The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1876-05-18
Inhuman Treatment OF an Aged
Mother.

:
The San Francisco Post tells the fol-
lowing almost incredible story: Mrs.
Pape and her husband occupy the upper
story at 2iS Third Street, and with them
lives Mrs. Pape's mother, an old lady of
20. For some months past the %neighbors
have frequently seen the old lady, when
the sun shone, sitting in the yard. About
ten days ago some lumber was brought
into this yard, and in a few days q low
shed was erected, measuring nine feet
by four and a half, without any window
save a transom over the door. As 500
rs the shed was done it was noticed that
the old lady was in it most of the time,
kept, in fact, n close prisoner, the door
being kept shut and fastened with II
wooded button. Every thing was quiet,
however, until day before yesterday,
about noon, at which time the old lady
forced the door partially open and got
out. This was perceived by her son-in-
law, who, walking across the yard, or
dered the old lady back into the shed,
and, upon her objccting, pushed her in
by main force, and then went in himself.
His wife 500 followed him. Then the
old lady was heard to cry, "Why do
you hold me so hard? | don't want to
stay in here! Oh, don't tie me so tight.
What have | doncP" Her screaming
was kept up for a while, and then it
ceased; apparently she had been gag
ged.
To hear the other side of the story
the reporter called on Mrs. Pape. She
said:
"The old lady is my mother, and |
have four sisters, all well-to-do in the
world. She is seventy years of age,
deaf and very feeble, being paralyzedin
her left side. Her mind is affected, and
she does not know any thing that she is
saying. She has lived with us n long
while, and she has been a great source
of annoyance. If we put her in any
room she would not stay there, but per-
: sisted in walking around and going out
of the house. If we shut her in n room
she would take a chair, or any thing
else, and hammer at the panels till she
broke them. She is out of her head all
of the time, and constantly imagincs she
| is going somewhere on Il journey. Fl
| nally we came tothc conclusion that the
| best thing we could do would be to
| build n room for her in the back yard,
and so it was that we built the she'd that
, she now occupies"
/ "But do you keep her there all the
l time?"
9 eyes, most of the time, because | an
busy, and if ! don't keep an eye on hen
= there's no telling where she will 90 ol
t what she will do. But she don't mine
5 it,"
: "Can | see the lady?"
t "Yes, if you will wait Il few mo
4 ments," and Mrs. Papc went out int,
0 the yard and rolled the barrel from tn,
; door. She then invited the reportel
out, and opened the door of the shed.
t The walls were covered with whit,
T. cotton cloth tackled to the boards, though
n the floor was bare. A small iron bed
o stead, on which were Il mattress ant
h some bed-clothing, took up nearly thu
whole of the room, Il network of clothes
G line being stretched across the foot Il
n preventing her from getting at the door
also preventing her from getting to thu
; end of the room, the place, and thu
only place, in the shed where there wa!
y room to turn around. On n woodel
chair, and clad in a faded, worn-ou
c black dress, sat, in feebleness and age
$ IN old lady seemingly stepping into he
: grave. A black shawl was around he
head, beneath which Il few stragglin:
: locks of gray hair stole forth; her fac
IT was timc-worn and %wrinkled, and he
s eye dimmed and wandering. Her tive
hands were clasped together in her lap
one discolored and shrunken with paral
o ysis, the mere ghost of the hand by it
h side.
cam | going now?" she said, lookin:
- up. "Am | going away with himP'
she asked, in II low, feeble voice, as sh
attempted to rise. No answer wa
n made. The daughter lifted the mother
right hand, and she, misunderstanding!
the movement, rose to her feet, saying
n "Ycs, yes, I'll go. I'm ready now
Is The two turned away, the reporter feel
ing that the old lady's wish to be goin:
was fast being gratitied, though tn
journey would not be in this world, bu
from it.
70 Proclaiming the Empress.
n At length Queen Victoria is official