Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1905-05-04
FURTHER INCIDENTS I'm ASYLUM
An Embarrassing Situation-Lunatics
Easier Of Control Than College
Girls

BY DIR. H. X. aINDE.

BY DIR. II. X. HINDE.
Correspondence OF the Ledger.
In this same church and In thii
same pen, TO which l referred In my
last letter, another thing happened
and this time the joke was on myself
Dr. Fisher was the preacher, substitu
ting for our absent pastor. He did
not understand the Methodist order OF
service and got things a little mixed
Standing In singing, and coming to
the place at the end OF the song
where we were accustomed TO pray,
down went on my Methodist knees,
lsupposing the rest were doing like.
wise, and that the preacher was going
10 pray. All was very quiet aud sol.
emn, but listening attentiyely. soon
discovered that the preacher was not
praying, but reading the scripture les
son. Raising my head cautiously
and looking around, 1 found that
was the only one Of the audience In
that deyout attitudel And here again
l leave my readers in imagination to
fill out the picture OF how | got of my
knees and crawled up into my seat
Yes DR.. Fisher heard from me you
may be sure, and after that prayed at
the right time In Methodist service.
The second assistant physicians az
ter the war up TO the time Of my leav-
ing, were De- W. W. Macfarlane and
DR.. T. A. Howard. Before the war,
Or. Macfarlane was for sometime our
druggist, Our association as physi-
Clans in the asylum was long and inti-
mate, and the relation between our
wives was close and cordial. The
long changing years have brought US
together again here in Mexico, and as
we often sit and live over our asylum
days In talk, sweet are some of the
memories that come back to u.s. 1t is
pleasant for us to remember that, dur
Ing this long and most intimate asso-
citation, nothing ever occurred to mar
the harmony Of our intercourse, and
to feel that the friendship and attach
ment then formed shall have no end.
Death may soon sever our intercourse
for awhile here, but it will be renewed
again In the new life where we shall
join the loved ones gone before. My
relations with DR.. Howard were al
ways pleasant and cordial. For a
short time after the war he was super
intendent Of the asylum. His daugh-
ter, Miss Emma, afterwards Mrs.
Nesbil, was lovely young woman
and added much to our social life In
the asylum. Some of the fondest re-
membranes Df those happy days are
associated with my visit to the "Cen-
tennial' at Philadelphia, when / had
In charge three women: Mrs. Hinde,
Mrs. Thornhill and Miss Emma How
ard. Since then l have attended three
other great Worlds Fairs: Chicago;
Paris, France; and st. Louis; and |
don't care to see any more great fairs. |
The name Of one other dear friend |
at the asylum, have not mentioned
Mrs. Mckinney, matron, good wo-
man and faithful officer, long since
passed to her rest
In every insane osylum there is nee
essarily much Of interest that must
ever remain unwritten history. There
Is no more deserving class Of people
than the faithful attendants or nurses
Of those institutions. Their duties
are very trying, and difficult, and call
for the greatest patience, forbearance
and self-sacrltice. l would not dare
attempt to call the names Of the many |
deserving ones whom / have known in
this relation. For many years have
known some Of these faithful ones to
stand at the post of duty, rendering
a kind and devoted service to the un-
fortunate ones committed to their
care, that will entitle them to a very
high place of reward, "when the roll
is called up yonder." The greatest
reward to all such is the fact that the
beneficiaries of their kindness will
never forget their deeds Of love and
some day will make full acknowledg- |
ment OF them; aud the Master him
self will say; "Inasmuch as ye did it |
unto the least of these my brethren, ye |
did 1t unto me-" The temptation
comes to me, before concluding these
papers, to refer to few more of the
old time patients, whose peculiarities
and deluslons made them especially
interesting to us all. Many Of the old
citizens, OF Fulton, will remember
Hugh Hunter, the first patient ad-
mitted and one Of the most prominent
members Of our asylum family. He
was one OF the happiest types Of insan-
ity. He regarded himself as next in
importance and authority to DR..
Smith, He had stores OF mineral
wealth laid up in many places, and
was the very picture OF self-satisfac-
tion. He had the right Of way and
went when and where he pleased,
spending much Of his time over in
town. His incoherency was wonder
full. only wish l could repeat verba-
tim some Of bis sentences They we're
a jinkle OF big words strung together
without the possibility of any related
Interpretation. Here is fair sample:
1.-THE superiluitles Of considerations
OF mystic congenialities that revolve
around the polar axes Of the earth's
ransupenuated revolutions, are like
the eongeries Of OSCILLATIONS that
conglomerate about the sublerancan
evolutions Of the moons peregrinations
WHY DOES