The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-01-31
J-O-O-O-O-O-O O-7O-O-O-OR1
}SavedFrorn
} Madhouse
J How Gni Discovered Plot and /,
Defeated It.
) BY DAISY wINsLoW.
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
By DAISY wINsLow.
Copyright. 1910, by American Press
Association.

~ Association.
| o-O-O-O-O-O-OO-O 90
How | saved Herbert and brought
him out with strong brain and In s'.v-
cry way physically sound Is SO strange
a case that it should be placed In writ
ing before forget any of the details.
| do not mean that did the thinking
and the planning that saved him, but
that had it not been for me no think
ing or planning would ever have been
done and Herbert would have died
under the strain or lived a lifetime
In a madhouse.
Herbert and ! were first playmates,
then schoolmates; then the status be-
tween US was that of strong friend
ship between very young man and
very young woman. His mother, q
rich widow. from the first disapproved
of our intimacy. for her son would In
herit her vast estate, while had
nothing. But neither Herbert nor |
at that time thought of marriage.
When he was eighteen his mother
died, leaving him all her property to
i NC Po4o ~ MN " ACn nc OSCdAG Ol
age. His brother, Edgar Holt. was APP
pointed executor of the estate and
Herbert's guardian There were 9TH
| er features of the will which had we
known earlier would have saved Her.
bert deal of suffering Not knowing
them. we were working in the dark.
Mr.. Holt. an old bachelor. on the
| nf 10 tote
his ward. taking personal care OF him.
| could not see any necessity for this,
for Herbert was at an age when he
should have been at college. Yet this
uncle kept him at home, doing moth
ing. asked Herbert why he assentedl
to this. and he said it was better fol.
him not to antagonize his uncle till
after he had attained his majority.
Some time after Mrs. Torry's death
Herbert sent me note asking me to
come and see him. He gave no reason
for the request; but, thinking he might
be III, | went at once was taken
by the housekeeper to a suit of rooms
he occupied and found him lying on a
lounge, the picture Of dependency.
"Why. Herbert" | exclaimed. what
Is the matter?'
Il don't know" he said mournfully.
| Never had l seen such a change In
any one in so short space of time
l had been with him a week before,
and he was then perfectly well. Now
he seemed to have gone far on the
way to become nervous wreck.
what singularly decorated room!
l said to him after he had told me
about himself The wall paper was
purple, and the shades and curtains to
the windows were red There was
something in the colors or combination
Of colors that made me feel strange
nervousness.
"Uncle Edgar had my rooms redec-
Grated while ! was away recently
How do you like the paperT
| II don't like II at ALL" replied.
l encouraged Herbert as well as I
could and when | left promised to re-
turn soon. | went straight to our own
family physician. DR.. Willard, and told
him all about Herbert's case. Incl
dentally l mentioned the decoration Of
his rooms.
"Get him out of that at once" said
the doctor.
why sol"
Because II he lives surrounded with
those colors and none other for a
month he'll be a maniac"
sent a note to Herbert the same
evening telling him that the doctor
had recommended other rooms for
him, and the next afternoon | went
to see him. | found him where had
left him the day before. | asked him
why he had not moved. and he said
his uncle had declared DIR. lMillard's
statement to be nonsense. begged
Herbert to do as asked him. but be
did not seem to have the power to re-
sist his uncle.
l was very much distressed when
left him. not knowing what to do. On
the stairs met Mr.. Holt. He stopped
me and said:
my nephew is under my guardian
ship till be- comes of age. You will
obiige me by not coming here again
to make him dissatisfied with arrange
ments | have made for him. His
mother warned me against your de-
signs to get him and bis property"
In rage went out of the house
vowing never to enter 1t again. But
had not been gone ten minutes
before a suspicion came into my head
that the man was trying to kill Her.
bert by keeping him under the infu-
ence Of these coIors. Going to DR.. Mil
lard, told him Of what had happened.
go to the inheritance court" he
said, land ask them to show you Mrs.
Torry's will Then we will know what
to do next
l did as he advised. was shown the
will and discovered that in the event
Of Herbert's death his estate would
all go to Edgar Holt
The discovery filled me with horror.
But now since | knew that the execu-
tor had motive for getting his neph-
ew out of lis way / hoped that 1
might defeat his purpose. | saw his
plan. There was no necessity for him
to murder Herbert with the risk of
discovery. His object was to make
a hopeless lunatic of him. which would
give the executor continued control Of
the estate till his wards death, when
he would inherit it. returned TO
DR.. Willard. who, after had told him
of my discovery. sat thinking for a
time before he spoke.
cts a very plain case to u.s." he
said at last. but very difficult one
to handle. ! have never heard or read
of so willy plan to rob an heir Of an
estate. While the damage is being
done there is no way to get the boy
out Of his uncle's hands After it is
done there is no way of convincing a
jury of the perpetrators guilt"
| was in agony at hearing the doctor
say this and begged him to try to think
of some way OF preventing poor Her
bert from being made maniac.
"I'll try be said. but can't as vet
see any method likely to succeed
Heirs have been kept in lunatic asy
lums before this who have been in
perfect mental condition. That's an
old story. Here is a case where a
man is to be made really mad without
any one being able to get him out of
his prosecutors clutches. The law is
slow, and 1t will require but month
to drive the subject hopelessly insane
Besides. understand that nearly one
half of that time has been spent"
"Great heavensr' exclaimed. 1--WE
have only fortnight"
LESS than that In fortnight the
case will be hopeless Even now we
can get no help from the patient him
self He Ia too far Srnr,o 600 h11f