New-York tribune., 1899-07-31
INSANE IN A HOTEL.
"A WOMAN SUDDENLY LOSES HER MIND
AT THE PLAZA
GRIEF OVER THE DEATHS OF HER FATHE"
AND MOTHER THOUGHT TO HAVE
UNBALANCED HER-TAKEN
TO BELLEVUE.

TO BELLEVUE.
Miss Florence Donnel. forty years o'''
taken from the Plaza Hotel yesterday i"oi ,'''e
at an early hour violently insane Miss D
nell is the daughter of Ezekiei D. Doihe''
died some months ago. AFTER 'he ue"' -, -.
father Miss Donnell continued to live with her
- ,,rs vdia Donnell in the brownstone
dwelling house at No. A West firty-eish'"'''
just off Fifth-ave a., h.
,rn.o ,oo,,bs aro the mother also died. Her
aooth affected Miss Donnell greatly. Aithough
choerful and Jolly as a rule she became morose
ard melancholy after the death OF her mothei'
nv r F Allen of No 3 East Forty-eigh'h-s''
the family physician. attended MISS Do''e. =.
constantly. on July % he thought chahse "a
scere rould benefit his patient, and he ADVISED
ber 70 move to the Plaza Hotel Three Ua'ieu
nurses were with her all the time.
She attracted no more attention thah any
invalid might and the hotel employees Sd! an
wont smoothly until o'clock yesterday ihoin
,,r A. that hour Miss Donnell arose anu
dressing arrayed herself in all her ois"'o"us =
sho hon ran out in the hall and began to shrek
Heb, lp, Murder" The result was CUM
motion. and guest after guest in various stages
:, -. .ushod wildly into the halls and down
the stairs others. believing there must De !"
= oct ,n such a cry and the excitement IN
creased. ,.r
Mice Donnell ran to the top OF the elevator
Iii ord seizing the iron screen. she yeiieo
,ranticaly for the elevator man TO come anu
set her. om sha
For Gods sake come and get me- she
screamed They'll kill me"
Rv this time the three nurses were with .heii
natient. and. assisted by the employees Oh 'he
hotel they got her back TO her room O'ie'
tried 10 reassure the guests. who were thoi-
ouebly frightened many refusing 10 return ~
bod Dr Allen was sent for but he faiied 10
o,uet his patient. She called out repeatedly
that there was plot to rob her OF all her piop
ortv and believed that she was also In DANGER
of her life once she tore herself free from the
nurses and tried to fling herself out OF WIN
dow.
DR. Allen decided to take Miss DonneH 10
Re,levue Hospital. and sent telephone cail 10
Police Headquarters. asking the police 10 SEM
an ambulance This was done, out Dr behe
dict the surgeon in charge. found that the pa
,ient had been taken to the hospital by another
route in a carriage. DIR. Allen explained 10 MIN
later that the became 80 urgent 'ha' ne
could not wait.
Miss Donnel placed In the insane paViiioh
q, Reuevue and continued TO rave for hours
opiates She gave the name OF Everett r.
Wheeler. the lawyer. as her friend. Mr.. Wheeler
lives at No 131 Park-ave. but he was In the
country and could not be found. Dr. Allen
,oo was inaccessible after leaving the hospital.
The servants at the Donnel home were great
ly agitated over the illness of their mistress.
They especially deprecated her incarceration IN
Bellevue and thought she should nave oeen
taken TO some private sanitarium.
DR. s w. Robertson, in charge or the insane
navilion said Miss Donnell will be held for OBJ
servation All he could then say about her con-
dition was that she seemed highly nervous. He
preferred to await the diagnosis or Dr Allen
Fitch State Examiner of Insane.
woman richly gowned. and man, also well
dressed called in a carriage at the hospital In
the afternoon. and asked permission to see Miss
Donnell This was refused. as Miss Donnell
was not in a condition TO see friends or rela-
tives They declined TO give their names, and
said they would return to-day.
DR. Benedict. OF Bellevue, said last night that
Miss Donnell had attempted suicide just after
her mother died. She locked herself in her room
with two Smith & Wesson revolvers, the prop
erty Of her father. a maid managed to get
possession of the weapons by strategy and Dr.
Allen when summoned talked Miss Donnel
into more rational frame of mind.
week later however, she got hold OF some
carbolic acid and swallowed n quantity Of It,
Her life was saved by DR.. Allen.