The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1889-11-02

Ii 1t had not been Tor the tall, good-looklns
attendant, who had been listening quietly
to the conversation, you would have been
throttled by your interesting acquaintance
The smile is gone, and in its place the lips
are rolling in rage and fierce desire. From
between the pearly teeth came shouts and
yells and demoniacsl curses. The fingers
clutch at you and the body bends forward
in the effort to free itself from the strong
arms about it, Raving, bowling and re-
sisting the patient is carried away.
Here is woman of forty or thereabouts,
with little of beauty's remnants about her,
streak or two of gray amid the dark
brown hair, cut short, and a shifting fur
tive glance-she is suicidal case. For
six months she has tried the patience of
the physicians and attendants. There is
nothing that the cunning of her unbalanced
mind can suggest-that she has not tried to
cheat the watchers and end her own life.
There is nothing desperate-looking about
her: there is no frenzied rollingof her eyes,
nor does she threaten you or seek her own
life inza noisy ways- She is meek and mild
and sad, and if you speak to her she will
hold up her head to reply, which she does
not like to do, she will smile very sadly
indeed and ask what she has done that she
should be kept prisoner. There is no
line of purpose or determination about her
weak face And yet she ismost determined
TO take her own life For six months she
has never been alone moment, and even
under those circumstances she has several
times nearly accomplished her mission
Her hair is short because she would use it
to choke herself with When she thinks
she is not watched she will tear off a piece
of the sheet quietly and hide it. In little
while she will fasten il around her throat
and try to hang herself She will break
glass, and with the jagged edge will try to
cut her throat. She will not eat volunta-
rily. She will beat her head against the
wall. She will try to choke herself with
her fingers, aud, failing in all these things,
she viii hold her breath, with blackening
face and bulging eyes, until the reaction
forces respiration. And her explanation
Of all this IS simply:-''I want to 90 home.
You have no right to keep me here. What
have | done to be imprisoned p
There is harp player who goes TO the
asylum occasionally and plays through the
wards. and there is no more extraordinary
scene to be witnessed there than the effect
bis visit has at times. As the harpist's
fingers sweep slowly over the strings and
there comes a rippling melody following
fast, not one Of his hearers is idle They
are dreamers vet, it Is true, but their dreams
turn corner and take on new forms for
the moment at the sound Of the harmony.
Some think OF home, perhaps, aud tears
come unbidden to check the usual smile.
Some think Of friends and some Of fearful
things that might befall them. But their
dreams are fainter and paler than usual,
and there Is perhaps joy mingled with
alright. suddenly there comes pause,
The attendant has clapped her hands to-
gether. Il is the signal for the dance
Some dance alone, singing an acc0mpani-
meut; some take partners in regular way,
some take hands and gallop wildly up aud
down the aoer. The hollow laugh, the
meaningless cry sound harsh and loud rs
seures Of fees slip or slide, stamp or prance,
over the planks. The harpist is bending
TO his work Rock-A-bye Baby, in
waltz measure. Is the tune-the air is filled
with shouts and plaudits; on every side are
twisting, ssiFling bodies, with oatstretehed
arms aud rolling eyes. Truly il IS scene
OF grim merriment Thirty minutes later
the harp is gone, the dreamers are back on
the old road again. The yacuous minds
generally retain no impressions. From
distant portion of the huge home Of the
friendless comes family the sound of Rock
a-bye Baby. The scene Is being repeated
elsewhere.
II Is when night closes in that the great
building presents to the visitor its most
gruesome side. Its 600 denizens are
Joined in the imagination BY thousands Of
vapory forms, which fit about the corridors
and halls and people every corner. As for
the patients, many of them 80 to sleep and
remain quiet unless disturbed, but there
are some for whom the darkness has as
many terroFs as it has for their sane broth
ers outside. Here is one, for example,
who has heard some mysterious noises, and
in the middle of the night makes noise
enough TO wake every inmate Of the place.
They are after me ! They are after mel
he wells, as he erouches on his bed and
glares about him with frightful air. He
has the dry horrors as some of the medical
staff call it and it Is even worse than the
other kind. The look of fear and horror
on his face is beyond description. 1t is the
very embodiment Of everything that Is
awful Ii the man suffers as he appears
to, aud there is no reason 10 think other
wise, his condition is pitiful in the extreme.
But here comes the doctor. "What is the
matter p he asks, "They are after me
the spirits-they are all around me, an
swers the patient Look out look outl
be shouts, pointing to the floor near the
Doctors feet, 'there is one near you.
"Pooh r says the doctor, kicking with his
foot, "see. have kicked him away, He
don't amount to anything. "You have
kicked him over here, He has me by the
throat r screams the maniac in mortal ter
ror. Then there is struggle and the
unfortunate falls painting and exhausted on
the bed II guess they are all gone now,
says the doctor, kindly, "and viii give
YOU little medicine that will drive them
away for good. "No, doctor, cannot
take any medicine. There is one devil left
in my throat and he viii not permit it.
g But you will let me give you some in yoar
arm aud we will cheat the devil. eyes,
you may do that, and the arm is barred,
the attendant holds the lantern while the
doctor injeets the opiate.
The spirits and devils are really gone,
but the mind still echoes with their de-
moniacal work. Ten millions of babies
killed, whispers the lunatic in a tragic
voice, and then adds refeetively, "Fifty
revolvers, fifty thousand revol-
yers, The opiate is evidently working,
for the eonvulsive starts are less frequent
and the lines Of fear on the face are relax
ing slowly. A smile is gradually coming.
"You have seen my piano, doctor, have
you not p he asks. "It is very beautiful
one. There are great many of them, but
this is the most beautiful of ALL The legs
are of solid gold, the framework is Of solid
silver, and the carvings in these metals are
very handsome indeed. Oh, it is a very
haantifnl instrument indeed The KEYS