The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-04-16
In THE ASYLUM.
Ida NJ. Wellman Put Under DIR.
Eastman's Care.
Seemed Perfectly Willing to Go
to the Asylum.
SHESANG ALL THE WAY
While Being Taken in d Closed
Carriage.
Strange and Excited Actions of
the Demented Woman.

The residence Of A A. Robinson,
president of the Mexican Central, is
now deserted. The doors of the hand
some house on Ninth and Tyler streets
have been locked and the Mexican boy,
AlOnzO de Garcia and a colored ser
want have been put in charge.
The silverware and valuables have
been removed from the house to
vault in the Santa Fe general offices
The place will be kept closed until
the return of Mrs Robinson from San
Francisco about May /.
At o'clock last evening Mrs. Ida NJ.
Wellman was driven in a closed car
riage from the residence to the insane
asylum. She is the hOusekeeper who
was planning and commencing to make
such startling alterations IN the plans
of the mansion when she was found to
be insane.
Mrs Wellman was taken out in
charge of Deputy Sherfffs John Jones
and Frank Whitaker. AS a guard had
to be maintained at the house as long
| as Mrs. Wellman was kept there, Pro
1 bate Judge Wood got consent last even
ing from Superintendent Eastman of
the asylum by telephone.
When the deputy sheriff told her She
was to be taken to the insane asylum
she replied dramatically and with rfs
ing emphasis:
"An right, am ready to go right
away. We had better start right away,
the sooner the better"
On the way to the institution the de-
mented woman sang constantly in a
cheerful and light hearted way.
Reaching the place she shook hands
with everyone about and expressed the
greatest delight at seeing them She
took DR.. Eastman by the hand and
talked to him, though the physician
| had never seen her but once.
For the only time during her demen-
tia she became sad when the officers
withdrew to return to the city She
had parted ght-heartedIy from her
I her F-I hon
she left the Robinson home. When,
however, the officers went away and
she realized that she was to be left
1 behind, that she was a prisoner in the
I building, the tears sprang to her eyes
and she cried pitifully.
1t develops that Mrs. Wellman's
1 father died in an insane asylum and
| she has always apparently had a fear
that she might become subject to de
1 mentia- She has had two light attacks
I during the past three years. The Opin-
/ ion written bv Dr. w r McVev the
| juror physician at the trial, is that the
attack was brought on by domestic
troubles and hereditary Influences
Mr. and Mrs Robinson telegraphed
to have Mrs. Wellman put under the
care of the proper authorities and yes
terday afternoon Mrs. Wellman re
ceiVed a letter from Mrs. Robinson
censuring her for reviving the story of
/ the loss of some diamonds by Mrs Rob
insOn, and telling her that she in no
way accused her of taking them
Il feel Mrs Robinson in that letter"
she cried before it was opened taking
it in her hands. She is a God. Mrs.
/ Robinson is perfect angel and am
/ being prosecuted for her sake I can
| feel her wonderful magnetism in the
letter"
The diamonds referred to were some
stolen from Mrs. Robinson while she
was in Mexico. Mrs. Wellman imag-
ined that Mrs. Robinson accused her Of
taking them, and told this to Mrs. Van
Horn, who lives in the cottage on the
I
utmost confidence in Mrs Weuman's
| honesty.
There she is screamed Mrs. Well
man yesterday when she happened to
! look out of the windows and saw Mrs.
/ Van Horn in the yard Then she ran
and hid behind the piano. Il told her
| she had taken Mrs. Robinson's dia-
mOndS and she said she would kill any
one who accused her of stealing them.
/ She has sworn vengeance
She acted in this way whenever she
saw Mrs Van Horn. A servant left
a door unlocked and Mrs WeIman
/ shook her by the shoulders and gave
/ her most frightful tongue lashing for
/ leaving this easy way of access for
! Mrs. Van Horn to come in and kill her.
Mrs. Van Horn said today that Mrs.
/ Wellman never accused her of taking
/ the diamonds, although she had told
/ her that Mrs. Robinson suspected her.
! (AIrs- Wellman)- Tt was simply one
/ of Mrs Wellman's insane Wanderings
Sunday Mrs Van Horn was at the
] Robinson home and Mrs. Wellman
! seized her by the wrist and exclaimed.
! Whose hand is this? Why it is the
hand of God.
! Although Mrs. WeIman was becOm-
/ ing mentally unbalanced as long agO as
! three weeks she successfully conceal
ed it from those about, and only for the
/ past three or four days has her cOndi-
ton been manifest
The damage done to the house by
/ Carpenter J.N1 Keener viii not benear-
] ly so much as first anticipated. When
he was first called in he had no idea
/ of Mrs. Wellman's insanity, but requir-
/ ed her to get permission from Mr. Rob
insOn before he would cut q folding
! door between the two rooms for Miss
/ Robinson. Later, however, he did
what she wanted him to. more to keen
/ her from calling in unskilled people
/ who knew nothing about carpenter
! work and who would do an immense
amount of damage than for any other
/ reason.
The most damage will probably be
from the wall paper which Mrs Well
/ man had put upon the walls upstairs
/ The fine hard finish of the walls of
blue. green and other cOlors in the var
iOus rooms she had covered over with
costly paper from New York In the
! kitchen she had oilcloth paper put up
/ on the walls and ceiling Only yester-
/ day the paper came for Miss Robin
| sons double room. and she insisted
/ that it should be taken up at once
/ and Deputy Sheriff Jones was forced
1 to carry it Up the stairs
/ All the dne oak moulding Of the I'D
/ stairs rooms was torn down BY Mrs
/ Wellman's orders The books of the
/ upstairs library she piled upon tho
/ The dishes were piled upon tables
/ and some of them broken