River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-09-16
LOCKED IN FOR YEARS.
An Insane Man Thrust Into "A Filthy
Room by His Own Brother and
Chained to the Floor for Twenty
seven Nears---A Terrible story of
Suffering.
Correspondence Philadelphia Times.


One of the saddest sights ever wit
messed in this section of the state was
the taking of man aged tifty-five,
named Benjamin Sechler, to the coun-
ty Almshouse yesterday. He was
dressed with simple petucOat, and
from his right leg dangled n rusty
chain. This man had been chained
and confined in dungeon for twenty
seven years. The truthful story of this
mans misfortunes far exceeds any
thing of the kind published in Eastern
Pennsylvania for many years. \ few
days ago the directors of the poor of
Berks county were informed of the fact
that a man named Scchler, lunatic,
was confined by his brother in filthy
cabin, and that the poor unfortunate
was being brutally treated. According
ly, Mr.. John H. Bower, of the board
of poor directors, accompanied by
James w. Sallade and John b. Knorr,
of the Almshouse, and David Heinly,
justice of the peace of that section,
proceeded to the upper end of Berks
county, for the purpose of making a
thorough investigation. They were di-
rected to wild and desOlate region of
sparsely settled country along the Blue
Mountains, in Albany township. On
the premises of Joseph Sechler, Il broth
er Of the lunatic, was found small
wooden building, very strongly built,
of heavy logs. 1t contained but one
room. A small door or entrance to
the dungeon was bolted on the outside
by heavy oaken bar. The low roof
was covered by thatch and brush I'm
der the den was a roughly-built FIRE
place, constructed Of rocks. Here lire
was occasionally kindled, so that the
heat could ascend through the cracks
of the floor, to give warmth to the i'm
prisoned lunatic. This floor was made
of rough oak slabs.
When the officials arrived they were
met bv Joseph Sechler brother of
the iunatic. He pointed out the way
to Che dungeon, near the foot of the
IN ountains The man in the hut beat
the tintbers of the sides Of his fearful
abode With his hands when he heard
the noise Of the approaching footsteps.
The clumsy, heavy oak door was I'M
barred and the sight presented on the
inside was fearful to behold. Crouch
ed down on bed of fifth was an old
man. His gray and shaggy beard ex-
tended to his thighs His body was
nude and brown with filth. His eyes
glistcned and his black teeth firmly set.
A heavy chain ratified on the filthy
floor; one end of it was fastened to
staple in the middle of the floor and
the other was bound to one Of the legs
of the nude maniac. He was violent.
His long confinement had made him
as vicious and as wiry as bulldog
He was savage The officials tried to
coax him. but they might us well have
endeavored to make peace with an
angry hyena The ferocious being
shrieked out series of oaths and UNI
ineligible words and beat his prison
house with his black and bOny lists.
1t was terrible moment. Quick as
thought the poor lunatic was oyerpoW-
cred and ironed The heavy chain
had become so rusty that blow from
a heavy sledge was necessary to break
it. The iron band about his ankle had
to be filed off by the blacksmith of the
Almshouse when they arrived with the
unfortunate at that institution. When
the officials took the poor man out of
his dungeon he looked about him as II
he had been suddenly transformed into
another world. For twenty-seven years
the sun had not shone upon him. In
all that time he had been neither wash
ed, clothed nor shaved. His brother
stated that he had always given HIM
plenty of food, This was showed INTO
his cell ike animals are fed. The
say that the floor of the dun
geon was covered in some places by
excrement a foot in depth. The sides
were black with filth and from the
roof dangled cobwebs and the nests Of
bats. There was little or no ventlla-
ton and the stencil was unbearabie.
The officers tried to get the poor man
to tell his story, but his reason was
gone. He was a mental wreek-more