Dr. Caul expected, the request was denied.

As the writer opened the heavy metal door and headed towards Billy's room, he noticed that the department was almost empty. He knocked on Billy's door.

The door opened and the writer saw Billy, looking as if he had just gotten out of bed. Billy looked at him in confusion. electronic watch on your hand.

“I don’t remember them,” he said.

Then he went to the table, looked at the paper lying there and showed it to the writer. It was a receipt from the clinic's warehouse for twenty-six dollars.

“I don’t remember buying them,” Milligan said. “Someone is spending my money—the money I got from selling my drawings.” I think this is wrong.

“Maybe the warehouse will take them back,” the writer suggested.

Billy examined the watch carefully.

- I think I'll leave them. Now I need a watch. They're not very good, but... okay.

– If you didn’t buy them, who did?

Milligan looked around, his gray-blue eyes carefully scanning the room, as if checking to see if anyone else was there.

– I heard unfamiliar names.

– Which ones, for example?

- Kevin. And Philip.

The writer tried not to show his surprise, only making sure that the recorder was turned on. He had read about ten personalities, but no one had ever mentioned the names Billy had just mentioned.

“Have you told Dr. Caul about this?”

“Not yet,” Billy replied. - I'll tell you. But I don't understand what this means. Who are they? Why do I think about them?

As Billy spoke, the writer remembered the last paragraph of the December 18 Newsweek article: “Nevertheless, the following questions remain unanswered... Why did he declare himself a “guerrilla” and “hired killer” in conversations with his victims? Doctors think that there are other, not yet identified individuals living in Milligan and that some of them could have committed crimes that have not yet been revealed.”

“Billy, before you say anything else, we need to lay down some rules.” I want to make sure that nothing you say to me will ever be used against you. If you ever tell me anything that could be used against you, just say, “This is off the record,” and I will turn off the recorder. There will be nothing in my notes that would have any consequences for you. If you forget about this, I will stop you and turn off the recorder myself. Do you understand?

44

Don't read opening remarks, acknowledgments, preface at the beginning of the book - open the first chapter immediately. Knowing what the book The Mysterious Case of Billy Milligan (formerly published under the title The Many Minds of Billy Milligan) is about, how it came about, will prevent you from perceiving this novel as work of art, but rather it will read like “notes of a madman” as retold by the writer, psychiatrists and lawyers. And the key word “mysterious” will lose all meaning.

Traces of three crimes with robberies and rapes lead the police to the house of Billy Milligan, who does not understand at all why he is being arrested. During the investigation and numerous examinations and consultations with leading psychiatrists, Milligan was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder, and the court verdict was compulsory treatment in order to combine all personalities into one and help the accused appear before the court sane and capable of answering for his actions.

“Returning to Athens, Dr. Caul once again carefully thought about everything he had seen and heard at this meeting - and suddenly realized that almost everyone gathered there, including Prosecutor Yavich, had no doubt that Milligan was a multiple personality. And that if everything happened as they had just discussed, Milligan would become the first person with such a diagnosis to be declared innocent of such serious crimes. And that this discussion was a harbinger of a new step in the history of jurisprudence and psychiatry, which will be taken next Monday.

At the time of transfer to a psychiatric hospital, 10 of Milligan’s personalities were known, but those around him had no idea about the rest, the “undesirables.” Ragen - Keeper of Hate Slavic origin, protecting children and women, David - an empath and keeper of pain, Arthur - an intellectual, scientist, organizer, originally from England, Allen - a natural speaker and negotiator, Tommy - a jack of all trades, Danny - a scared boy. And Teacher. They all live in Billy’s head, replacing each other and communicating with each other. The change of roles is immediate: now Billy is left-handed, now right-handed; now an American, now an Englishman, now a Yugoslav; either a frightened kid or a criminal drug addict. Who is he, William Stanley Milligan, a man with a rare disease or a brilliant actor?

