Year: 1870




From the Springfield, ILL.,, Register.


In fourishing city, near here, there re-
sides family of high social position and
wealth, which is blessed with daughter,
nineteen years Of age. This young lady
with credit last June, and returned to her
home. Almost Immediately she made the
acquain tance of young widower of her
native town, and fell deeply in owe
with him. It is due to the gen.
tleman to say that be did not en-
courage in any manner this sudden pas
sion. The infatuation of the young lady
was SO great that she took no pains to con-
ceal it, and upon being demonstrated with
by her family, she boldly persisted in
avowing her love. At the solicitation of
her friends, the gentleman had an inter-
view with her in the presence of her moth
or, and represented to her, in the most
gentle and respectful manner, that her
passion could not be returned, and beg
ging her to abandon 1t for her own sake
and the credit of the family, of which he
was close friend. In this interview the
gentleman unfortunately announced that
ne was soon to be married to another lady.
At this the young lady became furious,
and exhibited state of feeling which re-
suited in complete alteration of mind.


A physician was at once called, and
after few days of treatment at her home,
it was found necessary to send her to the
State Asylum for the Insane. This was
accordingly done. The poor girl, who
had SO recently exhibited an unusually
active and brilliant mind, was now COM
plete wreck, and alternated between fits of
the deepest melancholy, during which she
no,11I ,n{h hoS S,,1, -, l.
of frenzy, during which she had to be PIN
ioned, lest she should do herself harm.
This was her condition in the asylum,
were abandoned, when suddenly she
disappeared. During the third week in
A gust, she in company with number of
otter patients, was in the grounds of the
asylum, taking air and exercise, and when
the others returned to tho house, she was
missing. Search was Immediately made,
but without success, and though the off,
GERS of the institution and her now doubly
afflicted family spared no pains to find her,
she WAS as completely lost as if the ground
had swallowed her up. Six weeks passed,
and, as suddenly as she had disap ppeared,
she reappeared one rainy evening, after
dark, at the doors of the asylum, and was
Immediately taken in. 75l H # s


The establishment created by her appear
ance, alone and in the night, was doubled
when she was found to be perfectly sane
and in complete bodily health. Her story
was soon told. She could remember moth
ing, except that she found herself the day
before in the woods, alone, with her
clothing in tatters, and herself raverously
hungry. She made for the nearest road,
and, by inquiring her way ana walking all
night and all next day. arrived at the
asylum safely. 1t being quite apparent
that she required no further treatment,
she was at once returned to her family,
1t has since been learned that the young
lady wandered away into the woods
and subsisted upon such berries as she
could find. and that she occasionally went
to neighboring farm house, where the
family kindly gave her bread. 1t seems
strange that the family did not deem it
necessary TO report the fact of a strange
girl wandering in the woods, in order that
she might be cared for, and we have no
idea why they did not do 80. The physic-
ian of the asylum is of the opinion that the
exposure and change of diet are the direct
causes of the restoration of the young lady
to health of body and mind.