The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-07-10
Inmate of Friendless Home
for Sixteen Months and an
Orphan Wins in Fight to
Be Declared Sane.
COURT VERY HARSH
IN GIVING CENSURE
Young Woman, He Believes,
in Her Unequal Life's Bat
tie with World, Has Never
Had Square Deal.

Addressing a pathetic appeal to
Judge H. c. Fox. of the Wayne cir
cult court in which she complained
against her enforced confinement for
the past sixteen months. won for Min
ME Stevens, an inmate of the Home
for the Friendless. the erasement OF
the stigma of imbecility which was al
legged when she entered the Home.
After reading the girls letter, deny.
ing she was mentally affected. the
court was deeply touched and not a
little indignant at those who were re-
sponsible for her confinement He
released her and informed the proba-
ton officer to find the girl a place
where she might work
Authorities believe that the charge
was sustained as much because of the
girls unattractive appearance as any.
thing else. Those responsible for the
confinement of the girl. declared she
was unruly and would run out and
grab men and ask them to marry her.
The charge was further made that she
was quarrelsome and could not be kept
any one place long for this reason.
Case Was Postponed.
The petition for her admission to
the Fort Wayne Home for Feeble
Minded was filed In April. 1910 and
the girl locked up at the Home for
the Friendless awaiting admittance to
that institution. Hearing of the petit
tion was postponed from time to time
and the girl becoming bolder as time
| went on, finally undertook to present
her own case, which she did in q very
able manner. in writing to both the
court and Mr.. French, an old man
living at Dayton, Ohio, VINO had be-
come interested in her when she was
in Dayton. after runping away from
the Home here.
Battered about from pillar to post
because she was an orphan. the girl
was confined in several institutions
| and spent most of her life in such In
stitutions. From Whites Institute
she was transferred to the Julia Works
Home at Plymouth and several times
| sent to private families. who con-
| tracted with the state authorities to
| furnish her a good home, which the
Stevens girl told the court they did not
do. She demonstrated and eft some
of these places A state agent investi-
was crazy"
| An aunt living here promised the
| authorities a few years ago she would
| furnish the girl with a home IL she
could support herself In the spring
of 1910, it was represented to the au-
thorities the girl was weak minded and
would rush out on the street after men.
whom she did not know, and ask them
to marry her. Such representations
led to the petition being filed and the
delayed hearing Of the case which kept
the girl at the Home SO long.
| Judge Fox Harsh.
Judge Fox was just little harsh
when he censured those. The did not
know who) for accusing the girl OF
being an imbecile. While at Dayton.
/ in which city she located, when she
escaped the Home last winter. she met
Mr. French and he advised her how
she might secure her freedom. On
July 3. she wrote letter to Mr..
French. AS she was about to seal It
| up she decided to first read it to
/ Sheriff Steen who told her to address
it to the court. Upon receipt of this
letter Judge Fox told the sheriff TO
bring the girl up and he would hear
/ her case. The letter which excited
/ the sympathy Of the sheriff and Judge
/ Fox is as follows:
| Richmond, Ind, July 3. 1911.
My Only Friend
| Mr.. French.
will have courage and stand all
have to bear if the Lord will bear with
me. l fully understand it all now
Please come to Richmond and see me
again Maybe you will think / have
asked too much OF you Well IL you
get Johnson for the lawyer. you can
/ get me Mr.. johnson is after the mon
j ey and he will work for ii too You
will have to get FIVE or six men and
then they will have my mind tested.
Everybody at the home wonders how
! they can hold me then The matron
feels awfully sorry for me now. She
even hated to give me your letter.
/ l wish you would come up to Rich
mond this coming Thursday and see