Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1852-06-26
Real Life-The Insane Bride and
Belle

4 co respondent Of he 81. Louis lneligen
Ger, who recently visited the Cincinnu}i Asy uu
tOF The Insane. owes this BRET sketch Of one ui
the inmates:
"Here is now confined the young lady who
has SO often been scen Wilhin the past few
Yeas prUmenading Fourth street in TIL, city
! dressed up IN insane llnery, intended for bridal
labtIIments, taniasticaIly decorated; and nqu!r-
! lng occasionally OF passers 10y for the tathIes>
cause OF her too fatal sorrow. She had com
| pieied a loneIy pilgrim &c from Europe, to
unlte her fortunes with hose Of her be rothed,
| who had preceded her a tWelyr-monlh or so.
| After weary search she found him doing bI-
/ sincss. and-married. The shock deprived her
OF her reason. Lve'y passing day Is since in
dcated by her dIeol,iered fancy, as the one
| upon which her "llenry" is coming 10 tu'iil his
vows, and she arrays herself TO meet him ac-
cordingy. Her mighty dIsappoint' yields
easily 10 brighter hope for The morrow. and
hus her heclouded eXl> ence IS wearing away.
When called al her room, she was not dress
ed III her usual paraphernaIll. Upon bel0g ln-
formed that a 9rnlIeman wished 10 see her, no
earthly inducements could prevail on her to
appear until after she had elaborately arrayed
herse with every sin. e device and adjournment
OF her tincIful costume. She evidently lmag-
iced that the object Of her long expectation
had arrived: and wien ut last she met me, mani
tested her disappointment III way that was
anything but tiIfteripy to her viSlter''
The same correspondent furnishes the fol-
loWing:
"Another object of similar interest is Mrs.
M-;-who was formerly known as the 'belIe
OF Madison. She does not seem now TO be
over twenty-tour Yeas of age. Not long after
her marriage her father died. and very soon
thereafter her husband also. The double blow
WAS too heavily charged for he tenderness Of
her affections. and dethroned her reason for
ever With a countenlnce lhe mos beautiful
have ever seen. she sits almost mo1ionteos
from day to day-an ntypresslbIe sadness
beaming from her soft and Iu~trous eyes--Whte
the whole expression of her face conveys, IL |
may so speak, sort Of intensified sweetness
andresignalon. She never speaks-but vie dS
nstinctjveI Y to every suggestion. or lnlmatlon
of any kind from the keepers, and signifies
only affirmative or negative replies, by motion
OF the head. So perfect a picture Of deep. un-
utterable sorrow had never before seen, or
been able to imagine. [ feel as if it will be
likely to haunt me for month o come. This
unfortunate lady is pronounced incurabIe
''Tt1ere is another beautiful young woman
here, who under promise of marriage, accom-
panied a young man from her fathers residence
in Illinois to this city, and was here deserted by
him in The streets. She is one of The most fu- |
rous and uncomfortable inmates Of the asylum :
When her cell door was opened, she was ra- I
viog terribly and shaking at the iron fasten- |
inos of her window. She turned upon me
with a savage vindictivene>s which rather in
cned me to a sudden leaving, when my CON-
posure was comparatively restored by a view |
of The strong chains with which she was confn- |
ed to the wall In few minutes her fury was |
soi1ened down to pathetic entreaty, and she |
made the most touching and fearful appeals
ogainst her unnecessary and cruel confinement |
turned away, thinking that the sight might,
perhaps, be profitable one to her destroyer, if |
he has not yet sufficiently repened of his
crime"