Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-08-30
AN AWFUL FATE,
A Sane Man Said To he Confined in a
Long Island Lunatic Asylum.
NaJU Work Tiu,ac


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 in 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
declared a lunatic and was locked up
in the -AmityviIle asylum. She at
once instituted an investigation, and
as a 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 B. Arthur, was engaged by
him to transfer a piece of property
which had been willed to him. Arthur,
Mrs. Gillian says, discovered that the
will had never been admitted to
probate, and assured her husband
that he had committed a 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, A 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 Amityville
Insane asylum, now stepped in and
had Gillian examined by t wo physic-
ians, one of whom, Mrs. Gillian
asserts, is also connected with Amity
vile asylum. They declare Gillian to
beinsane, 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 Youngs, at the Suffolk
county court, for the appointment Of
commission de llnatic0 iequiTe,1-
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
quired to pay 81 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 it's real value. She also says that
Gillian is compelled to work at the
asylum from o'clock in the morning
until o'clock in 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.