Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-01-26
IN A MADHoUsE.
N THE UTICA INSANE AsYlvM
And Subjected to Shocking lndigai,iss
While Perfectly aationaI-Progrsss
Of the Celebrated Rowel
Murder Trial.

NEW Yolk, January 25.-"Isit II possible iu
this free republic In the latter part OF the
nineteenth century for man with impu.
nifty to cause another man Who may bs OBJ
noxious to him. but who 10 OF perfectly
sound mind, to Be incaroefatsd In an In
sane asylum and subjected to indignitiss
that even . lunatic should b protected
ssainstT This inquiry wss addressed
70 . reporter By . well known Law.
yer. The man Of whom the lawyer spoke
u James b &lkman, Who 10 now over sixty
yesrs OF age. He has lived for over tWsn.
" years In Youkers. His family coEsistsa
Of wife and four children. one son and
three dauehtsra. Mrs. silkman died
over IF five ,,s,n, Ss:., ago. and and OeIuss'hsd
valued at t2S,S 600. The husband ~ss
appointed trustee OF the estate In which
he had Q life interest The brother Of Mrs.
Silkman, Darius q. Crosby, 10 . wealthy
lawyer in this city and . member Of the
firm Of lockwood & Crosby. Mr.. silkman's
son, Theodore H., has for some yean been
employed in the office Of Lock wood 4
Crosby. He II nov about twsntySix
years old. II 10 alleged the son, instigated
by his uncle, began to make alterations in
the house which Mrh Sllkman had be-
queathed to her children,
Withoas CsesslttsG His Father.
in opposition to his fathers wishes. Mr..
silkman protested. A quarrel snsusd With
his son and Crosby, who ordered The father
TO leave the premises. A threat made by
Silkman to expose certain discrepancies in
Ger tain marriages and births In Mr. Crosby's
family Il Is asserted provoked Crosby's re-
sentiment A few evenings Afterwards, on
May l9ih, lss2, Silkman was attending .
lecture In the house OF Everett Gale at Yonk
ers, when the bell rang and Silkman going
10 the door was confronted by three officers
who arrested him, placed him in Q carriage
and conveyed him 10 White Plains. IL 10
charged Il! at on the next day without be-
iug taken before Judge Clifford. who had
Issued tie warrant for his arrest he Was
taken to Utica and placed In the State ssy-
ium, where he was detained till August -.
lss2, when Judge Barnard discharged him
on The ground that he wa not insane or
ot unsound mind, and his restraint aud
impIisor pent were unlawful. The papers
have just heen served
In q suit Brought ia the suprcsse
Coart.
In West Chester county by Jas q. SILK.
the latter II charged with procuring Silk
mans incarceration In IN asylum and IS.
600 damages claimed. In the complaint
silkman alleges he vas treated with un.
necessary harshness by the officers who ar
rested him and took him TO White Plains
at midnight. They refused 70 sive him
food, annoyed him In various ways and
would not allow him to communicate with
bis friends, finally incarccrstins him
ct Utica He declares that the
proceedings and srrest wsraS fraudulent
s,.,.... .,d .nhtsvfng % IN mart M lha
defendant to procure the plaintiffs I'm.
prisonment before he should suspect what
was Intended, and In order that the said
defendants and accomplices could forcibly
enter upon the plaintiffs premises and In
bis library in the said city OF ionkers, for
which purpose the defendant employed
divers persons 20 90 with tools and imple.
ments and break open all locks on DRAG.
ers and closets In the said plaintiffs libra.
nv with the purpose OF there Hnd.ng aud
sppropristing certain family records which
the said defendants afterwards
ForCibIy and Fraaduientiy Tosk
from an iron safe in the plaintiffs oi'ice.
No. o. Wall street. The most interesting
that relating 10 the facility with wbicn he
was seized and conveyed 10 IN asylum 10
that In which he describes bis ueatmsnt
after he bad been i.carccrsted at Utica.
On entering the asylum he was locked
up alone In Q small call or bedroom at s
o'clock In the evening with no light, seps'
rated from oil bodily comforts aud friends.
and no opportunity was given him 70 ooni.
muuicste with any person In his interest.
While In there be was compelled 70 sssoci:
ate with ordinary poor house patients and
those who were really insans, 10 listsn 70
obFcene language, 10 endure the priyauon
Of nil decent sanitafy sfrsngements 70 eat
poor house faro 'such ~ wrechs1 butrr,
soegy potatoes and Long Island codes. un'
der threats OF resort 10 the mouth screw
and stomach tube In case OF revolt at such
unsccus omed snd dLgusting food, while
the pihIInI's chronic Internal ailments
called frr fpecGc srticlrG OF food which
S.rs =. fused 10 hin. lie was coGnpellst
70 rusls bis own bed, swesp the room and
balls, 70 .-.
Unt WIN saahd Of Patients
daily 20 hoe garden vegetables and msnurs
n n hstn yard whore ihs ssylum covs
s,rrl,d. He wBs forced ~ 20 into the
,ntets,f IIicA under guard, sweep aide
Ga,ks. all weeds out 81 the street cutters
apd rordHsy SID hoo The gottsrs out. lie
IVES forced TO take from tbrss 10 i've dose
Of drugs daily under threats OF pnsishmsnt
end perform seryile snd menial labof In
cold windy weather He charges that
letter which be wrote 10 an intimate friend
containing Information concerning impos.
isnt papers Vas sent hy tbs Asylum ON
cisls 10 Crosby and thst the papers men
toned were taken iroul the safe OF bis
Office and used In an effort 10 prevent HE
relesse after being siiered for this puyposs.
Mr.. Silknsn 10 one Of the mansgerS OF tbs
,ociety for the promotion of ths condition
of the insane.