Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1849-05-09

PHILADELPHIA April, 1919.

IN unusuai manner, AMI gwen Use 10 many
founded rumors which beg leave to correct
Wrought the medium OF your widely circulated
paper. 4,
The case Of MORGAN HivcrINAS is one of the
most remarkable record, the first of the hind
n this country, and l trus, IL may prove the Il
last.
One hundred and fifty witnesses have been
examined, one month occuHied IN the trial. and
the Jury. after being out near five DAYS, have
re ndered verdic, Of ten Thousand dollars
damages against seven of the defend ants out OF
the fourteen originally indicted
The represe nations. with which the public
mi nd was filled, created an idea of wrong and
outrage without parallel A of perfectly
sound mind, shrrwd. active. Intelligent Qns-
kers was suddenly seized by six cnnspra,ors,
dragged from his business and his fiIuiiy. his
loving wife aud little eirildren and forcihiv con-
fined in The Insane Asylum st Frankfort. Pa
SIX miles from rhadelp!iia. and there imprisou-
ed Tor SIX month among ravlng fanatics and mad
men, by whom he assaulted aHI frIr!ltfilIy
abused. Tha, all this shocking violence was
done 10 get possession of his property. The
city has been shocked, and cry OF vengeance
raised against the perpetrators oil an outrage
which shines the Spanish Iuqaisiiou or the
dungeons OF the Bastt'e. The most frg1ifal
pictures have been coniured mp. ami artfuliv
arranged aud widely disseminated, that Il con~i-
drrable portion of our citizens would. if On the
jury. not only give the forty thousand dollars
which Mr.. Efnchnau claims damages. but
would actualIy send the defendants TO the STATE
prison for life Indeed. the recital Of the pl1in-
tits wrongs and suilrrings by his counsel and
the principal witness, flied the crowded court
room with grief and audible sot~ from some.
while the counsel portions OF tho Jury, and the
venerable Judge himself shed tears. 1t was
scene to move the stoutest heart
Is there not, possibly, some excuse 70. these
defr ndants'
I ask this with that confidence which a fair
and caudii examination OF the eviience
rants, and | wal! lay the proof before your in-
tciligeut readers.
ask il in vudcation OF an institution. which
is the boast of Philadelphia and an honor 10 the
country
| ask it in vindication of the abused and
mailgned character of large, quiet. and i'll
telligrnt class of citizens, who, since the
days of WiiIiim Penn their ii!ustrious progeni-
tor, have been conspicuous for active bene
Violence and christian phanthrophy.
l ask IT IN sympathy for aged, slaudereti
mother, afflicted wife, and aifcctionate SIS
And, above ALL ask it in vindca,icn of the
character of our city, thus stguatzed ) the
scene Of such crimes.
On the one hand, the evidence is clear and
full, that the offence, If ofi.nce there has been
was done by the mother and the wife. urged
thereto by his own sisters and his wif-'s sisters
the members of both his family and his
wiie's family.
That all that done from the most
kind and conscientious motives; in the language
of his mother, chad loved my son less. should
not have done as did. 1t was for ms benefit
and no other earthly consider ration, induced his
wife and me TO have him taken to the As ylum'
Tie Asylum is pleasantly situated without
any appearance Of bars, grated windows. o any
other outward signs to indicate its character.
1t has "a fine library, gardens, AMI extensive
grounds for the use of patients. and is, alto
gether, admirably adapted TO its design. The
establishment erected by number of
benevolent + friends. at Il cost of about seventy
five thousand dollars, and Is under the care of
managers, who not only receive nothing for
their dis'ntcresicd services, bat actually all in
defrdving its current expenses out of their y
pockets. 1t Is purcly beneficial, with view
10 profit. Such is the institutions; such the
managers. some of whom have. for The sake ol
three dollars per week. HE amount received for
his board, maciousiy to rob the plaintiff Of his
i,,ti- ,--nr.rtyi
1t will occupy too much space to 20 over the
testimony of thirty or forty witnesses who ies-
tfy to the InSanty-of ms oasifiu1 hIfHse " a
without apparent cause and rolling himself over
and over-of Keeping of hog in his kitch-E-
stripping himself naked in his kitchen, to battle
in the presence OF a fernale-getiing respectable
Quaker LADIES iuto wagon, under false pre-
fences, and dashing through the streets at the
peril OF their lives, with Dung horse unbrok N
to harness.
These may be termed small matters but in
the aggregate they are clearly evidences OF a
singular mud Many of the witnesses, thou oh
unable To give the particulars precise language
made OF by the de fe niaut owing to the laps
Of tnne-two years--and not having charge
their memories with the ncoherences so called
We're nevertheless clear and unrese rived in theii
positive behalf. The physician of tn. asylu1u
who had for seventeen years officaied there. DIR
, EVANS, says. after describing his PHI, seal as
eacs, that ''there was Il morbid irritation Of tn,
brain. interfering with the healthy performance
Of its functions. ani producing partial insanity
winch INSANITY was manifested by prevented
moral feelings, especially in relation to h,
family The doctor give several striking ane
singular proofs Of his roniuct while andcr rne8i
cal treatment in the asvu.n-snch as hi
: deusion IN regard TO loathsotle disease which
he persisted Tor months in believing ne wa
afflicted with, twi'hstautling the DOCTORS posi-
I tive assurance 20 the contriry-ana .!,is lsxur
ing that ms wife, his mother and sister Ia
were ali crazv-hs anguish OF mind IN heliev
J. Jug he was confined IN the a>> iuin : a punish
q ment for having robbed the bank. lis feeling
@ towards his wife AMI mother fuctuatcd some.
. times saving they had acted fron the best mo
tives, aud admitting that his treatment was rjrn
u and proper. l believe" confines The doctor
lit was 10 b. expected that, unless measures h
i been taken for his immediate cure. he would b
. likely to become more and NOR. deraugeJ an
I finally inrurable. | think the disease could b
. best treated by placing him in this institution
d ami that 1t was Kindness To him to place hin
: there under treatment. I; is generally desiralli
that patient shoHii be removed from his family
, and doubt exists that he was be uefi,,ad b.
: seciusion, quiet and medica! treatment, whic
Il gradually restored, him 10 heaiih.-'
: DIR. kIRkHIoE, Of the Pennsylvania Hospital
. testified that there species Of insanity whic
n 90 not affect the reasoning faculties. and tina
such always require medical treatment ans; r.
: stsaint. That the earlier such patients are sub
i lected 10 treatment, the earlier will be their 70
|, coverv. This presumed to be Hinclrna,'
= in ordinary affairs. he shrewd am
inteliige nt--at times renia * ably so.
: DR.. w burlington. DR.. Evans. DIR. Kite ana Dr.
: Cr.scom, .'prosecut+d conSpirators'' in thu
: case, all gentlemen of the first standing
/, distinguished alike for benevoience. hurn.nltr
and professional talent.
Bat. passing all the great mass of testimony
we at TO the mothers. This is eyer,
way important. In considering this il * nro
per state that Mrs HIScHN,S was lef, a ~,
: COW and destitute whea her sou MORGAN wa
seven years old. That she brought up he famiI,
of five children. and, b. her own untirjnr eve =
tions educated them all in manner that ex,o-,
ed the highest encotuns from the i,,ier.. in hi
!, charge to the jury. She proved by i,e- ov,