The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-20
MISS MAYO IMAGINED 1T.
EXPLANATION OF HER STRANGE
gTORr OF AN ABSAULE

m. mad Been = sleep walker ana Was Read
ing or an Assault en- . woman = Her
.cYenus, tho Condition or the Rooms ana
The story that she Told TO NeiEhbora.
ORANGE, Mass, Sept. 19.-Tho strange case OF I
Miss Helen A. Mayo, the daughter of Converse,
Mayo. Assistant Postmaster Of this villag, ., In
attracting tho attention Of physicians all o'ser
,ho State, now that 1t has boon determined That
M, ,tory OF assault told by tho young woman
,vo weeks ago to-day was untrue. and THAT she
Gas suffering from n peculiar form Of In sanity
han she told It, The medical books Q i've the
history OF cases somewhat similar, but, so far as
\, known hero. there Is no case Of the H.nd quite
40 remarkable In all its details as thslt Of Miss
Mayo.
Tho details OF the case are known TO only .
flaw persons. Miss Mayo is 81 years old. Her
father and mother. both of good New England
families, were born here in Franklin county.
Thirty years ago Mr.. and Mrs. Mayo removed
No Lima, O.. where later Helen was born, and
where Mrs. Mayo died soon aftor her daughters
birth. MI. Mayo married n second time and
other children were born to him.
From her earliest childhood Helen Mayo has
been a student. From the time abe first began
70 20 to school she has boon. in her studies, far
In advance Of girls Of her age. Whom scarcely
more than q 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. From that institution
abe was graduated as valedictorian Of tho class
ot'e5. During the four years that she attended
the High School she lived with her uncle. Henry
P. Goddard, who lives in Bacon street.
Mr.. Goddard is a confirmed believer In Spirit
ualism. Every year tho spiritualists hold q
sort OF camp meeting at o resort near here
n..os tho ,hveicinnn ~ho haa r,ao, m ,,roAol
study OF Miss Mayo's case told THE SUN re-
porter yesterday that, knowing that Miss Mayo
must have heard much about mediums and
frances while living with her uncle. he was in
clined to the belief that the girls present men.
tai condition Is due, to some extent, to tho i'm
pressions left upon her highly wrought mind.
On completing her studies at the High School
here Miss Mayo returned to Lima, and in one
year took q two years course in tho Lima Nor.
NAL College. Her plan in taking this course was
to ut her for Smith College. When she was
ready to go to college she found that she needed
moro money than her father could afford to give
her, so she decided to teach for q while. About
that time her father decided to return to Orange.
Learning that = teacher was wanted for the
school at Millington, eight miles from here.
Miss Mayo applied for the place and got 1t. Her
work gave the highest satisfaction. 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, . we'll
TODD mill owner.
Millington. The grounds to the west of the
house run down to a brook. which furnishes tho
SSS0unssse fs pese the .o porsb !. and Sstii ieadin Ri from t tbe
house. Near where the driveway ends there is
west of the front door is n sitting room, with u
window overlooking tho brook, about 100 feet
the west end q the sitting room Is the bedroom
0. Mr.. and Mira Ballard, and Of this, to tho
sizing room to the bedroom and dining room.
On $ Sunday hm,o or N Sept. :; the oI Ballads u ,Ss
house. When the family left for, church Miss
; : f. n TSss S ss: :sS !. ia 10 s SssISst !. IL S:1 I,i dSss
after the Billiards. started for church Mrs. Car
Ballard house. She listened, heard the screams
again. and then ran over to the house. entering
NJ one, but she could hear the screams with
greater, distinctness. Fearing. TO enter the
Ser husband and another man were washing a
carriage, and told theui what she had heard.
ehe said that she feared some one was being
murdered, eince she found everything in tho
dining room turned topsy- turvy.
.i The two WON men in,a ran M 70 s;, the house 4onm through the
thing WAS also in confusion, and into tho bed
room. There they found Miss Mayo lying all In
eheap on the floor. There WAS not an article of
furniture in the room. save the bed. that hadn't
been overturned. When the men entered the
oh. save me, Save mel. He assaulted me
and robbed the house. Don't let him come at
The girl was fully dressed. Her hair was not
atsheyeiled. and so far as tho men could see at
tied together with shoestrings. as were also her
wrists. Her ankles and wrists were then tied
togs.n srrs BY cn another Miss SSh S%o ring ,b When s5ou the 9
possibly 80 years old. about 5 feet 8 inches tall,
Weighing about l40 pounds. and having a heavy
black mustAche and black hair. had entered
the house by tho back door, walked through the
lhe was sitting. Hearing a step. she looked up
A she did so, the young man took off the golf
sanced toward her with hand outstretched.
When, near cough, Miss Mayo said she rose
took the mans hand. and. as she did go, he said
i" hope you will pardon the intrusion. but
must ask you to give me your purse and wha'
We haven't any purses or money here te
give away" was the girls reply. 50 she said.
man, still continuing to talk politely. threw an
arm around her and tried to force nor to the floor
Then a struggle began. she said, which con
tinued through the sitting room. dining room
AND finally into the bedroom: There, according
70 the story, the man forced her upon a couch
bhe continued to struggle. however, and finally
R Sans on her has assai Hh.n of IL the h co p to To- the S, f9 e,
N'N~' A'~ ~ 49,
strength told. however. and he soon had hel
pinioned TO the floor. Then he bound her wrists
anu hands. She said she lost consciousness theI
and could not tell what followed. Before he lef
the man must have tied the strings about tn
Wrists and ankles together.
A thing that even the Carriers remarked wa
the wondertni calmness with which the gir4 toll
her story. She did not seem to bs exhausted b!
the struggle through which she said She hat
psssed and, once her arms and legs were Tree
ehe did not appear to be in the least excited. Al
though her manner seemed strange, Mr.. CeIrte
never thought or questioning the story, l'eaV
Ing Mrs. Carter with the girl. he notified MI
Hdyo and Deputy Sheriff Fowler of Orange
Both went 10 Millington as quickly as pos sible
inc story spread rapidly through the little vii
age and a posse of citizens there and one from
this place joined in securing the country for tn
eAsailant.
When Deputy Sheriff Fowler reached Milling
ton and began TO question the girl he saw flaw
IN the story. Tho further he got In his investi
Eaton the more improbable, then impossible
NE girls tale became. He learned that tn
thoestrinEs with which the girl had been. boun'
pad belonged to Mr.. Ballard and had been hum
oy MIN IN II place where. To have got them, tn
Mlegoi assailant would have had TO have LEI
tc Blrl. FREQ while ho rot the atrilY6. Tho girl