The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-22
A LUNATIC'S LIFE.
a CHAPTER FROM THE STORY OF
A MANS MADNESS.

Minds-Truth Stranger Than Fiction-A
Quick Recovery.
was finally taken ont Of the regular
wards and put in place called Botany
Bay. at the end of the lawn, where the
maddest maniacs were consigned 10
strait jackets, dungeon chains and the
fortunes of living hell. Wild, horrible,
urearthly shrieks sounded in my ears
night and day, and all the imps Of pam
demonium martialed in an Internal bat
,, TALON could not have made more clangor
to INV mind. All was like sweet bells
tangled out Of tune" | was turned into
an open vault room TO parade with tho
rest of the wild animals, but soon the
doctors and attendants learned that
was royal Bengal tiger and would rot
herd with common beasts. | imnedi-
atciy put to fight the biggest Of the
drove and made them cover before nay
imagined superiority. A big. bury at
tendant finally slipped up behind me-
felled me to the floor and dragged LIE TO
a dark room, where | was chained 10 the
wall, strapped to a bare iron cot. pun
ished and rebuked for a poor distorted
mind that God in his wisdom endowed
me with.
TAKING SAVAGE REVENGE.
The blow of the attendant i2nklcd
more in my mind than body deter
mined to be even with the ignorant
brute who struck me. One day when ]
had gained a little liberty. awaited the
attendant behind the door Of iiy cell.
and as he passed ~ / struck him with
my boot heel. the only weapon had. l
came near killing the fellow and was Of
course disciplined again hut | felt in
my heart that the blow / struck the
brute was only a partial punishment for
the many secret injuries he had inflicted
on my brother lunatics.
For weeks | was confined in n small
basement room. with an upper grated
window TO admit light and air. Ny door
was boltcd and food was pokcd through
an aperture, as wild beasts are fed in a
circus cage. All was lonely and sad
until | made friends of two little mice
and family Of gray spiders that sought
my cell for safety. Pant OF my daily
food was set apart for the mice. At
first they were shy of my impulsiye
movements and shrieking voice and
would dart into thor hole Ike
fash. But finally kindness be-
got confidence. confidence ban.shcd |
fear. and in a short time they ato from
my hand. played on the cot or danced .
around the room 10 q low musical trill
that / whistlcd for their amusement.
The big dark spiders would come out of
their web and eat the flies ] caught for
their meal. Sometimes they would fight
for their food. but like metropolitan
policeman | came 10 tho rescue when
both were exhausted and separated them
with q straw. Like q well regulated
hOusckcepcr the wife would soon go TO
work weaving q fine brown gaib around
the innWncmble eggs she laid, while the
"old man would spin long yarns mp ard /
down the walls. scampering over is |
growing web with the mathematical /
precision Of a scientific surveyor. lie |
was perfect in al his go~samer lines and /
the OctagOnal shapes that seemingly /
grew out Of his mouth and feet filled rle I
with a nanelcSs surprise. When the I
mice or the spiders heard footsteps at my +
door they would Immediately stop play /
or work and run into their holes sc,u-i
ing to know that sane man was on LIS /
round Of ignorance 60 minister To the IT,
sane.
DAYS and weeks Wore away. and still .
my mind rambled ~ the lriar and /
flowers Of imagination. would Talk ~ /
the hour 10 imagined spirits tllat iloatcd
about me. and in the rapture Of my fer
vent soul spin poetry faster Than my
spiders spun their webs. l dashed into
flights of cloquence that might have
equaied the fiucncy Of Dcmosthcncs,
Mirabeau or Patrick Henry.
HIS STRANGE COMPANIONS.
Il would take q volume 20 describe tie
different kinds Of luratics and the vaii-
Gus forms that the mind takes ON in its
rawlings. There is tie chat.arns type.
as hc walks the wards and taps tie p rs
like a Gagged beast There H. the moody,
low browcG man sitting alone. counting +
over his finger tips or watching the flies
and spiders as they buzz and woa,cin
the sunshine. There is She general ass he
strides the halls, commanding large
armies and fighting great battles &C
Pharsalia or Waterloo, who imagincs
himself q Caesar or Napoleon. There is
the king in all his royal glory, carrying /.
a broom for scepter ana q torn sheet
for q purple robe IN tho next ward can
be seen his consort. initiating the strut al
Queen Victoria. straws and chicken feath-
ers in her hair fot % royal crown, and
simpcring smile for the poor subjects
who gaze upon her pretended rank.
There comes the confidential, wise In
vcnt0r. who will tell you al the great /
things he has done, Of tire millions lac .
controls and the mnumcrable ships that .
plow the ocean for his pleasure and /
profit. There. too Is the self STYLED /
jesus Christ, who breaches forgiveness .
and salvation. ending with a blessing .
and general ahsOlutiOn from sin and ask /
ing in return onlya bit Of tobacco. ln fact. I
the very earth blossom, at lia viii. and .
the sun. moon and stars give light at hIs .
command. II j. only a generous charity +
that keeps him from shutting up tins /
universal world and retiring into chaos. 7
See thcrc-another Ophelia posturing be- +
fore looking glass. with comb in hand .
and tangled hair. signing or weeping for {
a lnv,r or father suafchpl from her I