The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-08-03
A STRANGE CASE.
A Maniac of Ten Years Stand
ing Discharged From the
Asylum.

Freeman, OF Benton county, Missouri,
passed through the city en- route for
Warsaw, having in charge one of the
most pitiful and unfortunate beings
ever seen in this country, whom he was
conveying back to Warsaw from the
Fulton asylum to become a charge
upon the county.
The individual is known as John
Dean and his history is both sad and
strange. Ten years ago Dean was
found wandering about in the neigh
bOrhood of Fairfield In a demented
condition. Whence he came or who
he was is unknown beyond what little
information could be gathered from a
few papers found about his person
which indicated that his name was
John Dean, and all inquiry
failed to give any add.
tional light, Dean was taken to
Warsaw where it was found that he
was in an utterly imbecile condition,
and he was sent to the asylum at Full
ton where he has ever since remained
until yesterday, when he was brought
away by order of the Fulton authOri-
ties, who declined to keep him any
longer, and who pronounce his case
utterly hopeless. Dean is not only
idiotic, but to a great extent perfectly
oblivious to every surrounding, so far
as reason is concerned. The only
words he can speak with any sign
of knowledge of their meaning are
"hungry" and "bacca", Sheriff Free
man, however, states that he will
sometime utter or repeat words ne
hears like a parrot, without seeming
TO know it. When brought to the
depot to wait for the train, he heard
some one say the train was an hour
and a half late, and during his jour-
ney he would frequently repeat the
word ''late." He does not as a rule
pay any attention to words or COM
mands addressed to him, but if
any one takes hold of his arm and
motions 20 him he seems to obey very
readily and willingly. AS soon as he
is lOOsened he begins to roam around
examining everything about him and
picks up everything loose, turning it
about and laying it aside much like a
monkey, and small things he inme-
diately puts in his mouth and tries to
eat, and he seems to be possessed of a
ravenous appetite which is never sat
isfed. The returning of him TO the
county will cause the authorities much
trouble and expense, as they will have
to employ some one to watch him and
care for him constantly, as he . is so
imbecile that he cannot even feed him.
self unless everything in the shape of
a bone or other substance which would
choak him is removed from his food.
In speaking of this strange case
Sheriff Freeman stated that Dean was
a charge upon the county and that
the county had paid for his care and
keeping at the asylum regularly for
ten years.
"How is it then" asked the reporter
''that they can compel you to remove
him ?"
81 don't know, but the clerk Of our
county was ordered to remove him
and l was given to understand that
unless / removed him within five days
after notice was served upon me L
would be held responsible, and | went
after him."
Upon what grounds did the asylum
authorities demand his removal %
Son the ground that he was incur
able and that the asylum was over
Who ordered you to remove
him ?"
1.-THE county clerk of Benton
county,"
"What do you intend to do with
him ?"
81 don't know. 1 suppose we will
have to keep him in Jail"
The man, after his arrival in Sc
dalia was kept in the calaboose until
the narrow gauge train left and then
taken to Warsaw.
The BAzOo does not pretend to be
versed in law, but evidently there is
radically wrong about this
case if it has been correctly
stated by the sheriff. The insane
asylum is a state institution prepared
for caring for pauper patients, and is
designated as the asylum of all pau
per insane, of the state, the counties
not only being required to send such
insane persons there, but to pay liber-
ally for their safe keeping, care and
and evidently there is no
aw which can warrant the officials |
sending back on a county patient of
ten years standing simply because
thew. after taking him hecame over. !