Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-08-26

TWELVE YEARS OF SECLUsION.-Thc Chca-
20 Tribune has lengthy account OF life
of remarkable seclusion. the result. evidently.
of disordered mind, led for twelve years by
a clergyman and his daughter in the town
of Turner, about thirty miles from Chicago.
The name OF the clergyman is Ralden \.
Watkins He is represented as "a graduate
Of Middlebury College, Vt. and was a preach
of the gospel at Rupert and Coventry and
Windsor county, in that State, for thirty
years In 1855 he removed with his wife
and daughter-the latter sixteen years of age
and both refined and accomplished-to the
town of Turner. where he bought fine farm
Of eighty acres For year they mingled
freely with the towns people, who became
much attached to them. Mr. Watkins often
preached to the people At the end of the
year the wits. and mother died, and from
that momcntA change came over the minister
and his daughter. He ceased to preach. and
in few months they had entirely isolated
themselves from society. Thus year after
year passed by, young man who had be-
come enamored of the young lady being in
formed very decidedly that he must keep
away, and the old man going once a month
to the village to exchange butter and eggs for
groceries. On each successive visit he would
look worse, finally being covered with filth,
an .i--L-- the weather wa.
warm OF cold. his head was ALWAYS ,,.,oroa
with "A large wooden shawl wh;oL Uur-
ban. he has been knVT~u to wear for more
than twelve years About two wears ago the
towns people. having become somewhat ex-
cited in regard u this strange course of life.
appointed committee t. visit the clergyman
and his daughter and unrayel the mystery if
they could. and bring them back to an OBJ
scrvance of the duties of social life The
committee met the old gentlemen at the gate
and told him their errand. when he said it
would kill his daughter ii they were admitted
and it would probably kill her cats. They
insisted on entering, however, and found
the house filthy in the extreme. In one room
were about twenty eats, and in another as
many chickens They appealed t. the her
mits to give up their le-raaed mode of life,
when the daughter very pointelly told them
the matter was no business of theirs, and the
committee LETT, seeing it was OF no use to
argue the question. During the past two
years the old man has scarcely been seen,
and the daughter not at all About two
weeks ago the old man called to a lad who
passing near, told him they were sick.
and needed help \ physician and several
citizens at once responded to the call, and a
scene that beggars description met their gaze
on entering the dwelling of these singular
recluses. The house was filed with filth.
cats and hens, and the old gentleman and
his daughter were in a condition Of unclean-
illness and disease unfit to describe. Two or
three days were required to render the prem
ises habitable for civilized beings. The girl
confessed she had not washed for six wears
matter OF principle. God had made
dirt and it should not be removed from the
person. No attention was paid to her theo-
ry, however, and the clothing of father and
daughter was burned The old man was
found to be mass of sores and corruption
and the daughter was in a bad condition
They said they had eaten nothing but corn
bread for ten years, and it is the opinion of
the physician that the corruption of their
bodies is the result of some species of scurvy.
superinduced by the corn diet. Their con
versation showed them to be at least partially
deranSed. 1t Is thought the life of the old
man can not be saved, but there are hopes
of the recovery of the young woman. Such
is the tenor of the story told by the Tribune,
which may be too highly colored