Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-06-04
Mr.. Andersom's Column.
About our Infrmary.
NnMRER TWO.

little building next the laundry, 70 sec the In
sane.
This building is one story high, with base
ment. II Is Of brick, Is high and roomy, and
is heated with furnace in the basement while
a good head OF water secures the cleanliness
that Is 80 necessary.
In the basement there arc four cells, made of
wooden bars in front while the sides are
of heavy masonry. In these cells are little
wooden stationary cots, and convenience for
sinks which did not examine. A hose Is
ready for use In throwing such a stream upon
the floor as may be ncedlul for washing away
such impurities as the irresponsible inmates
may render necessary.
The basement is airy and light, quite differ
ent from many horrid dungeons TO which the
poor unfOrtunates OF alms.houses are too often
consigned. 1t seemed clean and neat though
pervaded by the smell that seems TO be insep-
arabic from such places, and which the habits
Of the Gagged wretchcs make permanent.
Up stairs there are some eight or ten cells
barred with strap iron, and looking light and
cheerful. This room being for mlder type of
insanity, more attention can be given to the
comfort and appearance Of the patients Eve
ry thing is nicely white-washed and is as sweet
and clean as any such room can he. The sta
tionary cots in the cells are furnished as well
as the habits of the occupant will allow and a
without particularly disfiguring it. A door at
each end of the passage way admits what air
may be needed for full ventilation.
The first face / saw here was expressive of
as much enjoyment as you could conceive.
There was something so immensely funny
about our appearance that the poor thing
could not control herself a, all Her handsome
brown eyes fairly danced in mirth and her
handsome white teeth would have cleaned, if
she had had any. She would duck her head
and laugh and then fairly roll in mirth
said "Fun, isn't it?" and her merriment was
unbounded. She didn't say anything, only
laughed.
In the next cell all could see was large
gray head and a massive face prorudng from
the blankets of the cot supposed it was an
old man, and so spoke to try and rouse him, to
the yet more uncomfortable mirth of the prct-
~ brown eyed girl in the next cell who knew
that it was a woman. Mr. Curtis, for the light
and air opened the door at the end of the cor
ridor, when the old man-woman growled in
deep bass that "the weather was enough to
freeze one, let alone openin' all the doors in
the house"
Some of the patients on this floor can be
about at times, and few of them were bask-
ing in the warm sunshine outside. All were
poor cadaverous looking things, with vacant
eyes, and God-forsaken appearance,-eXcept
my brown-eyed girl, to whom wanted to re-
which told of nothing but irrepreSsibe glee
She seemed to find all her fun in my gro
tesque appearance which was fortunate,
since l have been laughed at for so many years
that | am used to il, and it might have annoy
ed the other gentlemen
Down below we went first to see "Dan." Dan
talks, and goes round and round like top.
When alone he stands on his wooden bed and
reyolvcs and jabbers. He has worn place
polished on his bed by his revolutions. You
stand and look at him TIL you grow giddy by
his incesSent turning, and your brain is contus-
ed by his incessant chatter.
| had seen HIM once before when he was
eating. There, with his blanket over him (hi>
only garment,) he was crouched on knees and
elbows, tearing his food like wild beast
They tell he always eats so. Still, as his
toothless jaws went they let out his constant
jargOn. 1t is "A speech with no punctuation
and no mortal relevancy as to ideas
Ga this diy he was not eating, only as one
of the gentlemen gave him some candy,-so
there were no impedimenta to his flow OF
thought. He ran on something like this: Il
took his speech in shorthand for few mo-
mentsD 81 got a hit in the eye it was a h orse
you know he up and kicked me he did for I'm
II butcherin' cows and calves and sheep and
I'm baker o that's Mr.. Hough | know him
an who's that other man him with specs on
don't know for I'm Il baker an you know
tull sup bul u minute lOT OWN u snip L 10
its big one | got strapped with a cat o nine
tails and it made me have a sore eye so l can't
see nothn' bat talk the puritan English and
I've got lot of money in Ashtabula BANK it's
up stairs in big trunk and you can take out a
fifty dollar bill it's locked with big key you
know you must put it back I'm baker but
now I'm butcherin' give me some candy you
know | went out TO cradle and I've got my
tools all put away in the big new barn have
they got it above ground yet you can get some
money any time you like I've got lots of il
an I'm baker,.
1t was a sort of flux of wo rds. / suppose he's
at II yet. As l went away from him | still
carried the memory of that endless string OF
sentences and if | had been taken with brain
fever suppose should have imagined my
self just such living teetotum, with IA creek
OF words flowing out of my mouth, and a
crick in my back.
In the next cell was an old man who did
nothing but growl. I'd rather hear Il bear or a
cat do that, so did not stay TO see him.
But now came the most painful and singular
object ] had seen. In cell in one corner was
little heap, out of which looked at me pail
OF beautiful blue eyes, and soft, delicate and
well rounded white hand was put out gently
toward me. The look of those eyes will al
ways haunt me-. There was a sadness and
hopclessness about them that was most touch,
ing.
lucy Ntlc tue eyes Ol u young girl Oh aDOu
eighteen years, who has always been insane
and on whom 1t is impossible to keep any
clothing. She had torn the blanket which SHE
had into strips and had coied herself up in
them, at the time when saw her. Utterly
unable to talk. she will bark like a dog, anu
sometimes makes wild cry like yena
Other than that. and her Obstruction of gar
ments, they tell me she is quiet enough. Bu
| II is horrible to think of beautiful girl in
such plight
The poetry of her condition, however, was
gone when saw her eat, (as did, and gave
| place to horror.
Finding a place in her cell which she had
made filthy, she poured her food on the floor
and the water which was given her to drink
and mixing all together into black ant
loathsome mass she scoopcd ii up with hel
hands and devoured it. 1t was sickening, re-
voting
How horrible it is TO see one made in the
image of God, with the mark OF his imag,
gone OUT How more horrible, somehow, i
seems When the one in whom we see this men
tai defOrmity is a woman Woman acting tht
swine is something one cannot see without {
pang, g,-and the more lovely may be the frs
view of her the more dreadful is the pang.
| Ii was relief TO so out from this place, anC
| grasp the black hand of old "uncle George,
and listen to his tales of long ago.
I'm hundred and sixteen years old" b,
said, "and was five years with Gen. Washing
ton. was scout in the last war, l mean th,
war OF 1912 and now I've got 10 be pretty olC
| and NV lpGS amt strong M thew mead IN ha