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Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
News of the week
Moses Hull of Boston and a crowd of other lunatics, profaned the Sabbath and the beautiful Lake Walden at Concord on the 12th by a noisy meeting, advocating free love and Spiritualism, and resolved "that our present system of marriage is slavery, and that, considering that idiocy, insanity, prostitution, adultery, rape, drunkenness and murder are its legitimate fruits, it is the duty of every lover of humanity to protest against it".
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
News of the week
Mrs. Lincoln has gone to visit her sister, Mrs. Edwards, at Springfield, Ill., and arrangements have been made, in case of necessity, to place her in the Oak Lawn private retreat for the insane at Jacksonville.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 6, 1875
News of the week
Some injudicious friends of Mrs. Lincoln have been spreading the impression that she is not really insane, and that sending her to an asylum was little short of an outrage. A week ago, there came a report that she was wholly recovered and about to be released, but the physician in charge of the asylum denies this; he did recently say that, under certain circumstances, it might be safe for her to visit her sister at Springfield, but she is not as well now as she was then.
As for the stories of her being locked up and otherwise ill treated, he denies them wholly; she receives visitors, has the use of a carriage, and visits her friends in the neighborhood when she likes. Robert Lincoln's character is so high that it is pretty safe to believe he would not sanction any ill treatment of his mother, and all the facts about the case that have come to light justify him in sending her to an asylum.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 23, 1875
Prediction
Isaac Fancher of Sandy Hill predicts that the world will be destroyed July 4, 1876. This will spoil the Centennial. He bases his cheerful view on Isaiah, lxv chapter, 17th verse: "For the child shall die a hundred years old". The "child" he considers to be Uncle Sam, and when he dies the rest of the world will give it up too and step out also. Mr. Fancher is patriotic, but a little muddled.
Wadsworth Drake of Williamsburg, a well to do farmer, felt so keenly the supposed disgrace of being sued, on Friday, for the first time in his life, that he became a raving maniac, and the care and strength of several men were required to prevent him from taking his own life. He now imagines that he is deeply in debt.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 16, 1875
S.T. Van Buren
S.T. Van Buren, a son of Ex-President Van Buren has been taken to the Hudson River Hospital for the insane. His mind has been seriously affected at intervals for some time.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
News of the week
A man named Hurst killed his wife at White Cloud, Kan. last week. They had been married only about 6 months and had separated. On Thurs. aft. he went to the house where his wife was staying, called her out to the fence, put his arms about her, kissed her affectionately and then cut her throat with a large pruning knife. He was arrested, and the officers had great difficulty in preventing the populace from lynching him. He is now in jail at Troy, and pretends to be crazy. http://www.legendsof.../OZ-WhiteCloud2.html
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
News of the week
A case of horrible cruelty came to light at Philadelphia on Sat. The police visited a house on Melon Street, and in an apartment reeking with filth and with no ventilation, found the emaciated form of a raving maniac, who, it appears, has been kept in close confinement without the knowledge of the neighbors. The sisters of the unfortunate woman, named Catharine Troxell and Amanda Troxell, were taken into custody, and Mary, the victim, was removed to an insane asylum.
[See the Aug. 1, 1875 New York Times article "Inhuman treatment of a lunatic"].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
Father in Heaven
The following poem was written some years ago by an inmate at the Insane Asylum at Northampton:
"Father in Heaven!
Immortal God-head! Deity profound!
How do thy matchless mercies close me round;
Thy love unfathomable, thy grace unbound,
profusely given.
Ceaseless my soul thy praises shall resound,
Father in Heaven..."
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 2, 1875
A New Jersey girl sells herself for $15,000
A somewhat eccentric though wealthy gentleman named Gates has recently been creating quite a sensation in and about Somerville. He is well advanced in years, being upward of 70, a widower and a cripple, with one married daughter, an only child. He moved into Hillsborough township over a year ago, and bought considerable real estate, giving one farm to his daughter.
He is said to have been quite lavish with his money - to such an extent that his family became alarmed, and an effort was made by his daughter to have him declared insane and placed under guardianship, but this effort proved a failure. Among other eccentricities was his evident fondness for the society of young ladies.
On the 5th of July he became acquainted with a young lady from the West, who, with her mother, was temporarily staying in Somerville, and who is not yet out of her teens, to whom he made proposals of marriage. The girl took one hour to consider the matter, and then signified her acceptance, although it is said against the wishes of her mother, and on Mon. of last week the parties were united in marriage, the ceremony taking place in Plainfield - the mother in the mean time having become reconciled. Fifteen thousand dollars was the marriage portion of the bride, which sum was at once placed at her disposal.
[Read the sequel of the life of Joshua B. Gates at the New York Times Online Index of May 29, 1877, entitled "Story of an old man’s marriage" and that of May 30, 1877, entitled "Joshua B. Gates’ marriage: his young widow’s claim for dower; her side of the story; Gates’ alleged cruelty; the divorce proceedings"].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 2, 1875
Wife abuse
There was another illustration in the court of general sessions recently of the way a woman will lie to save her husband, no matter how badly he abuses her. Thomas Sprott was placed on trial, charged with trying to kill his wife by throwing her out of a third story window on to a pavement; two of the neighbors testified to seeing him pushing her out, and striking her hands when she laid hold of the window sashes till she had to let go, though fortunately an awning broke her fall; and all this within 4 days after she had given birth to a child, and at the hands of a man who had been arrested for beating her only a few days before her confinement.
