Year: 1867

~


10 which attention has thus been drawn,
the following have been ELECTED;


About fourteen years ago .. young
woman named Janet Campbell, a ma
tive Of the village Of Reay, and then
about twenty years Of age, was a domes-
tic servant in Edinburgh. Cholera was
raging there at the time, and, whether
from predisposing causes or the excite
ment occasioned by an overwhelming
dread of the terrible disease, the poor
girl became seriously injured in health
and a prey TO morbid melancholy. Az
last she disappeared from her place, and
made her way home alone 10 Caithness.
On her return to her friends 1t was evl..
dent that her intellect was deranged, and
she soon became so violent that u was
found necessary to confine her In
straight Jacket Her clothes we're torn
10 pieces and, at last, after she had been
about two years in this condition, she
was shut up in a small room, destitute oil
furniture, miserably lighted and worse
ventilated, and in that room she has
now been imprisoned for about dozen
years.


Her mother and sister with whom she
lives, are poor people, occupying small
plat of ground and keeping enc cow, and
have barely the means Of eking out q
scanty subsistence for themselves and
her. From ignorance and feeling oil
mistaken kindness they have hitherto re-
sisted all attempts at interference IN
behalf Of the creature whom they thus
| immured, and, several years ago when
! the parochial authorities offered to place
her in an asylum for proper care and
treatment they positively refused to give
consent. So great is their reluctance to
entertain the idea of her removal that
they have not only kept her entirely out
of sight, bu. the very existence OF the
wretched prisoner has almost faded out
of mind, and many Of their neighbors in
the village were entirely ignorant OF the
fact of her being confined there at all;
When visited recently she was found
crouching stark naked on the bottom OF
| a boz. bed in the room in which she had
spent her miserable captivity of dozen
years, seven or eight OF these in almost
absolute darkness, as we'll as absolute
nudity.


About eight years ago the windows OF
the room in which she is confined were
built up with stone and lime, and since
that time the only light that the wretched
creature has seen has been admitted by
small sliding panel in the roof only
occasionally opened, as it can be reached
with difficulty. The room contained no
furniture except the old box bed, on
which she squatted more like q Gagged
wild beast than human creature. Her
guardians admit that she has been naked
for about eight years. Her hair is felted
on the scalp, and has not been combed
| for many years. 1t is impossible to de-
scribe the appearance it presents. When
the tattered and filthy blanket that was
on the bed was removed, the mass Of rot.
tenness beneath can only be described
as dung heap. On. this she crouched
night and day, except when she crept to
the fire for a little warmth. Crawling is the
only term to describe her manner of 10.
comotion, as from long confinement and
disuse the muscles of her legs have be-
come incapable of exercise, and the legs
are bent together and permanently stiff
fened.


Such is a brief outline of the condition
of the poor creature-a woman yet
young and by no means so greatly
wasted as her long confinement would
lead one to suppose--a human creature
who has endured an imprisonment OF
twelve years, and who for seven or
eight years has neither been in the open
air nor seen full daylight, and has lived
for that time without being properly
cleaned. The case was made the subject
of judicial investigation on Thursday
last, in a petition to the sheriff for the
removal of the lunatic TO an asylum.
The petition was at the instance of the
Commissioners of Lunscy After hear.
ing the evidence, Sheriff Russell said
that he had no difficulty whatever in
agreeing to the prayer OF the petition,
and Immediately issued an interlocutor
ordering the removal of the woman to
Montrose Asylum as soon as possible,
and finding the mother liable to the ex'
penses of the process.