Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-08-31
A HEKM 1T.
The Peculiarities OF n wisconsin VI M
of Ability ana Education.

Of Ability and Education
The Euening Wisconsin contains the
following interesting story of a Wau
kesha county hermit:
Twenty or thirty years ago DR.. Gil
bert Wright Was one of the best known
and highly respected physicians in
Wisconsin. For many years he was
president Of the Milwaukee County
Medical society and his practice ex.
tended pretty much over the southern
half OF the state, and his reputation
over the entire northwest. To day Or.
Gilbert Wright is living a hermit's life
III little, filthy house on the outskirts
OF Waukesha, where for some years
| past he has managed to exc out n mis-
cradle existence, and has with difficulty
kept body and soul together. Hearing
OF the singular case reporter visited
Waukesha Tor the purpose of looking
mp the matter, and had no difficulty in
finding DR.. Wright's little house, which
is located on the western outskirts of
the village, a few hundred yards sopth
OF the St Paul depot. The house is a
one-story, one-room, tumble-down af-
fair, about 12xl6 feet in size, and was
originally part of town residence, but
was cast of to admit of remodeling
some years ago. Charitably disposed
villagers moved the house to where it
now stands and presented il to the un.
fortunate Old man, who has succeeded
in barricadiug 1t with filth and transfer
ring the little shanty into veritable
| lie, Oh a, Il
Is narrow strip of marsh, running
parallel with the ST. Paul railroad.
The reporter found DR.. Gilbert. who is
an antiquated, little dried-up looking
old man, sitting on a lot of rubbish in
the center of his den. He explained
that he was very much agi-
tated on account of recent at
tack on his residence by number of
bad boys, and pointed to n half dozen
bricks and rocks scattered about the
room, that had come crashing through
the windows only few minutes before.
He said the village youngsters delight
in making him the butt end Of ridicule,
always yelling, "Old Doc Wright, you
old bum," whenever he showed him
self on the streets, and it was u simple
impossibility to get any OF the village
officers to protect him. The windows
and even the walls in several places
had been literally riddled with rocks
hurled against the house by the village
gAmin. The old man related sad and
sorrowful story. He graduated AT
Fairfield medical college, New York,
in 1884, and came to Wisconsin IN
1899. The late DR.. +. B. Wolcott of
this city, was one of his classmates and
they were always warm friends. Prof
J. r. Beck, the author Of standard
medical Jurisprudence, still a medical
text book, was ane of his professors.
At one time he owned thirteen hun
bred acres of land in Wisconsin and
had large real-estate possessions where
| Wauuesha now stands. He erected the
third house IN Waukesha. DR.. Wright
took an active part in politics, and II.
n. Wells and he were the delegates
from Milwaukee county in territorial
days, to the convention that nominated
Henry Dodge for congress That was
before Waukesha county was sliced OIL
from Milwaukee county. He was
largely interested in the Development
of Waukeshs, where he made his home
in early times, and subscribed literally
to the stock Of the fist railroad that
reached that place. He said that h.
was taken i'll many years ago with ma
larial fever, and DR.. Wolcott Visited
him every other day. riding out of this
city on horseback. Dr. Wolcott vas a
great sportsmanin those days, ne said,
and he would always bring his rifle
along with him. Very frequently he
would kill deer on his retdrn, tie it to
his horses tail and 90 Jogging home, as
upconcernod With the strange append
age as though it was nothing out of the
way. There were only four ph ysicians
| in Milwaukee in those eays-almost
forty years ago--and they were Drs.
| Wolcott, Hewitt, CastletoH and Proud
fit.
Away back in the fifties he was over
taken by domestic troubles, and he
dates his downfall from about that time.
who was the daughter OF one the most
prominent mer in the state, a leading
member of the constitutional conven-
| ton, was untrue To HIM, and they sepa-
rated. She sued Tor divorce, and as he
did not wish to scandalize her he made
no defense, and ii was granted. He al
leges that his wife was led astray by n
lawyer who is yet a resident of Wau.
kesha, and claims TO have seen him
leave the house after nigh.fall on sew
eral occasions. With the wreck Of
domestic life came reyerses Of various
kinds, and the broken-down man left
the state ard remained for long time
only returning some years ago, but lit
4 tie better than common pauper. His
| sole possession at present seemed To be
an old horse, the little hovel in which
| he lives, and the rags he wears. How
he manages to exist the Lord only
| knows. He begs occasionally, and,
picking up scraps of bone about the
islaughter-houses and other places,
carries them to his den, where ne does
| his own cooking The room he lives
| in is probably the filthiest, foulest hole
that human being ever occupied in
this section Of the country. His bed