Show AMONG THE INSANE somo of tho peculiar at tho dayton 0 asylum crory who to bottlo ici trip to anil ill ntine of tl tho in tho past few weeks I 1 leavo spent upon diu crant occasions ft portion of a day in alio dayton for insane and have picked up quite 1 number of matters which I 1 believe will bo ot in buo ouo of alio llio first of consequence that dawned on my mind was alio fact that any such institution chero six hundred individuals bereft of tho power ot their reason anro huddled together lliorca surely anut bo skeletons in the closet and this thought is by tho fact that there was a perceivable on iho part of all alie officials and attaches of tho institution to bo as obliging and as possible yet they nono of them showed any do siro to talk of alio verv matters aliat I 1 wanted to icam something about and this was not of any tear of newspaper notoriety as not a living soul but myself know I 1 was collecting material fur a newspaper it seems to bo tho ci en tenor of their ways with all visitors and indeed it could not bo otherwise if alic welfare of iho institution is to bo for were thuy to tell tho secrets of a hos cital of this kind tho would be chocked hocked with amazement I 1 know from aliat I 1 that there arc in this asylum of which oran the officials know nothing this incident I 1 picked up through ft reporter in this city previous to my visits to the as ilum and I 1 reproduce it liero because f its fantastic eccentricity the young nian who tells the bory is now engaged in tills city though previously ho was in atia employ of alio llio asylum among tho numerous patients of the institution arc a great many who aro allowed to wander about tho grounds among this number was a young woman who shortly after alio llio virth of her first child became insane she was an extremely handsome creature who when talked to gave no indications of a weak mind she camo from some small place in county her mind gave way sho was as a happy vivacious creature who enjoyed life but after becoming ausano sho took a religious turn and melancholy and would not talk except when it was sho was a handy person about ihn asylum and could bo put at mot mo t any work her namo was maud anil alic probably had moro sympathetic friends alian any other patient in alio llio binl aution which can b attributed to her beauty of face bouc day sho accosted my informant asking him if lie did not want to sec lier two soul alio question as was natural aroused the young mans curiosity and ho followed lier into tho collir of ono of tho buildings adjoining the asylum proper she took leini lolic darkest corner where she lidd up before him a two ounce bottlo sho had taken from a and remarked tharo they are and liouns to keep too the our is the foul of stonewall jackson ami the oilier my husbands tho young man took alio llio botalo nearer to tho fact rays of light that shot through the cellar grating ami saw that the bottom was covered with a greenish liquid evidently water discolored by age alio lady maniac went on to explain there was no need of any souls being lost that sho could savo them all it tho people would only let her cut them ont and put them into her sho knew tho souls homo was on top tho heart aud could be cut out without any trouble stonewall jacksons soul was in the bottlo when sho got it from tho spirits and alio had since put her husbands in after explaining all chinga she kad tho young man for his penknife pen knife and told him il lie would lay down sho would gel hia soul out in a few minutes and put it in the botalo to keep the other two company iho young man seemed lo 10 have no dwire to leavo his soul preserved this young lady has since recovered and is now at lioma lier faintly in hold duties as well as any woman in the land of the free A cunning maniac was charley abo acion of n wealthy and widely known family liking in miami county just br vond the montgomery county line I 1 leavo used tho term was because lio lias been cured of the particular attack til which lie was suu cring at iho timo of which I 1 arito but has sinco bacomo insane again and is now an incato of a private adlum in cincinnati is a looking young man of not moro than thirty years of ago and when not from tho dread to which ho seefus to bo subject is one of tho most entertaining roon possible to find anywhere taco things I 1 say of him I 1 know them to bo facts when sulT cring from iho awful disease lie is indeed a biving maniac though never very threatening lie is a very ingenious fellow at all and this is what always cluade him a troublesome prisoner at night when tho patients in a ward arc locked in their rhoun aliey place their clothes outside of iho door in tho hallway no hint an attendant knows they are all in their places this is always done on a certain highl iho attendant of lie ward in which charley was a patient had performed this duty and retired feeling confident every tiling wai accuro and all right dut for two or nights previous to that charley had been at work on the heavy iron bars on am window with a lilo ho had procured evidently from one of tho insane alio had the privilege of alic grounds on alio llio night in question lio completed liis work filing onu bar and springing two others so ho could alt out hut tharo acro lili clothes outside alo door and liia overcoat in tho clot liH room at ilic end of tho hallway cheso lie needed for it was a bitter cold night in midwinter with his filo ho worked tho wood away from alic locks in both doors got his clothes overcoat and all and soon was tramping through dayton iio went direct to alio depot and got on top the lost car of ho midnight express bound for cincinnati ful was ho that lo 10 inquired as a s to what stations tho train stopped at and when it lio ran forward to alio first car and when alio conductor passed through ho clambered down oil alio llio top while tho train was running thirty miles or more nu lour and took ft scat in alio warm car as independently as it ho was alio llio president of tho joau efm conductor cou ductor dal not boino alio train again for hamilton was alio llio last stop bogoro reaching cincinnati cin nati and charley insane as lio was to that ho asido alio llio it left IIa millon for tho train making no stops could of course not tako on any that he ou top alio llio car in the bitter cold until tho train reached this point is conclusive that lie knew exactly what lio was doing iio reached cincinnati willious willi out any trouble went ot raight to alio llio gibson iiorio registered As luck would leavo it tho next person to register who stepped up to tho counter not ten after it was an acquaintance ot liis from his