Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1857-1858, 1857-11-02

as a WashDOard'" But she stoutIy denied leeiin 5
| any pain either then or when the blows were In
fiicted) She accepted the pension, however, and
drew it annually from the government TO Toe
close OF her life, only few years since upHaruS
of so years old.
Would that this humble and imperfectly told
narrative could stop here, with the sharp and
prompt retributiOn visited upon the tories and
| the seeming grateful and entire PREPARATION atior-
ded their intended victims. But alas, II is be-
lieved the effects Of their deadly WORK mas not
yet ceased that they succeeded more eheetuai-
~ in manning souls than bodies The horrors
Of that night of woe proved too much Tor the
mental stamina of Mrs. r., and her reason en-
ttreiy deserted her for about SIX months AFTER
wards, and though she eventually recovered, yer
both herself and friends we're well aware, that
during long subsequent life, she was not quite
the same woman in mind or feelings she had
been before. She died at the age OF 50 years.
Her husband one year after her, at the age Of 81
There were born to this aged couple IA children
many Of them yet living at advanced ages, and
their places Of residence known. (From the bps
of one of them, the events here narrated were
given to the writer only few days ago, and
| though they awakened = dim consciousness OF
| having in some way been mingled with the recol-
| lections of his earliest childhood, all trace OF
them had long since passed from his mind Six
OF these children we're born before their mothers
mind became disOrdered, stated and they ALI
as Tar as is known. were blessed with serene good
health, and that eYenness Of temper, stald ana
sober dispositions so Characteristic Of the relig-
| iOus sect to which they belonged. OF the eight
children born afterwards, nearly, if not quite ALL
| there is good reason for believing, from facts
| known in the family manifested at times, more
! or less eccentricity of temper and character not
usual in, or entirely harmonizing well with, the
sober peaceful regularity of life in Quaker fam
| lily. Four of these eight suffered for years with
/ that depressing and temper-bewildering disease,
| chronic disorder of the liver. Two of these four
| were afflicted with insanity. One OF them, BENZ.
| R., after suffering from pecuniaTy embarrass-
ments and loss OF property, finally lost his reason
| Immediately after the death of his wife, which
| occurred in the midst of his other troubles. He
spent the two remaining years of his life in an
| asylum, and died there. The other, Catharine,
twin sister of Martha, the writer informant, az
ter .lmprudent exposure to wet aid cold, when
about II years of age, suddenly taken with
| impaired health, and instead Of the usual dis
| tressing physical symptoms common in such ca
ses, the weight of the disease spent upon her
brain and mind, OF, otherwise expressed, it
seemed Ito fly right to her head" She remain
ed thus for three months, entirely demented At
| times, when there was any connection in her
words complaining most piteOusly, but mysterf-
ousy, of imaginary losses. of a most tender and
distressing, but intangible nature At the end
of that time, upon the relief of the ply steal dis
ease, she suddenly and entirely recovered. But
| for about six months afterwards, either from ia
| mar or more tangible Influences, the same ment-
| al disorder returned once a month"; and remain
] ing for few days, would suddenly leave.
/ Gradually these spells became shorter and light
| er, until at the expiration of the time MENTION
| ed, they ceased altogether, and she was soon AZ
| forwards married Married to the physician who
had waited upon her during part of her illness,
| and who had become strongly attached TO her
/ as much probably from the ineXpressibly touch
/ ing nature of her mental wanderings, as from
her appearance and department when at herself
! For though the writer's memory Of her is dim
/ and clouded, he hiss il from many, very many
/ sources, that amongst the rural population of
| the community where her father resided she was
/ a rare, rare example of both personal and intel
| lectual beauty. few short years after her mar
/ riage, perhaps scarcely even had elapsed
before her disease began to show itself in some
what different form, in her domestic relations
| gradually loOsening the Teins of naturally vi
yid Imagination, and freeing from the control OF
reason and judgment those tempers and Capaci-
! ties for Fesentments for wrongs whether real or
| imaginary inherent in all human beings. The
disordering. distracting, blighting influence up
on her relations as wife and mother, can not
even be imagined though better imagined than
described. 1t was before the days of asylums
for the insane in the part Of the country TO which
she removed after marriage. Before the time
when these mono, partial and periodical manias,
were at all properly understood, either in the
medical profession or out Of it. The natural but
cruel mistake, almost universally made in con-
nectiOn with mono nldRiGeS, was made in her
case by companion, extremely sensitive in his
temperament, and intensely alive to the miseriss
! Of domestic disquiet that Of supposing that
| though her mind was evidently in some way
wrong yet the fearful bursts of passionate anger,
/ the cOnsummate intelligence with which she
! would compass means to distress the objects OF
her displeasure, Chose Objects too always the
persons she best loved displaying the most sub
tie shrewdness and cunning in so doing, absO-
lutely beyond the power of sane intelligence to
circumyent or Outwit iR the same ray that this
was not insanity but just like ordinary evil
mindedness aud bad temper in any body else
and that any one displaying such strength of in-
tellect and energy of impulse. responsible
for not putting them 10 GHbetteT use; that per-
haps, of reducing q bad temper within the con-
Of nrR hat
temper, SO 90 call &C. never showed itself at other
times. Strikingly indeed, the very reverse.
Forgetting, too, and poor human nature has
strong claims 10 pardon under such trying cir
cumstances toF thus forgetting, that at intervals
between these parOxysms her feelings and afec-
tions ali played in the most attractive harmony,
and all her duties to her family were industri-
ously discharged to a degree Of active, affection
ate intelligence almost enough, 10 would seem
to compensate for those periods when they were
so feaTtully and utterly neglected.
These seasons of mania continued TO recur sc
intervals, until her death in the year 1929, from
dropsy, (the proximate result in her case Of dis
ordered and obstrueted liver,) put an end TO her
strange mental sutferings and domestic troubles
together. At some future time, the history Of
her case, with its sad effects upon her relations
with her family, may be given to the world.
Reasons exist why it should not be done now.
Perhaps the story of her sufferings and her
wrongs, Chat strange mystery OF wrongs without
a responsible wrong-doer, whom fair and hu-
the earnest sympathy and the active oO-Opera-
ton and assistance Of the then Governor Of the
State Of New York, all unconscious as he was
that he assisting q maniac, might perhaps
at least draw tears from others.
But the same cruel error that proved 50 fatal
20 her, had been committed by wife, and friends,
and portion, at least Of this community in re-
gard TO her only living offspring, the writer Of
this article who has had the misfortune TO inheF-
il, not only her liability TO the same physical
and mental disease, but its actual existence and
deplorable results, though not as wretched as
hers, for there were fewer TO be torn from.
In view Of facts recently made known 20 him,
along with those he Is already acquainted with,
the fearful disease that racked his nervous sys-
tenn for 50 many years Of his early life, the ma
tnre Of his constitutional health tending % pro-
duee periodically great depression OF spirits, with
other pecuiiarities Of mental and bodily health
known to those intimate with him, he Is con-
strained TO admit the conclusion that probably
no set Of circumstances would have suficed 70
protect him from an outbreak, az some period Of
bis life Of the disease that has descended 70 him
a fatal heirloom from the tory atrocities Of the
revolution, and that has wrought complete
ruin 90 bis home they failed 70 entirely eonsRm-
mate 20 his grandfather's; that has wrought ruin
70 his home, and sOWn subtle, weakening ieVers
into that portion Of his mind, most essential per
haps, for combating with the world. He Is CRATE
fnl now foF what vas once esteemed misfortune.
Fer, Ia having his companion alone torn rom