Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1882-12-23

q demon, wnlle the tears literally poured
dow her cheeks.
OTTO GEBAUER.
From the female ward l passed out into
the open air into the yard, where some so
insane men were tramping up and down
and around. The ground is inclosed by a
very high, strong fence. l noticed among
the crazy men some of the saddest but
most interesting specimens Of bewildered
humanity. Every man had his beat or
path in which he walked exclusively-that
is, almost every man, for there were a few
who wandered about aimlessly and got in
everybody's else way. approached a tall,
tne-looking German, Otto Gebauer, and
addressing him in his own language (he
does not know a word of Englisb) | found
that he had been in the Asylum since last
August. His strange history l learned
from DR.. Dawson. 1t seems that he is
a member of a noble German family, but
that he came out to this country a year
ago insane from dissipation in the old
country. He had sent ahead of him by
express a board some ~ feet long and 4
feet wide, upon which he was going to ac-
complish some wonderful feat in navi-
cation. He turned up in Reno last Sum
mer, and having bought a piece of land on
the hillside in the neighborhood went to
work planting all sorts of extraordinary |
plants and vegetables. He WAS finally ex-
amihed for lunacy and committed to the
Asylum. Letters have been written to his
relations in Germany, but they refuse to
answer and the presumption is that they
do not wish to recognize him in the hope
OF getting the fortune which they say he
has at home.
ECSTASY OF PAIN.
The most conspicuous and melancholy
spectacle in the yard is Francisco, an Ital-
ian, about whose name otherwise nothing
can be learned. He sits fiat on the ground
against the fence always where it is braced
by q post. He beats his shoulders and
back of his head against the wood all day,
from 8 in the morning until 6 in the after
noon. Every time he strikes himself he
grunts and smiles with crazy ecstasy. You
can hear the thud of the flesh against the
wood a hundred yards off. And nothing
can be done to stop it. A block was tied
between his shoulder blades to hinder him
from giving himself such blows. but then
he turned and struck the fence with his arm
and the side of his head. Drive him away
from his recreation at one place and lie
will hurry off and find another post and
resume his horrid humping.
"MILIoNs IN IT."
| saw a miner who had received a blow
at the base of the brain and is hopelessly
insane, although he might deceive anyone
not previously informed of the fact. He
gives no sign of insanity until he begins to
talk of mining. Then he tells you of his
mine in Eureka which contains millions
of dollars. He begs constantly to be let
out to go and pick up the rich ore.
There is a poor fellow picking the sand
slowly but increasingly, in a dream that he
Is still placer mining.
And there is the cham pion silent man,
He bad not uttered a word for years, nor
could he be induced to speak until his wife
visited him He spoke q word or two then,
but his lips have remained sealed ever
since. The golden mean is to be found
between him and the talkative crazy female
mentioned.
THE TIGER.
LIE Fevre, a Canadian freshman, has a
beaten path from fence to fence up in a
corner, about eight feet across. He marches
on this beat forever without stopping. He
is the only man who Is bound in the Asy-
lum. He is a tiger in looks and behavior.
Lately one Of the patients pulled off his
boots in the yard. LIE Fevre, though
bound, slipped up softly, grabbed one of
the boots by the strap, and, swinging
it by turning his body quickly half
dfouIlu, gave HIS Cblu 'uLlpi l IL Insanity
snch a blow with the heel of the boot
under the ear that nearly terminated his
existence. His mania is murder. He has
killed several men, the last victim of his
rage being a guard of the State Prison, in
which he was working out a sentence for
murder.
''Nosey'' is a queer laughing creature
who smiles always, but never utters an
ineligible syllable. He spends his time
running around and jumping into the air
and making one of every crowd that assem-
bles and sticking his nose into their con
versation, sane or insane.
4 male patient from Eureka came up to
me, hat in hand, and formally presented
me with a piece of note paper, nicely
folded, and what he meant doubtless for
an elegant present, a rusty nail, a piece OF
glass and the part OF Il hairpin.
This subject seemed to me so Interesting
that | have already written you much
more than l intended to.
A CREDIT TO THE STATE.
1 must add, however, something with
regard 10 the management. After spend
ing some four hours critically inspecting
the building in all its parts and observing
the management e~veryway, L came away
with the Impression that the Insane Asy-
ium at Reno is a credit to the State. L
am satisfied that DR.. Dawson is II good
Superintendent. He has already done
good work in restoring to reason an extra
ordinary number of the insane. The ex-
pense Of keeping the patients under his
otre is greatly less than under Dir. Clarke
at Stockton. l have the figures which
show that the expense per capita of keep
ing them was, for July, 90 cents: August,
95 cents; September, 70 cents; October,
81 SO, and November, 81 cents. Under
DR.. Clarke it was 81 per capita per day
exclusive OF incidentals, which made it
81 Ia. The average cost OF keeping the
insane at Reno per capita for the first five
months, including board, clothing, fires,
lights, incidentals, repairs and salaries
of employees, 65 cents per day. Next
year this expense, for reasons given, will
be still further materially reduced. DR..
Dawson is ably assisted by the corps OF
assistants. whose names have been given. |
The contractors for the building have
expended 500, 600 to complete the building,
and have lost thereby So, 600. but they
have the right spirit, and will not present
any relief bill to the Legislature. Tn
building is a splendid one in every respect,
and it is also the most thoroughly con-
strueted and cheapest building ever put
up on the Pacific Coast.
A Case of CoIdness Among Friends.
The Stockton (Oal.) Mail says: Three
farmers residing some distance outside of
Stockton sent their wives on a pleasure
trip to Yosemite Valley a few years ago.
When they returned their husbands were
delighted to see them. after lonesoniely
keeping bachelors hsli for three weeks.
Ia less than y year after the return of
the wives each Of them gave birth TO
IL child for the first time in several years.
But this has nothing to do with the
story. and IL thrown in merely as a pre-