Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-10-27
AN ILLINOIS ROMANCE.
Hopeless Love---Insanity---M Mysterious
Disappearance --Wanderings and Re-
clamation of Young Girl.

there resides a family OF high social
position and wealth, which is blessed
with a daughter nineteen years of
age. This young lady received a
careful education, graduated with
credit last June, and returned to her
home. Almost Immediately she
made the acquaintance of young
widower of her native town, and fell
deeply in love with him. 1t is due
to the gentleman to say that he did
not encourage, in any manner, this
sudden passion. The infatuation
of the young lady was so great that
she took no pains to conceal it, and,
upon being demonstrated by her
family, she boldly persisted in
avowing her love. At the solicita-
tion of her friends, the gentleman
had an interview with her in the
presence of her mother, and repre-
sented to her, in the most gentle and
respectful manner, that her passion
could not be returned, and begged
her to abandon it for her own sake
and the credit of the family, of
which he was close friend. In this
interview, the gentleman, unfortun-
ately, announced that he was soon
to be married to another lady. At
this the young lady became furious,
and exhibited a state of feeling
which resulted in a complete aberra-
ton of mind. A physician was at
once called, and, sitter few days of
treatment at her home, it was found
necessary to send her to the State
Asylum for the Insane. This was
accordingly done. The poor girl,
who had so recently exhibited an
unusually active and brilliant mind,
was now a complete wreck, and al
ternated between fits of the deepest
melancholy, during which she could
not be induced to speak, and spasms
of frenzy, during which she had to
be pinioned, lest she should do her
self harm. This was her condition
in the Asylum, and gradually all
hopes of her cure were abandoned,
when suddenly she disappeared.
During the third week in August,
she, in company with a number of
other patients, was in the grounds
of the asylum, taking air and exer
else, and, when the others returned
to the house, she was missing.
Search was Immediately made, but
without success, and, though the Of
ficers of the institution and her now
doubly afflicted family spared no
pains to find her she was as COM
pletely lost as if the ground had
swallowed her up. Six weeks passed
and, suddenly as she had disap-
peared, she reappeared one rainy
evening, after dark, at the doors of
the asylum, and was Immediately
taken in. The astonishment created
by her appearance, alone in the night
was doubled when she was found to
be perfectly sane and in complete
bodily health. Her story was soon
told. She could remember nothing,
except that she found herself the
day before in the woods alone, with
her clothing in tatters, and herself
ravenously hungry. She made for
the nearest road, and, by inquiring
her way and walking all night and
all the next day, arrived at the asyl-
um safely. 1t being quite apparent
that she required no further treat
ment, she was at once returned to
her family. 1t has since been
learned that the young lady wan
dered away into the woods, and sub
sisted upon such berries as she
could find, and that she occasionally
went to nelghboring farm house,
where the family kindly gave her
bread. 1t seems strange that this
family did not think it necessary to
report the fact of a strange girl
in the woods, in order
that she might be cared for, and we
have no idea why they did not do
so. The house physician of the
asylum is of the opinion that the
exposure and change of diet are the
direct causes of the restoration of
the young lady to health of body |
and mind.-Sprinafeld Register.