The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-30
Whose Dementia Requires Care
From Friends
RESTRAINT is NECESSARY
And Recovery Is Probable Under Proper
Treatment
Pasadena's Case of Alteration Which Has
Attracted nuch Attention-Notes From
the Crown of the Valley

niTS. II. y. OOruon, the INSANE woman
who9is being cared for by her mother,
Mrs. E. P. W. Packard, has been made
the subject Of sdch highly sensational
and misleading account in morning pa
Lex that The Fl erald' s represen tative has
taken the trouble to ascertain the facts OF
the case. now that the matter has been
made public. and finds that the "shock-
ing case of brutality has no ground
whatever to rsst upon. As matter of
fact, Mrs. Gordon is receiving far better
care than she would ever be likely to re-
ceive in any asylum, and while one can
not fail to have the greatest compassion
for her, as we'll as all others who are so
bereit, it is also just as clear that per-
son who is so insane as to be violent at
times must be, for his own good, more
or less confined. 1t is true that the wo-
man is confined most of the time in a
sort OF cage, so that she cannot do vio-
lence ITO sanyone, but her mother says
she is given frequent exercise and fresh
air, but that she is always glad to get
back to her accustomed quarters. Mrs.
Packard says that the cause of her daugh-
ter's insanity was fall, in which she
struck on her head. a bout three years ago.
form OF dementia, though occasionally
violent. and was consigned by her hus-
band to the Agnews asylum. Ms. Pack
ard, Mrs. Gordons mother. was at that
time in Chicago, and believing that her
daughter might be benefited bv an opera
ton known as trephinlng she begged Mr..
Gordon to bring his wife east for an op-
Grafton.
A large mum Der of physicians were con-
suited, but they all pronounced such an
operation OF no use, advising travel for
her. She grew steadily worse while tray
elins with her husband, when she was
finally examined by lunacy commission
and sent to Agnews. Mrs. Packard
showed n certificate from the medical di-
rector OF this institution turning tns pa
tiert over to her for treatment. Mr. 5.
Packard is a woman whose life has been
q remarkable one in some respects, and
her expe rience has been one that few
people Juld endure and still retain their
reason; and moreover it has been such as
specially qualities her for the very task
shs is u 1d.rtaking and which has called
out such warranted abuse. In her life
of 10 We lrs she has seen more trouble and
persecution than falls to the lot of one
person out of a thousand, and all in the
name of religion. Mrs. Packard IS a
woman of great eccentricity. Her his
tory. as told by herself, is romance ana
her career remarkable. She is the sue
cessful author of numerous books. from
which she derives her income. She Is an
ardent advocate of woman's suffrage, and
her story, ii true, is startling. She was
born in 1916 and has been from child
hood u unique character, possessed of de-
cided views. But she unfortunately mar
ried q man who was narrow-miuded and
fanati cal.
She assisted him In his work, but grad
uaiiy she began to have opinions and
ideas of her own upon the subject OF re-
ligion contrary to those of her husband
and his followers. She allowed these err
ratio ideas to be expressed in her teach
ings of the Bible class. She could not rec
oncile her ideas of a Supreme Being with
the narrow faith she was called upon to
subscribe to. Consequently ner hus
bands arishioners' coun seled him to deal
with her. With fanatical zeal this inhu-
man husband had his wife put into aG ill.,
sane ayslum tor no other reason than that
she refused to believe in the doctrine of
total depravity." This was in 1860
Because Mrs. Packard begged for better
treatment of the poor lunatics by whom
she was surrounded, she was thrown in.
to the cell with the maniacs, where she
was kept for IN months, perfectly sane and
yet among these bowling and ravina
madm men. When she finally get out of
this ASYLUM she began the work which
/ n fact she wrote one of her books in the
asylum while surrounded by these poor
demented creatures. who used to call her
miss Kindness" She says she has
been instrumental III having thirty -four
bills passed by the different state legis.
Iatures, giving the insane a few of che
rights to which they are entitled, notable
the right to received and write letters
when in their lucid intervals:
Health Officer Rowland says Mrs. Cor
i - /
will probably recover under her mother s
kind and careful treatment
A GOLDEN WEDDING
PASADENA, Oct. 29.-Yesterdav was
the tiftieth anniversary of the marriage OF
Mr.. and Mrs. Leonard Marsh, and their
golden wedding anniversary was cele-
brated by a reception given by their
daughter and son-in-law. Mr. and Mrs
C. X. Worrell, at their home on North
Lake avenue. The afternoon was very
pleasantly spent by the assent ed guests
and many good wishes were expressed for
the continued health and prosperity OF
the couple who have passed half GEN.
fury in each others company.
~ Many beautiful AMI valuable presents
were received with congratulations from
distant friends, some of whom were
present at the wedding of Mr.. and Mrs.
Marsh Fifty years ago in GAINESVILLE, Wis.
One OF the pleasant features OF the after
noon was the reading of a beautiful poem
com posed by Miss Alice Dane for the oc-
casion, entitled Fifty Years Ago Today.
BREVITIES
The case OF Horace Turner, coIored
charged with violating the gambling or
dinance, came up today in Justice Mer.
( RAMS court. A. A. Appel of Los Ange.
les appeared for the defendant, Benjamin
W. Hahn for the prosecution. Practi
Z. cally the whole day was occupied in Sc
curing a jury.
ass Mrs. f. b. Farr has made an appllca
: ito to the city council for permission tt
erect studio upon Vineyard street. the
plaps for which are now IN Jh 9 hands o
an architect, and which will be an arts
tic ana com modious structure. The
Building will be suggestive of the ole
missions with tile roof and Moo-ist
finish.
The address By State Superintendent
B. F.. Huddleson of tine A. Z. a. las
evening at the Univeraslist church wa
we'll attended.
The knights are moving into the
new hall in the Arcade block
and tonight the first meeting will
& he held in ii, when the third degree viii
be conferred upon two prominent citi
Il. zens.
Senator Thomas Flint jr., of San Ben
ito county, president pro tenn of the sen