The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-06-17
DAMAGED GOODS
The Sensational PhOtOplay Is
Duplicated in Topeka.
The Actual Features Developed
in Real Life.
TRAIL OF DEATH And RUIN
Left by a Young Soldier Of the
L. $. Army.
Now He Is Gone and Nobody
Knows Whittier.

Disease, insanity and death stalked
With Ed Goss, a Spanish-American
war veteran, when he returned to To-
peka from the Philippine Islands HAD
he been the mark of Filipino oul-
let. the pitiful and sickeninS story
pieced out in probate court today
could not have been told.
sBut Goss was not struck by bul-
let He came out of the army un-
seothed but he brought home with
him loathsome disease that mas
completely wrecked two households
1T has caused one death after seven
years of suffering 1t added one more
To- the number of women in the To-
E,sRa state hospital. 1t made a mem
tai.defective of an innocent child Ana
itMrecked the fortune of the man VINO
paid the bills.
-"Damaged Goods the motion pic
tiire upon which thousands of dollars
were spent in the making, in order
Ia point a moral has nothing on TINS
true story which is being lived here in
Topeka-being lived. for the end IS
not yet.
The finding today that Mrs. L. M
James of 1913 Leland street is insane
and must go to the state hospital ls
only an incident in the trail of trou-
bic left by Goss. but it is the incident
ttttt made the story public.
When Goss came to Topeka he met
the stepdaughter of J. w James, who
nov lives at 425 Ohio avenue He was
a dashing young fellow, and. fresh
from service in the Philippine Islands,
he appealed to the young girl After
courtship they were married.
The First Baby.
Eleven RS ago the first baby was
born. The child was a weakling. The
mother did not recover so rapidly as
was expected. Physicians were called
and it was found that she was suffer-
ing from a loathsome disease. The
nod nd diSCnX-
cred that it had inherited the disease.
The father. Goss. disappeared.
The mother of the sick wife assum-
ed the care of the sick baby. She
knew of its physical condition out II
was her daughters child and she was
not afraid But there came a time
when a sore developed on her hand
She learned then that through a cut
on her finger she had been infected
while caring for the baby.
The case of the grandmother de-
veloped rapidly. For three years she
suffered through the primary stages.
then locomotor ataxia developed and
for four years more she occupied an
invalid's chair. Death eventually re-
leased her from pain.
The mother of the child, GoSS' wife
now known as Mrs. James, pal TALLY
regained her health. She was able to
care for her mother during the last
years Her step-father gave her his
own nome TOT L1dt ScINlGG- oAtt SiiV
has been going down hill year by
year and now the disease has reached
her brain.
She Has HallucinatiOns.
She is subject to Authorizations. She
imagines the wheels of the ice wagon
as il passes her house sings the same
song the robin sings She believes
there are vile spirits hiding behind
the wall paper and the walls of her
home are stripped bare Lace cur
tains were torn down for the same
reason
The Kings, welfare workers. inves-
tigated her case and learned the facts
Today the broken woman and her
mentally defective boy were in the
probate court-the mother to be tried
for her sanity and the boy to begin
series OF shifts from one place to an
other. There is 70 place for him. Mrs.
James is only 81 years of age but she
looks like woman of 60. Friends
say that fifteen short years have made
of her what she is; that little more
than a dozen years ago she was a
beautiful and healthy young woman.
She still has the profile of hand
some woman but her skin is patched
and wrinkled and her eyes have in
sane glitter.
Mrs. James is not insane at all
times, and during the sane intervals
she realizes her condition and wants
treatment. And during those inter-
walls in spite of the penalty she and
hers have paid, she declares she still
loves GOss
Boy Mentally Weak.
The boy. James Wilbert James,
adopted by the WOman's stepfathcr, is
MOI longer a physical weakling. But
his system has been doped with heavy
drugs for eleven years and his brain
cells have not developed properly. He
cannot get on in school, He is not
feeole-minded to the extent that he
would be admitted to the state insti-
tUrpn at Winfield. And because of
the fear of infection. although physi-
clans say there is no danger. no or
phans home wants him.
he went home with his adopted
father today because there is no place
else TO go. He was denied at birth the
riShtful heritage of a boy and his fu-
tuf'e is shrouded in darkness.
@oss? No one knows where he is
After sowing a field of trouble here he
disappeared. He may be dead. But
the wife homes She hOnaS ba