Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-05-24
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
A SAD CASE HAPPILY ENDED.

A Woman Restored to Her Friends After
Eighteen Years. Incarceration In
tho Insane Asylum.
Hundreds of our readers who have
visited tho Lancaster county insane asylum
will remember seeing poor woman named
Narcissa Jane Billingfelt, apparently so
years of age, intelligent and rather good
looking, who implored all visitors to assist
her in getting out of tho asylum and re
storing her to her friends, whom, she said,
lived in Ohio. Her appeals were regarded
as merely the chatter of an insane
person, and little or no attention
was paid to them either by visitors
of the officers of the institution. She
wrote many letters to her friends, but
they were intercepted by the late superin-
tendents, Steinhiser and Cox, and other
officers of the institution. When MIR.
Spurrier was recently appointed superin-
tendent, the poor woman continued her
appeals to he liberated, and as she had al
ways been harmless, and seemed to be in
telligent and rational ON most subjects,
Mr.. Spurrier consented to forward letter
to tho address Of the friends she said she
had in Ohio and Indiana. An answer was
speedily received from them and yester-
d " her step-brOther, Joseph A. Foy, of
EIkhart, Indiana, accompanied by his sis
ter, who lives at Fremont. Ohio, arrived
in this city and visited the asylum. With
out letting Mrs. Billingfelt know who they
were they were shown into her presence.
Sho recognized her step-sister at once,
threw herself into her arms and greeted
her with every demonstration of affection.
The scene was most affecting one, and
when the poor prisoner was informed that
her brother and sister had come to take
her home, her joy knew no bounds.
Tho story of Mrs. Bellipgfelt's lifc is
sad one. She was the daughter of we'll
to-do farmer in Ohio. Some twenty fivo
years ago Mr.. Bellingfelt met her at her
home in Fremont, fell in love with her,
and brought her East to Adamstown.
Her friends objected to tho match at tho
time, and Mr.. Bellingfelt was cautioned
against marrying her, as her mind
had been in some degree affected
by religious excitement. Soon after bring.
ing her east, she showed symptoms of in
sanity, and these became more marked
after the birth of her child. Not long
afterwards Mr.. Billingfelt sent her for
treatment to the insane asylum at Harris
burg, and being poor man, wrote to her
parents to send some money to assist in
her maintenance. Her father having
died and left no estate, her mother
Mrs. Jane Foy sent word back that she
could not help her, and that Mr.. Billing
felt having married her against her pro-
test, must support her. Being unable to
keep her at Harrisburg, her husband had
her removed in 1864 to the Lancaster asy-
lum, and there she has rem mained for eigh-
teen weary years, hopelessly beseeching
all corners to restore her to liberty.
Her mother, brother and sister have
written scores of letters to Mr.. Billingfelt,
inquiring about his wife, but never having
received word from him in reply they
cine to the conclusion that she was dead
and it was not until Superintendent Spur
rier wrote to them, at her direction, that
they knew of her being an inmate in onr
asylum.
If the facts are as they have been re-
lated to us, there has been great neglect
Oh the part of Mr.. Billingfelt and the Off
GERS of the asylum in not sooner letting
Mrs. Billingfelt's relatives know Of
her condition and where abouts. EigL-
teen years imprisonment is enough to set a
sane woman crazy, and make manaic of
one whose mind is not very strong at best.
Mrs. Billiugfe:t,i in charge of her brother
and sister left the hospital to-day for their
western home where she will be taken
care Of.