Evening journal., 1893-12-06
AMONG HUMAN WRECKS
Glimpse of Life Inside the
Two Farnhurst Institutions.
FINAN0IAL .LOssEs ARE NOTHINe

Compared to the Loss of Reason or Health
One Burly Negro is Never Content Unless
He Is Gnawing at the Woodwork k in His
ceII-Cne Man Was Sent There Because
He Was Imbued with the Idea That the
Girls Wanted to Hug and Kiss Him.
Farnhurst What an euphonious name
for a place which embodies everything
that as harsh and discordant. How few
of the thousands who pass by on the Del
aware division trains think of the miser
les yelled from the eyes of the world by
the hik n brick walls of the two buildings
which hold New Castle county's poor
and Dslaware's insane. How little hee d is
given to the sad thoughts of those who,
after a weary and bootless life's errand,
find their only refuge in the home for
the almsmen of the New Castle county
tax payers How few thoughts are ex-
pended upon the hundreds of men,
women and children who inhabit the
bedlam but few feet away with no hope
and nothing In life but the pursuit of
the vagaries of their distempered brains
Still, these distorted minds have a mercy
vouchssfed TO them which the paupers
have not They are not won't 10 brood
over their altered circumstances or to
bemoan the currents which drifted the
craft of life upon the rocks of public
charity.
Quiet without, But Exciting within.
Have you ever been to Farnhurst2
NoY Just step upon a New Castle ac-
commodatlon train and take run over,
II not In person ia Imagination The
actual run only takes a few minutes and
the mind travels the distance in much
shorter time. Consider yourself at
Farnhmst A short walk from the sta
tion brings you to the iron fence divid
ing the splendidly kept and extensive
lawn from tine public road You look
through the pickets. Every thing Is as
peaceful and quiet as any spot you can
name in Wilmington or its environ
ments No insane patients are running
around TO mar the picture by their in
coherent cries or violent gesticulations.
You may see two or turee men walking
along the cinder paths. but unless you
are told you will never know they are
insane, they being so quiet and gentle
manly il department.
Glimpse at Many Unfortunates.
Passing up the lane, or the main drive.
walk TO the front door Of the almshouse
and ring the bell. The summons will be
answered by superintendent Groves.
some member of his agreeable family or
an attendant. Express your desire to be
shown through the building and, if the
hour be seasonable, the request is cheer
fully granted
Walk through the trustees room, the
offices anc uperintendent's apartments,
the dining-room aud kitchen downstairs
and the corridors and rooms upstairs
View the inmates They range from
old men and women, to babbling babes.
the latter in many instances being born
within the walls. Here and there you
see harmless, driveling idiot sitting in
a chair in the corridor and laughing at
all comers You pass out with Phar-
isaical thankfulness that you are not as
one of those you have seen
Bidding the superintendent adieu.
walk twenty five yards and you are near
the entrance to the insane asylum Just
before you reach the door a young wo-
man walks to barred window smiles at
you and says:
you have come to take me- home.
haven't your
You give her cheerful affirmative
reply and walk on to the entrance
Arrived there the superintendent
is found to be as pleasant aud accommo-
da ing as the one at the almshouse The
minute you enter the portal you feel the
disorder which exists around you Every
thing is scrupulously clean, but the
barred windows and heavy gratinps
which divide and subdivide the corridors.
carry with them suggestiveness which
sobers the senses and chills the heart of
the visitor, to say nothing of the dis,
trsughU faces which peer at you from be.
hind the bars.
Where You Nearn for Power to Help.
You walk into the omans ward. The
attendant who has other duties to per
form, opens the heavy barred gate. YOU
pass through, he locks the gate after
You, aud there you are, alone with
dethroned reason and subject at any
minute TO be the object Of commissera-
tion from some other and later visitor
who walks up TO the grating, peers In.
and. pointing his finger at you, turns to
the keeper and says:
Poor fellow He's better dressed than
the others. What peculiar hallucination
is he laboring underl"
I'VE can't tell exactly" the keeper
replies. "He only came IN this morning +"
You accept this as one Of the standing
jokes of the institution, and turn Y, ur
attention to the inmates of the ward for
by this time they have turned their
attention TO you They are lingering
your coat, looking closely at your watch
guard and peering into your face One
woman whose distemper is Of religious
order Is begging you TO come to Jesus
Another, who evidently considers YOU an
enemy in disguise, cousiens you in plain
and unmistakable language, to the
eottomlsss pit The young woman
whom you saw at the window comes
smillngly towards you aud implores
you 20 take her home You tell
her you have already begun step
towards 1t and will take hsr out of the
house Of abominaiion before the sun
sets. 10 pleases her and she retires
satisfied.
She Surprises You a. She Proceeds.
An aged woman sidles up TO you and
coutdcntially informs you that she has
two sons Que is an ex governor of Del
aware aud the other a prosperous mer-