The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-09
LETTERS THE INSANE WRITE.
GLIWPSES or TINE HELD Up VAL
or iSILJ'HS.

State insane hospitals Is the reading OF
the great mass Of letters turned In to the
superintendents offices every day 10y the
patients. said an alienist Of this city. 1t
doc, 5eem pity sometimes that the hospital
rule makes II necessary TO hold p these
letter.
TO any one but an expert. some - them
appear to he written by persons as zane as
you or l. The lunacy law, however. says
that patients shall be- permitted 70 write
only to the county judge or district attorney
OF their home county. the State Commission
In Lunacy a Supreme Court Judge or the
Governor. All the letters otherwise ad-
dressed are read by tho superintendent
OF the hospital and are finally sent 70 the
Lunacy Commission.
i know OF two cases in which such letters
we're not held up. and considerable con-
fusion resulted from each for a time al
though in one instance a very serious situa-
ton eventually turned out for the best.
In the arly EOS when DR. John W. Chaplin.
now head Of the Pennsylvania Hospital
/ for the Insane, was superintendent Of the
Willard State Hospital. a harmless Danish
. woman who had become possessed Of de-
/ l~ions Of grandeur and great wealth while
she was employed as a servant in an up
State family, wa, sent to the institution
She Immediately began writing volumnous
letters 10 her brother in Denmark. and in
a short time we had quite a collection Of
them
/ As vehad no other Danes in the hospital
and the patient herself stoutly refused TO
translate them. We hadn't the remotest
idea % their contents. One day we cap
tured letter which seemed to he shorter
than the rest and DR. Chaplin, with kindly
feeling FOR the brother in Denmark who
was probably worried about his sisters
long silence, concluded that il wouldn't
do any harm to mail this one letter
We thought nothing more Of the incident
until the following winter. when the man
and woman. manifestly immigrants,
and accompanied by two half grown
daughters and a little towheaded son.
braved a severe snowstorm one night
and walked two miles TO the hospital from
the railroad station None Of the family
but the boy could speak a word Of English,
but he quickly produced the harmless
appearing letter that We had sent TO Den
mark few months before. and explained
that the family had come TO share his
aunt's castle and to live in luxury by
means Of her great wealth for the rest Of
their days.
Then for the first time we got trans
lation Of the letter. II turned out that the
woman had written 20 her brother to sell
his little farm in Denmark at once and
come to America to enjoy her sudden
prosperity.
The Danish farmer had heard other
ia ,es 81 great riches in America, which
led him TO accept his sisters letter al It's
face value.
-Decming himself responsible for the |
plight Of the little family, Dr. Chaplin found |
work in the institution for all but the young /
interpreter, and took personal charge OF I
his education That little towheaded !
Dane is one Of the leading merchants in a
nearby college town to-day, and is well /
to do. His father makes a comfortable !
living as a shoemaker in Willard, and his .
sisters are happily married. None Of the .
family regrets that the letter was sent.
Not 20 very long ago one Of the pa
tents at Willard was New York lawyer
whose name. il ! mentioned IT, would be
recognized by many. He had an exceed
ingly active brain, and il didn't take him
long to learn that his letters were being
oonfscated.
Finally he wrote a letter 10 the Post
TnasteT-NfeDe raj COtnpAlnlng mat MS mai :
was being intercepted and had II mailed
by a visiting friend He was shrewd
enough not TO mention that he was believed
to he insane
a Post OHce inspector was sent TO viii
lard at once. and the postma steT, who
was the leading Republican politician in
the neighborhood, and boasted Of his good
reputation. was put under strict suTvei-
lance. The inspector spent two unproft-
able weeks sending himself decoy letters,
but all turned up safely.
Finally the inspector went TO the super
intendent Of the hospital TO inquire II he
had had any trouble with his mail. When
the inspector told about the complaint
the institution. and found out just who
had tempered with his mail. An exceed
ingly angry inspector hurriedly left town
before the postmaster could learn that he
had been watched.
Here is one letter that have preserved,
which for terseness and eXpressiveness
| do not think could be eXcelled, even by
sane writer:
I write you ! am Moses You must get
me out Of here, or will attend TO II a. have
return mail 500 900. 900. a large dry goods
box Of fine cut and plug, and another box
pr gold Watches. groceries, goods, clothes,
books and all things. aud write 20 the keeper
TO send me home. MosEs.
Most Of the letters addressed to the
P Postmaster General never reach him, This
Il an extract from one that didn't,
= am a citizen Of this country and am
iu this place intended for de-
ucutod people by a mistaken notion OF my
wife. She has been made the instrument
" interruptions politicians to get me out
n their way. and every letter seut by you
delivered here for me is opened by the
manager
Does the United States enact special le vs.
or any ole or no onel 7 think n I could be
ieputized az a United States detective for the
Post once Department 20 look into the trans
ictious Of these institutions ! can give the
'odntry a surprise undreHmed Of ] am 90
'ears past, and know what | am writing
bout IL IL not the salary ] am seeking 80
much as Justice for an imposed upon public.
The writer apparently spread the news
hat he had been appointed TO the ofIice he
uggested, for II wasn't long before this
etter appeared:
BROTHER JAMES. ! have got a United |
states detective here with me now, and we | ,
viii make IT, hot for Willard. We viii show |
hem what Pinkerton's men can do. You |
nov used TO belong 70 the Pinkerton force
n Chicago,
Here are a series Of letters that came
N the same sheet, addressed 70 different !
ranches Of the Government at Washing
on: !
Hon. Anorn " zen erdi McKeHHd.
Having noticed your probable retire. '