The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-09-13
ORVILLE GRANT.
THE UNHAPPY DELUsuON OF A. MONO
MANIAC,
Hills Forcible Detention ana incarceration
in An INSANE Asylum.

Ina Am INSANE Asylum.
New York special lSept. A to Chicago Tribune.)
Orvlle D. Grant, brother of ex-Presdent
Grant, whose insanity has been familiar
fact In private circles for some time WIS re-
| moved from the detention room In the quaint
old jal ct Elizabeth, N. j.. to the insane asy-
luEl OF Morris Plains this morning. Two
stout attendants from the asylum accompa-
MED him In q carriage, A. r. Corbin, his bro
ther-in-law, preceding, TO make all the ar-
rangements essential TO his comfort. Mr.;
Corbin did not return from the asylum until
| Of the unfortunate detenu the assur-
| ance of his safe arrival at the asylum
and settlement In as commOdiOus apart
ments as the institution could offer. He
straints or experiences OF asylum life, his de-
| tention being the only stipulation made with
| the medical superintendent, the same TO be
accompanied with such medical treatment as
was conducted very quietly. On Monday DR..
| Morton, family physician OF the Corbins,
| signed the necessary papers to insure his re-
| ceptlon as q patient at the Morris Plains Asy-
lum. It is not necessary In New Jersey that
| the papers should receive the signature of
| magistrate, but friends, relatives or proper
| guardians may, upon securing physician 8
| certificate, summon asylum attendants and
| have patients conveyed to the hospital. With
| this in view Mr.. Corbin undertook, Tuesday
the attendants should arrive, when it WAS in
! tended to place him quietly in g. carriage and
drive over to Morris Plains. But the suryeil-
lance Of Mr.. COrbin, who resides opposite Mr.
| Grants residence, did not prove sufficient for
| the purpose, and about noon Mr.. Grant took
the train for this city, leaving word that it was
] necessary for him to make on arrangement
for 500 ships TO move sundry millions Of
bushels Of wheat consigned to him, and that
he would be back at p. M. At that hour DIR.
pYfnU u rDUEninin two
lar fellows from Morris Plains were In waiting
| at the depot, but the train did not return until
| g. Upon alighting from the cars he was taken
into custody, it is alleged by bystanders, with
physical strength, it was not deemed best to
make an evening journey to the hospital. Ac-
| cordngly the patient was com Enitted to the jail
| for safekeeping during the night. Mr.. Grant
made no resistance when the papers were eX-
htbted to him, but seemed dazed and amazed.
| Upon recovering his mental balance he told
| the doctor and attendants he would accom-
pany them, unwillngly, of course, to the asy-
| lum, but begged he might be permitted to re-
| main with his family until morning under
guard, If deemed essential He pledged his
word not to attempt to escape, but the attend
! ants objected on the ground that no depend
ence could be placed on the parole Of an insane
patient. The relatives coincidrd, and the pa
! tient was accordingly committed. Mrs. Grant,
| mother Of Orville and the ex-President, was
found at the elegant residence OF the COrbins.
and spoke frankly of her sons mOnOmaria.
She said Orville had been trouble to the
family for some time. II he could have been
persuaded to remain quietly at home no re-
straint would have been put upon his actions,
for he was O. kind husband and kind father,
and there was no apprehension his mania
would take O violent turn. His insanity con-
sisted In O. monomania for immense trans
actions without any capital, and II he could
not obtain the money for his travelling ex-
penses any other way he would borrow 1t.
Besides, his mind WaS 50 unsteady they did
not like to trust him on long Journeys alone.
Last fall he went to California to attend to
what he called large milling interests, and to
push the fortunes of an invention for clean
inE wheat, from which he expected great
things He returned in June, and since then
his mania has been worse than ever OF
fortune. On the contrary, he had spent or
invested In unremunerative enterprises nearly
or quite all the $4,000 he had formerly made
In the timber business, and she did not
think there would be anything left for
the maintenance OF the family About three
weeks ago he went to Boston and entered
into contracts for pianos and other manufac-
tured articles to the extent of more than
100000 His friends went on to Boston, cam
celed his contracts paid his hotels bill and
brought him home. It appears that Mr..
Grants mOnOmania is OF long standing, and
that the President at one time consulted q
distinguished physician to have him ascertain
and report upon his brothers mental cond-
tion. 1t was not thought necessary at that
time to place him under restraint, DR.. Nor
ton said the patients mind had been some
time affected, but the family had hesitated to
send him to the asylum, and had tried every
m cans to keep him at home. Dr. Morton de-
fines the disease as q mOnOrnania for CONNER
cal operations, but ventures no opinion as to
iss II m