The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-08-03
REFUSED TO bulge
MRS. SHOTTER DEAF TO PLEAS to
RETURN TO SAVANNAH.
WON'T TRUST HER FAMILY.
lived FOR FIVE YEARS AMONG
RAGING NIANIACS.

YER to Secure Her FreedOm-GeOree
W. Owens of Savannah Unsuccess-
full in Efforts to Induce Her to Re-
turn HOIne-Detective, With I'm
known Employer, Shadows Her
wherever She GOes-Detective WIZ
Be Nabbed If Kidnapping's Tried.
Her Counsel Says Only Allegation
Against Her Sanity Will Not JUS
tify ImprisOnment-Her own Story
of Detention for Five Years.
Macon, Aug. Mrs. Elizabeth H.
shotter who stopped here last night,
while being sent from DR.. Aliens San
ttarium at Milledgeville to Savannah,
refuses to go any further. George w.
owens of Savannah, her cousin, is
here He has tried to persuade her to
go to her people at Savannah, but she
says she will not do so.
She charges her family with having
deserted her after she was placed in
the sanitarium five years ago, and she
is unwilling to risk herself among
them. She says they have allowed her
to be imprisoned for life on ground
less charges, and she is afraid they
will permit her to be committed to the
asylum by law in such a way that she
can never escape She prefers to stay
here and meet the charges of insanity
if they are to be made.
Among Screaming Lunatics.
She says that for five years she has
beap hold ap+iva opoopr coraa,oine
lunatics and that during that time no
loved ones have been about her. and
she has not even been allowed spend
ing money, although she had property
in her own right. Ladies who have
become sympathizers with her employ
ed Mr.. Cooper to rescue her on habeas
corpus. A citizen of Milledgeville has
also been employed to remain near her
and see that she is given chance to
prove to the world that she is i'm
properly restrained of her liberty.
A detective, who refuses to state his
business or give the name of his en-
ployer, is shadowing her hotel and is
under instructions to keep UP with
Mrs. Shotter, no matter where
she goes. Arrangements have
been made to arrest on a
charge of kidnapping any person who
attempts to intimidate or remove her
by force.
Has Not Seen Her Husband.
She says her husband is in Europe
and she is at a loss to know which way
to go. She. says she had not received a
visit from bar husband cipca che was
imprisoned at the sanitarium. She has
five children, who are spending the
summer in the mountains.
So far as Mrs. Shelters attorney is
advised, the only charge against her
is that she, at some time in her life,
showed symptoms of pyromania and
that it is claimed she is incurable. She
says the charge is absolutely false,
but the attorney says if it is admitted
to be true, it would not justify incar-
ceration for life.
The Macon Telegraph of yesterday
gave the following account of Mrs.
Shelters story of her confinement in
Dr.. Aliens sanitarium:
Mrs. Shotter had correspondent with
Col. John r. Hooper, the Macon at
torney, through some ladies in Mil
Iedgeville, who. it is said, became in
terested in the case, and he went to
Milledgeville on Thursday night and
told DIR. Allen that he wanted to con-
suit with Mrs. Shotter, for whose res
cue he had been employed. He was
told that he could not see her. At
this moment a female voice rang out
through the grating of one of the cor
Tldors, saying:
Here l am. DR.. Allen, again de-
mand my release"
Col. Cooper finally secured a con-
terence with Mrs. Shotter, in which
she told him the story of her confine-
ment in the sanitarium.
She was married number of years
ago, and some of her relatives after
time asked her if she did not wish to
take a trip to a mountain resort. She
dId SO, and even took a trip to Eu-
rope, and then returned home to Sa-
Nannah. She says that one of her rela-
yves left Savannah and went to Mill
Iedgeville. He telegraphed her that
he was quite sick at DR.. Aliens sani-
tarium, and urged her to come to him
at once She says she chartered
train and went without g. moments
unnecessary delay. She said that she
was ushered into the room where the
relative was supposed to be sick, and
'le door Immediately closed behind her
and was locked. She said she strug-
gIed to escape, but could not do so for
long time Finally her opportunity
came and she ran away and got to
the depot and caught the train before
Aer absence was detected. She said
she went to her home in Savannah, but
as soon as she arrived she was taken
IN a carriage and carried back to the
Train and then to Milledgeville. She
says she was never given any kind of
Commitment trial or investigation as
10 her sanity, and she was necessarily
irenzied by such treatment. She says
II might have been easy to find her
SUBJECT for a sanitarium, if those in
Nesugating were not in position to
Sympathize with a person whose anger
Aad been so aroused. The success of
samuel II. Evans gave her hope. and
as soon as she found an opportunity to
communicate with a lawyer she did
So"