The New York herald., 1877-10-07
ssPiens, Mr. Osborne. g'me new hat" and for liz
Ito while the hat trade Randalps Island looked up

tc Wutte tuc nos tlaut On Asionu 'o~N~~ -
AMONG THE IscuRABLEs
No sadder scenes DO Witnessed anywhere tnah
among the hopslcs- idiots OF Randalis Island In
front OF tho building ~vo,ed 70 the ncuraoles among
the boys were sozen children playing on
the lawn. IL II had not been Tor the MIS-
shapen ncads, distorted features and staring,
vacant countenancss, tho children might have
looscd from school They Of All ages and some
o them were mon IN everything except physicaI anu
mental growth Nearly all OF them are harmless. and
many Of tho larger boys make themselves useful in
trimming the lawns and caring for the groundA
Among tho lads on the lawn every variety o. pnreno-
logical development or rather the want OF pnrehoiog
cal development was 10 be Tho low, rccedng
iorcheaas ana sharp, peaked isces were painfully nu-
merous Two OF the larger boys were especiay u,sa-
greeable and distressing specimens. They walked
apart, one oil them showing no animation oi any
KIND, not even much sense o his surroundings,
and The other mumbling an uninelligoie Jargon ann
making signs with his hands which apparently
bad no meaning Another boy. Isaac buscn,
fusng TO look up even when spoken TO- THIS
young mao, Tor he has long passed the age Of
childlood, used TO mako SIS week as cigar maker.
but no suddenly became stupid aud sunk INTO the
mental lethargy irom which II will be impossible ever
TO rouse him. He has been SIX years on the Island
BY his side sat William EcKcl, who another example
OF u sudden overwhelming Of reason without APP
parent cause Hc was not only all right until ne was
years old but he an unusually bright and In
telgcnt child and what IL moro wonderful stu is tho
fact that at that early he went bed and 10 sleep
lads was ono chd, who seemed too bright and cheer.
fol 70 be cassed as hopeless What s your name a.
Billy" swhsrs IS your homer" IN SsvYaIk"
"havo you y falhers' "ln New York" "Havo
you az" M % I'm % New York" "aavs so,n you any
Two fingers .'Have you auy sistersS' hc shook nis
head "Who Is the best boy here?" chilly" hc said,
pointing hts unger himself" "Wno Is the next bcst ~
Billy simply put round tho little wnitc-naired
fellow At MS side ana hugged HIM. In answer 10 tue
from one 10 another until ho included nearly al
cept himself ami his tto ircnd. II was, indeed, rs
has been before Remarked sad scenc and It's sadness
tnA hu fhn ~ I'M and n
children wrecked IN lie even before II began 10 open
before them.
incapable OF learning than tow words or,
unqucstlonably Johnny Rouse. He IS now thirty
eight years old, and has been In the idiot Asylum ni
teen or twenty years. Johnny was born In the sixth
ward In tins CITY, and may be said that no never haa
in his Ie HIS only sense seems 10 DO that Of
sensation. He been blind Tor some years. but his
hearing Is not impaired, and he possesses faculty
which is something like memory "Wnat time Is II
JohnnvYn asked Mr.. Osborne He reached out ior the
stewards watch chain, and, finding II, he seemed
puzzled. When the watch was put II his hand he
placed 1t TO his ear and, alter listening 70 " awne no
exclaimed 1.-TWO" With hJohnny Rouse is always Two
O'Clock, and 1.-TWO" Is perhaps the only word ne can
utter, except .'boom, with which lie accompanies
rlo practice in whicn ho is constantly iniug'ng "His
mother here TO him last week. SAID the nurse,
s'und she SAID she wished he was dead But It's tho
way with all Of them. It's seldom they como to
see their children mere, and when taoy 40 come
remarkable curiosity than johnny itousc
cannot be found the world over he IL d.
minuuvc size, being scarcely four feet nine inches
height with face OF corresponding meagroness
His head and lace OF the true idoc type, ana both
10 are not much larger than ordinary baseball
There Is no brow and only excuse Tor u forehead.
