St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-07-11
VERY STRANGE CASE,
The Wife Of an Excelsior Ply
stefan Committed to an
Insane Asylum.
A Well-Known Minneapolis
Doctor Says She Is Men,
tally Sound.
Dunn & Allen, the Saloonists,
Make an Assign
ment.
Another Dispute About an
Island in the MiSsiS-
sippi.

The wife of a well known physician.
who has lived at Excelsior, Lake Min
netonka, for number of years, was
yesterday committed to the asylum for
the insane at st. Peter under wha ap-
pears upon their face rather unusual
circumstances. In fact. the lady her
self and the people with whom she
stopped over night in Minneapolis, de-
clare that her husband, who is twenty
three years her senior, has taken this
means of getting rid of her. Probate
Judge Francis NJ. Bailey, at the request
of the husband went to Excelsior yes
terday and issued the commitment.
No newspaper reporters were present,
and there seems to have been some Sc
crecy about the transaction. The ply
81 :ian is an old resident of Excelsior,
and not great while ago married mis-
wife, who is now forty-four years old.
At that time she claims that she was
her marriage she turned all of her
property over to her husband, and
soon afterward he declared that
she was insane and commenced
proceedings to have her sent to an asy-
lum, but after careful examination
by committee OF physicians appointed
by the court, she was declared to be in
a sane mental condition, and the pro-
bate Judge refused to issue commit
ment. Last September her huspand
succeeded in having her sent to St.
Peter, but after remaing a short time
she was DISCHARGED. 1t is said that
while she was visiting friends in Min
neapolis on July her husband wrote
to DR.. Bartlett, the superintendent of
the asylum at St. Peter, and after de-
scribing his wife's symptoms, informed
him that he proposed to send her back
to the asylum. DR.. Bartlett, it is
claimed, wrote to, the doctor and told
him not to send his wife to the asylum,
as there was no occasion for it.
Frank Ward, the deputy at ST. Peter,
who has had considerable experience
with insane patients, was sent for to
take her to the asylum, provided she
should be adjudged insane. AS is the
custom when taking female patients to
st. Peter, the deputy called on lady
from Minneapolis to accompany him to
Excelsior. Mr.. Ward has been an in
innate friend of DR.. n. M. Cook, of TBS
Seventh avenue south, for long time,
and at his request Mrs. Cook 40
companled him. The lady was turned
over to the deputy, and, as there was no
train they could take to the asylum
before morning the party went to DR..
Cooks private residence for the night.
Last evening GLOBE reporter called
at the doctors pretty vine-clad cottage.
A number of ladies and gentlemen were
seated in the parlOr, and, as the re-
porter reached the place, the old-time
melody "Wait Till the Clouds Roll by,
Jennie" sung in we'll mOdulated voice
to faultleSS piano accompaniment,
was waited across the lawn. When the
visitors errand was made known DIR.
Cook spoke without reserve. why"
said he as look of indignation settled
on his face, that lady is no more insane
than you or l am. There she sits at the
piano, and do you think any one
w waS sh is G foesy f fHsd act Strange nge
piece of business to send her to an asy-
ium. Her husband wants to get rid of
her, that's all there is about it. | have
watched her closely and every act Of
hers bears out the story she tells. He
got her money and that's all he wants."
Doctor, have you seen enough OF her
to say positively whether she is sane or
nOt?" the reporter inquired
"Yes, SIT, have, and will say en-
phatically that she is just as sane as you
or l. She is just now at critical point
of life, and is little nervous and hy-
sterical, but that is certainly not insan-
ity as understood by the medical pro-
fession to-day. / have treated hundreds
of cases in my private practice that
were ten times more hySterical than she
is. Mr.. Ward, who has had plenty of prac-
tical experience with insane patients,
doesn't believe she is insane either.
Ward and my wife and myself have
watched her very closely, and we cam
not find any trace of it. The action OF
her husband when she came away from
her home to-day was not that of man
who had any consideration for wOman's
feelings either. Here is lady-talented
and educated-bundled off to an asylum.
Before she left her husband took her
and my wife into a room and
made her strip off all her clothing. She
wanted to wear her best clothes, but he
wouldn't allow it and he made her put
on her old clothes. Not piece of jew
elry would he allow her to take with
her, and her watch and chain he took
from her. She did, however, manage to
slip on pair of bracelets without him
knowing it, and although she gave him
nearly $4,000, he sent her away from
her home without one cent in her
pocket"
"She was in the asylum once before,
was she nOt?"
Eyes. she has told us all about that,
and | don't believe she was insane then.
She is good story teller and is very
entertaining in her conversation. She
described her stay there and what the
poor creatures did. She repeated the
stories told by them, and described what
this one and that one was there for.
She said, with laugh, that
she kept her mouth shut for fear
some of the people might think she
was crazy too. am perfectly satisfied
that she will not be at st. Peter over a
day or two at the outside, and Mr..
Ward is of the same opinion. DIR. Bart
lett is very careful and conscientious
physician, and with his experience with
this class of patients he will soon get to
the bottom of this case and send her
home"
Deputy Ward and his patient, ac-
companied by Mrs. Cook, will leave
Minneapolis for St. Peter this morning.
HARD TIMES, THESE,
When Two of the Most Popular
Saloons Are Closed.
The saloons of the well-knoWn firm OF