The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-09-11

very ill-smeIling room with seant fur
niture- The blinds were closed at the
windows and the curtains drawn I
waited fully twenty minutes longer be-
room. He knew me instantly. and al
most his first words were as his eyes
filled with tears. You have come to
save me. haven't your
WAS AFRAID TO TALK.
He cried pitifulIy, and / tried to get
him to stop. but it seemed impossible.
The room was SO dark that at first
did not see the wicked bruises on his
face We sat there for quite long
while and talked, while the attendant
always remained near. I tried to get
him to tell me how he was getting
along. but he wouldn't say anything
while the attendant was there. He was
afraid that he would be mistreated
worse than ever after had gone, if he
tol6.
while we We're talking I tried to re-
call many things to test his memory,
to prove to the attendant that the pa
tient was not SO bad as he seemed.
They kept him locked in his room all
the time. During my conversation
with the attendant he asked me about
Grandpa's relatives here. He told me
that Grandpa had told about his rela-
tons. but that he didn't believe him
When all that Grandpa had said was
verified by me, the attendant had moth
ing more to say
After awhile the attendant was call
ed from the room for minute and
while he was away, Grandpa whisper
ed to me that he couldn't live three
days longer there He begged me to
save him. Said that if he had to stav
there much longer they would kill him.
He told me that he had received blows
while he had been there that had knock
ed him fiat on the floor and that it was
with difficulty that he had regained his
breath The attendants it seems have
often struck him in the stomach COM
pletely knocking his breath from him.
Grandpa is too old to be violent He
| is simply so old that ne is childish and
there could be nothing to warrant such
| treatment.
1.-The attendant explained to me that
| he did not know how Grandpa receiv-
| ed one of the black ewes but that he
| got the other by falling out of bed. The
lack of truth of this statement was
proven aefew minutes Afterwards when
| the attendant told me he slept pair
| OF springs on the floor.
SUFFERED FROM COLD.
Then Grandpa was nearly frozen
with the cold. When he went to the
| asylum he had good woolen clothes and
| underwear. But when they brought him
| down to see me he had only some cheap
| light cottonade trousers and hickory
| shirt. Also he had no underwear and
because there was no stoves or fire in
| the building he was SO cold he shivered
| frightful1y. He told me that the night
/ before had had to walk the floor all
4 AA6 HI louS u AcGD W tI
I asked the attendant if they had no
warmth in the building and he answer
| ed that they had not: that the law did
not provide that they should have
| stoves and consequently they didn't
| have them.
Il asked him then why he didn't put
sGrandpa's' underwear on him. and he
didn't give a satisfactory answer.
| told him l would send out some under
/ wear and he answered in a grouchy
! tone that would have to send so suits.
When pressed him for an explanation
| of mis- meaning in making such a de-
| claration he didn't answer and said ne
| guessed he would have to go to dinner.
Il told him that as ] had come out to
attend to affairs. I wanted to have it
| all settled so that I would not be re-
quired to make another trip after din
ner. l wanted to see the room where
they kept Grandpa but they refused to
let me see it. wanted to make sure
he was comfortable. and / Judge that
| the room must not have been comforta-
| BILE because they refused to allow either
mgyself or rs.GoodeIl to see the room
Grandpa is alarmed for the safety
| of two other patients who are in the
building. He believes that unless some
| thing is done they will be killed. Grand
pa. is really not violent. He is old
| and feeble and childish He is insane
only in that he loses all power of re-
membrance at times. He is never vio-
| lent and would do no harm. He has
| always DeCn q 1lrlSlldu man, anu
goodhearted. always ready to do a
charitable act.
He has always had considerable
money. When he lived in Burlingame
| he was in business in partnership with
| young man. and lost nearly all he
possessed. He owns some very valuable
and rich mines in the Joplin district and
| in Montana He has not sufficient cap
ital to work them. This taken in con-
nection with the fact that his wife Gied
only shorts time ago is responsible for
his partially unbalanced mind He is
so old and feeble that he is not .caDa-
BILE of SO much worry as he seems to
have on account of his trouble.
He has only been at Bedwells for
a few days. It was only a short time
ago that he was adjudged insane by the
authorities here. He had taken a no
tiOn to come up to Topeka from Te-
cumseh to visit me and had walked all
the way when he was picked up by tn
| authorities here and adjudged insane
1t was the opinion of the authorities
that with the proper care he would be
| all right for awhile and he was SEM
to Bedwelps where everyone thought he
would receive proper care. 1t develops
however that it was worse for him thar
| it would have been had ne never beer
taken there.
Mrs Gooddell secured an order from
the court and went out to get him away
| from the place Wednesday, It was toe
late however to save him from the last
brutal treatment he received in which
he had a rib broken"
The Rhynerson and Gooddell families
are pioneers in Shawnee county and are
| Well to do and respected.
The IOWA AGROUND.