The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1893-06-29
SHE MUST STAY ON HER BED,
Or Eles She Will Lose the Use
of Her Legs
A Strange Story from San Gabriel
in the Courts.
= Young Woman who Thinks She VIII
Die IL She Does Not Keep Her
Heels Higher Than
Her Head.


by Mrs. Kellogg of Claremont to be APP
pointed guardian of her daughter, Miss
Lottie Kellogg, who has been residing
for two years past at San Gabriel at the
house of Mrs. Maggie V. Plummer.
About three weeks ago the HERALD
published an account of an Intellectual
attempt by Felix f. Wick to procure a
marriage license from the county clerks
Office for himself and Miss Kellogg. The
Office had been notified by Deputy Dis
trict Attorney Satterwhite not to issue
any license, because the petition to
have the lady declared an incompetent
had been filed.
Mr.. Wick was very much chagrined at
the turn affairs took, but was obliged to
submit to the inevitable and 90 home
without the necessary document author
izing him to make his lady love his
own.
The hearing upon the petition came
up yesterday, and all persons interested
except Miss Lottie Kellogg herself were
present and gave testimony which, al
though presented in a quiet, unsensa-
tional sort of a way, revealed one of the
queerest mental conditions that can be
imagined on the part of the young
woman.
She has been afflicted with belief,
real or imaginary the court has not yet
decided, that her life depends upon her
remaining in bed with her legs elevated
higher than her head. She gives this
belief a scientific name, sometimes call
ing it muscular scleroeis and at other
times muscular atrophy.
II. II L IL
for two or three years past in spending
nearly all her time in bed, although in
all respects save this hallucination che
has been ostensibly as well az ANYBODY.
AT fret her mother attempted to con-
troll her daughters ideas in respect to
lying in bed, by urging her to take ex-
ercise. This did not suit the young
lady, however, and she underwent the
simple treatment prescribed by her
mother in high dudgeon. She followed
her orders with much grooming of spirit,
and it required constant watchfulness to
keep her out of bed.
Finally one day Miss Kellogg asserted
her set determination to 90 to bed, by
going away from home and taking up
her quarters with some friends, where
she calmly announced it necessary for
the preservation of her life to 20 to bed
for two months. She carried her pur-
pose by storm, and no inducem ents
could prevail upon her during that time
to get up, and she even moved about in
bed very little.
At the expiration of the attack she
was persuaded to 70 home, but after q
time went to Mrs. Plummer's residence
at San Gabriel, where she has remained
until the present time, about two years.
During that time abe has been following
her peculiar ideas much to her own sat-
isfaction.
These facts all came out yesterday in
the examination of the various wit
nesses, and there were several on each
side. The mother and her witnesses
were clearly of the opinion that Miss
Kellogg is dementsd, and Mrs. Plum.
mer and others that she is in her right
mind.
Miss Kellogg, while not present in
person, being welded too closely to her
bed, sent g carefully worded letter to
Judge CLARK, transcribed in fair, round
hand. Under ordinary circumstances
the letter would be deemed unusually
lucid and sensible, bat taken in con-
junction with the extraordinary actions
OF the lady it becomes quite curiosity.
1t iB as follows:
SAN GABRIEL, June 10, 1898.
Hon. W. IL. CLARX-DEAR SIR: Please
excuse pencil, as the ink will not flow
while am in g recumbent position.
am cited to appear before you in the
matter OF petition filed in your court
alleging that | am an incompetent and
need a guardian. Il
admit that am physically unable
|. to care for myself, but positively deny
that | am mentally incompetent to
judge for myself or choose my own hab-
itation. l am sorry that my strength
will not permit me to appear in person
and answer more satisfactorily the I'M
just charges against me.
Before you allow a move in my pres
ent condition please send two disinter-
ested physicians to examine me and
judge Of my mental capabilities. / do
not see how it would be possible to ever
have the use of my limbs again il
moved in their present condition. /
have had this disease twice be-
tore, and never recovered except
by getting wholly free from
mothers authority in regard to exercise.
The first time | recovered at home, after
the physicians advised mother to stop
using any exercise measure in regard to
anything. The other two times / was
obliged to get wholly free from home
and not hear from them. The FIRST ply
eician consulted was DR.. Wakefield,
Hutchinson, Mimi. who coincided with
mother. The next called wac Dr.. Suasi
OF Philadelphia. who has practiced in
the city for 30 years, pronounced it
atrophy, q very serious, obscure disease,
and difficult to overcome. The third,
DR.. E. @. Bolles of Brownton, Mimi.
progressive muscular atrophy, DIR. Bart
lette, head of the state insane asylum at
st. Peter, Mimi, progressive muscular
atrophy; DR.. A. III. Steen, st. Paul.
Mimi, said spinal sclerosis, form of
muscular atrophy. / hope you win give
us time to write to these gentlemen il
the suit goes against me, before allowing
me to be moved.
With most earnest pleadings, remain,
yours respectfully,
LoTTIE G. KELLOGG.
DR.. O. n. Pepper, well-known ply
sician OF this city, who had been attend
ing Miss Kellogg, testified that the ma
ture Of her trouble is hysteria, and that
all her fanciea about dying il she moves
are the reeult of this, and that thew are
clearly hallucinations. He found at one
time that she thought about the same
thing with reference to speaking; that
II she did 80 it would be dangerous to
her health.
He was followed by Edward Liken
and p. ]. Plummer, who both thought
the lady needed guardian.