The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1903-04-24
SAD CASE OF MOTHER ~
TILE CHILDREN
GOES DAYS WITHOUT FOOD
Woman Becoming Separated from
Husband Made Partially insane
Through Worry

From Wednesdays Daily Gazette.
Among this mornings arrivals from
the west vas Sheriff Quinn Of Butte
who was in charge of a woman and
four children, whom he was taking to
Bridger, to restore them to the II
band and father, from whom thew had
become separated in a sad manner.
The case of the quintette was pe-
culiarly distressing and appealed
strongly to the sheriff, accustomed as
he is to seeing distress ana sorrow
in almost every form. Worry and
fear had e., worked o.. the mother
that her mind had become partly de-
ranged and while waiting to be trans
ferred onto the train that was to take
her to her destination she covered
and crouched in a seat in the women's
waiting o and with wild eyes main
tanned watch owe her little n fear
full lest some harm should come to
them. Apparently frightened at the
conduct of their mother and with the
timidity natural to children when
amidst strange surroundings, they
chung to her rs though to shield her
and themselves from danger and re-
fused to pay heed to any one that
spoke to them. ,,. e..
To The Gazette Mr.. Quinn said that
the woman's name was Kelsy. Sew
eral days ago she arrived at Butte
with her children, en- route to Bridger
from some point in Oregon. Her hus-
band and two other children were on
board of a freight train, riding in a
car of horses the man was shipping.
Not accustomed to travelling and
speaking no English, Mrs. Kelsy and
the children who were with her got
off the train, sne thinking tha.. they
had arrived at B:idgcr. She found
her way up town ana began to wander
found by a policeman and taken to
the station. There they were pro-
vided with lodgings and as she could
not tell where she was going and
being without means, the county COM
missiOners were appealed to and they
ordered the strangers sent to the
poor house. Here it was learned
that she wanted to go to Bridger and
communication was established with
that place with the hope OF ascertain
ing something concerning her rela-
tons.
Meantime the husband had arrived
there and not finding his wife and
children he began to make inquiries
and sent a couple of kilograms to
Butte. Being informed of his wife's
presence there and of the safety OF the
children, he asked that they be put
onto a train and sent to him. Because
of the mental condition in which the
woman was and the youthfulness OF
the children, the commissioners in
structed Sheriff Quinn to take them
in charge and deliver them to the
man, being afraid to let them travel
alone.
Mr.. Quinn said that the woman had
refused to eat anything since she
arrived at Butte and had also refused
to let the children partake Of food.
She was laboring under the delusion
that those about her wanted to poison
her and the little ones, n of whom
was still at her breast. Thinking
that she might be induced to eat on
the train, Mr.. Quinn provided a large
hamper OF food, but the woman would
not touch a morsel Of it, neither would
she permit any OF the children to do
so. Last night at Livingston the kind
hearted sheriff bought a quantity OF
milk, which he offered to her, but
without success. Finally she fell into
a troubled sleep and Mr.. Quinn gave
the larger of the children some of
the lunch and also fed the babe with
milk. This was all any of them had
tc eat for days. Just before the
Bridger train left she consented to
| permit the two smaller children to
eat an apple. given to them by the
sheriff and they devoured the fruit
ravenously.
Aside from her hallucination regard
ing poison the woman apparently was
OF sound mind and tractably did what
V she was told to do by her GUS
todian. Mr.. Quinn believed that when
restored to her husband and with
proper food and rest she would soon
| racouar hor normal mental condition