The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-26

Tbat She Told to NetShbors.
From the New York Sun.
orange Mass, Sept. 19.-The strange
ooso of Miss Helen A. Mayo, the daugh-
t.r of converse Mayor, assistant postmas-
tar If this village, is attracting the at
tsrtion of physicians all over the state,
~ that it has been determined that the
s,orv Of assault told by the young woman
two weeks ago to-day was untrue, and
t,a+ she was suffering from a peculiar
s,rn, of insanity when she told it. The
-,odicaI books give the history of cases
.o,,eUbat similar, but, SO far as is known
bare there is no case of the kind quite
en- remarkable in all it's details as that OF
Miss Mayo.
The details of the case are known to
onIv q few persons. Miss Mayo is q years
ala Her father and mother, both of good
New England families, were born here in
franklin county. Thirty years ago Mr..
and Mrs. Mayo removed to Lima, o.,
where later Helen was born, and where
Mrs. Mayo died son after her daughters
birth Mr.. Mayo married a second time
and other children We're born to him.
From her earliest childhood Helen Mayo
has been a student. From the time she
first began to go to school she has been,
in her studies, far in advance of girls of
her age. When scarcely more than a
child she decided that she would like to
become a teacher. When she was old
enough to begin the higher education she
was sent from Lima to Orange to take
the course of the Orange High School
CHI NO ora
as valedictorian of the class Of 90 Dur
ing the four years that she attended the
bigb school she lived with her uncle, Hen
nv P. Goddard, who lives in Bacon street.
Mr.. Goddard is a firm believer in spirit
ualism. Every year the spirltualtsts mold
a sort of camp meeting at resort near
here. One of the physicians who has
made a careful study of Miss Mayo's case,
told the Sun reporter yesterday that,
knowing that Miss Mayo must have heard
much about mediums and frances while
living with her uncle, he was inclined to
the belief that the girls present mental
conditions is due, to some extent, to the
Impressions left upon her highly wrought
mind.
on completing her studies at the high
schools here, Miss Mayo returned to Lima,
and in one year took a two years course
in the Lima Normal College. Her plan
in taking this course as to fit her for
go to college she found that she needed
more money than her father could afford
TO give her, so she decided to teach for
a while. About that time her father de-
cided to return to Orange.
Learning that a teacher was wanted for
the school at Millington, eight miles from
here, Miss Mayo applied for the place and
got it. Her work gave the highest salts
faction. Out of school hours Miss Mayo
spent most of her time in study, hoping
that next fall she would be able to enter
Smith College and join the class that was
admitted this fall. AT Millington she
boarded in the family of Albert Ballard,
well to do mill owner.
The Ballard house is on the main street
OF Wilmington. The grounds to the west
OF the house run down to a brook, which
furnishes the motive power for Mr.. Bal
lards mills The house faces the north,
ana leading from the street there is a
driveway to the rear of the house. Near
where the driveway ends there is a door
opening on the dining room. To the west
OF the front door is a sitting ROOM with
window overlooking the brook, about
100 feet away, and another overlooking the
street. Off the west end of the sitting
room is the bedroom of Mr. and Mrs Bal
lard and off this, to the east, is the din
ing room. Doors lead from the sitting
room to the bedroom and dining room.
On Sunday morning, Sept. 5, the Billiards.
went to church, leaving Miss Mayo alone
III the house. When the family left for
caurch Miss Mayo was reading a story
book In the sitting room. That was about
~ clock. Next door to the Ballard house
Is the house of the village blacksmith,
named Carter. An hour or more after the
BaI!ards started for church Mrs. Carter
heard a womans screams coming from the
ballard house. She listened, heard the
screams again, and then ran over to the
mousse entering the door leading to the
uhlng-room. She saw no one, but she
eou.d hear the screams with greater dis
unctness, Fearing to enter the house
aIone' she ran down 10 the brook, where
ner husband and another man We're wash
ing carriage, and told them what she
mad heard. She said she feared some one
was being murdered, since she found
everything in the dining-room turned
topsyturvy.
Inc two men ran to the house, through
lne dining-room into the stting-room
where everything was also in confusion
ana INTO the bedroom. There they found
mss Mayo lying all in a heap on the floor
mere was not an article of furniture in
lAe room, save the bed, that hadn't been
overturned. When the men entered the
room Miss Mayo cred:
ON, save me! Save me! He assaulted
nle and robbed the house. Don't let him
come NJ me again.
The girl was fully dressed. Her hair
was not disheveled, and so far as the men
Go1d see at the time she was not bruised
Hef ankles were tied together with shoe
Strings as were also her wrists. Her an
MES ana wrists were then tied together
~ another shoestring. When the cords
"'Ie cut Miss Mayo said that about a
H'l hour before a well-dressed young
man possibly 30 years old, about feet 9
m.saeS tail, Weighing about 40 pounds,
pr' having a heavy black mustaehe and
PACK hair had entered the house by the
"'yA door, walked through the dining
ION ana into the sitting-rooin, where she
vas sitting. Hearing a step, she looked
w. As.she did so. the young man took off
@ so.ilng cap which he wore bowed low,
gu u advanced toward her with hand out
I-Vned. When near enough, Miss Mayo
.'' she rose, took the mans hand, and,
sie did so, he said politely:
b, nope you will pardon the instrusion,
must ask you to give me your purse
what money you have"
WE haven't any purses or money here
give away" was the girls reply, so she
to Hn that according to the story she
I-, lne man. still continuing to talk 20