The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1885-10-08

In the past few weeks l have spent,
upon different occasions, portion of a
day in the Dayton Asylum for Insane,
and have picked up quite number of
matters which l believe will be of in
terest One of the first matters of con-
sequence that dawned on my mind was
the fact that any such institution where
six hundred individuals bereft of the
gether. there surely must be skeletons
in the closet, and this thought is
strengtenhed by the fact that there was
aperceivable effort on the part of all the
officials and attaches of the institution
to be as obliging and polite as possible,
vet they, none of them, showed any de-
sire to talk of the very matters that I
wanted to learn something about And
this was not because of any fear of
newspaper notoriety, as not a living
soul but myself knew | was col
lecting material for a newspaper letter.
1t seems to be the even tenor of their
ways with all visitors. and indeed it
could not be otherwise, if the welfare of
the institution is to be considered, for
were they to tell the secrets of hos
pital of this kind the people would be
shocked with amazement. | know
from what l learned that there are
secrets in this asylum of which even
the officials know nothing.
This incident picked up through a re-
porter in this city previous to my visits
to the asylum. and l reproduce it here
because of its fantastic eccentricity.
The young man who tells the story is
now engaged in this city, though previ-
ously he was in the employ of the
asylum. Among the numerous patients
OF the institution are great many who
are allowed to wander about the
grounds. Among this number was a
young woman, who shortly after the
birth of her first child became in
sane. She was an extremely handsome
creature, who when talked to gave no
Indications of a weak mind. She came
from some small place in Preble County.
Before her mind gave way she was
known as happy, vivacious creature,
who enjoyed life, but after becoming
insane she took religious turn and then
became melancholy, and would not talk
except when it was necessary. She was
handy person about the asylum, and
could be put at most any work. Her
name was Maud and she probably had
more sympathetic friends than any
other patient in the institution. which
can be attributed to her beauty of face.
one day she accosted my informant,
asking him if he did not want to see her
TWO souls. The question, as was nat
ural, aroused the young mans curiosity,
and ne followed her into the cellar of
one Of the buildings adjoining the asy-
ium proper. She took him to the darkest
corner, where she held up before him a
Hwo-ounce bottle she had taken from q
ereViee. and remarked:
There they are, and bound to keep,
100 The one is the Soul of Stonewall
Jackson, and the other my husband S" !"
Inc young man took the bottle near
q q 70 the faint rays of light that shot
aalough the cellar grating, and saw that
sne bottom was covered with greenish
hqulu, evidently water discOlOred by
e The lady maniac went on to ex-
piaia snere was no need of any souls
1.ssing .s,g lost; that she could save them all
!, !, he people would only let her cut
SIem Sa out and put them into her bottle.
que Knew the souls home was on top
sae heart, and could be cut out without
any trouble.
eeonewall Jackson's soul was in the
s0sae when she got it from the spirits,
aaa az. sue had since put her husbands in.
After explaining all these things she
asAea ass .ne young man for his pen-knife,
aau tod him if he would lay down she
'"oaio get his soul out in a few minutes,
auu put It in the bottle to keep the other
.mo company. But the Young man
see,hea to have no desire to have his
sou preserved. This young lady has
sIiee recovered. and is now at home
sasa ~ ner family, attending to her house,
asns lay o9t,es as well as any woman in the
sand of the free. ''''
..: cunning maniac was Charley. the
.on OF wealthy and widely known
,alaay living in Miami County, lust be-
loau Tue Montgomery County line. I
nave used the term :.was,, baoanso Ia
- Ss & 2een cured of the particular attack
wnieh ne was suffering at the time
Nnacn write, but has since become
Insane again and is now an inmate of :
pllEate asylum in Cincinnati. He l. !
gnincent-lookiag young man OF mo,
se snan thirty years of age. and
asn eau not suffering frorn che draa5
sRlctien to which he seems 70 he .sSe snS