Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1881-04-30
uIo>oMaN,Ao.
Driven 90 insanity by the Esreak-
lag Dut Of the Moving Epidemic In
hsis FanaIIy-EsIs Tale of Woe.
Cleveland Voice

DrsVcu 10 Insanity by the aSre0k.
lag but OF the Moving Epidemic IN
hsis FantIy-EsIs Tale of Woe
Cleveland Voice
A wild-eyed man, wan and hag.
gard, but locking as though he had
once seen better days, walked in
to the Central Station the other day
and asked to be locked up.
"Save nae from myself" he said,
"eisc viii end my days in Il mad
house. Lock me up until after the
first Of May, anyhow" and he
I grasped the Lieutenanfs hand with
Il beseeching air.
The officer inquired into the case
and drew out the following sto-
ry.
"Three months ago / was in COM
Portable circumstances, happy aud
c0ntented. To-day ] am a wreck,
physically, morally and financially.
What caused this change? III tell
you. 1 lived in rented house
with my wiie's mother and two
fond children. We were snugly
fixed and / was satisfied with NV
home, even though it did not be-
A IL
stay in it until / could buy such a
one as ! wanted. But shortly after
New Years the women folks began
to throw out iusidious hints about
the Inconvenience of the house. /
paid no heed to hem, little dreauA-
ing what they forboded. They in
creased. My wife complained be-
cause the sun did not shine into all
the windows in the house, and said
the dear children's health would
suffer; my wife's mother objected TO
sleeping up stairs, and thought there
ought TO be another bed room on
the first floor. The kitchen was gO-
ing to be hot in the summer, and
ihG.ciothes yard wasnot big enough,
the law was so large II cost too
much to keep il smooth, and the
street Cars We're too near. First it
WAS one thiAg and then another,
but paid very little attention,
thinking il was one Of the diseases
incident To womankind, and would
die out. Alas / WAS wuhIlly ms
taken. After a feeble protest had
10 give in and agree that we should
move when a desirable house was
10 be found. Fool that | was! Bet-
ter had | resisted TO the end, even
ii my family left me to keep house
alone. Then the grind began. l
heard nothing at breakfast, dinner
and supper but "hOuse." The wo-
men folks put in their spare time
looking up places placarded "fur
rent" One day they would find a
"perfect gen." the next day be all
out of conceit with 1t, and be look
ing for something else. The news
columns of the papers were neglec-
ted, and the entire attention of the
family was given to reading rent
notices. l have spent enough for
dailies to almost buy a house and
lot, to say nothing of the car fare
in wild goose Chases.
"At length 1 caught the mania.
L called on every agent la the city,
and learned his list of houses by
heart. L wandered up and down
the streets, getting wall-eyed trying
to read ito rent signs ON both sides
the streets at once. / bored ac-
wherevery l met them
with the remark, you don't know
of nice little house, do your"
When l went into restaurant
abstractedly ordered a story-and-a-
half house on the half shell with
hot and cold water. When my
pastor inquired the state Of my soul
] said it was just five minutes walk
from the street cars, with a front
5toop. AT a whist party one night,
when asked what was trump 1 re-
piled, 'S25 month in advance, sub
Iect to SALE
II got worse daily. Visions OF
haunted my waking hours,
and gave me the nightmare when
asleep. In one of these spells /
l was throwing a bundle
Of carpet into wagon, and woke
up to find ] had hurled the baby
clear across the room. / engaged
every moving wagon Imet TO call
at my number, and have been
cursed black and blue by the indig-
nant drivers every since, while sew
eral of them have started suits for
damages. / have mOrlgaged all my
personal property To pay forfeit
money on different houses that
have agreed To take and / have lost
two months time FROM business
which caunot be made up. Vet to-
lay we are as far from moving as
ever, and | can stand it 10 longer.
My wife placidly continues her
use-hunting, and my wife's
mother chants in the most uncon-
,erned way of getting into more
place, while / am ON
The verge Of "a raging mania. shall
AXE to drink in another week IL L
10 not find relief. / am afraid OF
myself, and may do some desper-
lte deed, unless you lock me up for
/ few weeks where no suggestion Of
can reach me.O ..t
The officer could find no proce1-
int for such an act, and the poor
nan staggered out 10 pursue bis
leadlong course of destruction.
When last seen he was at the May
IRIS Office negotiating for the Ar
nory. His suicide is looked for at
my time.