Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-05-28
THE INSANITY or MRS. LINCOLN.

THb INSANITY UE MES. IlNIOLN.
STRANGE DELUsIONS--A PAINFUL SCENE
IN CoURT-sHE ATTEMPTS. SUICIDE
CONINfITTAL TO A PRIVATE ASYLUM,
&C., &C., &c.
The Chicago papers Of Thursday furnish
the particulars Of the proceedings before
Judge Wallace, of the Cook County Court,
upon the application of Robert 7. Lin
coin, to try the sanity of his mother, Mrs.
Mary Lincoln, widow of ex-President
Abraham Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln has been
stopping at lhe Grand Pacific Hotel for
some time, and has continued to decline
not only in vigor of mind, but in physical
condition, and upon a council Of leading
physicians it was determined that some
thing 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 physicians and
citizens, were empanneled fur the sad trial.
When brought lntu court, Mrs. Lincoln
was paliid, ner eyes were watery and ex-
cited, and her general appearance that OF
one suffering from nervous excitement.
She was attired in IL plain black suit, and
was neat and comely in appearance. She
was accompa led by her counselor and
friend, and the DiOgrapher OF her husband,
Hon. j. n. Arnold. In the party accom-
/ panying her was her son, whose every Tea-
ture was marked with sadness. His eyes
too, were suffused with tears, as were also
those OF several Others OF the party.
Dr T0,,,f tho first witness cal.
led, He had visited Mrs. Lincoln profess
sionally in November, 1878. He treated
her several weeks for fever and nervous
arrangement of the head, and observed at
the time indications of mental disturbance.
She had strange imaginingS; 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 was taxing steel springs
from her head, and would not let her
rest; that she was going to die within a
few days, and that she had been admonlsh-
ed to that effect by her husband. She
imagined that she heard rapS on the table
conveying the time of her death, and would
sit and ask questions and repeat the sup
| posed answer the table would give. He
visited her one week ago, When she start
| led 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 WaySlde station
not far from Jacksonville, she took cup
Of coffee, in which she discovered poison.
She said she drank it, and took a second
cup that the overdose of poison might
cause her to vonit. He did not see any
/ traces of her having taken poison, and Was
OF opinion that she WaS'lnsane.
The proprietorS and several employees OF
the Grand Pacific Testified to numerous
strange acts OF the lady, indicating her in
sanity
Ur. Isham testified that in March he re-
ceived a telegram from Mrs. Lincoln, from
jacksonville, Fla, as follows: My belief
is my son is sick. Telegraph. | start for
Chicago tomorrow" Her son was per-
fectly we'll a. the time. and witness SO tel
eeraphed her Mr.. Lincoln also telegraph
ed to her telling her to remain i'll Florida
until perfectly well. lie received IL second
telegram after the lapse Of an hour and u
half. 1t read: "My dearly beloved son,
Robert T. Lincoln, rouse yourself, and
live for your mother. Y GU are all L have.
From this hour all | have is yours. pray
every night that you may be spared toyour
mother"
Robere T Lincoln, the petitioner. then
| took the witness stand. His face lndlca-
ted the unpleasantnesf OF the duty he was
about to perform, and his eyes were eX-
pressve OF the grief he felt. Mrs. Lincoln
at first looked on calmly, but during the
| recital OF the incidents of the family his
| tory and reference to the death OF his
father and brother, she gave way to tears
| and buried her face i'll her hands. He tes-
| titled that the action he had taken Was
| painful to contemplate, but he had done
| it in the interest OF his mother; he said he
| did not want any money from her; he had
money in trust for her. He met his mother
Oh tue CATS on her return from Florida
| and Told him an attempt had been
made to poison her. She roomed next to
| him, and was very restless; twice in one
night she aroused him and asked to sleep
in his room; he admitted her, gave her his
bed, and he slept On the lounge. About
April she ceased tapping at his door, ne
having told her that if she persisted he
would leave the hotel He went to her
room April l, and found her but slightly
| dressed. She left her room III that onn-
dition under some pretext, and the next
| he knew of her she was going down in the
[ elevator to the office. He had the elevator
! stopped, and tried to induce her to.return
| to her room. She regarded his Interior
ence as impertiuenr, and declined to leave
the elevator, but he put his arms around
her and gently forced her. She screamed,
You are going to murder me-" AT one
time she predicted that all Chicago was to
| be burned. She showed him securities for
| S57 900 which she carried in her pocket.
| She had spent large sums of money recent
| Nv. She had bought $500 worth of lace
| curtains; three watches, costing $3.50; 800
worth of other jewelry 5000 worth of soaps
and perfumeries, and a whole piece of silk.
| He had no doubt she was insane. He re-
garded her as eccentric and unmaDageable.
| There was no cause for her recent pur-
chases as her trunks were filled with
dresses she never Wore. She never Wore
jewelry.
| Lineoln's reckless manner OF making pur-
chases. after which the jury retired, and
in a few minutes returned verdict that
the Jurors were satisfied that Mrs. Mary
| Lincoln is insane. and a fit person to be
sent to the State hospital for the insane y
During the absence of the jury Robert Lin
| coin approached his mother and extended
his hand She grasped it fondly, remark
! ing with degree of emphasis, Robert,
| I did not think you would do this" His
| response was stifed by the spring ct tears,
and the conversation ended. The verdict
was received by Mrs. Lincoln without any
visible emotion. She was stolid and pnr
moved, and did not allow its reading toGn-
| terrupt the conversation in which SHE was
engaged with Mr.. Arnold:
| After being removed from the court
room, where She was adjudged insane, she
was put under the strictest surveillance, it
being feared she might do injury to herself.
The next day she escaped from her room
and hurried to the drug store of Frank
Sauires, under the Grand P ci6c Hotel.
] she ordered a compound Of camphor and
I Iauaanum, ostensibly for neuralgia. The
CLERK Informed her it would take about
ten minutes 10 prepare it; whereupon she
took carriage and dToye to two other
drug stores. She was fol lowed by Ssquires,
who in each case prevented the druggist
from giving her the compound She II