The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-12
cRAzED. THEY DWALr IN 4 TUNNEL.
Put n Barbed-wiro Fence Around Their
Roof and BnrrIcnded Their nnnrs.

CHARLESTON, w. Va. Feb. 11.-One Of the
stranGest cusea OF insanity ever known in this
vicinity has com . to light In the case OF the FL
lingwood family. who live at the corner of
Smith aud Brook streets. The entire family.
consisting Of Mr. Ellingwood. who is IS years
old Mrs. EllinEwood. 80 years old. and their
two daughters. Elizabeth and Helen, - and 20
years old respectively, are now In the hands of
the authorities and will he removed to one OF
the state hospitals for tho insane as soon as
the arrangements can be made. The doctors
who have examined them believe that lack OF
food. the use OF drugs. andsthe. life OF Isolation
from their %neiEhbors, which they have led OF
late years Of their own choice. are the causes
Of their condition.
When tho Ellingwoods came hero about
twelve years ago from Indiana they we're we'll
TODD and bought the land where they now live.
Two houses we've built. one OF which they
rented. living In the other. Mrs. EllinRwood.
who was Miss Lillian Cox. Is related 20 many
OF the prominent families Of the city. and the
family was we'll received. Mr.. EllinGwood ia
an artist, and the income from his work was
added to by the proceeds OF music lessons
given by his wife. Oflats years, 1t Is said. the
Ellingwoods became very poor. They began
TO shun society and for the past two years Mrs.
Ellingwood and the girls. when spoken to on
the street by acuuaintapces. would avert their
faces and hurry by without replying. 1t was
n9I bI"Isb 'n naI,1 ,rey s0 wero c SbiwniyS II Ea, re Mi1n a sort sort
attributed this to insuficiencv of food. took
measures TO relieve the FANNY. hut were re-
within their house,
How long this, condition Of affairs might have
EllinGwoods been seen last week. putting up a
%si7:foot harhsd- wire fence oround the edge Of
feecr ru Unit, iih It was eom n,19Hn ted woF + e nei Th bne
shouted to Mr.. ,Ellingwood while the work was
in n;oEress and asked what, it was for
shinGlea." was the reply
To other people who saw him occasionally
enemies who were seeking his family's de-
struction. The police ,were. finally called upon
sane, as as seemed Obvious. '"s some Sn"'" %re at
should he put upon them lest they become vio-
lent; f MhedP the olls"Fs went to the house
trance. after considerable difficulty. they be-
came involved IN masses of tangled wire In
and when at length they had made their way
through the house they could not find any
rate prepa~ rations for barricadinG almost every
room in the house. In fact. there was little in
the house but defensive apparatus. most of the
furniture having been converted to this pur-
pose or having disappeared. Presently one
Of the party discovered q hole dug under the
to be a tunnel connecting the Two houses.
This; also. had been heavily barricaded
Ing party found the he family Hii:I cr9u @i in IL n fTnSer
and in a pitiable condition CT terror. They
made, no resistance when. led out, hut the
that the tunnel was the work Of the entire
family. de'ving w'th'su2h implements rs they
woodland that 1t had taken months to make
it 1t was to be a place. he said. where they
could withdraw from the sight of men and
could retreat from the enemies who constant
~ sought their lives. Who these enemies
were he could not be induced to tell. Mrs. FL
liEgwoOd and her daughters made no reply TO
questions put to them. The tunnel was in A
terribly filthy condition. There Is little hone
that the father and mother will ever recover
their minds. The girls. who are greatly
emacia ed. may. with good food and careful
treatment. com back to their senses.