“And then he was on the other side.
Milligan clasped his hands, then stretched them out in front of him and looked. Now he understood why he had not achieved complete fusion earlier. He didn't know about everyone. And now all the people he created have returned to him, as well as all their actions, thoughts and memories - from the very beginning. early childhood until now. Both successful and unsuccessful - undesirables whom Arthur tried to control and then hide their existence, but in vain. Now Billy knew everything about his life: all the absurdity, all the tragedies, all the remaining unsolved crimes. And also the fact that when he thinks about something, remembers something, tells the writer, the other twenty-three people will also hear it and learn the story of their life. After this, there will be no more amnesia, and they will all become different. And that made me sad. It's like he lost something."

The author of about a third of the book simply records and presents the facts of the high-profile Billy Milligan case, reworking them and giving literary form, but there was no room for imagination. Creativity and fiction became more accessible at the level of memories of Billy's childhood.

For each situation that traumatized the psyche, there were different personalities. A jar of cookies breaks, fear of punishment - Sean, a deaf, innocent boy who does not hear the screams of his mother and stepfather, enters the arena (into the spot). And three-year-old “Christine was the child who was put in the corner.” In general, the whole story comes from childhood. Domestic violence and the mother's inner deafness and blindness to the suffering of her children became the reasons for the collapse of Milligan's personality.

“On this subject, Dr. Harding’s report stated: “According to the patient ... he himself has experienced sadistic and sexual abuse, including anal penetration. According to his testimony, it began at the age of eight or nine years and lasted about a year, usually on the farm, where he was left alone with his stepfather. In addition, he was afraid that his adoptive father would kill him, since he threatened to “bury him in the barn and tell his mother that he ran away.”
...and at that moment his consciousness, emotions and soul split into twenty-four parts.”

The novel is not only “about the Billy Milligan case,” which provokes debate on belief or disbelief: is he a criminal or a victim. We were given a glimpse into the unknown and unexplored, beyond the boundaries of the studied facts about human capabilities. And they poked their nose in, demonstrating how immature and imperfect society is.

A world without pain is a world without feelings... but a world without feelings is a world without pain.

“He had already begun to believe that all these individuals - the Teacher agreed that this term was better than “people” - were part of himself. And suddenly, for the first time and without switching, he felt like them. So, this is it – a real merger. He became the common denominator of all twenty-four personalities, and this made him not Robin Hood or Superman, but a completely ordinary angry, nervous, intelligent and talented manipulator."

As a literary phenomenon, I recommend the book; Milligan’s personality and story are attractive, but artistic value For me personally, such literature is very doubtful. Recently published in Russian new book by Daniel Keyes “Fifth Sally”, at the same time his cult novel “Flowers for Algernon”, which had disappeared from the counter, was reprinted. The Fifth Sally was written two years before The Mysterious Case of Billy Milligan, introducing the theme of multiple personalities.

