The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-02-27
AMONG MAnMEM.
Horrible Story of the Incarceration OF n
Sane Man for Several Months In Luz
matte Asylum.

Sane Man for Several Months In a Luz
matte Asylum.
IN. Y. Special.l
as it possible in this free Republic, in
the latter part of the nineteenth century,
for a man with impunity to cause another
who may be obnoxious to him, but who is
of perfectly sound mind, to be incarcerated
in an insane asylum and subjected to indig.
mites that even lunatlcs should be pro.
tectsd against"
This inquiry was addressed to reporter
by well.klown lawyer. The man of
whom the lawyer spoke, james b. Silk.
man, who is now over sixty years of age,
has lived for over twenty years in Yon.
kcrs. His family con sists OF his wife and
four children, one son and three daughters.
Mrs. SiSman died over five years ago, aud
bequeathed 10 her children house and lots
valued at $4,000.
The husband was appointed trustee Of
the estate, in which he had life interesi.
The brother OF Mrs. sillSman, Darius
Crosby, is a wealthy lawyer of this city,
an member Of he firm of Lockwood &
| Crosby. Nh Silhmll's son, Theodore H.,
has for somo years been employed in the
Office Of Lockwood G, Crosby. He is Low
about twcn'y-six years old.
Ii 10 alleged that the son, instigated By
his uncle, began to make alterations In The
house, wliich Hrs. Silkman had bequoath,
her children, without consulting his father
and in opposition to the fathers wishes,
Mr.. Slkman protested, quarrel ensuad
with the son and Crosby, who ordered the
father to leave the premises. A threa.
made by Siiltman "t1 expose certain dis.
cicpnnciosm in certain marriages and births
in hr.Crosby's family, it is asserted, pro.
yoScd .ir. Crosby S resentment.
i few evenings afterwards, May IN,
1882, Sill,man was attending lecture Ia
the house of Everett Gale, at Yonk6rs,
when tho bell rang. Silliman, going to the
door was confronted by three officers, who
arrested him, placed him in carriage and
conveyed him TO White Plains. It is
chcfl that on the next day, without be.
iry yt.apn before Judge Clifford, who had
Issued the warrant for IS arrest, he was
taken to Utica and placed in the State
Lunatic Asylum
There he was detained until August g,
1882, when Judge Baraes discharged him
on the ground that he was not insane or of
unsound mind, and his restraint or i'm.
prisOnmen5 was unlawful. The papers
have just been served in a suit brought IN
the Supreme Court In Westchcster County
by James e.. Sillman against Darius G..
Crosby,s in which the lttaer is charged
with instiga ing Sikman's incarceration
in the lunatic asylum, and damages of
$4,000 claimed.
On entering tho asylum he was locked
up alone in small cell or bedroom at
eight p. m, with no light, separated from
all bodily comforts ani friends, and no
opportunity given him to communicate
with any person in his interest. While in
the mad-house lie was compelled to asso-
ciato with ordinary poor-house patients
and those who were really insane, to listen
to obscene language, TO endure the priva-
tion Of all decent arrangements, to eat
poOr.house fare, such as wTetched butter,
soggy potatoes and Long Island coffee
under threats Of resort to the mouth-screw
and stomach.tube in case of revolt.
He charges that n letter which ho wrote
10 an intimate friend, containing iniorma-
tion concerning important papers, was
sent by the asylum officials to Crosby, and
that the papers mentioned we're taken
from the safe Of his Office and used in an
effort TO prevent his release after being al.
tered for this purpose. Mr.. Silkman Is one
Of the managers OF the Society for Pro.
noting the Condition Of the Insane