The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1891-04-16
THE VICTIM OF A PLOT,
ANNA DICKINSON. SANE, IN A
MAD-HOUSE.
S>e Says 1t Was u Plot Es sgine ero by Her
Sister and Others to ExtOrt Money froip
the Public-The harge Confirmed.
nif.l:inSnl in 4

Sister and Others to ExtOrt Money froip
the Fublic-The harge Confirmed.
Anna Dickinson in a public mad-housc
that was bad enough
But Anna Dickinson in public ma l.
house and pcrfc rtly sanc-Anna Dckin-
son. gifted and e'o4ucnt, noted and hon
Orci figure of her time. famous for her
laborS in behalf of the enslavcd and her
championship of her own sex-Anna
Dickinson shut mp with maniacs and
gil bering lunatics. and still in the pos
session of her own rcaSon--that is in
tinitcly revolving to Il country that still
respects her. Shocking as it is, that is
her story. Worse than that. it is her
story that the wrongs and sufferings sh
has undergone are the resu of a sister 5
designs
Released from Imprisonment by
chance, Mss Dickinson. who is now in
New York, has chosen to give her cx-
traorIinary narrative to the world for
the first time. In moderate Ian suayc,
with the bearing of woman who
had weighed every word and understood
the Significance of all she said, she told
what she had gone through and why She
believed she had been the Victim of a
conspiracy.
Feb. $50 ran the substance of her
Story-she had been seized in fcr home
at West PittSton, Pa . carried off by
force, and in violation of law confined in
the State Asylum at Danvilc There
she had Sfaid five weeks and day. with
out examination as to her mental or
physical condition, sick, worn with
terror and anxiety, needing medical at
cnlancc and lacking it. knowing all the
time that a terrible wrong was being
pracfircd upon her. but deprived of com
municaiion with her friends and the
word.
From this Sitnatitn She was taken on
April in a sad state of testtution and
misery by a physician from another
State, who had been called upon to re-
move her to his supposed private a>y ylum.
Instead of shutting her up in another
institution. this physician. a practitioner
of reputc and standing, had recognized
her sane condition and set her free To
account for her incarceration Stor cS
hal been set atloat of her violence and
deSp rate madness These Miss Di, k
in>on circumStantially declared to b,
utterly fa,Sc.
The object Of sub cct ng her TO these
dreadful OrdcalS was. as she believed. to
get money from the public by arou sing
l.
The lc-Son whom she accused As the
chief instrument in this unnatural de-
sign is h r own sister. Legal proceed
ings which will test the Justice of these
sweeping charges are to be begun at
once.
Miss nickinS III went to New YORK with
DR.. Frederick W. Seward OF Goshen. y.
Y. at whose house she has been since
she escaped from Danvile April >.
1T is unfortunate" said Miss Dckin-
son. "that | must b gin my defen>e G
against the charge of insanity by max
ing Il charg" of insanity against some
bo1y else. DiSagrceab'e as it is for ME
to reveal to the public in this way the
misfortuneS of our family, ! am obliged
| to say that for many years my sister
| Susan has lcen 4 mnnol aIiac Oh the
subject Of money.
Looking back over the last few years
! and putting together many things which
seemed to me then to Ec strange. but not
| suspicious. | think see very plainly
| that she has been influence by two mo.
| tivcs. She had first the intense and
| grasping desire for money. and be icf
| that if She had it She could handle i,
| better than could. Sh. had. second
| an intense hatred and isa'olsy for me.
| These things. as now bni eve. working G
| ol Il mind naturally weak and somcwha,
| distorted. led her to lay plans lay which
| she could at one and the same time put
| me out of her way and raise ont of my
| misfortune the money She craved 5,
| eagerly.
"With the few PEOPLE who live in Pitts
| ton had scarcely the slightest acquaint
| ancc, and absolutely no friendship. My
4
! knew her. In this way she was able tC
| circulate reports about me and my con
| dition. which the villagers. not having
any knowledge of the subject. even tho
| slightest, We're bound TO believe.
| lone day while at work was seized
| and hustled off TO the asylum at Hanviie
| without being allowed to communicate
with anybody. tried to send ont vari
! ouS dispatches to my relatives ant
| friends telling of tn" outrage TO which
! had been subjected. But the next day
| passed and the next. and | heard moth
| ing. Then | began to realize that had
! been cut off deliberately from any com
| muniration with the world.
THE Danville Asylum is a horrible
| place. My tortures in it were more THAI
| | can desert! e All my associates were
maniacs. nevertheless. There seemed t,
| tie a regular system of annoyance:
| adopted toward 'hen. All the dali,
| newspapers in which accounts of m,
| supposed madness and false representa-
| tions of my VIC 'cncc were conSpiruOusly
; printed were placed whore | could moi
! help seeing them. Attendants and half.
! witted patients nagscd, followed. poster
el, and tcaSed me-.
al needed the services of a phySi-
clan. But from first to last. from
the moment | entered that horrible
den to the day escaped from it. no ex
| animation was made of my condition, nc
| physician inquired as to whether needed
| any help, no medicines were provided fol
! me, no attention whatever was paid tt
| me-"
DR. Seward. whose name is familiar
| and irrcproachable one in medical sci
| cnce, said: "Miss Anna Dickinson i
| Perfectly sane. l have studied her case
! att"ntivcly, and know there is nothing
| the matter with her | investigated
some of her statements, and found then
| to be true"
| IOtta at MCvirker'a