New-York tribune., 1899-09-17
NSlNTTY IN KANSAS.
THE CONFINEMENT OF SUFFERERS FOR
MERIY At LARGE.
To the Editor Of The Tribune.


To The Editor Of Tho Tribune
Sir: Statistics In Kansas as 10 Populis's gong
mad are probably true / have lived in kansas
and served on many Probate Court jures wh"h
there was a question de- mnatco inqurendo Inc
law there requires five unprofcssonal jurors ana
one physician. These jurics are usually imphnt"'n
by the sheriff or his deputy. on Saturday when
m. farmers are I'm town FOR their trading Tom
Dick and Harry are picked up 0s eligible. Ih'
medical law of Kansas licenses any man as a ph9
scian who may claim 10 be such with or without
a diploma II he Will register at the County 'lerK
Office II IS state Of licensed quackery. Inc
medical man Of tho jury is supposed to decide inr
case. the codhoppor following suit of nec'ss',y'
As TO the declared mnaucs. they are received uy
the State ASYLUM. and kept long as the county
pays their fees. and perhaps as long as some po-
liuca influence is eXerted FOR their prolonged con-
hnernent There were more mnatcs ont OF the
asylum thirty years ago than In the asylum JUG
ing from the condition Of the community, composed
OF five hundred people in which practiseI
H. c. a prosperous farmer. living on ne hlIls
overlooking the Missouri River bottom. among the
paWpaWs and scrub oaks. devoted himself LOT
many years TO plan which was to pT"l"'r "'
srable rainfalls on the arid plains Of the West
he thought that these could be obtained 10y hooH-
ing immense tracts of land with the water ot
the Missouri. He spoke of this scheme win the
most imposing seriousness lie was. of course also
Il rabid greenhacker. When he died he contributed
his body TO the St Joseph Medical college ~here
his skeleton for a long while adorned the dlsse''-
ing room ana prey to the irrevercnce OF the
academic youth until the family stopped their
sacrilegious pranks by an Injunction.
g. was "a morphine nond. who took nine grams
Of the drug az a dose.
b. a clock tinker was harmless epilepic'
10 whom the inside Of clock was as profound
mystery as Il is 20 any babe in arms.
T.. was greenbacker who devoted his ume
70 inc tty
one after the other. all the political fads Whloh
cropped up IN the country. He was one morning
g was German. Who as bondsman for an
other man being asked to some 10 court re-
fused point blank ana when hencn "HfInfY' "HhfInfg vifh
pitchfork sword navy revolver ANA a doubled
Vas Killed hy the odictr The Judge ordered
Coroners jury to he impanclled and 10 acqgil me
a posi-morjem on the body Of tie iunauc.
II. young ether drinker' who ended Oy
J. was crippled Irish podler an im5ecile YIN n
out rho power ~ speech. Who m2nasen' Il ~ and
] was Shoemaker with deluslon- Of hearing
He would run in awful fright from imaginary
/ could mention many more. All ihcse people
were prosperous. except one. clock tinker. VINO
was very dccenty supported by his wei 10 90
h.t'' thcle nstances hard times and p6pu1tion had
nothing to do with he diapdatea STATE oi ,-ce
nerves In this country the population was iSe zee
thinking. and r. q lneerson was for theh' 'He
Dr. Rush the greatest Of American physicians
IS reported as saving hat religion rs as n,ressIg ~
the body and mt without 20 the end 81 many mim M
would be suicide or the asylum A",ulyya ne
Of MN and that there is 30 difference in this r"-
spect between the educated and Tho uuciucaied
10 not know But believe mere lS "'"'" ""'"
However that may BE- haye writte4 , M ,hS scr Letter
ha, t'' -.ni,v IN .t,rv DEER and the most var-
ftrffz IS lllll ia