Yet, when put on the stand, Mrs. Sprott swore that her husband never threw her out of the window - she must have fallen out in delirium - and was uniformly kind and loving. The jury, however, found him guilty without leaving their seats, and he was sentenced to 10 years at hard labor in State Prison.
[See the New York Times Online index article entitled "A brutal husband punished" in the July 20,1875 issue].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 26, 1875
Hampshire County items
The case of Mrs. Aurora K. Dimmock, who tried to shoot Dr. Thompson at Northampton the other day was settled Mon., by agreement on her part to leave Northampton and Dr. Thompson forever, and on his part to withdraw the petition for her commitment to the insane asylum. The criminal warrants had not been served on her before the opening of the court, and so she was present.
Mr. Soule, Mrs. Dimmock's counsel, said that he would guarantee that her part of the agreement should be faithfully kept, and she has already left town.
[See the New York Times online article entitled "A woman tries to kill her faithless lover" from July 16, 1875].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
Hampshire County items
A Mrs. Dimmock of Springfield [Aurora K. Dimmock] called on Dr. A.W. Thompson of Northampton on Tues. morning, and she attempted to shoot him. She was at once disarmed but the pistol exploded, sending the ball through her finger during the scuffle. She has been pronounced insane, and will be sent to the State Lunatic Asylum. She claims that the doctor had promised to marry her. [There’s some quite interesting stuff about this doctor if you search Google for "a w thompson" northampton].
William Jewett, who left home several months ago, and who was traced no farther than Hartford, where he was seen wandering crazily about the streets, was arrested at Pittsfield recently as a vagrant, having been wandering since from place to place. The fact that he belonged to Whately was elicited from him in his sane moments, and he was sent to the Northampton asylum, the Selectmen of Whately and his family receiving on the 9th their first notifications of his whereabouts. The unfortunate man is not expected to live a great while, as he has suffered a severe attack of dysentery.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
Mrs. Lincoln
Mrs. Lincoln's mental condition is unchanged, and the superintendent of the Batavia Ill. institution where she is does not regard the prospect of her recovery as very encouraging. Her son Robert visits her weekly, and every possible provision is made for her comfort. http://showcase.neti...n/sites/bellevue.htm
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 12, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
Millard F. Phillips, son of the late Rufus S. Phillips, was taken to the Northampton Asylum on Thurs. A sickness, some 3 months since, affected his mind, and the death of his father and some other troubles greatly increased the malady. He was possessed with a desire to take his own life, and his friends were obliged to send him to the hospital to prevent him from carrying out his purpose. He was taken to Northampton by Sheriff Bryant, and made several attempts before leaving town to get away from the officer.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 12, 1875
A sad sequel to "Katie King"
Robert Dale Owen has become insane. He has been under treatment for various ailments of dyspeptic nature, at a water cure in Western New York; but otherwise, though over 70 years of age, he was strong and of active habits. During a week or two past, his always noticeable eccentricities have increased to an alarming extent, and his wild excitement at the races in Dansville made his friends send for his son, with whom he returned to his home in Indiana.
It is perfectly natural to attribute this result to chagrin at his part in the "Katie King" fiasco, and although he has seemed to bear the misfortune of his mistake with dignity and philosophic strength, it is likely to have been an influential determining cause. Mr. Owen has been the clearest headed and closest reasoning man among the Spiritualists, and was too well grounded in his faith for this sad error to uproot it. A man of the purest and loftiest personal character, and of rare literary ability -- writing as admirable English as any man in this country -- it will be a most tragic termination to the materialization comedy of last year, if his fine mind has lost its balance thereby.
[See articles on both Robert Dale Owen and Katie King in Wikipedia]
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 12, 1875
Brief notes of a pleasant excursion - pt. 2.
Very long travelogue of the excursion trip of the Massachusetts Press Association. In this section they visit Seneca Lake, the Willard Insane Asylum , and Niagara Falls.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 5, 1875
A lunatic
A lunatic in Bedlam was asked how he came there. He answered "By a dispute". "What dispute?" The Bedlamite replied "The world said I was mad; I said the world was mad and they outvoted me".
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 5, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
Some of our citizens had a little more praying done in their families on Tues. morning than was profitable or edifying. A crazy person entered a house on Federal Street, knelt, and engaged in prayer. He prayed the family out of the room, and came near praying them out of the house. He could be distinctly heard in the street. His prayer was over 3/4 of an hour in length. He finally reached the amen, and left for some other field.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 5, 1875
The dangers of chloral
The London Lancet prints a warning against the habitual use of the now fashionable hypnotic chloral . Because it does not produce the immediate evil consequences due to opium and is a far more powerful sedative than bromide of potassium, it has become popular, and is even, as the Lancet deplores, largely recommended by medical men. It has taken its place in the medicine chest and on the dressing table, and is often employed without advice or caution. In some cases, the use of it has resulted in death in healthy persons, and in other cases, its action has given play to diseases which have proved fatal, although without its aid they would not have done so.
But these cases are to have the effect on the public which in professional eyes should be assigned to them...It stills unpleasant emotion, removes disagreeable sensation, and paralyzes the will. This can hardly occur repeatedly without some permanent effect. ..Delirium, imbecility, and paralysis of the pharynx and aesophagus [i.e. esophagus] are among the symptoms which have occurred in reported cases and which have ceased when the habitual dose was discontinued. All the time the supposed need for the sedative increases, the craving for it may become as intense, as intolerable, as in the case of opium -- the patient moaning for the chloral, which he can hardly swallow, and sleep gradually becomes almost impossible, except under artificial influence.
- Mon, Jan 18, 2010
