Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1868-08-05
Respectable Lady Kidnapped and Cen.
fined in . New Jersey Lunatic Asylvm.

fined in . New Jersey Lunatic Asylvm.
When Charles Reade's celebrated novel Of
"Nery Hard Cash" first appeared IN All the
Year Round, the medical faculty OF England
became 50 indignat that Mr.. Dickens thought IL
necessary to state in his periodical that he was
not responsible for the opinions OF writers,
Physicians then secuted the idea that any sane
person would be kept by the manager of a In.
natic asylum in his institution; hut subseQ uent
revelations have only shown that truth is
stranger than fiction; that scenes such as pic
tured in Mr.. Reades work had actually occur.
red, where parues, through the jealousy of
friends, had been imprisoned In asylums, and
kept there for considerable time before they
were released.
One such case would seem TO have taken
place in New Jersey within the last few weeks,
and II the assertions made by counsel remain
unexplained, the facts, as already apparent,
show that a fragrant and w,Ilful violation OF
the freedom OF the citizen has been committed.
One could not have thought it possible that in
TINS age Of liberty any sane person could have
been 'scrlbbed, cabined, and confined" i'm an
asylum, but the matters which came to light
yesterday on the hearing Of an application
Tor writ of habeas corpus showed too
plainly the falseness Of that suppositiou:
for Dr. Buttolph, the keeper of the Trenton
LUnatic Asylum, made affidavit that he had
under bis charge q Mrs. Frances J. Merrrt,
Whom ne believes not insane, but had kept
ner there because the usual formalities of
law tor her admission had been gone through
Inc mrs. Merritt in question was the widow
OF the late William Morton. On the Ath of
July last she thought it best to change her
conoiuon, and thenceforward her troubles
seems to have commenced. She got married TO
Col.A. ID. Merritt, young gentleman OF - or
70 years OF age, rather low IN stature, and good
looking. Five days following she left her
house, at the request Of her brother, Edward
Livingstone Price, who had her conveyed in a
carriage TO the Bergen county poor house.
Ihence she was taken to Hackensack, where q
Jury was impannelled under commission
without friends to defend her, or notice being
given to her husband, she was declared insane
and was next transferred to the Trenton Luna.
tic Asylum, where she was discovered by her
husband, who had learned Of her detention
before Judge Bedie, at the Hudson county
courthouse yesterday, Mr.. Gilchrist, on behalf
OF her relatives, opposed her discharge for
the present, on the ground that a new trial
was TO be had, at which the husband
was expected to be present Senator Winfield
and Mr. Scudder, On the part OF the lady, op-
posed this delay, on the ground that it was
narrowing TO her feelings TO be thus kept In
confinement, and read a letter from a Mr.
Shiifen, friend TO Mrs Merritt, which stated
that she was undoubtedly Of sound mind On
the other side there were two affidayits read.
one from Mrs Merrit's mother, and the other
from Mr.. Zabriskie, the family physician,
stating that the woman had been tor some time
insane; and 1t was argued that none could tell
so well as those two the state of the lady's
mind. Counsel for the applicant pointed out
an irregularlty in the proceedings before the
Chancellor, and on this ground the Judge
charged that the lady's eommittal was not
regular, and she should be discharged The
matter thus rests for the present, but the ques-
non OF sanity will be again tried by jury
Mem York .Ntfn