The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-10

In the past few weeks / have spent,
upon different occasions, a portion of q
day in the Dayton Asylum for Insane
and have picked up quite number Of
matters which believe VIII be of in.
terest. One of the first matters of con.
sequence that dawned on my mind wa:
the fact that anv such institution where
six hundred individuals bereft of the
power of their reason are huddled to.
gether. there surely must be skeletons
in the closet, and this thought i,
Strengthened by the fact that there was
perceivable effort on the part of all the
officials and attaches OF the institution
to be rs obliging and polite as possible,
yet they, none of them, showed any de-
sire TO talk of the very matters that
wanted TO learn something about. And
this was not because of any fear OF
newspaper notOriety. as not living
soul but myself knew | was col
iecting material for Il newspaper letter
3t 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 a hos
pital of this kind the people would be
shocked with amazemcnt. | 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 10 my visits
to the asylum. and / reproduce it here
because of its fantastic eccentricity
The young man who tells the story is
now engaged in this city, though previ-
ouslv ne was in the employ of the
asylum. Among the numerous patients
of the institution are a 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
a 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 he followed her into the cellar of
one of the buildings adjoining the asy-
lum proper. She took him to the darkest
corner. where she held up before kim a
two-Ounce bottle she had taken from a
crevice. and remarked:
There they are, and bound to keep.
too The one is the soul of Stonewall
Jackson, and the other my husband $"
The Young man took the bottle near
.er TO the faint rays of light that shot
through the cellar grating. and saw that
the bottom was covered with greenish
liquid, evidently water dScol0red bv
age. The lady maniac went on to eX-
plain there was no need of anv souls
being lost; that she could save them all
If the people would only let her cut
them out and put them into her bottle.
She knew the souls home was on top
the heart. and could be cut out without
any trouble.
Stonewall JackSon's soul was in the
bottle when she got it from the spirits.
and she had since put her husbands in.
After explaining all these things she
asked the Young man for his pen-knife.
and told him if he would lay down she
would get his soul out in few minutes
and put it in the bottle to keep the other
two company. But the young man
seemed to have no desire to have his
soul preserved. This Young lady has
since recovered, and is now at home
with her family, attending to her house
hold duties as well as any woman in the
land of the free.
4 cunning maniac was Charley, the
sciOn of a wealthy and widely known
family living in Miami County, Just be-
yOud the Montgomery County line. l
have used the term ''was" because he
has been cured of the particular attack
of which he was suffering at the time
OF which l write, but has since become
insane again and is ROW an inmate of a
private asylum in Cincinnati. He is a
magnificent looking young man of not
nor- than tn rty years of age, and
when not suffering from the dread
affection to which he seems to be sub
5ect. is one of the most entertaining
men possible to find anywhere. These
things l say of him because | know
them to be facts. When suffering from
the awful disease he is, indeed. raving
maniac. though never very threatening.
He is very ingenious fellow at all
times, and this is what always made
him a troublesome prisoner.
At night, when the patients in ward
are locked in their rooms, they place
their clothes outside of the door in the
hallway. so that an attendant knows
they are all in their places. This is
always done. On certain night the
attendant of the ward in which Charley
was patient had performed this duty
and retired, feeling confident every
thing was secure and all right. BIZ for
two or three nights previous to that
Charley had been at work on the heavy
iron bars on his window with file he
had procured somewhere-evidently
from one of the insane who had the
privilege of the grounds. On the night
an question he completed his work.
dling through one bar and springing