New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-01-11
1CTRESS GOES INSANE.
Spent Night IN Chamber of Horrors
on Bet.

The young woman who was brought to the
house of Dr. Thomas NJ. Acken No. 267 West
45th-st, at 3 O'Clock yesterday morning, suffer-
ing from loss OF memory and in an hysterical
condition, by two unknown men, who left be-
fore DR.. Acken could get their addresses was
identified last night by J. p. CaIIam, stage man
ager of 1.-The Babes and the Baron" at the
Lyric Theatre. Callarn says she is Miss Mabel
Wilbur who plays Will Scarlet in 1.-THE Babes
and the Baron Though nothing positive can
be known until she RECEIVERS her speech and
memory, it is believed certain that her present
mental condition was brought about by trying
to spend Tuesday night in the chamber of hor-
at the Eden Musee 1t is said she did this
on a wager made with the stage manager. A
young woman was found at 1870 yesterday
morning in the chamber of horrors by the
watchman and elected. He could not identify
her. but believes that she and Miss Wilbur are
the same person. The two strange men who
took her to DR.. Acken's office two hours later
because they said. they found card in her
purse with the doctors address, declared they
picked her up wandering in a dazed condition
through the streets.
1t is said the wager was brought about by a
mouse walking out on the stage Tuesday even
ing. Miss Wilbur screamed, and the stage
manager reprimanded her severely, saying she
might have caused a panic in the audience by
her ''cowardly' act. She resented the word
..cowardly," and a wordy argument followed.
The stage manager finally dared her to spend
the night in the Chamber of Horrors, to test
her courage. She agreed to accept the wager.
The stage manager did not believe that she
would But when she did not appear for the
second act and was not present at the matinee
yesterday the manager began to get uneasy. It
did not occur to him, however, that the girl
taken to DR.. Acker's as was reported In the
evening papers. might be Miss Wilbur, until in
formation was obtained from the Eden Musee
that a woman had been elected from there late
the night before. Then Mr.. Callam and Chan
ming Pollock went TO DR.. Acker's.
The girl was still in bed. unable to speak ex-
cept to say yes or no" and still mentally
hazy But she visibly frightened when Mr..
CaIlam entered. He identified her Miss Viii
bur Her mother. who lives with her at No. 401
4th-ave was Informed, and the girl was taken
home in a carriage.
DR.. Acken said last night that she would
probably recover. She was not under the in
fuence of any drug. nor Of alcohol, he said,
when she was brought to his Office. or he should
have sent her to a hospital at once and reported
the case to the police. Her condition was
caused he said. evidently by some great ner-
vous shock. He said she a girl Of high
strung, nervous temperament.
DR.. Ackens account of the men who brought
her to him Is not clear. His bell rang at 3
o'clock on Tuesday morning, he says. and, on
going to the door, two men. dressed in auto
mobile Clothes pushed the girl into his Office
They said they had found her wandering in the
streets and brought her TO him because his ad-
dress the only one in her pocketbook- He
saws they promised to call in the morning, and
left hurriedly, he thinks. in an automobile He
called a nurse and another doctor, and when
they had Gained the girl and put her to bed,
Yesterday morning; as the two did not ap
pear, and the girl could not give her name. Dr.
AcBen sent word to the West 47th-st. police
1t is the doctors theory that the men left
hastily. in order not to be connected with the
case. the nature of which they did not know.
Their statement that they picked her up wan
dering in the streets, he credits. saying that for
a girl of her temperament to be locked up at
night alone in any building would be sufficient
to cause the unbalanced mental condition in
which she was found.