The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-03-01
LITTLE KArIR,s SAD STORY.
A Connecticut Girl Who Ran Away
From Home and Became Insane.


From Home and Became Insane.
From, ire Ne,o YORK. World
OLD LYME, CONN, Feb 23.-In the old
country cAurcayard here to-day was buried
the body OF Miss Kate rinnegan, who four
years ago disappeared from her fathers
house as completely as if the earth had
swallowed her. Her aged parents wept
aloud beside the grave as the earth de-
| scended on the casket and younger
brother, to whom she had been devotedly
attached in earlier years, would not be com
| forted. Not since the day that Katie disap-
peared had they seen her lace. W hel at
| last they found her body it was in pau
per's grave, for Katie had died among strau-
| gers in the madhouse at FlatbuSh, l.. l., and
up to the last had refused to tell her parents
name or where she belonged
| Michael Finnegan, Katie's father, is
well-to-do ia mer, and Katie and her
| younger brother received many advan-
| tages in their training of which their school
mates were deprived. Katie was very fond
of novels and love stories, and when she
| found book she liked it would hardly
leave her hands till she had gone through
| it, Once she fell asleep while reading il
bed and upset lamp on the clothes. She
was of romantic disposition, and her mind
was filled with all sorts of queer and unde-
| fined notions. She was not satisfied with her
modest home and its peaceful surroundings,
and wanted to see more of the world she
had read so much about One day she
asked her father if she coud not leave school
and become a city shop girl. He laughed
at the idea, but Katie was very much in
earnest She persisted, but the old folks
would not listen. Then she decided to take
serious step. She was very gentle and
affectionate in her demeanor all day. When
she kissed her father good night at bedtime
she burst into tears. The old folks were
lol 6aU X OF had
| peared.
The morning of the day Katie left home
| she went TO her father and asked him for
| SOME money. She had ARA Iged to go to
New London and do some stopping, and
she said she might take tea with friend
| but she would be home early. Night came
and she did not return, and party of
neighbors was hastily organized to search
| for her. They were out I'll night with dogs
and lanterns, searching the lonely road that
| borders the sound Inquiry was made at
| all the stores in New London and at all the
houses where Katie had been accustomed to
| visit but without avail Friends far and
near were telegraphed to aud advertise
ments were inserted in the New York news
papers The police of New York and all
| the larger towns of Connecticut were noti-
| fed of the disappearance and ASKED to be on
| the lookout for the missing girl, ut they
never found her. The sou d was dragged
met with foul play Father ami mother
were broken hearted and never ceased to
| mourn the loss of their child. There still
remained q faint hope that some day she
would return, and her room was kept in
order for her just as she had left it. Pray
ers were offered for her safety morning aud
evening at the family altar.
Farmer Finnegan was seated on his porch
| one evening last September. 1t was just
| three years since Katie had disappeared,
and his thoughts naturally turned t. the
missing girl. He determi led to start the
search anew, and the folio ing day he went
| to New York. By walking the streets he
| thought he might, by mere accident, meet
| his child. He tramped for miles over the
| dusty pavements. He was startled score
of times by faces which looked like hers in
the distance. Once he caught glimpse of
| a girls face in carriage and started to run
after it. By ) o'clock he was worn out and
discouraged. A stranger whom he met in
restaurant advised him to secure the SER
vices of detective agency, and he did so.
Then systematic search wa begun.
A detective went back to Old Lyme with
Mr. Finnegau, and began the trail at the
threshold of his house, whore the girl had
last been seen. Diligent inquiry resulted in
bringing to light a railroad brakeman who
| had seen her board an east-bound train the
morning she disappeared. The books of the
ticket agent showed that the only ticket
sold for that particular train on the day in
question was to New York, so thither the
detectiVe returned. The intelligence offices
were next canvassed, and after many days
| the work WAS rewarded, and it was found
that Katie had been engaged to work for a
| woman at 227 East fourteenth street. The
detective called there and found that Katie
had left the place and gone into service
with family named Foster, who were then
travelling in Europe. Word was cabled to
London to find the Fosters, and they we're
| traced to Glasgow ana thence to Paris and
finally back again to London. There they
were found, and it was learned that Katie
| had become homesick aud had returned to
| New York over a year before
| So the thread was taken up on this side
of the ocean again. and Katie was traced
| from place to place down to the family of
| F. X. O'Donnell, OF No. III Vest Sixteenth
street. Here it was learned that she acted
so strangely that Mr.. O'Donnen had taken
measures to ascertain her mental cond ton.
| Sometimes she would beg Mrs. O'Donnell
| to take her home, and wnen questioned as
| to where she lived she would refuse to give
any information. She grew worse, and
| was finally sent to the commissioners of
charities and correction. The physicians
pronounced her insane, and in June. 1888
she was sent to the asylum on Blackwelps
| Island. About six weeks later she was
| transferred to the insane asylum at Flat
bush, where she died last October.
| 1t is probable that homesickness drove
Katie insane. She begged to be sent home
| t. the east Why she did not return when
she was able or why she refused to make
| known her ia hers address are mysteries
that will probably never be solved.