home alio namo anict liia ayo and after speaking to alio clerk ho managed to catch sight of charley as lie ramo from ho bathrooms tho frioud at once telegraphed his folks and they the asylum authorities tho telegram they received was tho first liun tho officials of tho institution had that any ono biad os caceil charlea was busy playing billiards when at lan tho morning hi keeper walked into tho hall and slapped him on the back hello was charleys greeting ive got a sucker hero the same evening ho was again in the asylum but it amused him for weeks to think how lio to cincinnati just to play a gamo of billiards as ho put it if over a man had determined to die como aliat may that man was francis a powerful farmer from au county he was ono of alio few farmers who tako a grott interest in politics anil the first symptoms of insanity in liis case were noticed after lie was for an office at alio polls then followed financial reverses and finally ins mind give way to the extent eliat lin was determined on self de st ruction ho was sent to this asylum and placed with alio other unfortunates from suicidal mania iio was not by any means a dangerous man but an oo 00 had to bo kept on him all the time to keep him from destroying liis own lifo in one way or another tom a young but powerful man was hh keeper brides 1 wore twenty four oilier maniacs in alic ward and one can easily imagine what a nice time an attendant must hare batchin wat chin and caring for noor people keeper must shave ins patients at stated intervals and ono day when tom had one of his subjects in alio chair lie corn of tho razor scratching him whereupon tom laid it on tho windowsill and got out one while ho was stropping it ho noticed francis standing in alio llio door looking furth cly into the room lie could think alio llio biniac bounded by leini and had the open rarer which tom had laid on alio windowsill window sill in liis hand it was no timo for thought but action was what was needed turning quickly tom grasped tho hand in which the maniac held alie razor while lie in turn equally on alio alert grasped tom by the wrist of the hand in which he held tho open razor with which he had been boating the strop let go yelled tom let go yourself retorted alio maniac glaring savagely at the attendant tho next instant began a battlo for life tho two men tugged and twisted but neither could bo forced to loosen his hold on the others wrist the third person sat quietly in his chair as unconcerned as it nothing unusual wa was s going on finally the insane man got ins fact entangled in an old coat lying on tho bloor when tho keeper managed to throw him and wrench tho razor from him francis got up gave tom 1 terrible look and walked from the room in a few minutes ho returned and explained that ho did not wish to injure tom and only fought for tho razor became ho wanted to cut his own throat he said tom I 1 aint mad at vou but I 1 want you to know for nil that I 1 am going to cut my throat and ill do it no mailer liow much you watch me and indeed jio kept his word alio next day tom was aroused by a crasci of falling glahn at the extreme end of tho ward where it located tho wah and bathrooms bath rooms ho ran to tho place and there stood francis with hii throat cut almost from car to car ho laughed derisively at tom ai ho entered alio llio room ho had broken the window his lt ami with a piece of the glass cut his throat he had severed tho windpipe and when he attempted to laugh a gul toral sound was all that could bo bieard TOI kraj krin wound in one hand and held st together as much M possible to slop tho how of blood as as was in his power two of the asylum physicians were on hand almost instantly they took alio patient in hand and by sheer force bowed sowed up tho horrible wound but as soon as the maniac was put to bed lie toro out tho stitches the wound was bowed sowed up a second time anil the suicides hands encased incased in a pair of leather muffs he managed to tear the stitches by jerking his head backward and forward and from side to side ho was then put in a crib and a box made to his head and shoulders in so that it was utterly impossible for him to tho least bit he was kept in aliis contrivance for nearly seven week much of which time it was very doubtful cr ho would recover or not after being taken from lie crib he was transferred to ward 19 hh hands for a lonn timo afterward acro kept in the culpi but ho finally induced the attendant on promise to not again attempt suicide to take them off tom his old attendant upon learning of thi tact called on tho now keeper and told him ho would regret taking aulls mulls before alio week was over and sure enough bo did the third day after the muffs were taken off alio attendant was in his room cutting a small piece of tobacco off of a largo plug with a email pan knifa when francis sprang into alio room alio knife out of his hand and before alio keeper could interfere ter fere drew it across liis own throat it then became necessary to put him in tho crib again oliero lie was kept another spell of several weeks but tho doctora again pulled him through hoi dictor after that suicide ono about this mans anso wa that lio never attempted or seemed to contemplate ending his alfo way than by cutting ills throat after recovering from his second terrible experience ho seemed to improve lie growing boiler until inilla his folks upon their own took him home where ho continued doing well until some time in may last ho narain showed symptoms of returning insanity but before lio crow bail enough to b to the asylum lio was kicked on tho head by a horse sustaining a fractured shuh kiich in tho courso ol 01 a few days resulted in lih death many other equally ni and truths ann cnn bo up at nl most any incano divlus of anny noto lany booro s eliat niika very inlo reading camo to nil colico during my mails somo of liam very ludicrous others pathetic while tho above are among alic most is ono old man at drw nt in tho dayton asylum alio to tho institution it was built and this fact ODO of iho vory low linnet ho novar loc sight of it seems to burn into tho poor fallow i very soul there anro a number of alio inmates alic in yomo way leavo got it into their poor brains alint anro waiting foi payday pay day and attic toll mo it is very touching when of them bacomo and demand on threats to leave flioy often claim their wives and children am starving and they must iiams khoii money or they will die it is utterly impossible for one to alio liar rowing thoughts that 1 short study ol 01 an insane asylum and its patients will awaken it must bo experienced to ba appreciated ida may in cincinnati |