Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-25
A Wife Chained in Il Cellar for Over
4 Year.

On yesterday afternoon, says the At
Gibson kan champion of recent date,
one of the most diabolical and fiendish
cases of cruel maltreatment that it has
ever been our duty to record was dis
covered in Northwest AtchisOn, near the
corner of Independence avenue and Di-
vision street. About one year ago, as the
neighb0rs say, man by the name of A.
w. Futile moved into the house, frame
cottage one and a half stories high,
brought with him some very good furni-
ture, and proceeded to establish himself,
to all appearances, permanently. The
man was described as being about forty
or forty-five years Of age, Of rather small
stature, and to all appearances quiet and
unassuming. The women in the neigh
bOrhOOd evinced friendly feeling toward
the family, and went over to call on his
daughter, a young lady about twenty
years Of age. They were met in the
most polite manner, and told that he was
living there with one daughter, whose
mind was not very strong, and who was
subject to 2pileptic fits whenever a
stranger came into the house, and he
knew it would be unpleasant for them TO
see her. Of course this satisfied the de-
sire Of the ladies who came to call, but
y.
Afterward woman in the neighbor-
hood went to the house when the man
was away and conversed with the young
woman. She seemed reticent, but showed
no signs Of epileptic fits, as her father
had represented.
This was early in January, and it proved
not only the first visitor who got inside
the house, but it was undoubtedly the
last. All winter long the man appeared
to have nothing to do and was continually
seen around his house All this was re-
garded very sUspiciOusly, and as occasion
RIly at night a sort of frightful cry was
-,eard from the house it became sort of
chronic TUmOr that he was in the habit Of
abusing his daughter, and that it was this
cause alone that led her in this mental
condition So strong had these rumors
become that Marshal Grail was informed
OF them, and for several days he had the
house Swallowed" or closely watched,
until yesterday afternoon, when, the man
not being seen around all day, it was de-
termined to at least see the cause, and,
accompanied by an officer, he entered the
house.
The girl stated that her father had gone
to Kansas City for work and would not
return for number of days After look
ing about the house for time the officer
proceeded to explore a cellar into which
the girl forbade him going.
Lighting lamp, the officers proceeded
to the cellar, and there found one Of the
saddest and most sickening sights that
can be imagined. In one corner, upon a
dirty, filthy pallet, lay a haIfnaked
woman, chained with an iron band
around her ankle to- staple in the wall
The first question showed the balfcraz
mental condition in which the poor
woman was, and the cause which pro-
duced her horrible confinement in this
miserable hole. But one little aperture
permitted ventilation, and the hole had
sickening, deathly smell. that was caused
by non-ventlatiOn and dirty, filthy sur
roundings. On box, in a dirty old vel
low. dlsh,was some flthy-iooking meat and
stale bread. The chain was taken off her
leg by the use Of a small iron bar and a
file, and the poor woman stood on her
feet.
For one year she had thus been con-
fined, and never once saw the light. The
girl said the woman was her step-mOther,
and was crazy; but the quiet manner IN
which the woman acted would tend to
dissipate the story, or, if it was so, the
alteration OF the mind must have been
very slight. The poor woman, nearly
dead from the excitement, was taken by
the neighbors, kindly washed, dressed and
cared for, and by the change would hardly
be known. She is tolerably fair-looking
woman, and doesn't bear the appearance