Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1873-03-12
Walks and Talks among the County
Poor.

take the following items and extracts.
The institution has 43 pauper in
mates IS of whom are openly chased
as iusane-7 women and 8 men-all
Of the women and 4 Of the men are
wholly confined in cells, one partially
restrained, while 4 eccentric bodies
move in their own orbit
Mrs. Foster defines "insanity (of the
maniacal stamp as the reduction of a
human intellect to its lowest elements
OF baseness and animahsm." The fact,
too, that men seldom unclothe them
selves, while women are generally iu-
cllned to destroy fabrics and strip
themselves naked, ind Gates that this
malady reverses all the normal process
es Of thought aud action, rendering
the more modest sex the least careful
and delicate.
The worst cases-(females), three Or
four in number, have each an enclosure
made with boards, on the floor in one
corner Of the cell, about the size OF a
bed, filed with clean straw or bright
soft hay, which with 3 or 4 strong army
blankets, necessarily constitutes their
bedding. clothing and furniture, The
occupants lie mainly in those hunks,
rolled tightly in their army blankets,
through all the days and nights of
weary months and years, and often ex-
hibit fearful outbreaks Of wrath and
violence if their humane keeper at
temps to turn or move them to a dryer
or more comfortable position.-Some
two or three, despite all precautions,
devour their own offai aud smear it on
the walls, making the steucn almost
unendurable-no matter how much
care is taken to cleanse them, and
making their care peculiarly loathsome.
In Hospitals for the Insane, none but
professional visitors can penetrate the
wards where such patients are hidden
and kept, and it is said that their lease
Of life is about q years.
The only female patient CT the insane
ward, that has any specially interesting
characteristic is Mrs. Caroline Crandall;
she generally contents herself with be
ing the wife of King Solomon, and
glories in the name of Mrs. Solomon"
and likes to have the Superintendent
of all others approach her with due
courtesy and humility SO he salu'ed
her as Mrs. Solomon and introduced us
as king .Solomon's coachman awaiting
her orders but she had taken an unex
pected "change of venue, and indig-
nantly told him she was not Hrs Solo
mon, but Mrs. Napoleon Bonaparte;
limited that we might be ensissaries of
their alluded enemies. then, looking at
the Superintendent, said, she did not
know what to make OF him, that, ''at
times she thought ham insane
John Brown, Of Pumpkin Hollow I"
formerly a painter--well known in
parts of Jefferson county is perhaps
the most marked character in the cells
"He is the Central Government of the
World ; built the Railroads aud Tele-
graphs, composed the hymn books
Zone Of which he keeps, as sample) !;
cut now, fallen into poverty and mis-
fortune and robbed of his rights, he
boards with Mr. Foster"
A German inmate, known as g cots"
saws the wood--provided he fails in
his seml-occasionally attempts to lick
the boss, which he has aIv vs. done
thus far, and retires lin goot rder" to
his lOxl2 room each night
Keller, harmless German. works
around days and sleeps nights-provid-
ed he can propitiate the mice and bugs
the "wanzen" he calls them, that 10
joint apparition are the size OF a mouse
and the shape of bed bug and stand
around him on their hind. legs and
keep him awake; but he now takes
little hay or straw in his pocket and
feeds them at time of retiring, and afrer
eating, they hunt their holes and let
him rest
John Flanuig gan, an freshman, insists
that his mother was "squaw" and car
ried him lashe1 in basket on her back
He takes entire care OF the cows, o,oas
them don't allow the Sup't to sell the
calves, in tact-(as pre-empter) VIII
hold large share of the Poor Farm
when it is disposed of
In glancing through the house we
saw a number of aged and partly dis
abled female inmates assistin q to get
the meals tor the general county fam ly.
Some of the most noticeable persons
was widow with 4 children in her
room, Zone sick $50 ID. woman who
threatens to run like The ID in the
spring very pretty young girl with
a small child, and "Aunt Lydia Purdy,"
who knits and mends and has re
markable history
The most Of the male inmates are
very aged, or ipfrm so that little farm
help can be expected from them. Rich
ard Collier is 81 years old, rheumatic,
paralytic and nearly blind formerly
farmer ; wife dead
Henry Long is 81 years old, sturdy
quilt old man, With a pleasant, inteli-
gent eye and manner, and a
ready fund of conversation. He has
evidently seen the world from a famili-
ar stand point, during his whole long
and eventful life. He relates how,
while living at his grandfather's hotel
in Pennsylvania, Gen. Washington
came through inspecting the forts andhe
saddled the Generals horse and assist
ed him to mount, for which the Gen'l
gave him 80 cents He was IN N. Y.
city when Pres't Jefferson came
through there, af err the battle Of N. O.,
and before he was made President.
For the care Of this vast and multi
form family, the management of the
county farm, the calculation, inancier.
ing, Iabors and personal danger to
which he and his family are constantly
exposed--to say nothing of the uupleas-
ant and loathsome duty of attending t,
the worst cases In the celis-duties