The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-01-23

/
county and State, Mrs. Eliza Childers,
a resident of Parkersburg, in the Coun-
ty of Wood and State of West Virginia,
who, being duly sworn according to
law, on oath, says, that she resides as
above stated; that about two years
since, she resided in Weston, Lewis
county, West Virginia; that she is the
wife of Samuel Childers, and the mother
of Laura Childers, unmarried and aged
abOut twenty-nine 1927 years. who is,
and has been, for about eleven years
past, partially deranged, or not in her
right mind, except at intervals; that
her said daughter was examined and
regularly committed according to law
as lHndtic, and placed in the West
Virginia Hospital for the Insane at
Weston, and remained therein for about
nine months, except, that during that
time, she was suffered at one time to
visit her home, where she remained for
about two months, but she was not dis
charged from said Hospital.
That while her said daughter was in
said Institution, probably in the month
of April, 1865, the matron of said Hos
pital, Mrs. - Hills, called at the resi-
dencs of affiant in Weston, and iuform-
ed her that her said daughter Laura)
was in the family way, and would be
confined in q short time, and that she
should Immediately be removed or taken
away from the said Hospital, and repre-
sented to affiant the necessity of keep
ing the matter profound secret, urging
that it would be best for all parties con-
LoT h, eha,,ll hn col
away as quietly and speedily as possible,
and the next day thereafter, DR.. r. Hills,
the Medical Superintendent of the said
Hospital, sent for affiant, and she visited
the Hospital, and was again informed
by him as to the condition Of her said
daughter, and urged by him to secretly
remove her from said Hospital; affiant
requested that her daughter be suffered
to remain for very short time,
until she could communicate or
consult with her husband, who was then
absent in Parkersburg, West Virginia,
at work, but was informed by DR.. Hills
that her daughter should 90 Immediately,
that it was contrary to the rules of the
Institution to suffer any one in her
daughters condition to remain, and he
further repres ented to her that if she
would then take her said daughter
away, and keep quiet about the whole af-
fair, that he would make every effort in
his power to ascertain who was the
father of the child, and compel him to
do what would be right, and at the ter
mination of said interview, the said
Superintendent compelled her to take
her daughter away with her from said
Hospital, and she has never returned to
said Institution, and with atlantis con-
sent, never shall, while it is under the
management of the said DR.. Hills, as
she would much prefer to have her
daughter confined in common jail or
some county poor house.
She further says, that shortly after
her daughters child was born, she ap-
peared to be in her right mind for
short time, and during that time, in
formed affiant that the night previous
to her removal from said Hospital, at
about twelve o'clock at night, that she
was taken by DR.. Hills into the presence
Of Richard j. Camden, the President of
the Board of Directors of said Hospital,
and questioned in regard to who was
the father of her child, and that she in
formed them that it belonged to one
Perry Fetty, an attendant or employe
of the said Hospital; that Mr.. Camden
then made an effort to induce her to lay
the child to some other person, insist
ing that it would be very great injury
to Mr.. Fetty, and disgrace to him and
his family, and that he was very nice,
pious young man, and that perhaps she
;.,h4 1,a ~ l-n,,. gin ra,lial fn Mr.
Camden, that she could not say that it
belonged to any other than Mr.. Fetty.
Afliant further says that her said
daughter also informed her, that while
she was in the said Hospital, that she
was allowed to go out into the woods
in company with the young man Fetty
and others, for the purpose of picking
blackberries, and one time she went out
in buggy with Mr.. Fctty into the
woods to hunt chestnuts.
She further swears, that both the doc
tor and Mrs. - Hills informed her
that her daughter declared that the
above named young man Fetty was the
father of her child, and in her maniac
rawlings desired that he should he shot
for the injury done her. She further
says that short time after the birth of
her daughters child, that p. NJ. Hale, a
member of the Board of Directors of said
Hospital, came to her residence in Par
kersburg, West Virginia, and inquired
very particularly into all the facts and
circumstances connected with the ta-
king or sending away of her said daugh-
ter from said Hospital. She further
SAYS, that when her unfortunate daugh-
ter is in her right mind, or appears to be,
that she begs not to be sent back to said
Hospital, requesting that when she gets
unmanageable, that they will tie, chain
or otherwise coniine her in some way at
her home, and not send her back again
to the said Hospital.
ELIZA CHILDERS.
Sworn and subscribed to before me,
bv the above named Eliza Childers, this
nth day of November, A. D. 1867.
G. A. JACKSON, Notary Public.
On receiving the first intimation Of
the outrages that had been perpetrated
upon Laura Childers, l called on DR..
Hills to learn the facts. ] asked him
what her condition was when she left
the Hospitali He denied positively
that she was in the family way, and
said that it was a common delusion
with deranged females to image they
were in this condition. On the same
day l ascertaiued from a sister of Laura
Childers that Laura had given birth to
a child two weeks previously. at once
visited DR.. Hills sgair, and communi
Gated to him this information On this
occasion he manifested much i'll feeling,
but acknowledged that he had removed
Laura from the Asylum because she
was about to become a mother. l
peremptorily demanded that Fetty be
discharged. For this purpose, and to
give the matter a full investigation,
DR.. Hills promised to send for Camden,
30 that we could hold an official meet
ing; but for three successive evenings l
was disappointed OIL account Of Cam