“My name is Legion, because we are many” ((Mark 5:8-9)) A phrase that fully reflects the essence of the human psyche at the moment of its formation. Depending on social environment, in which we are, there are “several” of us. The personality that will become us will only be established at the age of 24. But what happens if the formation is not completed as planned? Moral shocks in our lives will lead to irreversible consequences, for example, congenital phobias or even more serious injuries. Children who are victims of violence are more susceptible to dissociative identity disorder than others. Among these children was William Milligan. This case will be discussed today. Book about Billy mysterious story Billy Milligan" written by American writer and philologist Daniel Keyes, who received worldwide fame, after the publication of the novel “Flowers for Algernon”. As before, Keyes is sharp and scientific topic transmits to artistic style, worked out to the smallest detail, achieved through painstaking work. The novel consists of three parts: confusing times, becoming a teacher, beyond madness. Over the course of three parts, covering 600 printed pages, Daniel will not let the reader relax and will keep you in suspense until the last page, demonstrating fear human society facing the new and unknown. "Tangled Times" covers events from the time Billy was arrested on suspicion of rape until he was admitted to an asylum in Athens. We also learn about 10 personalities locked in one body. Let me explain that everyone except one person knew that they were part of Billy, and yet they were seriously offended when they were not accepted as subjects. In Confused Times, Keys will introduce each of them. He will tell you what responsibilities are assigned to whom. The first chapter will also demonstrate the work of psychologists and lawyers, their battle for the health and rights of a poor guy with a difficult fate. At the end of the chapter, one of Billy’s “roommates” will give the attending physician a list, which will contain a list of 23 names, and in the 24th position there will be an inscription “teacher”. "Becoming a Teacher" in this chapter The teacher will tell Billy's story in order and answer the questions that arose after reading the first part of the book. Who is he, why each personality appeared, and how to make Billy again normal person. The teacher was supposed to be a boy who grew up, gained experience and new information However, violence and bullying from his stepfather served as an obstacle to this. Psychologists have to put a person back together piece by piece into a single personality so that he can live normally among other people. “Beyond Madness” - this part is filled with pain more than others. It tells what will happen to Billy when the story comes to light thanks to the hypocritical and greedy press. The newspapers will destroy him psychological state headlines and articles about the rapist who remained free. The exorbitant work of doctors and lawyers will be lost, and we will have to start over again, because Billy will “fall apart” again. However, his stay in the public clinic in Lima will be a terrible test for him; he was transferred to it due to unrest local residents caused by information coming from the media. We are transported to a hospital in Lima, where a stun gun is used as a means of subduing patients. You will witness the trial, watching Billy survive in the darkest part of the night, hoping for a quick dawn. Paraphrase about the film adaptation. The role of Billy will be played by Leonardo DiCaprio. I can’t imagine him in this role due to his age and physique. Matthew McConaughey would be suitable for the role of Billy, I realized this after his role in “True Detective”, where he played a thin and “beaten by life” detective. And Jared Leto could also try to cope with acting; in his acting career he had to transform himself into a variety of roles: from drug addicts to transsexuals. And I haven't forgotten James McAvoy's recent role, as he did a good job as a schizophrenic in Split. This is definitely hard work for any actor, even those with extensive acting experience, and as a fan of the Billy story, I wouldn't want to see a second-rate performance. Don't forget, Milligan's war is just ahead.

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Two books. Hundreds of articles, dozens documentaries. 20 years of waiting for DiCaprio himself to bring his image to life on screen. The unreal fate of a real person. Billy Milligan. A person diagnosed with multiple personalities. Unique child born to be a great artist, with a sensitive heart, fair and good character. But the terrible and sophisticated violence of the stepfather split this whole world into 24 individuals. 24 people of different nationalities, gender and age, mental and physical abilities, stood up for the baby’s defense, appearing to the world at certain moments. Several suicide attempts, ten years of hell in psychiatric hospitals. The only thing that gave him strength was the desire to tell the world about people like him and participation in the fight against child abuse. The world saw him as a beast, endless courts tried to keep him behind bars. And he gained freedom and forgave everyone, even himself scary person in your life.

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Natalia

Me and the people inside me

Each of us constantly has one voice in our heads that is similar to ours, but imagine when there is more than one voice? And when were these voices different and belonged to people? I spent the whole book condoling with Billy’s relatives and his “family.” We are used to the fact that when we read books, the lines float away and we see pictures and images created by the author. I caught myself thinking what I see different people in the image of Billy, that is, it is not Billy - but one of his personalities, if it is Allana, then a girl, fragile, beautiful, romantic; if Christy is a little girl, blond and so on. And only when I look up from the book do I think that this is a guy. What is most striking is the realization that this story actually happened and with real person. Somewhere there was a Billy Milligan in need of help. The worst thing is that few people could help him. The family was turned away from him: a brother studying military career; a sister living her own life and a mother looking for love. Throughout the entire book, only the mother and sister are trying to somehow help Billy, none of them noticed a change in their brother/son. When a society lives in your head and it is undesirable, each person has a lot of negative qualities: smoking, drug use, alcoholism . Each of the personalities does not appear immediately and gradually reflects the qualities necessary for Billy; or traits taken from the movies, like Arthur, who appeared thanks to Sherlock Holmes. Blaming the family for all the troubles is pointless, none of them are to blame for what happened to Billy, except probably the mother, but even then she acted according to the situation. If you stand in her place, you can understand. Three children growing up without a father, and it’s very difficult to raise children yourself. As soon as Chermer Milligan appears in Billy's life, there are more personalities. What is most striking is society, or rather the press, which never knew Billy as a person and did not try to find out or highlight real story and somehow whiten the young man’s reputation. But everyone works for their own salary and it’s easier to throw mud at a person.

