The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-02-28
A JEALOUS HUSBANDS CRUELTY.
A Connecticut Woman Imprisoned i'll Her Own
Room in Her Home for Thirty Years.

Room in Her Home for Thirty Years.
New Haven Letter in New York Times.
The gossips of the Naugatuck valley are Just
now revelng in what Is to them adehclons oltoi
news Two weeks ago Nelson Human, for
quarter of "a century resident of the borough OF
Shelton, went the way of all flesh, That IS to
say, he died. It wasn't his death that set the
gossps agOG, but what followed IT, ana the IN
cidental bringing out of the story Of his life.
Nelson Human never a popular man. either
when a resident of Birmingham, in his early life,
Or when later he lived in Shelton. His home
was a two-story wooden house situated down
near the banks of the Housatonic river. having
rs a Distinguishing characteristic a window in
the upper story made secure by iron
bars, like those Of prison. Behind
these bars. shut out from the world has
lived for thirty 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, and so also say
her neighbors. With the death of her husband
there came to Mrs Human her first release
from her prison. II is the cause of the i'm
prisonment of the wife about which the COS
sips in that section are now engaged in talking.
Nelson Human was commonly known as
"Nelse" by everyone within the sound of the
roaring Housatonic dam. The older people spoke
of him living and spoke of him dead as close
penurious and forbidding. He had but one
pride That was his long flowing. milk white
beard flowing and always carefully tended 1t
was his pleasure to stroke and pat it affection
ately as it rested against his Clothes which were
taShlOneQ wnen many OF DlfnlISIdiuS HOW
g middle aged men were boys in knickerbockers
Human never had but two long continued and
serious attacks of illness. The first was about
twenty years ago Then, for thirty days, suf-
fering from some heart trouble, he lay
in his bedroom on the ground floor
of the building, almost absolutely
motionless. He had homeopathic physician
and nurse. The physician visited him daily.
prescribed when he thought it necessary, and
went his way. The nurse noticed that Hnman
did not use the doctors prescriptions but in
stead took medicine of his own connecting.
''Why do you hire doctor and pay no atten-
ton to his directions, and refuse to take his pre-
scrptionsl" asked the nurse.
Il don't want of his prescriptions
gruf1y answered the sick man. You give me
what tell you, ask no questions, and tell no
tales
"Shall tell the doctor to stop coming" per-
sisted the nurse
NO. no: he must come If should die and
there wasn't any doctor people would say, Old
Nelse Human died because he was to d mean
to hire a doctor can afford te 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 TOmlnson town
clerk of Huntington and had his will drawn up.
That will was very curious document in it he
provided that his insane wife should be well
caPeS for as long as she lived, and expressed a
wish that she be placed i'll the retreat for the in
sane at Middletown. He had two daughters, one,
Cythera unmarried who had lived with him, and
to whom he Wllled the use OF MS property as
long as she lived. The other and younger
daughter is the wife of Mr. f. H. Lewis of Nau-
gatuck. TO both of the daughters he left an in
come of 800 year The will provided that on
the death of the heirs the entire estate valued at
between $25 900 to $50, 900, should revert to the
Middletown Insane Asylum. This disposition
naturally annoyed the daughters who have taken
steps to contest the will. The grounds on which
this contest will be made is that Human was
not in his right mind when the will was drawn.
One peculiar incident will play part in the con
test.
Shortly after Human 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 Human such religious cOnsola
tion as he had at bis command and also to pray
with him. Human didn't like the Deacon He
Informed the would be missionary of this fact in
language much more forcible than polite, and
the Deacon left the house after Human had
hurled forth various animated stories he had
heard of the Deacon's shortcomings The Dea.
con. at o church prayer meeting, told how he had
been received at Humans. Town Clerk TOmn-
son appeared as apologist for Human, with
the explanation that he crazy, and that he
had been virtually irresponsible for some time
previous to his refusal to receive spiritual food
from Birminghams good deacon. A week or
two after, this same Town Clerk Tomlnson drew
up the will which is now to be contested.
tHow'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 DeacOnP asked an inquisi-
tive Birmingham gossip,
Town Clerk Tomlinson thought a moment
shook his head, started to answer, thought again
and gave it up.
WAS Nelse Human crazy when he first made
his wife a prisoners" an old resident of the
town was asked by the Tmes's correspondent
Crazy No; he was crazy mad. that's all"
why did he lock his wife up for thirty years
Was she crazyY"
Don't ask me- Try somebody else"
There air of mystery whenever the
subject was preached, Those who knew Human
best agreed, on general principles that there
must have been something wrong No one could
tell just what it was. Birmingham's middle
aged men remembered Eelse Humans house in
Birmingham, with its barricaded window.
Every in the vicinity Of Shelton had heard
of like barricaded window in the house he died
In That there was "a crazy woman behind the
bars every one said. That was all. Hints have
been rife for years that Mrs. Human was not
crazy when she was first put behind the bars by
her husband.
So nearly as be ascertained there was
some foundation for these intimatons. The
trouble between Human and his wife arose
when Mrs Human enceinte. Human was
terribly jealous of her. He had noticed that
other gentlemen sought and enjoyed her com
pany. She was woman Of much education
and refinement, and had been a school teacher in
Birmingham before Human married her. Her
reputation had always been of the purest and
best. When her husband, in moment of anger,
allowed his jealousy to get the better of his
reason and upbraided her, it shocked the poor
woman so that after her mind was some
what unsettled, her reason partially dethroned.
After her child was born and she regained her
strength she was'locked in her room by her hus-
band, and thus for thirty years has lived Her
eldest daughter was her only visitor. for she
would never allow her husbandto cross the TIRES
hold of herroom. At first, so the gossips say Hin
man took revenge on her for her refusal to see
him by declining to allow her child to go to her
1t is also stated that he in the habit of taking
this child out into the yard. and there, in plain
sight of the mother Furnishing her. AT times
he would tie the child to post i'll the yard and
leave it hungry to cry itself to sleep within sight
and hearing of the imprisoned mother. A
neighbours child was once seolded roundly by
Human for sharing its cake with the suffering