Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-03-07
1ales aud Sketfhes.
CAGED BY HEB HUSBAND.
ACoSSECr1Cur A FARM MHOUsE CONVERTED
INTO PRISON.

NEW HAVEN, Feb. 25.-The gossips OF
the Naugatuck Valley are just now re-
!, Yelling in what is to them delicious bit
OF news. Two weeks ago Nelson Hinman.
for a quarter of a century a resident OF
the borough of Shelton. went the way of
all flesh. That is to say, he died. 1t
wasn't his death that sent the gossiDs agog,
but what followed it, and the incidental
bringing out of the story of his life. Nell
SON Hlman was never popular man,
either when resident of Birmingham, in
his early life. or when, later, he lived in
Shelton. His home was two-story wood
en- house situated down near the banks of
the Housatopic River. having as disting-
uishing characteristic window in the up
per story made secure by iron bars, like
| those of a prison. Behind these bars, shut
out from the world has lived for 80 years
past Nelson Humans wife. During all
those years she has been partially insane.
never violent, so her daughter, who had
/ lived with her, says, ard so also say her
neiehbors. With the death of her hus-
band there came to Mrs. Hinman her first
release from her prison. 1t 10 the cause
| of the Imprisonment of the wife about
which the gossips in that section are now
engaged in talking.
| Nelson Hiuman was commonly known
as ..Nelse" by every one within the sound
of the roaring Husatonic dam. The older
people spoke of him living and spoke of
him dead as close. penurious, and forbid
ding He had but one pride. That was
his long, flowing, milk-white beard, flow
ing and always carefully tended. 1t was
his pleasure to stroke and pat it affection
Z &,I al rhi oh,
were fashioned when many of Birming-
hams now middle-aged men were boys in
knckerbockers. Hinman never had but
two long-continued and serious attacks Of
illness. The first was about 20 years ago.
Then, for 80 davs. suffering from some
heart trouble. he lay in his bedroom on
the ground floor of the building, almost
absolutely motionless. He had a home
opathic physician and nurse. The
physician visited him daily, prescribed
when he thought it necessary, and went
his way. The nurse noticed that Hinman
did not use the doctors prescriptions. but
instead, took medicine of his own concoct-
ing.
'Why do you hire doctor and pay no
attention to his directions, and refuse to
take his prescriptions ?" asked the nurse.
Il don't want none of his prescriptions"
grutfly answered the sick man. "You
give me what tell you. ask no questions,
and tell no tales"
sail tell the doctor to stop coming P'
persisted the nurse.
mo. no; he must come. 1t | should
die and there wasn't any doctor, people
would say. old Nelse Hinman died be-
cause he was too d mean to hire doc
tor can afford to do as want TO, and
| will"
And he did So also he had his way in
his second and fatal illness. Some two
weeks before his death he called in Joseph
Tomlinson. town clerk of Huntington. and
had his will drawn up. That will was a
very curious document. In it he provid-
ed that his insane wife should be well
cared for as long as she lived, and ex
pressed wish that she be placed IN the
retreat for the insane at Mddletown. He
had two daughters. one Cythera, unmar-
ried who had lived with him, and to whom
he willed the use of his property as long
as she lived. The other and Younger
daughter is the wife of Mr. E. III. Lewis
of Naugatuck To both of the daughters
he left an income of 800 year. The
will provided that on the death of the
heirs the entire estate, valued at between
! S25. 900 to $50, 900. should avert to the Mid
dletown Insane Asylum. This disposition
naturally annoyed the daughters, who
have taken steps to contest the will. The
| ground on which this contest will be made
is that Hinman was not in his right mind
when the will was drawn. One peculiar
incident will play a part in the contest.
Shortly after Hinman was taken i'll one
of the Deacons of the Congregational
Church went down to visit the sick man.
He deemed it his duty to offer to Hinman
such religious consolation as he had at
his command and also to pray with him.
Hinman didn't like the Deacon. He in
formed the would-be missionary of this
fact in language much more forcible than
polite. and the Deacon left the house after
Hinman had hurled forth various animated
stories he had heard OF the Deacon's short
comings. The Deacon. at a church pray
er-meeting. told how he had been received
at Humans. Town Clerk Tomlinson
appeared as an apologist for Hinman.
with the explanation that he was crazy
and that he bad been virtually irresponsi-
BILE for some time previous to his refusal
to receive spiritual food from Birming-
hams good Deacon. A week or two after
this same Town Clerk Tomlinson drew up
the will which is now TO be contested.
"How's Nelse Humans will going to
stand afore the law when you drew it up
after you said he was crazy when YOU
tried to explain the way he treated the
Deacon 9'asked an inquisitive Birmingham
gossip
Town Clerk Tomliuson thought a mo-
ment. shook his head. started to answer.
thought again. and gave it up
WAS Nelse IInman crazy when he
first made his wife prisoner ?'' an old
resident of the town was asked by
The Times correspondent.
CRAZY? No; he was crazy mad that 5
all"
why did he lock his wife up for so
years; was she crazy? -
Don't ask me. Try somebody else. -
There was an air of mystery whenever
the subject was broached Those who
knew Hinman best agreed on general
principles that there must have been
something wrong. No one could tell Just
what it was. Birmingham middle-aged
men remembered Nelse Humans house
in Birmingham with its barricaded win
dow. Every one in the vicinity of Shell