Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1905-04-20
CLOSING OF THE ASYLUM
In 1851 and Some War Scenes III
Fulton and Palmyra.

BY DIR. H. x. nINDE

Correspondence OF the Ledger.
The two State Asylums at Fulton
have been for years the pride Of its
citizens. The lunatie asylum is the
largest building In the State. An i'm
mense amount OF money has been
spent In grading and ornamenting the
grounds. II was located Oh this spot
in order TO take advantage Of the bill
back OF the building for water reser-
voir. Thousands and thousands Of
dollars were spent on this reservoir
The water was pumped into 1t from
Stinson creek three quarters Of a mile
away. In those early years artesian
wells seem not to have been thought
lof. When | went there there we're
but few shade trees about the build
ling. Isuperintended the planting Of
most Of the trees, going with the att
tendants and patients to the woods
and selecting the trees Before the
war came on we had q beautiful
growth Of shade trees coming ON all
over the grounds. These were entirely
destroyed by the cavalry horses during
the war the buildings and ground
being occupied by Federal troops,
The beautiful trees that now orna-
ment the grounds were placed there
since the war, and it is the growth OF
these trees that indicates to me the
lapse OF time. As In the old city OF
Mexico the Paseo, the grand drive
way from the heart of the city to the
palace OF Chapultepec, is the pride of
Mexicans, so this beautiful driveway
around the asylum grounds is now the
pride and Joy Of those Fulton people.
/ have not been In the building for a
long time, but as | occasionally visit
the city aud drive around this beauti-
full Paseo, extending around the en-
tire group Of buildings, what memories
are awakened and how like dream it
seems to me, as one by one incidents
Of the bygone years come trooping
through the mind. How long ago, alb,
lhow long ago, it seems since a mere
youth, first entered those halls and
took up the duties of a fifteen years
Iservice aggregatlng thousands Of miles
in my daily walks through that vast
building.
What varied experience came to me
in those long years. When / permit
lmy mind to run back through these
asylum experiences and on back to my
Kentucky childhood it seems to me a
lcentury ago since l was child, and
this is the explanation: The awful
war that intervened. And here from
this standpoint, was my first view Of
the war. Gen. McIntire, Of our city
of Mexico, was then a student In West
Minister College, and quite a young
man. The company he formed and
thrilled upon these asylum grounds was
the first sign of war that came under
my observation. Very soon after this
came the skirmish out ON the Jeffer-
son City road, near the Oyerton farm,
between Col. Mcneil, with his Ger
man regiment, and Gen. Harris Of
Hannibal, and his Missouri bushwhack-
ers. This was Bull Run affair on a
small scale. DR.. Bailey, friend Of
mine from Palmyra, bad his horse ac-
lcidentally shot and in the retreat was
Ileft q foot to shift for himself as best
lhe could. Knowing was at the asy-
Hum, and supposing that | was In sem
timent a rebel, he came to me for hid
ling. When Mcneil and bis men came
to town and came out to the asylum
grounds for drilling, DR.. Bailey sat in
my window and watched the perform
ance with much interest. When night
came on I loaned him my horse and he
made his escape and Joined the re-
treating cavalry. This was my first and
only disloyal act against the govern
ment, and to that extent / aided and
abetted the rebellion. Bu. got my
horse back. These we're stormy and ex-
citing times the fall of 1851. Jackson
land his legislature having Withdrawn
south, the appropriations were cut
of, and nothing was left for us asylum
folks TO do but to close up, scattering
our patients to their various homes
over the State. Many of them were
put on the county farms and in the
county jails, and In some cases actu-
lally turned loose on the community,
there being no one to take charge of
them. 1t fell to my lot to take a
squad of patients to southeast Mis-
lsouri, dropping them at various points
on the road till l got as far as the
town of jackson. / shall never for
get my visit to this town and the de-
livery of my patient, William Henry
Walker. He had a farm near jack
son and q large number of negroes.
i When / reached the farm l found no
| body there but the negroes, and l de-
lllvered Col. Walker into their hands.
He was the happiest man | ever saw
lat the idea of getting home and seeing
'lDO YOU GET UP