Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-08-24
AN AWFUL FATE.
A SAME Man Said To He C0nined I'm n
Long Island Luriaiie Asylum.


The peculiar circumstances attend
ing the confinement of John Gillian.
a farmer of Bayport, Long Island, in
the Amityville lunatlc asylum, are
creating a good deal of excitement
among the people of Long Island:
The particulars of the case, as stated
by Mrs. Gillian, are singular. Her
husband owns small farm at Bay
port, adjoining the farm of William
b. Arthur, one of the directors of the
insane asylum at Amityville. The
property comprises house. barn, and
/ thirteen acres of land. Early this
year Mrs. Gillian paid visit to some
relatives i'll Brooklyn, and while
there she wrote several letters to her
husband. but none of them were
answered. Mrs. Gillian returned to
her home and there learned for the
first time that her husband had been
declared lunatic and was locked up
in the Amityville asylum She at
once instituted an investigation, and
as result of her inquiries instantly
placed the case in the hands of a
lawyer for the purpose of having her
husband released. From her state
ments it appears that Mr. Gillian is
of very excitable temperament, but
never irrational in any of his actions.
Some time ago his neighbor, Mr..
William 3. Arthur, was engaged by
him to transfer a piece of property
which had been willed to him. Arthur,
Mrs. Gillian says, discovered that tn e
will had never been admitted to
probate. and assured her husband
that he had committed state prison
offense by endeavoring to transfer
the property This statement so
worked upon Gilliam's eXcitable tenn
perment that he soon imagined he
was being followed by officers
of the law, and he shut him
self up in his house and refused to see
anyone. This all took place while the
wife was in Brooklyn, and naturally
caused considerable comment among
the villagers, 4 man named Terry,
who occupies the position of overseer
of the poor of the town, and is also
associated with William B. Arthur in
the management of the Amityyille
Insane asylum, now stepped i'll and
had Gillian examined by wo physic-
ians, one of whom, Mrs Gillian
asserts. is also connected with Amity
vile asylum. They declare Gillian to
be insane, and Terry at once ordered his
removal to the asylum at Amityville.
After he had been safely lodged in
the asylum, an application was made
to Judge Yomgs, at the Suffolk
county court for the appointment of
/ a commission de i.tnaticO inQuireu-
dam. He appointed Mr.. William b.
Arthur, who, without, as Mrs Gillian
complains, bringing the alleged
/ lunatic before him, pronounced him
insane and committed him to the
Amityville asylum, where he is re
CURED to pay s. per week for his sup
port. Arthur subsequently obtained
an order from the courts to sell
Gilliam's property at a valuation
which Mrs Gillian claims is far be-
low its real value. She also says that
! Gillian is compelled to work at the
asylum from 6o'clock III the morning
until S o'clock III the evening, She
went to see him recently and noticed
a scar on his face. She asked him
who had struck him, and he replied
For heavens sake don t say anything
about it, or they'll treat me worse. >
Mrs. Gillian is confident that her
husband is not insane, and that the
effort to place him in an asylum is
simply for the purpose of obtaining
possession of his property.