Year: 1874

pare them for a new entrance into the


world. A green and shady court adjoins
the hall of this ward, and the door be-


tween Is not closed during the day; the
windows of their rooms, which are on the
! ground floor, look out on the walk most


usually traversed by visitors, and their
prison life is made as light as possible.


After a glance at the library--the Gus
todian of which is patient, who in
| formed the reporter that few books but
| novels, magazines, and illustrated works


we're in demand-the Chronicle man re-
turned to the office, where he found Dr.
Shurtlef ready to attend him through
the female department, the inmates of


which numbered, on May I, 343. Posted
conspicuously over the doors is the notice,


Male visitors not admitted" q rule
| strictly adhered to, except in the case of


those who have relatives there, when they


can see them in one of the many recep-
| tion-rooms.


This entire department is presided
| over by matron, whose only superior
officer Is the Superintendent. She has
| in each ward two assistants. whose duties


are the same as those in the mems de-
partment. In the first or receiving ward


the reporter visited the room of one
who, in the five years she had passed
lHcIG, mas tIlplOycu all HtT tllut III TIC
| adornment of her apartment With en-
cravings and colored prints from maya


zines, with many-hued paper and water
color paints she has decked her room
with almost every device under the sun,
showing in many of her groupings taste


and rare ingenuity She is always glad


to see. visitors, and spoke in pleased


way of the Sunday-school people who
visited her the day before, saying "They
brought good spirits with them" Stand
ing behind the door was a middle-aged
woman who would no sooner catch the


eye of the stranger than she would drop


profound courtesy; she seemed TO shun
| observation, and the moment one looked
| at her she made the old-fashioned
obeisance in a timid, deprecatory man


ner. Far different was the low and not


ungraceful sweep of the head of one


who, with a vacant smile, saluted the


visitor. She was seated on


bed in her room in precisely the
same attitude as the day before.


Her feet, bound together, rested on


chair, and her leather-muffled hands


were in her lap as she slowly bent her


body backward and forward in time with


the never-varying tune she was humming.
| Afterward piercing shrieks were heard


from her room, and the reporter was in
formed that it would be necessary to keep


her in bonds to prevent her from denud-


ing herself To all of the patients the
Superintendent had some pleasant or


cheering words to say, in this ward, and,


with one exception, relevant replies were
given. The exception was woman in


strait:jacket necessary to restrain her
from tearing her clothes to tatters), whose


only reply to his inquiries was the most
| savage Vengeful smile the reporter ever


saw on the face of a human being. The


reporter afterward saw this patient at


dinner, where she was fed by an attend


ant, and as she looked up. she had still


that vindictive expression. A sad, dis


tressed-looking woman who was only ad-


mitted the night before was kindly ad-


dressed by the doctor, and in hesitating,


broken words she tried to tell him where


her home was.