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Lovejoy

Angelica

Life is like fiction

The story of one person. The story of a disease. Dissociative identity disorder. The man with the most multiple disorders in medicine - 24 personalities, was acquitted in a rape case due to his severe and rare disease. Little 5-year-old Billy at that time already had personalities - 3-year-old Christine, who stood behind Billy in the corner, and David, a deaf-mute boy who was often scolded for his misdeeds. After his stepfather abused an 8-year-old child, Billy’s consciousness split completely, and every year more and more sides of him began to appear. The first and key personalities are the intellectual Arthur, the “keeper of rage” Ragen, the quirky cynic Allen, the technician Tommy, the “keeper of pain” Denny , musician Christopher and baby Christine. There were also negative personalities, because of which Billy was accused of crimes, among whom was the thief and swindler Philip and the lesbian Adalana, who rapes women. And how I would like to retell all the main events, but I am forced to write briefly. 23-year-old Billy Milligan was taken into custody in early 1978 on charges of triple rape on the campus of Athens, Ohio. Lawyer Gary Schweikart got Billy transferred to the Athens Clinic, where Dr. Caul spent several months trying to study all aspects of Billy's disorder and unite all of his personalities, which revealed to him a new and complete identity of Billy Milligan - the Teacher who kept the memories of everyone else and is the 24th personality. It turned out that at the age of 16, Billy wanted to jump off the roof, but Ragen stopped him, and he and Arthur “euthanized” the young man for 6 years. During his sleep, the rest of the personalities were partying and having fun or pumping up each of their hobbies. But Billy was arrested for complicity in the robbery of a pharmacy, and then for the rape of three women who testified against him. Billy was partially acquitted, but even while on treatment, had to serve time for theft of property. So, he was assigned to a high-security prison in the city of Lima, where he had to survive every day. Of course, without knowing all the details and details from Milligan’s life, many will be biased, but this book should be read in order to have an idea about such people, difficult cases and the desire to get out of the abyss in which this unfortunate man lived for many years with his illness. Daniel Keyes personally interviewed and met with Billy and before last days kept in touch with a person he truly felt sorry for. This is an extraordinary example of humanity and compassion, as well as an experience of confronting a little-studied area. mental state people who have been subjected to violence and its devastating consequences. After reading, I was somewhat delighted with the book, the author, the emotions experienced, certainly a book worthy of attention, but this is not an artistic plot to criticize, but real life, which does not require a storyboard.

