The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-02-13
LITTLE MISS DICKIE.
History of Her Incarceration in
Bloomingdale Asylum.
SIX YEARS IMPRISONMENT.
Doctors Hammond. Ranney and Clymer
Pronounce Her Sane.

Ing an application Qr the liberation from Blooming
dale Asylum OF Missvusan Dickic who has been
fined there as insane for six years. 1t expected
that tho application will be granted In accordance
with the finding Of the Sheris jury, which has just
pronounced her sane, and thus a conclusion will be
reached to wha. Judge Brady himself deems
ceIetre. Tho full story has never until now been
published and in these columns to be found for the
first time the details of story rvaIng that oil Alfred
Hardy as Charles Re ade tells II in "vety Hard Cash."
Even its brief outline is thrilling.
About six years ago NJ ISIS Susan Dickie, the maiden
daughter Of one Patrick Dckie, retired druggist,
confined in Bloomngdaie Asylum on a certificate
OF her insanity, given by DR.. William H. White
and DR.. fost, at the request OF her sister, Mrs.
Van Week. Here she has remained succ.
communicating by letter with some OF hor friends,
who believed her to be sane, but who were or
believed that they powcrIess to assist her.
In November last father, who had previously
been declared lunaiic died. leaving prop
erty OF nearly $l00O,0OO, to be divided
ccording TO the terms Of the Will among
trustees tor Eve OF bis six children and
OF tho SIXTH who was disinhcritcd BY the terms
Of WILL however, tbe children could not control the
principal OF their Inheritance but were 10 receive the
from IT, and at their deaths the principal un-
touched was descend 10 their natural heirs. The
will contested by the dsinhor,ted son. and order
brothers and OF Susan joined in tho appica-
ton TO havo their sister declared insane by the
supreme Court and guardian appointed to look after
her interests. So matter of-coursc an application
excited surprise on the part OF any one, and Judge
Brady, to whom tho application made, appointed
, commission on December o, 1877, 10 investigate.
THE COMMISSIONERS.
Up this point the facts present nothing strange.
People imprisoned every week as insane IN the
testimony given by Dr. White, on whose certificate
she deprived OF her liberty and, being
fined in unatc asylum, IL is not extraordinary that
she renamed there since nothing appears harder
than The inmate OF asylum for the insane to
tablish his sanity TO tho satisfaction Of Tho outside
world. Indeed, 1t old Mr. Dickie had not died,
and IT had not thus become necessary to the
business interests OF the rest OF the family that
a formal ruling Of the Court should be made,
nothing seems ertain than that She would have
continued inmate OF the asylum Indefinitely. At
this point Of the story, however, II appears that
Msssrs. William q. Traphagen ana William A. Seaver
aud Dr. Edward Bradley, the commissioners appointed
by the Court, were actually SO eccentric 10 deter.
minedly investigate Tor themselves instead Of
accepting the testimony pronered by the brothers and
ssle:s Of the alleged unric and deciding
the accordingly. SO II happened that those
who had expected to see o mere matter OF
routine ike that tied up in red tape ana pigeon
holed in the routine way were considerably
aston,shed. Anor the testimony brought by The
brothers and sisters had been taken the commiss on
ers consulted among themselves. There seemed TO
be no good reason Tor them to pause The
| seemed without . flaw. The arectonate relatives
had united with the physician who had originally
| pronounced her insane and with the physicians OF
| the asylum in pronounclng Susan ID exile insane,
| aud the appearance OF the unfortunate woman
| herself against her Yet they paused.
rnE INcARcERArED LADY.
Susan DIckie is very diminutive measuring little.
II any, than four tcet in height and very Slight
She pale, with heavy hair OF light color, and not
by any means comely OF feature She Is slightly lame
from natural deiormi!y: cue Is niue deai aaa
caused apparently by the loss OF the most OF ncr teeth
Her forehead, however is large and well shaped, and
her eye is clear and Intelligent The Comms-
| souers looked and hesitated. Perhaps they were
affected signify BY the accent Of one OF nef
acted against herself That the only place Susan
fl Tor was an asylum Whatever II was that
moved them, they decided 70 put her on the stand
| III her own benait They did not know her or know
J anything previous 10 the sitting oil tho case, and
but with a desire Oe absolutely CERTAIN before rem
aering a decision they began questioning her. Hav-
| which she answered that they kept on at great
length. In reply to their questions she told them of
her whole lile in ohldhooi-at school, AZ nome in
the asyium. She told them Wf nor family,
their names and ages; Of her iather's properly,
and Of her religious experiences beliefs. She was
also questioned by number OF the jurors and to all
the questions put she answered. Clearly, coheienily
and accurately Instead OF concluding tho nattcr at
Com u issvuers adjourned and rccomm ended
| 10 Judge Brady that he should appoint some one 10
act counsel, she having been without counsel
In the previous proceedings eitnough her brothers
Judge Brady having already been interested IN the
case, al once uecame more so, ana ap'
| pointed Mr. Lewis i. Delalied to act Tor her. He
| went TO work on IL, and at length secured enough
evidence convince him OF his clients sanity. ln adj
dition 10 the testimony OF cd lricnds OF Miss Dickc
who nad known her, oi them all her lie ana who
we're certain sanity, secured the of
| Drs. William A. Hammond, j. W. Ranney and mere
dith CIymcr All well known experts, who, alter
fully examining the patient declared unhesitatingly
| that she WAS perfectly sane. The case was summed
| up on saturday last and AS reported IN the HERALD
the Sbcrif's Jury declared her sane thus finishing
! tho story IA an unexpected manner Tho little ro1-
tine necessary according TO law before she can be D
Grated Will. stated above, be accomplished to-day
| The TESTIMONY
| Tho testimony taken before the commission, as
said above, mas never been published. IL Is very
voluninous, comprising several hundred pages, but
| tho salien; points OF 1t are presented below. IL
should be said nero that her sisters names Mrs.
| Van Week, Mrs. Durell ana Mrs. Adams, and her
brothers ard Horace and Edward Dickie Her parents
Dr. William Hammond White, the physician who
certified originally 10 the patients insanity, testified
that nc lived at No. West Thrtyfourin street aud
mad practscd medicine Tor about twentyour years;
he ehad never attended MISS Dicke as a
physician; he saw her hrst in 1868, and
was attending bcr faIher's family; thought he was
one OF Two physicians who certified TO insanity
did So after interview with her, held at
the house OF her sister Mrs. Van Week; never ex-
ahmed her Tor the purpose OF learning IL she had
| any physical disease; Mrs. Van Week mad requested
him to have the interview; has no record OF the GER
| tihcates OF the kind he has granted
"Have YOU" asked one oil the Commissioners,
''given other certificates upon which persons have
been confined in asyiums otter an examination OF ten
or fifteen minutes with casual acquaintance with
the patients as you have testified you had with MISS
| Dickie 2"
~ think have" replied DR.. White (Sensation.)
Further questioned he SAID he did not remember
whether he prepared the certificate or merely signed
It; he did not remember who paid MIN or how IN uch
he was paid; thought IL was put in Mrs Van Weeks
bill believed the Dill was pad was perfectly satisfied
win his conduct in giving the certificate without
making ply seal examn ation though he knew that
Temporary insanity was often caused by physical
trouble and passed away with tho trouble; had had
very little experience the treatment OF tno insanc
saw Miss Dckie last December in her room at the