The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1911-02-21
Strange Case of Woman at
County lnfirmary, Esti-
mated Age lis Years, Still
in Good Health.
HER MIND A BLANK
BUT A GOODsRUNNER
Woman and Her Brother
Found in Woods Near Hag-
erstown When the County
Was Only Wilderness.

In the person of Mary Jane Wyle,
estimated age 115 years, Wayne coun-
ty probably has the oldest pauper in
the United States. This woman, still
in excellent health, but with her mind
an absolute blank, unable to speak a
word, has been a ward of the county
since she was about twelve years old.
In other words the "star boarder" at
the county infrmary has been a
county charge since before the organi-
zation of the county as it now is.
When nine years old Mary Jane and
her brother were found wandering
about the woods near a settlement,
now Hagerstown. Taken in by the
early settlers, she and her brother
were reared by them for few years.
After her brothers death Mary Jane
was the first inmate to be admitted to
the first county infirmary, which was
located at Hagerstown. Since 1904
she has been charitable patient 1t
is believed the woman was feeble
minded from birth.
Her Mind . Blank.
Today Mary James mind is blank.
The only things she takes any inter.
est in are two small bones, black with
age, which are, so far as the authori-
ties know. as old az she Is. This wo,
man with the head Of man, has nev.
er uttered word. or in fact sound
other than low cultural noise, much
like the. low growl of dog.
When visited Mary Jane, who is
kept in a room with Josephine Allen,
a woman of weak mind, was seated at
her table with her elbows resting on
it and from one hand to the other
she continuously shifted and trans.
ferred the two bones, stopping inter.
mittently to cross them and 60
through some other peculiar motions
Until disturbed she paid no heed to
her visitors, but then grasped the play
things in her hands tightly. and sink.
ing her hands in the folds Of her dress
put them between her knees and
pressed them as close together as pos
sible.
She was dressed in black calico
Mother Hubbard. The attendant said
she needed no assistance except in
Il NTH H11v
tending to her other small wants as
they may arise.
Was Found in 1904.
So far as the records show, the
woman has been an inmate OF the in.
firmary since it's organization. She
first was at the Hagerstown institu
tion, but was removed from there to
Centerville in 1914 when the change
in the location of the county asylum
was made. Each succeeding superin
tendent and matron of the place has
handed to their successors all that is
known about the strange woman. The
story that she and her brother were
found in 1904 and taken care of by
settlers has been accepted by all with
out question.
Two reasons are assigned, and both
accepted as plausible for explaining
her appearance at the settlement. One
is that Indians captured her and the
boy in raid on a pioneers settle
ment, and that they, probably becom
ing frightened over the weak mental
ity of the girl, either deserted them
near the settlement, or the boy and
girl were permitted to wander away
from the Indian camp. The other is
that pioneers. probably of the rough
est character, tired of attempting to
support the children, deserted them
and that starvation and exposure af
fected their minds.
The boy, so the story goes, died
when young. The woman, however
has always been exceptionally heal
thy. So far as known she has never
been i'll day in the past hundred and
six years. She now is strong in body
and walks about, when forced to &c
out for an airing, without the assist
ance OF anyone. When out, she has
to be watched continuously in order
that she will not attempt to run away
as she did a few years ago. when she
was over hundred years old Then
she proved feeter than the guards
and was not captured until she was
near Hagerstown, for which place, for
some unaccountable reason, possibly
intuition. she made as fast as she
could travel.
Mary James head, which is KEEP,
closely cropped, resembles that of a
man more than that of woman. Hel
face is not wrinkled as might be ex
pected of one of her age. Her hair
what little she is allowed to have. il
only slightly sprinkled with gray