The Nevada Democrat., 1862-02-01
n.... or : DIstlneulshed SIOmOmaniac.

Death OF Distinguished S1onomaniac'
Thomas Kelly, commonly called "old kel-
Iy:v who has for nine years been an inmate
Of the Asylum, died yesterday morning
His death was perhaps FASTENED by the
change from almost constant open air ex-
ercise to confinement 10 the rooms and
halls which the late high water made ne
cesaarv but he had lived nearly up 10 tae
ssthree score aud ten" standard, aud ct
hest nnst soon have died from old age,
thou0h he had remarkably good c0nstltu.
tion. The institution which "Old Kelly"
has TINS abruptly left forever, could have
Mhetter shared o better man !" for, though
bisImonomania was incurable, 6Ked as firm
Iv In his mind as the bones IN hls body,
there was that in it which never talieo 70
attract the attention and curiosity OF the
visitor. Once this poor man bad oeen q
well to-do merchant in New Orleans. lie
counted bis wealth by lhousandsi his friends
were men of character and influence. 10
l849 be came to San Francisco, wherc, Ior
A short time he did thriving business. lie
afterwards did business in Sacramento, and
accumulated great deal of property. But
In course of time adverse fortune overlook
him and he failed utterly and nopeiessly'
His friends, like summer butterflies, desert
ed him; no sympathetic hSnd was reached
out to uphold bis sinking ship. Kelly
could not bear all this, and his mind gave
way under the press of misfortune ana ln-
gratitude. He was taken to the Asylum
some nine or ten years ago, and was its old
est inmate at the time of bis death. Snort
" after he was placed there, he conceived
the thought that Page, Bacon 81 Co., had
conspired TO imprison him because he would
not cede them the Sandwich Islands, which
he ima0iaed he owned. He stuck to TINS
to the last, and every stranger whOfVlslted
the insttution will remember how pertlnac-
iousIy and earnestly he urged them TO- use
their influence in getting him out OF the
hands of this old banking firm. lie also
got into his head that the officers OF the
Asylum were usurpiDg his rights; that the
institution was his own, and that u DC couiG
only get rid of them he would start MOTEL
and make j. r. Hardenburg, OF sacramento
his landlord, He carried this idea 10 the
utmost extreme, aud was bitter against all
the Resident Physicians, whom he knew
aud literally cursed by name, as the "roo-
bers" who had kept him out of his rights
and .te zen took his iron box" with all his
money, and kept his valuable papers lock-
ed up from his sight. On this topic Kelly,
with all his fixed insanity, could discourse
with apparent conference and eloquence
He never accepted favor, as such from
any of the head officers of the Asylum. lie
treated oil such profered kindness with
rudeness and scorn. To the last be de-
clined taking medicine, aud drove off the
clerk aud physician with curses. He was,
withal, a very gentlemanly behaved maniac
to strangers, never treating them with
rudeness, save in the inveteracy OF pressing
his suit for aid against his prosecutors who
kept him from ruling the Sandwich Islands,
and from putting his old friend Hsrdenburg
at the head of bis hotel. Indeed, take him
alI.in-all though mad as March hare, kel-
ly had "method in his Madness" and in
fair weather was as musical as cricket
[Stockton Independent.