The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1858-09-01


o The brief journey was a strange o
B. indeed. Its incidents were burned in
o my memory, and will live there VIII
: memory exists. Scarcely had the ira
started, ere world ef phantasies, ca
2 of which 1 clearly remember, filled n
!, vision and my mind. As the train a
e preached Syracuse, the whole wor
e seemed astir. My mind was yet full
the exciting political campaign throut
: which I had just passed The pol
were closed, but tho campaign was n
yet over for me. Villages and gre
fields were filled with immense ma
meetings of all parties. They line
either side of the road, and presente
to me scene of the most exciting an
interesting character. Numerous shat
owy political friends informed me tn,
Ex-Governor Seymour was to address
multitude at Syracuse. I briefly thanl
ed them, and looked forward with in
tense interest to the gathering. As W
journeyed on, the fields on either side {
the cars began to Fill up with incalcula
BILE numbers of people. marching in sc
lid columns many miles in length, an
literally sprinkled with military-'hors
foot, and dragoons.' can never forge
those serried hosts, or my disappoint
ment, on reaching Syracuse, at being in
formed that it would be impossible t,
visit the asylum at Utica, if we tarriec
to attend the great mass meeting. 81
made a score of apologies, and, amic
the fancied tumult of thronging thou.
sands and the march of interminable
professions, the train thundered on to
wards Utica. The strange delusiou
kept pace with the swift going train
On either side of the road the country
was alive with people aud professions
either gathered at or moving towards
places for mass meetings of the people.
My focus Of vision was necessarily fill.
ed with this political phantasmagoria.-
In all directions were to be seen enor-
nous gatherings of human beings, end.
less professions of armies with banners,
countless transparencies and notices,
and no end of excited orators on stumps
and rostrums, saving the air with their
arms, and full of dreadful and danger
GUS gesticulation. One speaker pointed
proudly to an immense piece of canvass
ST. etched from an oak to palmetto, on
which were inscribed the words, South
Carolina and DR. Kane The Union is
safe = I remember calling my brothcr's
attention to it, and indulgiug in some
criticism on it in which he fully agreed.
All the way to Utica, we were beset
with professions and mass meetings, and
on one occasion I was called out upon
the platform to make a speech 1t re-
suited in the manufacture of an apollo
gy, which was not very graciously re-
ceived and my impression was, when I
took my seat. that l had made failure
AT one tins, all the people in the car,
except myself, attempted the rather diff
cult feat of standing on their heads! 1
laughed heartily at this, but was soon at
:racted in another direction by vio-
lent and earnest speech from my old
friend Gen. King, of the Milwaukee
Sentinel, in favor OF the election of Col
Fremont. He stood at cne side of the
centre of The car, aid I noticed that his
chin dgummed necessarily upon the
eross rod that formed the under portion
of the light baggage rack of the coach.
[ told him I cared nothing for his har-
rangue, but feared that his lower jaw
was injured. He replied, that he could
hold his jaw when he pleased. Myself,
brother, and friend, occupied seats to-
gether. There was room, with re-
Versed seat, for another. 1t seemed to
ne that the space was filled with cane
and umbrella rack, and that the handles
md tops of these articles sprouted out
in all manner of indigenous
md exotic plants and flowers. Oh, they
we're beautiful and fragrant? And yet
could not crowd out the lurking sus-
oicion that there was something wrong
.bout the whole matter.
This idea haunted me through the
whole period of my trouble-that even
What l saw that was unreal, and that
pleased me, was not right. My mind
vas constantly engaged in a brisk and
Earnest argument on thousand points
hat every passing phantasy raised and
yet there was strange and almost over
covering impression that all saw was
.eal. This conflict seemed to mark the
lines that divided sanity from
insanity. To lme this was one of
he most unpleasant features of my tri
j. It was kept up in thousand ways,
Until I was restored to soundness of
mental health. f-se
I will pass over the incidents connec-
ed with my arrival at Utica-although
III of them arc clear and distinct in my
memory and pass at once to the reci-
nj of the closing scenes in "my case"
When it flashed npon my mind, as it
lid at last, that was actually an in
nate of the asylum, and not a guest
hat my brother and my faiend were
simple stratagem, which l
lad uncopsciously aided had imprisoned
ne, my anguish and excitement were
very great. 1 told the story of my
yriefs to my fellow. patients, whose at
IGNITION / coou!d command; and, when
none of tt ese would lsteus there was no
ack of imaginary friends and sympathi-
seas. !. ., ",
Up to this period; the sense of sight
vas seriously affected. During this af-
teruoon and the night following, as we'll
Is q portion of tho succeeding day, the
sense of hearing became affected. 1 at
tributed this, 10 a great degree; to the
mental excitement caused by vivid con-
sciousness of the fact that was shut up
in the asylum as a mad man! Thoughts
Of home, and Of family, and of business,
and of friends, and of dreadful and
nameless calamity, filled my mind; and
then heard familiar voices in the hall,
in other rooms, and out of doors, talking
of my case, wondering that I was in the
asylum, aud devising means for my re:
laasa essaxed tn cnn or with them