Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-05-22
A LUNATIc FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Adventure OF Merchant in the Days VIII, N
Insane People Were Chained Up.

Within the memory of people now
living lunatics and Weak-minded neonIo
in country districts were confined ~ III
houses of their relatives, soy oet;uos
chained to the wall. A story. Involving
I case OF this Find so years ago Is re-
lated by New York merchant
He made his start in life by travail
! ing through the country, districts IF
pennsylvania taking or ders for ana
delivering goods Of various kinds from
| the cities. He is now over 20 wears of
| age.
One fine afternoon" he said ar
| called at a farmho use to look for or
ders for goods from stores in PhiIadel-
phia and knocke i at the door :.
voice said come m and / pressed
latch and found myself in the kit, ~,
Oh the house. | was confronted nv
| strengthening man, unkerlpt IA ~,
shorh VINO calne forward from a r,lao,
pr tltioned OH from the rest af ~
hitcheh' which looked like q yt.u III
aoii'e KIND He told me that t'oe mas
st u lhe house was not in ana tba,
ne was Inc only person the~. iust than
l hau no idea that | was taIl,ing 20 =
iulauc. as the man see med narfac,l,,
ra,iohai IN spite of his Strange annear,
1e' aio before l stP rted ia 90 o,,t 7
askeu LOT drink Of water
certainly sair the man .h,,. g
you nave no obj .ction 10 cream von
can have it, ~ 'ieaih you
! accepted II .e PROPOSAL with +bonLs
ana the man said: Please hand ~
on' NTy Oh I lie dairy 1t is on that |
l,ail dDn'e the door and You are taller |
r"%H = Without suspecting anvthina |
! Hdhu;c him the key. re.marking maj
L vas. very small one. He instantly
prou Iht into view chain by which
iie was secured to the wall ana III
~ ised himself by unlocking the pad
ock in less time than it takes me to
tell it. ! had previously noticed that
he kept his hands behind his back
while he talked. Then / realized that
was in the presence Of a mailman. 7
began to back to the door. but he
caught my arm saying: Come with
me Tor the cream
4 first thought of breaking away
put on second thoughts decided that il
was safer TO humor him a little. es-
peclally as he was between me and fine
door. went with him to the dairy.
me door Of which was open. There he
hlled bowl with cream and desired !
me to drink it. | drank part of it and 2
made move to get away. but his ,,
grasp ughtened, and mutterng some I
thlhS about cream not being solid
enough, ne brought me back to the
Kitchen, where he stirred some kind Of
meal INTO the cream and handing me 4 5
spoon tod me 10 sup it, | hesitated y
when he seized cudgel. which | sup 5
pose mad been provided to keep him in {
subsection and holding it up menacing- t
~, said Sup it. i
made an attempt to eat the stuff fl
and after few mouthfuls said | mad v
enough. He raised the cudgel again !
and ordered me to finish it, A hapnv q
thought struck me. Il
Ii you bring me more cream | can v
tnlsh 1t, | said, without daring to look h
round at the door, as he vas watching fl
me. fl
The mailman was taken off his -
guard and went back to the dairy for /
the cream. l Immediately darted out
ana the lunatic, hearing me open the n
door, came after me with the cudgeI III
II was now race for life with me. I al
ran my very hardest, not even daring n;
10 use my breath in shouting for help If
out after l had gone about a quarter hi
II a mile | saw that the lunatic was 81
gaining on me. Not a soul could | see o.
along the road and though | kent nv -
Wits about me | could not find any
ane or think of any way of doubling
N my pursuer When he was within NJ
bout twenty yards of me / saw he til
vas bound to overtake me. and I gave =,
cry for help. Just at that moment iol
everal men appeared. They came up eli
n time TO intercept the lunatic. One ~
f them happened to be his brother vi
nd the mailman covered and dropped az
he cudgel at the sight of him. The
rother apologized to me for his care II
assness and invited me to turn back to gr
he house and get some refreshment we
ut | had enough of it and declined the pa,
lvitation. After that while | continued we
[ that business / was always chary Of ha
ntering house where there was only en-
single occupant" N,