St. Paul daily globe., 1889-08-25
WITCHES AFTER HIM.
Remarkable HallucinatiOns of
a Wealthy Iowa Insane
Man.
He Was for Many Years a
Prominent Contractor at
Cincinnati.
An Epidemic Of Hydrophobia
in the Vicinity of Daven-
port.
A Big Blockade on the East
ern Minnesota Road Near
Hinekley.
Special to the GLOBE.

Special to the GloDe.
WApELLo, To-, Aug. pa remark
able case is that of Samuel Armstrong,
of this place. He is eighty-two years of
age, owns propesty to the value OF
$3.50, 200, and is insane, being so violent
at times that it becomes necessary to
confine him. His history has some
queer features. For many years he was
in Cincinnati, o. He accumulated a
respectable fortune during this time,
and invested most of his money in good,
safe real estate in that vicinity. His
largest holdings lay in Ayondale,
Greenville and Columbia, O., and they
all became very valuable by natural ap-
probation as well as by improvement.
Some fifteen or twenty years ago his
mind began to fail, and he gradually
drifted into insanity. This is said to be
the direct result of an injury inflicted
upon him about the time these Symp-
toms of mental weakness appeared. He
was driving away from his Avondale
place a man who was stealing fruit
from it. The fellow threw heavy stone
at him. and struck him on the head.
From that time on his mind began to
fail. During the time that this infirm-
ity was coming on him. and before 1t
had proceeded so far as to call for in
reference in his behalf. he was in
duced to transfer his Avondale estate
to an unprincipled rascal, who, 1t IS
said. did not render him the small
est compensation for it. An extended
litigation followed, and the sale was
finally set aside. Some time after this
a Greenville man was appointed his
guardian. Armstrong himself having
become too old to handle SO large an
estate, even had he not been mentally
Incompetent. The sale of the contested
Avondale property was also decreed,
and about year ago it was sold TO
syndicate of capitalists for $10o,069.
The balance of his property is still in
his hands untouched. Armstrong was
never married. His only heirs are his
nephews and nieces, children of his
sister, and all, or nearly all of them live
in Louisa county, Iowa, not far from
this town of Wapello. Several years
ago he was brought out here and
since then he has made his home
with his niece and her husband, Mr.. and
Mrs. S. j. Paris. A few years. ago he
quite frequently accompanied Paris III
his trips to town. but now he is seldom
seen. He is large. tall man, dignified
anu III OOoliliSs Ooo
the last few years has failed greatly.
OF late his insanity has taken more
pronounced form, and it has been neees-
sary to contine him closely a great part
of the time. He is the subject of sew
eral harrassing delusi0ns, principal
among which is a firm belief in witches.
He sees them come into his room
through small openings. such as the
keyhOles. and is greatly bothered by
them in various ways. He keeps the
crevices into his room all closely
stopped, and wears straps around his
ankles to keep them from crawl
ing up the legs of his pants.
1t is understood that the heirs have in
stituted vigorous inquiries into the
amount of the estate and the manner in
which it has been handled during the
time its owner has been incompetent to
care for it himself. Further litigation
is not improbable.