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Angelica

Daniel Keyes wrote the book "The Mysterious Case of Billy Milligan" based on real story, you can call the book a biography. I can't say that I liked the work. The plot is interesting, but I did not like the manner of presentation. Main character did not evoke any sympathy or pity. But this work causes controversy; some will believe that the hero is sick, others will not. It seemed to me that Billy was a manipulator trying to avoid punishment. I was never able to fully believe in splitting into many personalities. The feeling that the hero was “leading everyone by the nose” haunted me throughout the entire book. The only thing that raised doubts was how can you change so many masks and never get confused in them? When I imagined how these role changes might look in reality, I was horrified. I think no one except a psychiatrist would want to watch such a spectacle. It’s also difficult to believe in Billy’s veracity because: “His entire childhood was spent in a constant struggle: to compose, adjust facts, invent some kind of explanations with sole purpose hide from everyone that most of the time he doesn’t remember..." (c). He is a liar and is great at dodging. Perhaps the roots of Billy’s problems should be looked for in childhood. While reading, I kept getting confused about Billy’s personalities, it really helped to figure it out brief description, given by the author at the beginning. There are “Epilogue”, “Afterword” and “Author's Notes” in the book; they reveal some secrets. There is something about mood, and about personalities, and about the Place of Dying. I don’t agree with those who claim that the work is similar to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” these stories are completely different. The justice system did not surprise me, and I understand and accept the desire to protect many by isolating one. It seemed interesting that the hero is judged as “exceptional”, he does not protest and does not demand the same treatment as the norm, and when we're talking about about receiving “benefits” - wants to be like everyone else. The title “Crime and Punishment” would be appropriate for this book, because there is a crime, there is guilt, and there is evasion of punishment. The ending is logical. In general, Billy's story didn't grab me, even the fact that it true biography didn't add any interest. However, it seems to me that this work is worth reading in order to form your own opinion about it.

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Daniel Keyes

The Mysterious Story of Billy Milligan

Preface

This book is reliable description the life of William Stanley Milligan, the first person in the history of the United States of America to be found not guilty of serious crimes by reason of mental disorder the defendant in the form of the plurality of his personality.

Unlike other people with multiple personality described in psychiatric and popular literature, whose names are usually changed, Milligan became known to the general public from the moment he was arrested and put on trial. His face appeared on the front pages of newspapers and on the covers of magazines, and the results of forensic psychiatric examinations were broadcast on the evening television news. Milligan is the first patient with multiple personality to be thoroughly studied while under 24-hour observation in the clinic. His multiple personality was confirmed under oath at trial by four psychiatrists and a psychologist.

I first met the twenty-three-year-old man at the Athens Mental Health Center in Ohio after he had been sent there by court order. When Milligan asked me to write about him, I agreed to do so on the condition that he provide me with more extensive and reliable material than the information that had appeared in print by that time. Billy assured me that until now his deepest secrets had not been known to anyone, including the lawyers and psychiatrists who tested him. And now he wanted people to understand his mental illness. I was quite skeptical, but became interested.

A few days after our conversation, my curiosity grew. I saw an article in Newsweek entitled "The Ten Faces of Billy" and noticed the last paragraph:

“However, the following questions remain unanswered: Where did Milligan get the Houdini-like ability to escape demonstrated by Tommy (one of his personalities)? Why did he declare himself a “partisan” and a “hired killer” in conversations with his victims? Doctors think that there are other, not yet identified individuals living in Milligan and that some of them could have committed crimes that have not yet been revealed.”

Talking to him while next visits psychiatric clinic, I discovered that Billy, as he was usually called, was very different from the level-headed young man I saw for the first time. Now he spoke hesitantly, his knees trembled nervously. He suffered from memory loss. About those periods of his past that Billy barely remembered, he could only talk about general outline. When the memories were painful, his voice often trembled, but at the same time he could not remember many details. After trying in vain to find out more about him past life I was ready to give up everything.

And suddenly one day something amazing happened.

For the first time, Billy Milligan appeared as a whole person, revealing a new individuality - a fusion of all his personalities. Such a Milligan clearly remembered almost everything about all his personalities from the moment of their appearance: their thoughts, actions, relationships with people, tragic incidents and comic adventures.

I say this at the very beginning so that the reader understands why I was able to record all the events of Milligan's past life, his feelings and reasoning. All the material in this book I received from this whole Milligan, from his other personalities and from sixty-two people whose paths crossed with him at different stages of his life. Scenes and dialogue are recreated from Milligan's memories. Therapy sessions are taken directly from video recordings. I didn't make anything up.

When I started writing the book, we were faced with one serious problem - how to reconstruct the chronology of events. From early childhood, Milligan often "lost time", he rarely paid attention to clocks or dates and was sometimes puzzled by not knowing what day or month it was. Eventually, I was able to construct a chronology using bills, insurance, school records, employment records, and other documents provided to me by his mother, sister, employers, lawyers, and doctors. Although Milligan rarely dated his correspondence, he ex-girlfriend saved hundreds of letters he wrote to her during his two years in prison, and I was able to date them based on the stamps on the envelopes.

