The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-02-24
RAN AWAY WHILE INSANE.
SARAH ALTHEA TERRYS ADVEN-
TUREs IN SAN FRANCISCO.
Her Mind Supposed to Have Been Affected
by spirituRlism-A Brief Sketch OF Her
Remarkable Life which IL Stranger
Than Any FIotion-An Adventurous ca
reer.

Than Any Fiotion-An Adventurous ca
reer.
SAN Francisco, Feb. 15.-Sarah Althea
Terry who while insane wandered from
the residence OF r. L. Culbreth early yes
terday has not been found today. She
arrived in this city Thursday night from
Fresno, where her eccentric conduct had
attracted sor.e attention. Soon after
her arrival at the Culbreth house she
became violently insane and talked about
spiritualism and frances in the widest
manner. Dr. Gilmour was called in and
persuaded his clerk, Robert Robinson, to
sit up with Mrs. Terry, who insisted upon
communicating with spirits of departed
friends, and occasionally threw water over
her head, her clothes and furniture and
carpets.
Shortly before So'clock yesterday morn
ing she got out OF the room by saying she
wanted to get some fresh air, and slipped
out OF the house before she was missed.
She was seen by policeman to 60 down
Golden Gate-aye. She was fully
dressed, wore a seal skin and her
diamonds and carried a small satchel
in one hand and pair OF
silk corsets in the other. One theory is
that Mrs. Terry went away with the inten-
lion Of committing suicide. Those who
believe in this think that she jumped
overheard and that her body will be
found floating in the bay. Others
r. Al L.N - IL
down to the ferry, went over to Oakland
ana took a train for her home In
Fresno. DR.. Gilmour and other neighbors
of Culbreth's believe that Sarah Althea
has been enticed away by spiritualsts,
who have shown an interest IN the case
ever since Mrs. Terry's insanity was made
public. Physicians and others who saw
her say that her insanity has been pre-
cipitated by undue excitement incident to
the practice of spiritualism, attention to
seances, etc.
Il am convinced thatshe left the house
at the direction of spirltualists, said DR..
(iilmour today. Since Mrs. Terry's ar
rival in this city she had continually
called for Porter Ashe and did the
same while in Fresno. 1t was thought
that she might have gone to his
office or TO that of William
I. Baggal, her attorney, but she did not.
Her aunt, Mrs Bryan, had not heard OF
| her today either. Some months ago Mrs.
Terry rushed into the police station and
reported that her rooms at the EllsmOre,
on SuttOn-st., near Mason, had been
robbed. She said that about s., eco worth
of silks had been taken from her trunks.
/ The police paid little attention to the
case, as they even then believed that she
was of unsound mind, and an investiga-
ton proved that there had been no theft"
From Sept. s. 1883, when Mr.. W. Nj.
Nelson had William Sharon arrested for
adultery with Miss Gertie Dietz down to
the shooting of eX-Judge David Terry by
| L. :. Deputy Marshal David Nagle on
Aug. il, 1889, Sarah Althea Hill-SharOn-
Terry has been most conspicuous figure
before the public.
\ truthful biography of this remarkable
woman would be stranger than fiction.
In November, 1885, a divorce suit of
Sarah A. Sharon rs. William Sharon was
called in San Francisco superior court,
but ii was not decided until Dec. 24, 1884,
by Judge Sullivan. He held that the al
legged secret marriage contract was valid
and granted her divorce upon grounds
of adultery. But on July Il, 1889. the
supreme court reversed Superior Judge Sui
livan's decision. In the meantime on Dec.
3, 1889, Associate Justice Field OF the
circuit court TO which Sharon had sent
the case on the grounds that he was cit
izen of Nevada, decided against Mrs. Terry
then wife of her attorney, the famous
David S. Terry. Hearing of this
decision pistol was taken
from Mrs. Terry, and knife,
drawn by Terry upon the officers who
were handling Mrs. Terry was wrested
from his hand. For drawing the weapon
in the presence of the court, Terry was
sentenced by Judge Field to serve a six
months term in the Alameda county Jail
for contempt of court. Mrs. Terry
occupied the Jail with her
husband and subsequently brought
suit against the L. S. marshal for damages
on account of the alleged maltreatment.
/ Terry tried every effort to get released,
/ but had to serve his six months out. He
/ swOre vengeance on Field for punishment
/ which he always maintained had been in
| fiicted from personal motives. Field
thereafter travelled with body guard, and
! Deputy T.. Marshal David Nagle shot
/ Terry at Lathrop on the morning of Aug
II, 1888, while Terry was about to SLAP
Fields face.
BY Terry's death Mrs. Terry came into
| about $4,000 worth of property, but she
soon spent it, and of late has been selling
/ her jewelry and bric-a-brac in her Fresno
| house.
Mrs. Terry has been found at the home
of Nine. Pleasance, n negro woman, who
was Mrs. Terrv's nurse several years ago
and who has ALWAYS been her firm friend
/ I1rs. Terry's mind is still unsettled.