The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-04-06
STRANGE As FICTION:
al - - sso s9aot az.e .
An American Lady in
an Italian Asylum.
The Beck She has Written
an the characters in it,
Correspondence 0, the New York Herale

| the publication of 'Signori Monadini's
Niece" It's American readers were shocked
by the Statement that its ansher, Miss NJ.
| A. Thicker. was insane and had been
sent TO az asylum 10 Rome, and few
weeks later the Protestant sympathyies of
these persons. who had arched their eye
4 brows. and, like Mr. Howells heroine,
cried. ~ want to know" when told that
the bright new novelist was Catholic,
Iware aroused by a rumor that those design
fiag creatures, the Jesuits, had imprisoned
the young American for speaking lightly
/ OF dignitaries in her book Then the
fstory became darker and divided itself
into as many versions as the myths OF the
Iday.c Je,uits hsd stolen all her
lmoaey; the Vatican and the whole college
fot cardinals had been in the plot:
she had been accommodated: laid
under an interdiet; was writing perfectly
Isensble letters to her friends in America;
had been asked to contribute TO very
powerful newspaper; had quite lost her
intellect; was as well as ever. and SO on
land so on until the careless world grew
weary of the whole tale. Meantime Miss
Tiucker's friends ascertained that she had
been sick, had been delirious. and after
partly recovering had gone to an insane
asylum for treatment, simply because that
seemed the best place to certain ofhclous
persons who took it upon themselves to
advise her, and because she was too weak
to decide upon the matter intellisently.
Once within the walls of the asylum there
was no exit, except by going through GER
ftain tedious form allties, and her self-styled
friends being of the managing species,
Ipfeferred to keep her under their control.
land refused to fulfil these conditions. SO
THAT long after the physician declared that
lshe was cured and allowed her TO write and
receive letters as she pleased and to perA
form her literary work in fact, to do every-
thing that she liked except to 70 away.
she was kept in confinement. She did
Iescape at last, and when once without the
= halls she dipped her pen 10 something
little more glowing than ink and wrote
by the fiber" which is to be published
4 1next week.
The hero is Miss Thicker herself. The
lother characters are members OF the
American colony in Rome and certaiD
Italians who play the tragic parts very
Z well, the nuns who have charge OF the
lasyluu, and its doctor The tragic part
lot The tale comes 0rst. 1t is the history OF
:. Il the handsome gardener. the lleGltim ate
n son Of duke. who loves countess, fair
and fne lady, who takes him up for cap
rice, from pure love of intrigue, but hnds
Ithat she cannot throw him aside, and thai,
the E0WeTy Cnal0 tn2G she ~Ou4u nave
tsoyen for him turns into iron bands that
- threaten to drag her down from her social
position. Her guilt is discovered, her lover is
conveniently put out of the way. and the
!. | American author. who has seen the muir
= der, who has once or twice seen the lovers
n Together, but has kept the secret because
=. she is too pure to gossip OF SIN. tails SICK.
~ For months she has been prosecuted by
a, the creatures Of the countess, who have
70 been trying 10 make her lodging unbear-
able TO her, that she may not be able 10
e. see the doipgs OF their mistress, and IN her
rs state Of nervous exhaustion she naturally
becomes deirious. From this point the
story is almost record of Miss Thicker s
tie experience as far as it is known to her
a. friends here, and it is told with great
le intensity of feeling, but with an economy
of power that reminds one OF Hard
CASH" There is page or two OF reason
= ing on the subject of real aud apparent
insanity, but for the most part the char
acters tell their own story. and the reader
is left to drawEthe moral.
Tie American colony at Rome will have
no lack of amusement for the next month
: or two Who" it will be asked, lis Miss
Il Lillian Marshall2 p Of whom lady says:
III ''She sits with her head turned little
aside and slightly drocping. and her eyes
fixed on the hem of the last founce. Their
she smiles family, as it at somo swee
thought. I've seen FIVE men sittinl
around in a semi circle and staring at thai
effect with their mouths open. Men ar'
such dear trusting creatures. 1t Is Away
the left ear she shows. The right, un
fortunately, was injured by being badi!
er pierced She retains that position abou
ON two minutes; then she moves Z little ant
ias gives her audieace a chance to shut thti
ent mouths before ste locks up. 10 that wa
ne: she remains unconscious OF their admlFa
es ton. She is such pretty, clever cTea
cry tureF'
1n n, Who is Mrs. Ellis, who having lived
SO life of the most exquisite geDtlllty /
am Boston for fifty years, came to Europe
re. and was borrifed at the Italian method {
IRE, treating donkeys? That horrible ma
k ia gave him the most terrible hiows-Eaa
,fu1 bostinsenti." she says. and Wonder VII
,ert the com pany smiIe. Who Is Mr., Civ
''As Wills, whose portraits are composition I
ork Who says. For example, St
10 woman with wonderful hail
II take her scalp, SO to speal
and throw away the woman. Some stupi
man. myself probably. misses opport;
" nity to say bright thing / take tt
E opportunity. and. may | be allowed
H. lhope, say the bright thing. Ii seems
A me harmless. w no Is Kate Creine. tn
little Ole lady, WuU5e CoL teisatioh iS Il
.u 6bs, but grated truths; who calls herse
~ CathoIic without having che least reast
1 TO do so; is deeply mortified that papalit
society will. <. not notice her, vi
op writes for newspapers, and steals q
tonies ard IDEAS Of other writers; vi
wishes TO koow every body secrets. and
ter tell them as soon as known and passes h
life 10 constant torturiug fear ct lnsanit!
= Who is Mss Murray who is called" \ eilG
satin one year and Dyed Browo' 4
next2. Who is the English Mrs. Mort,
who is extremely pious of demeanor ard
born spy by nature2 Who is Miss +
IN dleton, the evil genius Of the heroine, W
- nries into her affairs. questions her st
III wants opens her letters and when on
- she has her confined 10 the asyium zee
.. her there by fair uleans and iou'f lne
- will be interesting questions, and II a
ions one should ak who il the Countess beis
uaT dere. and where is she now. that, too; y
lies, he an inquiry that the colony wiz HAs
no hear answered.