Tho of head less than Two inches IN any
direction and the coal back hair, which seems stuck
on Ike q wig the back part vi the Uranium, ony
ADDS the absurdity OF this ptifu freak OF nature
When the HERALD reporter saw johnny Rouse ho was
where picnic. He frisked and capered like child,
and .'boomcd" away the happy moments which TO him
New York physician the reporter was told, has made
Johnny's organization and history tho subject oi
learned paper and has had made plaster cast Of that
WONDERFUL head. The only wonder Is that every
physician and scientis. In thc country has
mol done the same thing. To Mr. Charles Dar-
win he is especially recommended as the nearest
approach tho missing Ink TO which kinship with
tho human family was over allowed. AS to Johnny's
history however rs scarcely ov 'nas o,o h
that the beast ot the nod should have one. He Is
simply lowest conceivable grade Of humanity, and
II Is surprising that his keepers and attendants
should call him the champion idiot OF America
HoPELEss GIRLuooD AND woMANHooD.
The hopeless among the tenale idiots present
more painful contrasts than arc to DO found IN any
part OF the asylum. In one corner OF the wardroom
sat young gir necessarily swaying her body but
never utering word. In another corner was another
young girl VINO kept perfectly still, not evcn moving
muscle. On q bench IN the middle OF The room was
young woman who looked around her and smiled, as
II she was spectator oil all that going
on, while 1t was absolutely certain that 10
Young s,rl with a curously chlseied head and face
danced and sang at Mr. Osbornes request, but always
asked the permission o tho keeper before beginning
Another girl came forward, evidently ambitious 10
emulate her example, and announced that disttn-
guishcd artist Tony Pastor, as her model "Shc was
not always an idiot,' said Mr. Osborne; indeed
havo been told that she was married before she fell
into mis- condition. IL was singular fact tnat 10
girl dlocy should come SO late IN Me, Tor II was
plain that she had not sufficient Intelligence to bo
casscd high In the scale Of humanity AS lunatc
A young Jewess sat on high bench In the
midst OF the others, having lost her reason
a
cause her dcslro TO become Christian was dcnied
her. One ttlc girl had pair oil new shoes laced high
above the inslcp and these evidently excited her
vanity and the envy OF the others II was the ony
characteristic exhibition of female weakness which
passes tor rational behavior that was witnessed
ing the visit Obedience ana affection seem TO be the
most pronounced traits OF those unfortunate girls and
every hand, while "By.by. Mr. Osborne" followed
him from every throat as long IS he was within hear-
Ing The reporter was glad to get away from sceno
sad and In order to pass ball an hour with the
unatics who have bcen transferred from Blackwel's
to Randalls Island, Tor among these, however sad
thor lot, there Is always veln OF humor which re-
eves the drcary picture OF their weary lives with its
light and shade.
TWO REMARKABLE LUxArIcs.
Among tho lunatics Randaips Island only two
deserve particular mention One oil these was u tcllor
In a Broadway bank, and is known to nearly every
body who ever had dealings with tho city government
Of the president II his bank. not long ago q promi-
ncnt city official he spoke kindly, but whimslcally.
"he rs good man." said the teller. .but he knows
nothing about banking You SEQ his eyes not OF
size-onc is bind and the other as big as my hst His
BRAINS are all on one side OF his head, and II you
want TO get the right side OF him you must get
the sido where the brains arc" The teller walked
away few steps, and tnen turning back, no asked,
"By the way, has he paper money gone out
YETI haven't been in the city for
years and haven't heard. All the trouble
was caused by the currency. am gong 10
remain horo for whilo yet, but / would like 10
know, because will not 60 back 10 the Uank long
they call nasty bits OF paper money" The other
person referred ~ stonecutter, who believes all
tho unatics about him 10 be soldiers and he their
want, regularly employed by Mr Osborne. ~ was
long time in the employ of Dr. Mcdonald, OF Wards
Island. waiting on The soldiers ovor there" he said
"and ne II was who got my situation here. Ho
owes me some money now. unless my brother col
lected II, and tnerc is some money coming 10 from
Blackwell's Island when / employed there. l
leave here the 10th OF March, and going 70 set
up n marble yard IN New York with my money"
This individual calls himself the "bread ana butter
attendant" and hero is his bill rendered Cor tho
last months OF his ''scrvIco' Randals Isand:-
SxPrLMBER l6. 1877.
Raudalls Island, Dr.
To Peter McCaragher, Cr.
To bread and butter attendant. March 10, 1871
$ISxi
8x40.. 24U
Per Il. Rcy.