, 1874-08-15
a SANE NAN IN 4 MADHOUBE.

/ H.
| Wo publish this morning. remarkable letter.
h1r. John Lang!cy plumbridgo, Of Wcll6aloy
Lodge, Sutton, surroy, England narratca in Cur
columns tho story Of hiH aufforings in tho private
maal,oueoa In which lo, aauo man, vas un-
Justly lmmured. :.
Flo was scout to the first aaylutn, when In doll
cate health, not because ho WIS insano (thoro
waa no protonse Of that), but becauso he VIA
thought to bo In BONO danger of booontug in.
! sanot AZ ho most truthfu]ly Hnys, this is pro-
clsely tho bos* way to precipitatc over tho preci
plco tho man who Is anywhere noar It's vorgo.
That ho lived through tho days and nights OF
horror ho describes, without losing ha reason.
Ia p'an'a jacie proof TINT he WAS far removed
from tho danger Of such catastrophe whom ho
Was eont to place far worse than any prison
upon tho Certificate Of two mon who had reyar
aoen him, without 4 trial before Judgo or turv
and without ohanceto speak asy1lable In his Own
dofonso. He waa carried to confinement by force.
Once inside tie gloomy walls Of the madhouse.
he was subjected to courso Of maltroatmont he
doacribea In s!ckcniug detail. Ills was no OK
coptional caso. "Wo must wear EN- out" eaid
ono Of bis brutal tailora, ~ or thero'a bo no
trado'' Poor patients aso quickly discharged,
In order that thoy may awcll tho Lists Of tho
ctlrod which each private madhouso inserts in
ita advertisements. The rich aro kept Is long "a
may DO, for evory day is 80 much clear gain to
the owner of tue asylum. No attempt was mado
to cure Mr. plumbridgc. Everything was uono
to bronx him down. This statoment- is a priori
pfooaoie' Thoro arc fow things that tho ayor-
age MN will not do for money. When
such man has bsen bruta1izod bv
tho possession Of such dospotto povor
"a tho keeper Of madhouso has over
hiB ao-called PATIENTS, the temptation to
exercise absolute authority is avo]]-nteh irro.
asstlblo, evon II money cuts no figure. It Ia
truo that doctors co-operatod to knop Nr, Plum-
bridge In durcss but ho makes aolf-intogess Ok
plain this. He says that most Of tho docrora
usually consulted got regular commissions on
the profits from the mon shey eond to anv
asylum. The ono doctor Of groat repute WHO
gavo partial opinion againRs hrr. plumbridgo'a
sanity (tho ono called DR.. III. In the atatoment)
is specialist in insanity. He considers tho ma-
jority Of pereouB "a moro or less Insane, Any
ono conTorBant with his booaH will recognize
this fact, Now any doctor who is special
ist will attribute almost ali diseasas to
tho workings Of hts nat rn.,.av T.,n :.
particularly true in the coao n, ,nsa doo.o-
because tho line vhiob a,vdca +,,o ,,aa 49,.
insane ia 90 yorv vap1,o,v do,r.d ,hot ~.
takes arc enav. Aftar hrr p,,,.,..,.,-
was nut Into tho aav1nm to waa ,noao go o.
cbaneorv ,v,+,ort ho,n .1,n., T.. a.
In opposition, His last chaoco, ~ f-ooao,,
seemed to DO thus taken awav for r1,.nao,,
wards confined In medhousos ara v,aitad bnt
onco year, and at q time that ia ,val, ,,our, H.
forohand, 30 that the koenors arm at1, - ,,ro,...
for tho inspection bv drivino tbo,r v,,t,,ns 49,
nearly inBana as possible, Ont o1r firm, bono ~
relief from othors. Mr, plumbridre took ,ta fo+,
into his own bands. His 1ourth attamn. a. os-
cape WAS successful. Ho stayet ao,no tima viii,
his brothers, who were now perfeot}v ronvn,.a
Of his sanity, hut found that stopa ,yara bofno
Eaken to recapture him. He could be lor.llv
discharged only on tho certificate of hin iai,or1
30 he went to tho Continent and o,ma
hence to this country, where he trav.
lied for eomo time with tvontv-ono
gentlemen. When they . learned from
lis lips that ho waa accnso,f n, ba;,o ,no.,o
hat he was q lunatio ward In Ohancerv THAR 40.
onishmcnt was great. rhov had not tlroamod =,
n,ch q possibility at any u,o,nent of THAR init
n ia commandments, ,r.A1 LII. ut,, :,
etatement TINT thew .vero ,,orro,t,,, oonu,.a.a-
ia comnctcnco IN n,,rora ,,,,n.ot, ..., ~
fra;rs
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