Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1875-06-05
THE CASE OF Mrs. LINCOLN.

HER INSANITY AN ATTEMPTED SUI.
cIDE.-The Chicago papers of Thursday
furnish the proceedings before Judge
Wallace, of the Cook County Court,
upon the application Of Robert L. Lin
coin to try the sanity of his mother,
MRS. mary Lincoln, -'i'.e,----,f 49,
President Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Lin
coin has been stopping at the Grand
Pacific Hotel for some time, and has
continued to decline not only in vigor
of mind, but in physical condition, and
upon council Of leading physicians it
was determined that something was
necessary to be done to protect her life
from her own hands, and to secure her
from bodily harm. Accordingly she
was brought into court on Thursday
and jury, composed of leading physl-
Clans and citizens, were empaneled tor
the sad trial. When brought into court,
Mrs Lincoln was pallid, her eyes were
watery and excited, and her general ap-
pearance that of one suffering from
nervous excitement. She was attired
in plain black suit, and was neat and
comely of appearance. She was accom-,
panied by her counselor and friend, and
the biographer Of her husband, the Hon.
J. N. Arnold In the party accompa-
nvine her was her son, whose every
feature was marked with sadness His
ewes. too, were suffused with tears, as
were also several others of the party.
DR.. Danforth was the first witness
called. He had visited Mrs. Lincoln
professionally in November, 1878. He
treated her several weeks for fever and
nervous arrangement of the head, and
observed at the time indications of men,
tai disturbance. She had strange imag-
inings; thought that some one was at
work at her head, and that an Indian
was removing the bones from her face
and pulling wires out of her eyes. He
visited her again in September, 1874,
when she was suffering from debility of
the nervous system. She complained
that some one taking steel springs from
her head, and would not let her rest;
that she was going to die within few
DAYS, and that she had been admonished
to that effect by her husband. She
imagined that she heard raps on table
conveying the time of her death, and
would sit and ask questions and repeat
the supposed answer the table would
give. He visited her one week ago,
when she startled him by saying that an
attempt had been made to poison her
on her Journey back from Florida a few
months since. She had been very thirsty
and at wayside station not lar from
Jacksonville, she took a cup of coffee,
in which discovered poison. She said
she drank it, and took second cup that
the overdose of poison might cause her
to vomit. lie did not see any traces OF
her having taken poison, and was of
opinion that she was insane.
The proprietors and several employ
ees of theGrand Pacific testified to nu-
merous strange acts OF the lady, indica-
ting her insanity.
DR.. Isham testified that in March
he received telegram from Mrs. Lin
coin, from Jacksonville, Fla, as follows:
"My belief is my son is sick. Telegraph.
/ start for Chicago tomorrow. Her
son was perfectly well at the time, and
witness so telegraphed her. Mr.. Lin
coin also telegraphed to her, telling her
to remain in Florida until perfectly well.
He received second telegram after the
lapse of an hour and halt. 1t read :
sMy dear beloved son, Robt. I. Lin
coin: Rouse yourself, and live for your
mother. You are all / have; from this
hour all have is yours. 1 pray every
night that you may be spared to your
mother" =.
Robert T. Lincoln, the petitioner,
then took the witness stand. His face
indicated the unpleasantness OF the duty