The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1870-05-19
For the Valley Virginian.
A Strange Case Of Insanity.

A Strange Case OF Insanity.
A most remarkable and lamentablc case o
alteration of mind has happened to one of on
old and most respectable citizens The oil
gentleman has always heretofore shown hig1
/ order Of intellect, aud has figured PROMINENT,
and honorably, both in the history of Virgin
ia aud of the United States, and his counse
has been sought and followed by the who'll
country in times Of the greatest emergency
But of late the old gentleman has shown sucl
decided cccentricities that it is whispered
among his friends, that he does not know how
to manage his own financial affairs and is il
danger Of involving himself and his friend.
in ruin, BY his stubborn adherence to his folly
/ The circumstances which have developed
bis mental weakness are these: The old gen
tleman, as well as his friends, and eighbors
lost heavily by the late war aud are in reduc
ed circumstances, and the crippled condition
of the country with the great scarcity Of
money has 50 paralyzed their energies that it
seems almost impossible for them to recover
their prosperity. But his wise and sensible
neighbors along with the old gentleman S
most respectable sons (for he has a large fam
Iily) devised and adapted plan which if
carried out would be certain to retrieve their
/ fortunes, This plan was for them to unite
their energies and each furnish a small amount
Of capital to start an enterprise which would
at once bring an abundance Of money into
the countay, furnish employment for all the
idle hands at increased wages, give them a
ready market for every kind of produce and
ensure lasting prosperity to the whole com
munity. This enterprise was no new expert
ment but one that has been adopted Ten
Thousand times in different parts of the world
and always with the above results. Indeed s.
complete is the success of this kind Of enter
prlses that every well informed man knows
that no community can prosper without it.
When the old gentleman's sons and neigh
bors had estimated the amounts they felt able
to appropriate, they found that there was still
large amount lacking and agreed to apply
to wealthy lady, an old friend of theirs, and
to the qualification Of all the friends of Yir-
gipia, the lady friend was 80 liberal as to
agree to double the amount and subscribe as
much money herself as the old gentleman and
all his neighbors would do in order TO ensure
the speedy success of the enterprise. AU the
old gentleman's peighbors at once promptly
set down their names for the full amounts re
CURED OF thcm-and now comes the strange
and unaccounable part of my narrative
When the old gentleman's sons who had al
ways been true 10 him and aided him by their
counseIs and labors, and sustained him thro'
all his advcrsities, went to him for his sub
scription, his mind had became muddled by
age or trouble, or he had been SO soured by |
his late losses, that he actually talks Of re-
tusing to sign Or aid the enterprise in any
way and turns a deaf ear to his talented sons
who had SO much confidence in his good sense
that they had pledged his support to the en-
terprise, and it is said, the old gentleman is SO.
weak minded that he is Influenced by his
younger and more inexperienced children who |
have never shown any ability to advance eth
er their own Interests Or that of their father.
This is the present state Of the case. But
such is the inealculable Importance of this
scheme to the whole country that the friends |
OF the measure have given the old gentleman
one month to consider before he makes his
final decision, aud it is to be hoped that al
his friends, and especially his sons, will avail
themselves of the time, and every means in
their power, to reason the old man into his
senses and save him from ruin, for his refusal
will not only bring financial ruin upon him,
but so injure and damage his neighbors that
ne will forever loose their friendship and CO
operation aud be forever blamed for his own
and their nisfortunes. [ discover l have
omitted to mention names The old gentle
man referred to is, Augusta County. who re-
sides IL the centre Of the Shenandoah Valley. |
The liberal lady friend is, Miss Baltimore City |
The old gcntleman's talented sous arc too
well known to the public to require mention
by names The enterprise is the Valley Rail
road, and his ignorant Children who are ad
yising him to his ruin although too obscure
TO be known. are unfortunately said to be nu-
merous l will not attempt to describe them,
as the description would not be fattering.
Butrather draw the mantle Of charity over
them, hoping that both theyiand their infu-
enee will prove so insignifcantias to sink into
oblivion Ggss s5oaw sas d hi PRoaREss 4