As we worked, Milligan and I agreed that we would follow two basic rules.

First, all people, places and institutions will be named real names, with the exception of three groups of people whose privacy should be protected by pseudonyms. These are: other patients in a psychiatric hospital; unconvicted criminals with whom Milligan dealt as a teenager and as an adult and with whom I could not speak directly; and finally, three victims of abuse from Ohio State University, including two who agreed to answer my questions.

Second, to ensure that Milligan would not put himself in harm's way by reporting crimes by others of his own for which he might still be convicted, we agreed that I would "get creative" by describing certain scenes. At the same time, descriptions of crimes for which Milligan has already been tried will contain details that are still unknown to anyone.

Of those who met, worked with, or were victims of Billy Milligan, most agreed with his diagnosis of multiple personality. Many of these people, recalling something they had said or done, were eventually forced to admit, “He just couldn’t pretend like that.” Others still consider him a clever swindler, faking mental illness to avoid prison. Both among those and among others there were those who wanted to talk to me, express their opinions and explain exactly why they think so.

I also took a position of skepticism. My opinion changed dramatically almost every day. But in two last year, busy with work With Milligan working on this book, the doubts that I felt when the actions and experiences he recalled seemed incredible to me dissipated as my research showed that it was all true.

However, the controversy still continues in the Ohio press, as evidenced by an article in the Dayton Daily News dated January 2, 1981, three years and two months after the last crimes were committed:

“CRAW OR VICTIM?

TWO POINTS OF VIEW IN MILLIGAN'S CASE

William Stanley Milligan - complex man, presenter difficult life. He is either a swindler who deceives society and escapes punishment for serious crimes, or a real victim of his many personalities. In any case, it's bad...

Only time will tell who Milligan was: a swindler who fooled the whole world, or one of the saddest victims of this world ... "

I guess that time has come.

Athens, Ohio January 3, 1981

Milligan personalities

These are those who became known to psychiatrists, lawyers, police and the press during the trial.

1. William Stanley Milligan (Billy), 26 years old. "Original source" or "core"; personality, hereafter referred to as "unbroken Billy" or "Billy-N". Dropped out of school. Height 183 cm, weight 86 kg. Blue eyes, brown hair.

2. Arthur, 22 years old. Englishman. Reasonable, level-headed, speak with a British accent. Self-taught physics and chemistry, studying medical literature. Reads and writes Arabic fluently. A staunch conservative, he considers himself a capitalist, but nevertheless openly expresses atheistic views. The first to discover the existence of all other personalities. In safe situations, he dominates, deciding which of the “family” should appear in each case and own Milligan's consciousness. Wears glasses.

3. Ragen Vadaskovinich, 23 years old. Keeper of Hate. The name is made up of two words (Bagen = rage + again - rage again). Yugoslav, speaks English with a noticeable Slavic accent. Reads, writes and speaks Serbo-Croatian. A weapon-wielding karate specialist, he possesses exceptional strength, tempered by his ability to control the flow of adrenaline within him. Communist, atheist. He considers it his calling to be a defender of the “family” and all women and children in general. Captures consciousness in dangerous situations. He interacted with criminals and drug addicts, and was characterized by criminal and sometimes sadistic cruel behavior. Weight 95 kg. Very large strong hands, long black hair, drooping mustache. Draws black and white drawings because he suffers from color blindness.

4. Allen, 18 years old. Rogue. Being a manipulator, he is the one who most often deals with strangers. An agnostic, his motto is: “Take the best from life.” He plays the drum, draws portraits, and is the only person who smokes cigarettes. Located in good relations with Billy's mother. He is the same height as Billy, although he weighs less (75 kg). She wears her hair parted (on the right). The only one of them all is right-handed.