Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-12-08
AN APPEAL FOR TIE HELPLESS.
A Story that makes 0ne's blood run
Coda Foul Disgrace 10 the Civ
iIiEattOn of the Age and
Country.

Editors AppeGt-My article in the AP-
PEAL of Tuesday morning in regard to
the poor insane women locked mp in the
cells OF eur county jail, was not intended
TO reflect upon the county or Jail officials.
This you stated at my request. On the
contrary, Mr.. Allen treated me with the
utmost courtesy and kindness. and
evinced the utmost sympathy and con-
Germ for these afflicted women, committed
TO his custody. General Wright, too. I
knew full well, was compelled by law
power over him, to deliver up these un-
fortunate women to the keeping of Mr..
Allen. And yet, therein that Shelby
county jail, here in this city of Memphis,
here il this glorious old commonwealth,
the home of Jackson and Polk, all over
dotted with ehristisn churches, schools
and colleges, her people brave, cbivslrous
and generous-lie three of the most help
less of all beings-Eelp pless because wo
men and because penniless, homeless and
friendless-lOcked up in felon's dungeons.
General Wright and Mr. Allen, the keeper
of the jail, cannot afford, however kind
and generous their natures NAV be (they
have not the mesnsl of becoming the pa
irons and supporters Of this unfortunate
portion Of our population. And yet there
is the
AWFUL, HORRIBLE
fact IS I have stated it, and as General
Wright and Mr.. Allen admit il. Three
poor insane white women grosning away,
what even in palace would be a misera-
BILE existence, in the iron cages of a jail
built for burglars snd murdersrs. What
an sssocistioni And what a subsistence
for poor, helpless, insane, sick and dying,
snd may / not sdd, pure and Innocent
women Suppose It be but for thirty
days the laws requires them to lie there.
Daring that period, Mr.. Allen informs
me, one poor raving maniac has been
released from the horrors OF his life
~ the kind Office Of death, and bsen
buried in his poverty without even the
covering of q shirt. II is this thirty days
torture 1 want removed from these help
less sufferers II is q deep shame that
helpless sufferer should be nesdlessly tor
tured for an hour. Poor Miss Carter wept
like g broken hearted child when she
spoke to me of the degradation and shame
she felt in her felon home. A prominent
physician has Just told me that out OF
twenty Thousand insane admitted through
q course of years to q single asylum in
England, there has been no necessity for
combining g single one in an iron cage.
I have, since my article of Tuesday
morning, written two letters to our Ssns-
tor in Nashville Colonel Du Bosel, in the
fret stating TO him substantially the shove
facts, and imploring him to Introduce
bill and urge its passage at IS early day
as possible, thst would bring relief to the
suffering class of our fellow beings re-
ferred TO as complete and speedy as pos.
sible. In my second I informed him that
had Just learned that the insane asylum a.
Nashville was filed toits utmost capacity,
and suggesting thst If upon inquiry he
should find that such wa the fact, 1t pre-
sented q favorable pretext for bill TO
establish another asylum in the vicinity
OF Memphis, and that thought II success-
ful he would immortslizs his name.
In the meantime these poor women viii
continue to need clean and comfortable
clothing, and generous diet such as the
physician TO the jail may suggest IS
proper, General Wright says truly that